About SCHRA
To My Fellow HR Professionals,
Happy New Year to all! I always look forward to the New Year and the many opportunities it gives to set and accomplish new goals and I am pleased to once again serve as President for the 2013 SCHRA membership year. In 2012 our primary goal was to enhance the value of SCHRA membership. We saw member engagement increase as our Board and Membership Ambassadors assured that every SCHRA meeting provided a warm welcoming environment to all attendees and that the ease of event registration and payment were improved over previous years. We increased the value of membership through enhanced networking opportunities and HRCI certified professional development programming. Member giveaways increased in 2012 in the areas of the SHRM memberships, Ohio SHRM conference registrations and HRCI certification grants for our members.
In April, 2012 we were proud to receive SHRM’s Gold Excel Award for exceeding the SHRM chapter affiliation requirements by completing significant initiatives in the areas of Membership, Workforce Readiness, Governmental Affairs, Diversity, Certification and Member Engagement. The success of these initiatives would not have been possible without the vision and determination of our Board and the talent, experience and selfless volunteer contributions on the part of our highly engaged members. SCHRA was also proud to receive SHRM awards for being a SHRM Foundation Champion and for achieving Membership Superstar status due to chapter growth.
In 2012 our membership numbers grew, not just in the number of overall members but also in the number of new SHRM and HRCI certified members. SCHRA also grew in contributions to the communities we serve through increased volunteerism in worthwhile community initiatives. These initiatives have allowed us to come nearer to our goal of being recognized as “the” human resource authority in Stark County. Each year we become more clearly recognized as an organization deserving of “a place at the community table” in the Stark County area. In short, SCHRA continues to evolve well beyond the “lunch and learn” organization we represented in the past.
I want to personally thank every member who served on a committee and/or volunteered their time in 2012. Hopefully it will be in your hearts and schedules to continue in 2013. I also sincerely thank and congratulate the hard working members of our SCHRA 2012 Board of Governors. Lisa Gould, Vice President and Programming Director, Valarie Nash, Secretary, Christina Skondras and Vicki Brown, Treasurers, Pat Conry, Membership Director, Joanne Breedlove and Becky Tisevich, Workforce Readiness Directors, Kristin Hannon, Certification Chair, Tammy Anderson, Communications Director, Hans Nilges, Governmental Affairs Chair and Cheryl Musgrove, Diversity Chair have all worked countless hours to make SCHRA a great HR organization. In 2013 we will continue to work towards our goals as most of our Board returns. For 2013 we welcome Deb Betro as our new Membership Director, Cyndy Host as our 2013 Treasurer and Pat Conry as she transitions over to the Co-Chair of our Diversity Committee. We also thank those who were unable to continue in volunteer leadership Board positions. These 2012 and 2013 HR professionals are fully engaged in our goal of making SCHRA more than just a great HR organization; they are fully vested in serving you, the professional and advancing our HR profession. Thank you all!
In closing, I wish the very best to each and every SCHRA member!
Sincerely,
Stella Tsirelis
President, SCHRA
