Reflecting on my last 6 years as the President of HRA of Greater Oak Brook SHRM, it's hard to put into words what it meant to me. In fact, I've been putting this post off, so I finally just hit record and said what I was feeling. It's "Take 1" so it might not be polished, but the message is from my heart.
I can't thank everyone enough for their support, confidence, and faith in me. It's been an honor and a privilege to be in a position to be able to give back to the HR community and contribute to building HRA Oak Brook into the award-winning chapter we are today.
The transition is a little bittersweet for me because I love leading HRA and could do so tirelessly for years to come, but like any good HR strategy, succession planning is important to the future growth of the organization. It's not about me; it's about the greater group. In my role as Past President, I'm excited for what's in store for HRA in 2025 with Dwight Klein, SHRM-CP as the new President and Jennifer Kramer, M.S., SPHR, SHRM-CP as VP/President Elect.
So, what's next? I'll still be around at all the HRA events and will always help with whatever our members and guests need, but you might see a little less of me. I will still be leading the HR Friday Roundtable every Friday at 8 am. That is my favorite part of my week, and we have an incredible group of people who help each other out. It's pretty special and anyone in HR is welcome to check it out.
Stepping back will also allow me to help my HR network in new ways. In fact, if you attended HRHotSeat Chicago's most recent mastermind meeting, you may have heard Erich Kurschat's announcement that I will be taking over and revitalizing the Western Suburbs Chapter for HRHotSeat. Erich has done an amazing job building #HRHotSeat and I am thankful to partner and learn from him. This has been 6 months in the making, so expect to see more on this soon and when we will have our first in-person meeting in the suburbs!
Also, in 2 years I will be taking over as State Director for Illinois SHRM State Council which is a big role, and I'll have even bigger shoes to fill as Todd Ray has taken over as Director for 2025 and at this level, the opportunity to make an impact at the state/national level across all #SHRM chapters is exciting to think about.
From a professional career standpoint, I am also taking time to reflect on my next 10 years. What that means, I don't know, but you will be the first to know.
In all honesty, sometimes it's hard to let go of something you've given your all to for so long. Whether it's our career, our health, or our kids, everyone has a story here. You all should know I've gotten so much more from you than I could ever give you. I've learned so much and those learnings are probably another post for another day. As I said above, I could lead HRA forever, but it is my time.
Thank you for everything
