Happy New Year!

Like all of you, I am looking forward to starting 2021 strong. A new year is the promise of new opportunities. I hope to live up to the impactful legacy left by our previous chapter presidents in serving as the voice of our members.

One personal objective I have is to increase the frequency and substance of communication to our members. Our full-time leadership team does an excellent job of keeping us updated about events and programs.  With that area covered, I want to take a different approach and share more informational content about SHRM-Atlanta that I believe will interest all of you.

One of our Chapter’s strengths is our talented and engaged Executive Board of Atlanta Senior HR leaders. While our Board is not as visible as our volunteer and full-time leadership teams, they play an essential role in creating and driving strategy and providing financial oversight.

Below are the leaders for our 2021 SHRM-Atlanta Executive Board.

Chair (2021 – 2023):

  • Lars Minns, CHRO – Mercedes-Benz USA

Returning Members:

  • Robin Stenzel, Chief Solutions Officer – OutMatch
  • Helene Lollis, President and CEO – PathBuilders
  • Camye Mackey, Chief People Officer – Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena
  • Tom Spahr, Vice President of Talent Management – The Home Depot
  • Caron Cone, Division Vice President – ADP
  • Dan Gordon, HR Services Vice President –  WestRock

We are also proud to be welcoming the following four new members to our Board, who will serve a three- year term.

  • Stephen Childs, CHRO – Panasonic
  • Elizabeth Spence, Gypsum Management & Supply
  • Ed Welsh, Partner and Chief People Officer – Atticus Franchise Group
  • Tara Ghei, Founder – Romp + Tumble (will be serving as our Treasurer)

In addition to our Executive Board, SHRM-Atlanta also has an Advisory Board that provides strategic guidance to our Board on subjects that are important to our Chapter

ADVISORY BOARD

  • Monica Anderton, CHRO – DS Smith (HRLF)
  • Joanne McInnerney, VP, HR for North America –  Novelis, Inc. (HRLF)
  • Larry Mohl, President – Jubi (Technology)

I am sure you will all agree that SHRM-Atlanta has attracted many of Atlanta’s top HR thought leaders to share their time and talents.

Some of the major contributions and activities that our Board is currently involved in are:

  • Conducting an executive search for a new CEO. Our Board is now actively recruiting for a new leader to build upon the strong foundation left from Jeanne Artime’s five years of strategic leadership.
  • Providing strong fiscal leadership to ensure that SHRM-Atlanta weathers the financial uncertainties of a time where in-person events are not happening. I can proudly tell all of our members that our Chapter’s balance sheet and cash reserves are healthy. Our Chapter is in this favorable position due to the guidance and vision of our Board and CEO, as well as the commitment and support of our Full-Time and Volunteer Leaders.
  • Creating a vision for SHRM-Atlanta. While we will need to get our new CEO in place to accelerate the vision, our Board has been doing a lot of blue-flame thinking about bringing innovation and added member value to our Chapter.

The secret sauce to what makes SHRM-Atlanta successful is community. What helps us be one of the country’s premier mega-chapters is our leadership’s strength at all levels. The synergy created from the contributions of our Executive Board, Full-Time Leaders, and Volunteer Leadership Team make SHRM-Atlanta what it is today – Atlanta’s premier professional community for those in Human Resources and people management.

Let’s make 2021 a fantastic year.

By: Pat Lynch, 2021 SHRM-Atlanta President