September 2023 note from the editor

    We have a special magazine for you this month! I am so excited to present our 13th anniversary issue! We are celebrating 13 fabulous years at HR Professionals Magazine this month! Hat’s off to our sponsors, contributors, and YOU for making these past thirteen years so successful! We are honored to be the official media sponsor for the SHRM State Conferences in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and Texas. What a pleasure to work with the SHRM State Councils and the SHRM volunteers in our distribution footprint! I also want to say a huge thank you to the extraordinary SHRM Public Affairs Team who graciously works with us to bring you the latest SHRM educational opportunities, updates on SHRM Conferences, and breaking news in the HR community! 

    We are kicking off year 13 with four important SHRM State Conferences in September. We are beginning with our latest addition to the HR Professionals Magazine community – Texas SHRM with over 20,000 members! We will be in Houston on September 14 for the Global Texas SHRM Conference. Then it’s on to the Tennessee SHRM Conference in Chattanooga September 20-22. The NC SHRM Conference in Wilmington coincides with the TNSHRM Conference this year. The One SHRM Georgia Conference will be in Lanier Islands October 11-13, followed by the annual SHRM Inclusion Conference in Savannah October 30-November 1. If you are attending any of these conferences, please come see us at in the media room. 

    Speaking of Texas SHRM, look who’s on our 13th anniversary cover! What an honor to feature the Director of Texas SHRM, Rose Ann Garza, on our cover! What better way to welcome our newest members to our distribution footprint? Check out Rose Ann’s exciting career profile on Page 5. I had the great pleasure of meeting Rose Ann at the SHRM23 Conference in Las Vegas in June. Looking forward to interviewing her on Facebook Live at the conference September 14. Watch our Facebook page and LinkedIn to learn more about her. 

    As you may know, the SHRM Certification Winter Exam Testing Window opens December 1. See Page 43 for details and the link to apply for our next Online SHRM Certification Exam Prep Class beginning October 19. The last day to register for our next class is October 12. Register at www.hrprofessionalsmagazine. com. If you are not a certified HR professional, I encourage you to get certified! It will take your career in human resource management to the next level. Get certified! 

    Just a reminder about our complimentary monthly webinar sponsored by Data Facts. It will be September 22. Watch your email for your invitation. 

    Cynthia Y. Thompson, MBA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
    cynthia@hrprosmagazine.com
    www.hrprofessionalsmagazine.com
    Twitter @cythomps