Musings from An Outgoing State Director

Dave & Donna Mucking it up.

Today, the 17^th Annual Illinois SHRM Conference begins with a pre-conference session and a board meeting, late afternoon.  I am excited to attend. I am stoked to see all of my HR friends from around the country  world. I can’t wait to hear Steve Browne and Cy Wakeman speak.  I get to visit with my friend and presenter Renee Robson (Yeah, she is from down under – they do HR there to.)   I get to present a session with my HR Speaking partner Donna Rogers.  

I get to hold a meeting with all the wonderful volunteers who have supported me for the last year and nine months.  This is great! But at the end of the meeting, on Sunday and then again on Tuesday, I will likely be wrought with emotion, as you see my time as State Director is nearly done.   I have talked with many folks who have left this role both in Illinois and other states and they all experience this; the separation anxiety – the thought of leaving.

Then there are all the things I didn’t get done, one could call them failures or just lofty goals.

Next, I think of all of the people and organizations that I have got to touch in this role and it has been a gift.

Dave & Connie at ILSHRM

I am sad my time is coming to close, it has been a true pleasure to get to serve in this role.

To my predecessor Connie Wolgemuth, you are such a wonderful leader, and smart woman I could not have asked for anyone better in preparing me for the role.  You are awesome!

To my successor Becky Krueger, I am so proud of you in all that you have done to date, all that you continue to do and all of the successes you will have as the incoming State Director. You are awesome and I can't wait to see where you take ILSHRM.

My wife Sheila and Becky riding in the back 

of the disco lit Uber in Miami

And to Becky’s successor good luck, you have a marvelous mentor who will prepare you well for upcoming role.

For all of my life I have been an Eagles fan. One of their last recordings was Out of Eden. There was a song on album titled “It’s Your World Now.”  It is a beautiful song written and sung by founding band member Glen Frey.  In the song Glen talks about how his time is over, sadly that came all too soon.  The lyrics speak to me as to anyone who is “moving on” so I will leave you with them – and if you haven’t heard the song go listen to it.

Dave, Steve and John at VLS … a long time ago.

A perfect day, the sun is sinking low
As evening falls, the gentle breezes blow
The time we shared went by so fast
Just like a dream, we knew it couldn't last
But I'd do it all again
If I could, somehow
But I must be leaving soon
It's your world now

[Chorus]
It's your world now
My race is run
I'm moving on
Like the setting sun
No sad goodbyes
No tears allowed
You'll be alright
It's your world now

[Verse 2]
Even when we are apart
You'll always be in my heart
When dark clouds appear in the sky
Remember true love never dies
But first a kiss, one glass of wine
Just one more dance while there's still time
My one last wish, someday, you'll see
How hard I tried and how much you meant to me

Find me at the conference I am the guy, off in the distance, who will be bawling uncontrollably on Sunday and again on Tuesday.  

Two last thought... John Jorgenson (the Godfatha of ILSHRM) thanks for getting me involved with this organization.  And Lori Maher-McCombs thank you for joining our team and doing what you do, oh so well!

--Dave Ryan ISC State Director

Tiffany Kuehl in the house at ILSHRM Lead

This is the second blog post about our upcoming ILSHRM Leadership meeting which will be in Naperville this year.  I am excited (and frightened) to attend this year. I am excited because I know the event will be epic I am frightened because I am now the director and this whole deal rests on my shoulders.  I guess I need to get over it and revel in the comfort of being uncomfortable.

Tiffany pictured with Steve Browne (sort of) Steve is much taller.

In my previous post I talked about and introduced a good friend of mine who will be speaking at the event.  Today’s post is about our second speaker, another great friend of mine and the Director of Minnesota SHRM, Tiffany Miller Kuehl.    Tiffany too is an early adopter of social media and has been in the HR/Recruiting space for many years (although she only looks like she is 27 to me).

One of the things that I bring to the job of State Director is a vast network of connection so I have decided to call upon some of these people to help me out as the director.  Tiffany is one of those people. I have participated at a number of events with her and we share a passion for this conference thing and and the SHRM thing as well.

Tiffany brings a much different look at the world and things than does Steve Browne.  Tiffany is a working mother, a wife, a daughter, a blogger, a huge Minnesota Twins fan, a baseball coach and a volunteer, some of which must track with many of the folks who will be attending our event. 

Tiffany is going to talk about volunteerism and share her insight into the matter. This will speak to everyone who is attendance because if you are at our Illinois SHRM Leadership conference; we gottcha!

Tiffany will be with us most of the day on Monday, I would encourage you to connect with her prior to the event and then meet her IRL (in real life) as we say in social media.

Tiffany on Linked In    https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykuehl

Tiffany on Twitter https://twitter.com/TiffanyKuehl

Tiffany on Instagram http://instagram.com/tiffanykuehl

Tiffany on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=tiffany%20miller%20kuehl                                                                                                         

SHRM Blog https://blog.shrm.org/author/886

PIC Blogger http://www.performanceicreate.com/author/tkuehl/

Last year on Tiffany’s birthday a good friend of mine Chris Fields created TK Day.  This is a short video I put together for her on her birthday.

Be sure to check out her presentation at this year's conference, you won't be disappointed.

- Dave Ryan Illinois SHRM State Director

Meet Steve Browne at ILSHRMLead

If you know me at all, you probably know that I enjoy writing content and putting it on the internet.  I hope that some people read what I have to say, at least now and then. But I enjoy the writing part even more when it is about something or someone that I really like. Today’s post is about my good friend (and a friend to most everyone who works in HR in North America) Steve Browne.

I am writing about Steve because those of us who are involved in SHRM in Illinois are going to have an opportunity to visit with Steve again at this year’s Illinois Leadership Conference.  Steve joined us in 2015, and is coming back for what will probably be a standing bi-annual standing invitation.

Today’s post is written for those who are not in Steve’s tribe, although the rest of you are welcome to read through and see what I have to say about Steve.

In putting together this piece I was quite surprised to find content mentioning Steve from as early as 2006 out here on the interwebs.   Steve has been an early adopter on all social platforms on the internet and has been at the forefront of Human Resources matters everywhere.   Not only is Steve involved, he is making a difference.  Through all of his work and involvement Steve has been elected to a seat on the Board of Directors for the Society of Human Resources Management. 

While he has made himself kind of a big deal, you would not think so to be around him.  Steve is one of the most outgoing people that I know, who is game for just about anything. 

We rarely talk about this but, like so many of us Steve is a hard working HR guy working in the trenches of HR pretty much everyday.  Steve work for a Pizzeria Chain in the Cincinnati area called LaRosa's.  Don’t be fooled this is a pretty good size operation and is iconic within about 250 miles of Cincy.

As a family man Steve has done pretty well.  He has a lovely wife Deb, and two children in college.  So he has done pretty well in this part of his life too!

So we are going to have Steve speak to all of the leaders of Illinois SHRM, and enlighten us a bit about HR and how we can be better at what we do. That is what Steve is all about.  As I mentioned earliar I did quite a bit of searching or “creeping” on the net to really get a feel for Steve.  So without a lot of fanfare, I going to share a little bit more of Steve with you  - so if you have a chance to meet Steve and see what he has to say you won’t want to pass this up at #ILSHRMLead.

Find Steve on the web...

SHRM Board https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/pages/brownebio.aspx

Steve’s Linked In Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveb5

Steve’s Blog Site – Everyday People http://sbrownehr.com/

Steve on Twitter https://twitter.com/sbrownehr

Steve on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/steve.browne.186

Here is Steve opening up OHSHRM in 2011

Here is Steve at the 2012 SHRM VLS Meeting

Here is Steve talking about membership at the 2015 Illinois Leadership Meeting.

There is a little bit about Steve Browne. Hope to see you at ILSHRMLead!

- Dave Ryan ISC Director

SHRM 2015 VLS Wrap Up

The SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Summit is wrapped up, and we are about to turn the page on another year.  This year I found a new and different SHRM.   SHRM is listening to its member and changing. SHRM members are not nearly as combative this year as they were in 2014.  So, IMO as we say on twitter, I think most of those who attended, came, participated, lobbied, listened and were energized, which I think is the purpose of the event.

SHRM CEO Hank Jackson at the VLS.

Gone were the distractions of the SHRM “Certification”.   Changes were announced to the Volunteer Leader’s Resource Center (VLRC), we saw changes in the name and the styling of the entire event now call VLS (even though the hashtag #SHRMLead) still remains, and this is strictly a personal observation of mine, but I saw a new and different CEO.  The Hank Jackson we saw in 2015 is the guy who runs SHRM.  He is totally comfortable with that, and that he has a bunch of Human Resources Pros around him at the events.  Hank laughed and joked with us and even cracked a joke or two when talking about problems.  He has assumed the role and it just feels like he has become very comfortable with his staff and his membership and his role at the top.

Steve Browne at the VLS.

We also saw at this meeting where our collective friend Steve Browne made the transition to the “other side.”  No longer is Steve a chapter or state council official, he is now on the board of directors of SHRM.  Those of us who know Steve are proud of him and look to him to share our vision of HR with the board.  I am sure he will excel in this role, and I wish him well.

For those who are new to chapters or state council operations, an appropriate amount of learning and resources was offered up. The sessions I attended were spot on and offered me a lot of ideas and ways to attack problems in my upcoming role as State Director. As best as I can tell from a show of hands, it looked like about 50% of the attendees were first time attendees.  The more veteran members could work on being a little more welcoming IMO.  And we need to get more millennials at these events!! (Repeat that last sentence!)

A concept of #HR two point oh or 2.0 was rolled out. What is it? I am not sure we know. Things are changing rapidly and I feel we are being asked, to be ready, to deal with these changes.  Tom Peters spoke of these coming days in “Thriving on Chaos” in 1987; I think we are there and HR 2.0 looks a lot like that.

For me thought the best part of this, and any other SHRM conference is seeing old friends and making new ones! That is simply grand and cannot be replaced by anything else.

ILSHRM Members in the Headshot Lounge

Like most of the other attendees, I am going to head home and pour this renewed vim and vigor into my role and do my damnedest to make #ILSHRM the best we can be. The event allowed me to spend a lot of time with my #ILSHRM people and build a stronger bond with all of our board members, which is great as I am going to need their knowledge, skills and abilities to move ILSHRM forward.

I nearly forgot to mention this, the Marriott Marquis is simply over the top - top notch facility.  It is a prIivileged to stay at properties of this caliber.

Lastly for me, this is simply fun, I enjoy the whole conference atmosphere (meetings, airport delays, drinks, sleep deprivation, smiles, knowledge, being out of town, the SHRM Store… you get the drift) and I think that is why I stay involved.  Being a SHRMie and attending these events gives me something I don’t get anywhere else – so I have to keep coming back.

This is not to be patronizing in anyway, but I also want to thank all of the SHRM staff for being so engaging and making these events the way they are. By reading this you know how I feel about SHRM Conferences, and it is all of the work that you do that creates those feelings in me – and I am sure I am not alone!

Dave Ryan ISC SHRM Director Elect

SHRM VLS 2015 - Continued

Yesterday I posted about attending the SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Summit (#SHRMLead) and talked about the Pinnacle Awards.  And while the Pinnacle awards are a big part of the event, there is another aspect of the event that continues to take place year after year.  I am going to call it SHRM Lobby Day.  Every Thursday morning on the week of the event the SHRM ATeam  (Mike Aitken and his most capable staff) very quickly turn HR pros into amateur lobbyist. 

SHRM trains and equips these folks for a trip to Capitol Hill, to talk to their Senators and Representative and provide them with SHRMs position on the Legislation d’jour.  Every time I have ever attended I share’s SHRM’s position on these issues to a tea.  What this does is it not only allows the HR pro to articulate SHRM position on the matter, but they can then embellish that position with stories from their state or HR shop – adding to SHRM’s credibility as the go to source on HR matters. I am convinced this impacts our legislators.

I have had the pleasure of making this trip six times.  Five times were as a part of the SHRM Leadership event and I attended once as part of the SHRM Legislative Conference.

The trips are empowering and make HR pros feel like you actually can have an impact on the going ons in Washington DC.   So if you are afforded the chance to go to Capitol Hill … do it, the experience will be most enriching.

Now for a different prospective on the event I want to share/recycle an older blog post written by someone I think very highly of, my son Danny Ryan.  Danny got to hang out with his dad for a couple of days at the event in 2012, and see what it really goes on at the event.  So for a different prospective on the event, please click through and check out this post called On Vacation at SHRM Leadership.

ILSHRM in the Books

This year was a bifurcation point for Illinois SHRM. We moved the conference from Oak Brook to Tinley Park.  The reason for the move was two-fold.  The move was supposed to help us reduce the cost of putting on the event, and the board was hopeful that it would result in an increase in attendance.  ILSHRM also made a planned effort to go nearly paperless, opting for all information to be disseminated via our Crowd Compass on line app.

Janine Driver showing Hank Jackson the "power" handshake.

The unofficial total for the event was 553 paid attendees and a guestimate of another 150 folks, including speakers, exhibitors and volunteers. All told we had about 700 folks in the house for the two day event.  Another change was going from three to two keynote speakers.  There is no doubt that both of our keynoters knocked the socks off of everyone.  Janine Driver was our opening speaker, and she was simply amazing.  She even had SHRM CEO Hank Jackson (who was in attendance at ILSHRM) participating in her presentation.

Our closing keynote speaker Bill Rancic is a hometown boy and talked of growing up “right down the street” in Orland Park.  Bill shared some great insight into his success and how he deals with and manages people, a great message for all of the HR folks in attendance. At the close of his presentation he was doing a little Q. & A. with the audience.  When asked about his television mentor Donald Trump, Bill would only say that he liked Mr. Trump and that he was a good man.

From the conversations I had and that were overheard all of our breakout sessions got high marks.  This blogger’s opinion is unscientific, but I am sure will be borne out by the evaluations, which were completed on our conference app.  I can honestly say that all of the sessions I attended were well executed.

We also had a couple social events, both Sunday evening and Monday evening.  While both events were well done, I would have like to have seen more attendees at each.  In fact I would have like to have seen all of the attendees at both events, but that is probably not going to happen.  On Monday we had the pleasure of listening to a folk/rock grunge/blue-grass group called The Way Down Wanders. 

As was mentioned earlier, we did have a sort-of surprise visit from SHRM CEO Hank Jackson. Hank joined us on Monday morning and spoke to the crowd sharing the direction of the organization and the current hot topics.  ILSHRM is fortunate to have had Hank join us as he only has plans to attend two state conferences this year.

There also were some things we could do better.  This is my list of things I will be recommending to the board.

• ·         Ensure that the Wi-Fi service meets our needs
• ·         Speed up the Food service
• ·         More seating for lunch
• ·         Better control of room temperatures

I believe that the collective reviews will show that the conference was successful.  Whether or not the location was an improvement remains to be seen.  We will see what our attendees have to say. And once those results are in we will do our best to share that information.

To those who attended and participated in our 2015 ILSHRM Conference, a BIG THANK YOU.  To those who missed the event, we will soon have a date for you to add to your calendar, so check our website for that information.

Dave Ryan ISC SHRM Director Elect

Look Whose Coming to #ILSHRM15

Tomorrow is the pre-conference day for Illinois SHRM 2015 style.  This year we are in a new location, with a new State Director and we are trying something different things with our opening keynote speaker. So we have thrown caution to wind and are going for it, to see how this works out.

Cathy Plouzek (Past state director) with Hank Jackson

And we have one other thing up our sleeve.  We have a special guest joining us on Sunday and Monday.  The Big Guy, Mr. Hank Jackson, in the flesh.  I do not know what he has in store with his visit, but I am sure it will be enlightening and exciting, just having him join us Sunday night and Monday morning. On Monday he is going to speak to all of the attendees and share what he has for us.  You can see that Hank's connections to ILSHRM Leadership is strong, as the paparazzi has done his homework well, in the pictures to the left.  He always seems to be a good sport about pictures. Introduce yourself to him, he is actually a very friendly fellow! 

Cathy Plouzek (Past State Director, Hank Jackson
and Connie Wolgemuth (Current State Director)

Otherwise our conference planners Sabrina Baker and Julie Rischmiller have done an outstanding job of putting together a line up of sessions which will provide you information on most everything that is currently going on in the field of Human Resources. It would be at this point to where it would be appropriate to thanks them for their 12 months of work in putting this event together.

In our break out sessions, we have a number of returning favorite speakers, ones that are a hit year after year like Mike Vandervort, Broc Edwards, Lisa Callaway,  and Dwane Lay.  We also are bringing in some new blood like Heather Kinzie, Mary Faulkner and local Chicago Favorite Bill Rancic. 

On Monday evening, we are going to give everyone time to go grab some dinner and then get back to the conference venue around 6:30 to listen to The Way Down Wanders perform.

The event should be epic.  You can follow the twitter activity with the hashtag #ILSHRM15 and you can see more on our Facebook Page as well.

And if your are attending please DOWNLOAD THE ILSHRM App as this will be the guide to the event.
See you soon!

- Dave Ryan Director Elect ISC SHRM

PHR, SPHR, GPHR, SHRM & HRCI What is going On?

So if you pay any attention to what goes on out here in HR cyberspace, you could not have missed that SHRM is changing its certification system – and to be correct perhaps I should say “transitioning” rather than changing.  At this point much, has been said and written.  Just in case you have been under a rock or in a different universe, here are a few examples.

• TLNT
• Ben Eubanks at Upstart HR
• Brad Galin at Roller Coaster HR
• Workforce

Not unlike Ben Eubanks, I have done some of my own research to try to understand what is happening.  Some comments that I have heard from fellow SHRMies is that this is a money grab by SHRM, or that it is a family feud (minus Richard Dawson) between HRCI and SHRM.  At this point I do not know how we arrived at this juncture but we are here.  Most of us who hold these certifications value them. We feel it demonstrates to the world our competency.

Now to go and change it, almost out of the blue seems ludicrous.  I am reminded of time when my oldest son was attending what is now Missouri S & T. When he enrolled, they had a huge public relations campaign to grow the university with the tag line “The Name, The Degree, The Difference.”  Then, almost without any notice or fanfare, they went and changed the name of the university to Missouri University of Science and Technology a.k.a MS&T. Thus it would appear that the previous ad campaign was wrong, and the tag line was just a marketing ploy.

My point is this, SHRM is cutting to the credibility of the certification if they arbitrarily stop doing one thing and start doing another.  So all that stuff we said in the past was wrong?  I know that on-going change is necessary but in this instance it would seem change should be more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Another other thing that is unclear to me is this.  As I understand it, HRCI exists to administer the HR Certifications, that’s it.  If SHRM is no longer going to use them what becomes of them.  I would liken this as a business with one customer, and that business decides they are no longer going to do business with their one customer – what now? 

I am not naive enough to not understand there is a whole bunch more to this story, and probably a lot of it makes good sense.  The problem is this.  That story has not been communicated. The story has been communicated poorly, or it has not been communicated at all. Then BAM!  We are changing all of this, PHR, SPHR, GPHR –HRCI.  This is disconcerting to SHRM members who proudly hold these certifications.

I know this will all get squared away, and explained to the masses and it will all be fine.  However,  for now I say SHRM shame on you – you botched this one!

- Dave Ryan Co-Legislative Director for Illinois SHRM

2014 ILSHRM Conference – All The Juicy Details

With many of us still thawing out from the Polar Vortex, I thought a little something to make us think about warmth, happiness and growth would be a nice change of pace.

It will be warm in August.

Being around smart people who get where we are coming from makes us happy.

Attending three jam packed days of awesome content to challenge our minds and help us improve both ourselves and our workplaces helps us grow.

Of course I'm talking about ILSHRM14!

We are still hammering out some minor details, but the important stuff is figured out.

The pre-conference workshop has been designed.

The keynotes are settled and so excited to grace our stage.

The concurrent sessions are decided and scheduled.

We even know what time everything is happening.

You can get all of the preliminary details here. All of this information will be up on our website shortly.

To register for the conference or pre-conference workshop click here.

-Sabrina Baker - Conference Chair

If you are a vendor who is looking for information on sponsoring or exhibiting with us, please email ilshrmexpo14@gmail.com

Changing of the SHRM MAC Guard

We have been a little quite over here at the ILSHRM blogging desk.  After getting our 2013 conference behinds us, many of had to put our nose to the grind stone and get back to doing those things that facilitate our volunteer efforts (our day jobs). The conference season is about wrapped up for 2013 and the folks in Alexandra on Duke Street are getting ready to close one chapter and open another.

The annual SHRM Leadership Conference is right around the corner. Traditionally, this is where year end awards are given and a figurative bow is put on the year, just as plans for the next year are announced.  Sadly, I will not be in attendance for this years event, although I have been able to attend more than my fair share of SHRM Leadership events.   The word on the street is that those who are allowed to attend may be changing.  We will have to see how this plays out.

Donna Rogers, MEd., SPHR

Another change that is taking place is some (perhaps all) of the MAC reps for SHRM will be moving on, turning in their jerseys. I am not sure about the status of all of the MAC reps, but I am aware of our own North Central Region.  Illinois' own Donna Rogers will have completed her one year term on the board.  We were proud to have her represent our region.  While we were not privy to all of their work I personally know that Donna poured her heart and soul into this effort and did all that she could to improve the process.  MAC reps are about as close as most of us SHRMies will get to the big guys.  So Kudos to Donna for a great job and making those of us from the Mid-West proud. Thus, I can safely say that Donna has set the bar high for the incoming North Central Region MAC rep.

Steve Browne (from his
twitter profile)

That person who will follow Donna is an enigma in Human Resources and here in the North Central Region. If you are active in this space you probably already know this.  Steve Browne a.k.a. @sbrownehr will be the new MAC rep from our region. I have no doubt that Steve will follow in Donna's path of challenging the powers that be and pushing for change and improvement. He's is not a bad guy, in fact he a great guy. He is just wired to push the envelope.

So from all of your friends (and there are a bunch of us) here in Illinois, we wish you the very best in your next endeavor with SHRM.  - Peace!!

- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

SHRM National Checkin' us Out

Illinois SHRM is proud to welcome SHRM Representatives Nancy Conway and Martha Ramirez to the ILSHRM 2013 conference. SHRM National will have a booth where you will be able to find these ladies. Stop by and meet them both – I highly recommend doing so!

This from Martha…

Attending ILSHRM is a fantastic way to obtain professional development, make connections, and get HR help.  After every state conference, we always hear first time attendees’ comment they wished they had attended the conference before.  Others comment they wished they attended the conference more often.  “HR People Helping HR People” is very evident at the IL SHRM State Conference! Take the time to develop yourself and make connections within the state.  It will save you time in the long run – really!

During the conference, please stop by the SHRM Booth to connect with me, Martha Ramirez, SPHR and Nancy Conway, SPHR your SHRM staff representatives!  We’ll have information on ways to get the HR help that you need.  Also, we’re giving away some fabulous prizes.  Drop off your business card at the SHRM booth to be entered into the drawing. See you there!

Martha     

Martha Ramirez, SPHR

Director, Western Region & North Central Field Services Director

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Phone: 703-535-6290

Mobile: 630-267-1944

Toll Free: 800-283-7476 x 6290

www.shrm.org

Illinois State Council is near and I want to make the connection!

In a few weeks, about 500 HR professionals will descend upon Oakbrook, IL for the SHRM state conference. I'm

excited about ILSHRM because state conferences matter and here is why.

Yes, the national is important and it was just here in Chicago in June. Yes, it was expensive and many of you let us know about that. But, Illinois is my state. I am really interested in learning about all of the HR changes and issues going on at the local level. I want to know how we are dealing with new issues like healthcare.

Our volunteers work tirelessly to make this happen. State conference planners volunteer to make this the best for us and make it happen with very little money. They depend on our attendance and feedback to give us what we want. Countless hours are spent working on this event and they do it while balancing their regular personal and professional lives.

I attended ILSHRM12 last year. This was my first state conference and I got to meet many people in person, whom I had met via social media. The content was rich, the keynotes were fantastic and this year is no different.

Many say they don’t attend conferences because they are a waste of time. I disagree. It's a learning experience and a time to connect and share our experiences and how we do it in the trenches. I want to learn from all of you. I want to meet my peers and find different ways to do things. I want to know if I am the only one struggling with how to deal with a particular issue.

I don't get this opportunity very often. Social media is a great way to connect, but, contrary to what some may think, not everyone is on social media. I want to meet new HR pros, talk live, hear some laughter and share some experiences. Most importantly, I will not do karaoke, regardless of what you may have heard. 

About the Author:

John Hudson is currently an HR Manager with Discovery Communications and Harpo Studios in Chicago and has over 15 years of experience in the Human Resources field. He provides consultation and expertise in the areas of performance management, employee development, employee relations, compensation and recruiting. John has also worked in the insurance and consumer products environments supporting various departments including IT, Legal, Finance and Operations. John has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Indiana University and the SPHR certification. Follow him on Twitter @johnphudson.

Meet your Social Media Team for our #ILSHRM13 Conference and Social Media Lab

We are gearing up for our upcoming #ILSHRM13 Conference in Oak Brook this year and have exciting

stuff headed your way.

If you'll remember, we had a fantastic Social Media Crew in town from all over the US and Canada to assist attendees with social media during last years ILSHRM12 conference and had great success. So, we decided to bring it again this year.

Social Media is now being used not only in Employment Branding but for Recruiting and Retention, Employee Engagement, but for HR Professionals personally to open them up to a global community of peers that can assist them with answers to questions when they need it, share their own knowledge and mentor others within their industry, and expanding their career network with like-minded individuals.

We have hand selected a few key individuals with backgrounds in HR and Community Building that really understand how to incorporate social media into the workplace, online networking, and a thousand other ways and with that we introduce you to our 2013 Social Media Team: 

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. She leads Red Branch Media, an agency offering marketing strategy and content development. A consistent advocate of next generation marketing techniques, Hogan has built successful online communities, deployed brand strategies in both the B2B and B2C sectors, and been a prolific contributor of thought leadership in the global recruitment and talent space. Hogan speaks and writes on all career and workforce related subjects. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies and SMBs around the globe.

Nicole Ochenduski, PHR, is a Human Resources Professional, Speaker, 

and Trainer with a passion for using Social Media in the Workplace. She has over 10 years experience in the trenches of HR. She believes that Social Media is not a fad, but a "way of life." Making intentional connections through social is an everyday part of life. You can find her over at HR Roots.

Bradley D. Galin, SPHR,  is an executive coach and HR Leadership Consultant based in Portage, Michigan. In addition to his day job, Brad is also a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Bloomington Monroe County, currently serves as the Director-at-Large for the Indiana State Council of SHRM, recently completed his MBA. Brad spent ten years as the Senior Director of Human Resources and Corporate Compliance Officer for Stone Belt Arc, Inc., a non profit organization with over 500 employees fulfilling its mission to prepare, empower, and support people with disabilities and their families throughout south central Indiana.You can usually find him talking over at RollerCoasterHR.

Matthew Stollak, Ph.D., SPHR is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Saint Norbert College, where he teaches courses in management, human resource management, compensation, labor relations, and statistics.  He also serves as chapter advisor for the Saint Norbert College Student SHRM Chapter.  He regularly blogs at True Faith HR (truefaithhr.blogspot.com) and can be found on twitter @akaBruno.

Jonathan Brewer (aka Brew) is the Director of Awesome with BTC Revolutions, a digital and social agency that builds communities and ignites movements.  He is also the co-pilot of the LIVE Google+ hangout and tweetchat for My Community Manager. Brew is an expert in building communities that blend online and offline communications.  As a constant learner, and a self-proclaimed “geek translator” and “destroyer of silos”, his passion is connecting like-minded people from various disciplines including HR, IT, Marketing, and Sales. You can follow Brew on twitter @houseofbrew.

I'm personally looking forward to a fantastic conference this year and hope to see you there! Make sure you come up and say hello! And let us know how we can help you get Social!

About the Author:

Susan Avello  is a Social Media and Branding Strategist and Co-Founder of DiscoveringSocial.com

helping Job Seekers incorporate Social into their job search as well as HR and Recruiters develop a Social Business Strategy. She shares her knowledge of Social Media and Business, HR Technology and Employment Branding over at HR Virtual Cafe blog and SHRM WeKnowNext. She is a part of the social press team for SHRM annual conference and social media chair for Illinois SHRM State conference 2012 and 2013. Follow her on Twitter @susanavello.