Register Now for the May Program!

Less Rules - More Values

Presented by:
Kathy LaFond, Director of Human Resources, 
& Tracey Aust, Director of Talent Acquisition and Development, Glens Falls Hospital

As HR professionals, we are often bogged down by policies and procedures and rules and regulations. While we cannot refute that some rules are necessary, this program will focus on building a value-based culture to drive performance and results. What if we had a way to manage, motivate, recognize and coach our teams using organizational values instead of rules? This session will build the case for a value- based organization by using a real case study where these principles have been successfully applied. 

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:

• Explain the difference between a rule-based organization and value-driven organization
• Explore ways to apply a value-based approach to recruitment, orientation and onboarding
• Discuss how to use a values-based strategy for managing, motivating and rewarding our workforce

This program has been submitted for 1.0 continuing education credit through HRCI and SHRM.

Tracey Aust

Tracey Aust is currently the Director of Talent Acquisition for Glens Falls Hospital. She has been in her current role for the past two years. Prior to joining Glens Falls Hospital, she was the Vice President of Human Resources for Jaeger and Flynn Associates. Tracey spent the first 25 years of her career in south-central Pennsylvania in a variety of roles working for the Wellspan Health System. Her areas of expertise include Human Resources, Diversity, Leadership Development and Staff Engagement. In addition to her full-time roles, Tracey was an Adjunct Professor of Business teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels for 18 years at York College of Pennsylvania. Previously, she has also spoken both at the local and national levels as a motivational speaker. She earned both her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Psychology and an MBA from York College of PA. She has earned her SPHR, her SHRM-SCP and is an active member of the ADK-HRA.

Kathy LaFond

Like many HR professionals, Kathy LaFond did not set out to find HR … HR found her, about 20 years ago. From the beginning of her professional career, Kathy was drawn to the human element of business – helping individuals do their best, progress in their careers, and find satisfaction in their chosen profession. Kathy’s career has led her in a number of different HR directions and, as such, she brings specialist, generalist, and leadership experience to the table. Admittedly she prefers employee relations, HR technology, and total rewards to interviewing, selection, and onboarding, but her HR skills are well-rounded and she brings depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines. In 2003, Kathy obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management and Economics – with a concentration in HR Management – from SUNY Empire State College in Saratoga Springs, NY. She went on to study HR Management in Duke University’s HR Management Certificate program in Raleigh, NC, where she worked for an international company and provided global HR and HR Technology support to 1,500 employees world-wide. Following her studies at Duke University, Kathy successfully passed the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) exam and became a certified HR professional. After a short break in her educational studies, Kathy obtained her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Senior Certified Profession (SHRM-SCP) certifications within the same year. Having spent most of her life in the northeast, and in the Glens Falls region, Kathy is passionate about the quality of life this area offers. A graduate of Queensbury High School – the same school her son attends now – and a resident of Queensbury for over 30 years – give or take a couple of moves south – Kathy has always considered this area “home”. In 1999, Kathy married Mark – a native of Warrensburg, NY – and in 2005 the couple welcomed their only child, Matthew. Mark is newly-retired from the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, and Matt attends 5th grade a Queensbury’s WHBI School. When she is not wearing her many HR hats at Glens Falls Hospital, Kathy enjoys attending Matt’s sporting events, traveling with her family, reading, and spending time with friends. 

From the President

Happy Monday, CRHRA!

With another successful Annual Conference under our belts, as well as an informative morning program on HR’s role in Legislative Advocacy last week, it’s time to look forward to what’s next:

May 9th is a dinner meeting, at the Century House in Latham. “Less Rules – More Values” will be presented by Kathy LaFond and Tracey Aust of Glens Falls Hospital. Register here

June 13th is our first of TWO summer socials. Registration link is not up just yet but save the date!

Looking further ahead, the NYS SHRM Conference is in Albany again!

Have a great week, and good luck with your last-minute tax filings!

Chris

Welcome New and Renewed Members!

Congratulations to the winners from the Membership Profile Update drawing!! Those who updated their CRHRA membership profile last month were entered into two drawings for a Free Monthly Meeting and a $50 Amazon gift card. Karen Biehler and Emily Borisenok were the lucky winners! 

Linda Dulye, Dulye & Co.
Joelle Monaco, Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc.
Christina DeStefano, Community Care Physicians
Jevell Graham, AAF FLANDERS
Lorraine Garafola, Living Resources Corporation
Alka Athanikar, Charter Communications
Shannon Easton, The Law Firm of Alex Dell
Karen Fox, Curtis Lumber
Lynn Berger, SUNY Cobleskill
Kathleen Kilmartin, Community Health Center
Miriam Dixon, City of Saratoga Springs
Shelby Miller, The Center for Disability Services
Nancy Harrigan, 1st National Bank of Scotia
Sade King, Apple Inc.
Jovan Carpino, Living Resources Corporation
Dawn Bevilacqua , CWI
Kelley Lukas, Appolo Heating

Member Spotlight:
Deirdre Baugh
Human Resources Manager
Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council, Inc.
Focuses on Employee Relations, Labor Relations, Recruiting and Training and Development

How long have you been a CRHRA Member?
I have been a member of CRHRA for almost 15 years.

What led you to pursue a career in Human Resources?
I fell into Human Resources completely by accident. I started as a Receptionist for a home furnishings company in Manhattan, and my desk was right near the HR Director’s office. She slowly started to give me small generalist tasks to assist her and eventually I was promoted into her department as an HR Coordinator. She taught me the basics of recordkeeping, benefits compliance and trained me to start interviewing entry level candidates. From there I moved on to other industries including food service, advertising and member services, expanding my knowledge of the Human Resources field along the way.

As a Human Resources Professional in the Capital Region, how has CRHRA helped you?
CRHRA has helped me in many ways because it’s provided me with the opportunity to meet HR colleagues who can relate to the same experiences I’ve had. It’s great to know you’re not alone in the field because as we know, we need to maintain a focus on policy, but we’re also involved with what people need. It’s also provided the chance to get to know and work with trainers and compensation specialists who possess expert knowledge in a specialized field.

If you could have dinner with a public figure, who would it be and why?
I would choose to have dinner with Maya Angelou, well known poet, author, activist, actress, singer and director. I think it would be a great conversation because her stories and lessons from her life are not just inspiring, but they’re real. She was always open about her life and the challenges she faced and always found a way to overcome. Her resilience and ability to look for the good in people is incredibly inspiring. Her accomplishments in her lifetime are also staggering. It seems she was driven by natural curiosity and the desire to share her journey creatively. I would love to ask her about how confident she was when venturing into something new. How did she overcome obstacles? How did she process the feelings if someone discouraged her or told her she couldn’t do something? She would also be a great dinner companion because she would be just as interested and curious about my journey and path as much as I would be in hers. My path is hardly the same, but I think sharing experiences and positive lessons learned with someone who takes a genuine interest can be rewarding.

Workforce Readiness Committee Update

Interested in volunteering with CRHRA? We would love to have your help!  The Workforce Readiness Committee is currently looking for volunteers to assist with resume critiques at the upcoming 2018 job fairs.  If you are interested in volunteering at one (or more) of the upcoming Job Fairs, please contact Courtney, CRHRA Workforce Readiness Committee Chair, at workforce@crhra.org.  Thank you!

• April 18th in Saratoga
  
• April 24th in Albany
  
• July 10th in Albany
  
• September 5th in Schenectady
  
• October 3rd in Saratoga
  
• October 8th in Albany
  
  

2018 NYS SHRM Conference Announcement

We are excited to announce the opening of registration for the NYS SHRM Conference for 2018! This year’s conference theme is Innovate- Integrate- Motivate, and we’ll be honing our HR skills in Albany September 23rd through Septmeber 25th. NYS SHRM has a full conference schedule planned to get you double digit re-certification credits, including those hard to find strategic credits! Plus, we are very excited to announce that Cy Wakeman will be the opening Key note speaker! Her bestselling book, Reality Based Leadership, is a step by step toolkit to help you get your managers to become leaders and your culture aligned towards your strategic goals. Check out more about Cy Wakeman on her Youtube Channel.

Would you love to attend but not sure you can afford it? You can apply to win the Dennis Ryan Scholarship and go to the conference all expenses paid. For more details and to fill out the application, here: https://nys.shrm.org/dennis-ryan-memorial-volunteer-award-0

Be sure to register today to secure your place at the conference. Early bird pricing is only available through June 30th, so be sure to register early to take advantage of this discount! This will provide you with first notice of when the program has been finalized, first selection of breakout/concurrent sessions choices, and guarantee that you get into the programs you want to attend. Educational sessions providing SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP and HRCI recertification credits will begin early Sunday morning. You will also want to reserve a hotel room if necessary. There are a set number of rooms blocked off at the Albany Hilton and the Albany Renaissance starting at $169-$179 per night.

You do not want to miss out on the NYS SHRM conference being held locally. We hope that CRHRA members will take advantage of this great opportunity!

Conference Details:

• When: Sunday, September 23, 2018 - Tuesday, September 25, 2018
• Where: Albany Capital Center - Albany, NY

SHRM National and/or Local Affiliate Chapter Members:

• Early Bird Rate (April 1st - June 30th): $520
• Regular Rate (July 1st - September 23rd): $590

Non-Members:

• Early Bird Rate (April 1st - June 30th): $570
• Regular Rate (July 1st - September 23rd): $640

Additional speakers will be announced at a later date. Stay tuned for more information!

Registration and Additional Information Available Here:
https://nys.shrm.org/ny-state-annual-conference