Shonda Kines joined the local SHRM chapter, Capital Area Human Resource Association (CAHRA) in 2001, which represents the central counties of Mississippi.
Her volunteer career began as the College Relations Chair for the Chapter in 2010.
Shonda has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University and a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College. Her professional certifications include the SHRM-CP from SHRM, Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from HRCI, the Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) from WorldatWork. She also has the Fellow Life Management Institute (FLMI) designation through the Life Office Management Association.
She was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of CAHRA in 2011. She served six years on the board in the roles of Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President, and President-Elect, President and Past-President. In 2015, she assumed the role as the Chapter President. Under her leadership, the chapter membership grew to over 200 members. She is also proud of the initiatives focused on the engagement of emerging HR leaders and payroll professionals.
In 2016, she began serving as Secretary-Treasurer on the Mississippi State Council of SHRM. She was elected to the role of Director-Elect in 2019 and is currently serving as the Director. Shonda feels having the opportunity for the State Council to host an in-person conference is very exciting, and the one word theme, ReConnect –which means to bring together, best represents the feelings of the Mississippi HR community after two-years apart.
Shonda was honored with the 2016 Mississippi HR Professional of the Year Award by the Mississippi State Council and the 2010 Outstanding Professional of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Employers (MACE).
In her current role as Director, Human Resources at Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, she leads all areas of HR, including recruitment, benefits administration, payroll administration, compensation, corporate communications and engagement, training and development and HR technology. She is also responsible for internal service areas, which includes corporate security and safety, purchasing, administrative services and mail and warehouse distribution. She is very thankful for the talented team she gets to work with every day.
Shonda would like to encourage more HR professionals to get involved and volunteer with their local chapters. She is grateful to have had the opportunity to serve in each volunteer role and her service has been instrumental to her growth as a leader. The most rewarding benefit of her volunteer service has been the relationships she has built over the years with HR volunteers and professionals around the state.