Farewell from Outgoing ISC SHRM Director John Jorgensen

Wow, where has the two years gone? I am rapidly approaching the end of my term as the Illinois State Director of SHRM. It has been a great couple of years working with great people and, in many ways, sorry to see it end.

The Board has accomplished really good things in that time. We’ve continued the great programs started by my predecessors (Carolyn Sperl especially) in that we have expanded our partnership with Blue Cross/Blue Shield in the area of workplace wellness, built on our relationship with the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and built our Leadership Conference over a brief 3 year period into something to be proud of. Thanks to Carolyn and all those who preceded me.

During the last two years we have done some pretty amazing stuff. The State Conference has been moved into the Chicago area and it paid great benefits. Attendance increased by 50%, we have received some national attention and will continue to grow. We have added Social Media to our Board and garnered more national attention by doing so (we were the second state council to add that as a director level position). Because of that, we were the first state conference to be visited by the newly created SHRM Director of Social Media and PR. All of this is laying the groundwork for an even bigger and better conference for the future. We have secured the same location for the next 2 years so see you at the Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace in 2011 and 2012.

Another new position to the board in the last couple of years was a Director of Communications and we have begun to produce regular newsletters of great quality and to provide media in the state a source for information on the profession of human resources, while making the name of ISC-SHRM better known throughout Illinois.

A position that is not new but has been revitalized is that of District Director. We have been able to use the people in that position and the expertise they bring to help chapters grow and operate and they are playing a huge role in the upcoming State Leadership Conference.

We are on the verge of adding at least 2-3 new SHRM chapters in the state in areas not served currently by SHRM chapters and in the process picking up some amazing new members of and leaders for Illinois SHRM.

Notice that the word “I” only appeared once in this article because “I” did not do all these things. The Board did. I (ok now twice) have been blessed to serve with an amazing group of professionals and volunteer leaders that have made my job so amazingly easy and fun. Thank you to all of you for the outstanding work you have done that has made the Illinois State Council of the Society of Human Resource Management the great organization it has become and will continue to be.

Thanks, John