The Future of HR Mississippi

I am honored and humbled to be the incoming Director of the Mississippi State Council and looking forward to working with the great HR professionals in Mississippi.  This year our profession has been stretched like never before to show our resiliency and to expand our thinking as we continue to deal with a global pandemic and the increased focus on racial and social injustice. These challenges provided all of us the opportunity to grow and demonstrate the value we bring to our employees, organizations and the HR community.  These circumstances also provide the opportunity for all of us to come together and continue to connect, convene and collaborate as one HR Mississippi.   

As an affiliate of the Society for Human Resources Association (SHRM), the mission of the Mississippi State Council is to serve as the central hub for information about HR in Mississippi as well as provide networking opportunities, information and professional development for all HR Professionals.  Our organizational structure includes the state council, 8 SHRM affiliated local chapters and 3 student chapters. Each organization’s leadership is made up of volunteers committed to the advancement of the HR profession. 

The council has a long history of great leaders working together in various roles to provide resources, a state-wide conference and exhibition and recognition programs.  We owe a debt of gratitude and thanks to our past, current and future volunteer leaders for the gift of their time and talents to help our organization and profession prosper and advance.

“Volunteering is a way to make a difference in your individual community and/or professional network.  Through the act of volunteering, we gain knowledge for personal and professional growth, as well as develop talents and passions that otherwise we may have not discovered.  The connections to new people, new experiences and new characteristics allow us to achieve a sense of physical, mental, and spiritual “self” health that will carry us through many facets of complicated busy lives, and provide fun and joy that can change lives in the process.”

The Future of HR Mississippi

Our state council leadership team has a vision of advancing and sustaining the HR professional in Mississippi by better connecting and engaging our local and student chapter members at every level.  We want to draw from the knowledge and experiences of our long-term members, provide value to our mid-career members and mentor our members new to the profession.  It is essential that we work together to improve our communication strategy, bridge our national-state-local membership and evolve our delivery of educational and certification credit opportunities using diverse platforms.

For many years, several of our long-time members have helped to mentor new and upcoming professionals and we are striving to solidify these key relationships in the coming years. I know having great mentors like Billy Sims, Joyce Plunkett, Lindsay Carter and Teresa Boutwell at the start of my career was invaluable to my growth as a leader and professional.

We will work to connect our college chapters and local chapters to the state council and together build the strategies to increase membership, promote certification and develop the leaders of tomorrow.  This effort will provide the growth we need to move forward so that HR Mississippi can “Thrive” and not just “Survive.”  To accomplish this, we all must work together towards this common vision for our profession and organizations. We must think differently and keep our minds open as we evolve our membership connectiveness and the growth of our membership across the state.

“After having the opportunity to attend the SHRM Leadership meeting last year, it was said many times “Better Together”. Though I understood what was being said, in 2020 it was proven and put into action. With the support and resources available through SHRM and the state our chapter not only persevered but grew during this time. More importantly it was a great reminder that we all have the same purpose – to elevate the HR profession. Through sharing ideas and resources we can and will achieve greater success throughout the state of MS for all HR professionals. I am excited to be part of this forward move.”

The HR Mississippi Challenge

We challenge all of our Mississippi HR professionals to get involved, join your local chapter and   become active by volunteering to serve in a chapter role.   These efforts will help build a bench strength of future leaders and provide the continuity for our chapters.  The state council and local chapters have to rethink and promote the value we bring to our members.  We can no longer keep doing the same things year over year.    

The year of 2020 has been a disruptor for sure but it has provided us a wealth of opportunities for the future.  All of our organizations are having to embrace the “new normal.”  The state council and our local chapters are no different.  While our mission remains the same, we have the opportunity to chart the course of that “new normal.”   We hope you will join us in our goal to make HR Mississippi the voice of our profession in the state as we improve the quality of our offerings and quantity of members who can work together for a more inclusive and sustainable future.

For information on local chapters in your area, please visit our website at https://msshrm.shrm.org/.