1. What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?
There are a few aspects of my job that I would consider both challenging and rewarding. If I’m being completely honest about challenges and rewards, the answer is employees or co-workers.
Although I can’t always help in every situation, being trusted by employees enough for them to feel they can come to me for help is extremely rewarding. Whether it is a manager having an issue with his or her staff staff, an employee having an issue with another employee, or an employee dealing with a personal problem, I feel my job has been done because I have helped create a human resources department where employees feel comfortable coming to us for problem-solving and brainstorming.
2. Who do you look up to or admire in business?
It’s hard to pick only one person whom I admire in business. Since I have to choose one, I pick Greg Nealis. He was my boss at Oscar Mayer when I was an HR helper for two summers in college. I initially thought I was going to be a nursing major in college, but when I started working for Greg I was introduced to human resources and business as a whole. I was a part of department meetings and employee orientations and learned about all the forms that need to be completed for compliance reasons, but what I took away was how much compassion human resources professionals have for the people they serve.
Greg always made sure to explain why situations were handled in a certain way, and he really made me understand that human resources is just that — a resource for people who work with and for you. He handled every situation on a case-by-case basis and told me that no day is ever the same in this job, and that is what makes it fun. Those words and summers led me to choose HR as a career. I will always look up to and admire Greg for that.
3. What has been the high point of your career so far?
The high point in my career was being asked to be on the board of directors — in an HR capacity — for 4-C (Community Coordinated Child Care), a nonprofit organization that serves eight counties in Wisconsin. At first I was unsure if I would be able to add value to the board because the organization is a nonprofit and its size is very different from what I am used to, but it has turned out to be a fantastic addition to my career. I joined the board in July 2013, and I have been able to lend my human resources experience and outside perspective to an amazing organization. Being able to dive more into nonprofit structure and community involvement has helped me grow in my professional and personal life. Needless to say, I am very glad I ended up accepting this opportunity.
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4. Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I don’t consider this a secret talent, but people may be surprised to learn that I did competitive dancing from ages 7 to 18. After high school, I began teaching tap, jazz, and ballet part time to keep myself active and involved. Now, to keep busy, I play bar league volleyball for Smart Motors.
5. Do you have any guilty pleasures?
I would have to say my guilty pleasures are very Wisconsin! I am a fried food and barbecue junky. More specifically, I eat way too many cheese curds, but they have to be paired with barbecue sauce. I wish I could say that my guilty pleasure was something productive, like working out or reading, but really those aren’t things to feel guilty about.
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