A 1991 Pinnacle Award ChapterA 2009 Superior Merit Award Chapter

SHRM Foundation - Chapter ChampionMonthly Newsletter

September 2011S E P T E M B E R P R O G R A M

Look WhatsInside

Social Networking Corner 2Register for Best

Companies Program 2Legal QampA 3From the President 4Diversity in the New

Decade 5September Meeting

Sponsors 62011 HR Leadership

Class Announced 8Treasurerrsquos Report 8Chapter Chatter 9Excelsior College Now

Officially SHRMStudent Chapter 10

lsquoMembers in TransitionrsquoVoucher System 11

PHRSPHR ProfessionalCertification 11

Welcome New Members 11

When Wednesday Sept 14 2011

Where Holiday Inn Wolf RoadAlbany New York

Dinner ProgramCocktail Hour 500-600 pmDinner 600-700 pmProgram 700-800 pmCost $3500 -- Members

$4300 -- Non-Members$1500 -- Students

Dinner SelectionsFennel Roasted Pork Loin

Chicken WellingtonGrilled Fillet of Salmon

Capital RegionHuman Resource

Association

1450 Western AvenueSuite 101

Albany NY 12203

(518) 463-8687

(fax) (518) 463-8656

crhracaphillcom

wwwcrhraorg

The Keys to Successful Onboardingand Staff Retention

CRHRA ended the last program year witha lively panel discussion on hiring trendsin the Capital Region that educated mem-bers on identifying and bringing the besttalent to their organizations Hiring theright employees is only the first step in cre-ating an effective and engaged workforceEmployers need to have a strategy in placefor successful onboarding and retainingthe talent they recruit Join us on Septem-ber 14 2011 as CRHRA welcomes best-selling author speaker and consultantLisa Giruzzi to present on The Keys to Suc-cessful Onboarding and Staff Retention Inthis dynamic and engaging program theparticipants will learn the keys to success-ful onboarding and retention This is notsimply a ldquotips and strategiesrdquo approachbut more of a holistic perspective that willenable the attendees to immediately en-hance their current strategies foronboarding and staff retention

More About Our SpeakerLisa Giruzzi is a speaker author and con-sultant with more than twenty-five yearsrsquoexperience helping people be more success-ful through effective communication Shespecializes in assisting organizations toempower and engage their employees tobe successful and productive by trainingthem in the principles of effective commu-nication and performance

Ms Giruzzi latest book Bringing Out the

Best In Your Employees The Ultimate Com-munication Guide for Managers and Super-visors was called ldquoFast-moving and in-sightfulrdquo by peak performance guru andNew York Times best-selling author BrianTracy Lisa is also the author of 31 Days toTransform Your Life and the co-author ofthe Amazon Best Seller 42 Rules for Creat-ing WEtrade

Lisa is a dynamic speaker conducting key-notes presentations and workshops na-tionwide Lisa owns the consulting firmTransformational Conversations is afounding member of The Creating WEtradeInstitute and is co-owner of AppreciativeInquiry Consulting

2

Social Networking Corner

Social Media SuicideBy Christy Krueger Public Relations Committee

Someone drank the Kool-Aid In this day and age itrsquosall too easy to hit ldquoreply allrdquo ldquosubmitrdquo ldquosendrdquo or ldquoup-daterdquo and have thousands of people now acutelyaware of something that should have stayed privateWe canrsquot say we werenrsquotwarned Any one of ushas probably gonethrough that ldquooh nordquo mo-ment as an email fired offor thought ldquowhat was Ithinkingrdquo when lookingback at a published status update Even politicianshave been in this very conundrum and itrsquos safe to saytheyrsquove committed Social Media Suicide through in-appropriate tweets texts email and a myriad of otherweb-based forums Irsquom guessing they probably wishthey could just erase it all

Now there is a web-based organization who prom-ises to do just that and itrsquos put some social media siteson notice Itrsquos known as the Web 20 Suicide Ma-chine (httpsuicidemachineorg) and itrsquos makingit very easy for folks to disconnect and disappear fromall the online connectedness wersquove come to be addictedto Facebook in particular is going to great lengths toblock it apparently issuing a cease amp desist letter Cur-rently it offers the capability to erase your existencefrom MySpace LinkedIn and Twitter in less than anhour They claim if you were to try to cancel and de-lete anything related to these accounts yourself itwould take approximately 9 hours and 35 minutesWhen you visit their home page you are greeted withldquoWanna meet your real neighbors again Do you wantyour actual life back Sign out forever Make the switchto web20 free liferdquo They offer testimonials a virtualtour and some comical frequently asked questions Soif you want to permanently disconnect or stage anintervention for a loved one check out this site If fornothing more than the chuckle you may get out of it

Is Your Company Oneof Empire Statersquos BestEmployers Find Out

Register to participate in the 5th annual Best Compa-nies to Work for in New York State program All par-ticipating companies will receive an Employee Feed-back Report which details the results of their surveyThis valuable feedback helps you retain and attractthe top talent who make your business thrive

To be eligible your organization must

middot Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or govern-ment entity OR be a publicly or privately held busi-ness

middot Have at least 1 facility in the state of New Yorkmiddot Have a minimum of 15 employees working in the

state of New Yorkmiddot Be in business a minimum of 1 yearmiddot Register by Friday September 23 2011

Visit wwwBestCompaniesNYcom for registration in-structions and program information

Questions Contact Lorri Zelman Best CompaniesProgram Chair for NYS-SHRM at (212) 403-6170 orlzelmanspgescom Or Madelon Miuccio programcoordinator toll-free at (877) 455-2159 ormadelonmbestcompaniesgroupcom

Best Companies to Work for in New York is a pro-gram of Journal Publications Inc in partnership withthe NYS-SHRM

Looking for a new opportunityCheckout the CRHRA job bank

for a listing ofthe latestavailable Human Resource

positions in the regionhttpwwwcrhraorgjobbankcfm

3

Legal QampA Michael D Billok Esq

Question We had all of our employees sign a standardnon-competition agreement back in the days of SonyWalkmen and the Tonight Show Will these agreementshold up if I need to enforce them

Answer Non-competition agreements are contractsbetween companies and employees that prohibit em-ployees from working for a competitor should they leavethe company Companies commonly use these to pre-vent former employees from using information gainedat a company to give a competitive advantage to an-other company (or the employees as well should theychoose to go into business for them-selves)

Like snowflakes or Lady Gagarsquos out-fits on any given day each employ-ment scenario is unique so it is diffi-cult to say without more detailswhether your particular non-compe-tition agreement is enforceable I canhowever share some questions thatroutinely arise in the context of non-compete agreements

middot Is it reasonable in time and scope Courts aim to bal-ance the employersrsquo interests in keeping their com-petitive advantage as well as the employersrsquo freedomto enter into contracts with the employeesrsquo interest ofbeing able to earn a living elsewhere once they leave aparticular employer Thus non-competition agree-ments should be limited in time and geographicalscope A six-month nationwide non-competitionagreement is more likely to be upheld than a two-yearnationwide agreement likewise a two-year agreementrestricting employment in one county is more likely tobe upheld than a two-year nationwide agreement

middot What information is being protected Your questionmentioned that ldquoallrdquo employees signed non-competi-tion agreements But when a company has all em-ployees sign non-competition agreements mdash evenlower-level employees that may never come into con-tact with confidential company information mdash it di-lutes the justification for a non-compete agreementand may make the agreement less likely to be enforcedBefore companies consider using a non-competitionagreement they should take care to determine whatinformation they wish to protect have only those em-ployees with access to that information sign the non-compete agreements and possibly tailor the agree-ments to different groups of employees instead of aldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo approach

middot How old is the agreement You indicate that yourcompanyrsquos agreements were signed back in the days

when people were discussing whether to upgradetheir 486 computers to Pentiums Companies that haverelatively old agreements may wish to modernizethem requiring employees to sign updated agreementsin exchange for continued employment Alternativelycompanies can remind employees in writing of theircontinuing obligations under a previously signedagreement upon the employeesrsquo departure from thecompany

middot Do you have employees in other states If so this re-quires further care as some states like California pro-hibit non-compete agreements except in very limitedcircumstances New York-based companies withemployees in other states may wish to consider add-ing clauses to their agreements that establish that theagreement is enforceable only in New York courtsapplying New York law

The information contained in this column is not intended tobe a substitute for professional counseling or advice MichaelD Billok counsels and represents employers in a variety oflabor and employment related contexts and is associated withBond Schoeneck amp Kingrsquos Albany office If you have a ques-tion you would like to submit you are encouraged to do soby email (mbillokbskcom) phone (518-533-3236) or fax(518-533-3284)

Michael D Billok

HR Magazine is the worldrsquos leading printpublication for HR professionals Sub-scribe now and every month yoursquoll receivenews and articles on HR best practicescompetencies worklife balance and legalcompliance

Subscribe to HR Magazine for only $70per year Thatrsquos less than $6 per issue forthe most popular well regarded andinformative of all HR publications Itrsquos thebusiness magazine for HR professionalsand the only one devoted exclusively tothe world of HR Subscribe today

Having a subscription to HR Magazineplaces you in good company mdash more than25 of all the HR professionals in the USread it every month

To subscribe click HERE

4

Your Officers amp Boardof Directors 2011-12

PresidentTRACY SMITH PHR

Pitney Bowes Business Insight

Vice PresidentMIRIAM DUSHANE PHR

Linium Staffing

SecretaryTIMOTHY J KELLY SPHR

Pioneer Bank

TreasurerTHOMAS McKENNA

McKenna amp AssociatesOI Partners Inc

Past PresidentMICHELE WILKES-HAWKINS PHR

Tailwind Associates

DIRECTORS

PAMELA J ALLERS PHRJaeger and Flynn Associates

DEBRA ANTONELLI SPHRDelark HR Solutions

KELLY CONROY PHRWildwood Programs

ALLYSON L CIMINO PHRComputer Sciences Corporation

STEVE DIBIASE SPHRConstruction Industry Solutions

MELISSA DUNN PHRFirst Group America

MOIRA FITZGERALD RYAN PHRCapital District Physiciansrsquo Health Plan

MICHAEL D KEANE PHRPinnacle Recruiting amp HR Solutions

CHRIS PATRIEJanitronics Inc

MARIO PECORAROAlliance Worldwide Investigative Group Inc

MAT PETRIN PHRPrice Chopper Supermarkets

PEG PORPEGLIA PHRPrice Chopper Supermarkets

SARAH DELANEY VERODelaney Vero PLLC

CHAPTER ADMINISTRATORCARLA KRZYKOWSKI

1450 Western Avenue Suite 101Albany NY 12203

(518) 463-8687

From the President Tracy Smith PHR

Tracy Smith

As you are finishing up your sum-mer vacations preparing your chil-dren for school reviewing yourbudget and thinking about year-end projects atwork the CRHRAboard encouragesyou to also bemarking yourcalendar for allthe upcomingevents TheCRHRA boardwants to remind you of our firstmonthly meeting on September14th and our first meeting for theCertification Class (PHR SPHR)planned for September 22nd

The new 2011-2012 CRHRA boardhas gotten together on numerousoccasions and has a lot planned forthe upcoming year We plan to hostmore social networking events in-crease attendance at monthlymeetings and at the annual con-ference in March continue to im-prove our website and increase ourvisibility on our social media sitesAs members you can learn moreabout all of these initiatives by read-ing the newsletter or website andtalking to volunteers of CRHRAcommittees

If you are interested in joining anyof CRHRArsquos committees please

check out the committee pages onthe CRHRA website or reach outto one of the board members Be-ing an active volunteer will not onlyhelp you advance in the HR pro-fession it will also allow you to bepart of a group of dedicated pro-fessionals committed to our fieldThe CRHRA board looks forwardto more members joining our com-mittees

Another upcoming event is our bi-annual Strategic Planning Sessionto identify the opportunities to im-prove the benefits of the Associa-tion to our members Althoughthis is a meeting session for boardmembers only we want to hearfrom you about what we can doto make CRHRA better If youhave suggestions please reach outto a board member or email me atpresidentcrhraorg

As I enter my last term I cannothelp but reflect on all the things wehave accomplished over the lastyear as an Association and lookforward to what is in front of usThe upcoming year promises to bejust as great On behalf of CRHRABoard of Directors we look for-ward to seeing you soon

On behalf of the CRHRA BoardOn behalf of the CRHRA BoardOn behalf of the CRHRA BoardOn behalf of the CRHRA BoardOn behalf of the CRHRA Boardwe send our deepest supportwe send our deepest supportwe send our deepest supportwe send our deepest supportwe send our deepest support

to all of the friends and familyto all of the friends and familyto all of the friends and familyto all of the friends and familyto all of the friends and familyof CRHRA members impactedof CRHRA members impactedof CRHRA members impactedof CRHRA members impactedof CRHRA members impacted

by the recent stormby the recent stormby the recent stormby the recent stormby the recent storm

5

AGENDAWednesday Sept 14

Dinner MeetingHoliday Inn Wolf Road Albany

Cocktail Hour 500-600 pmDinner 600-700 pmProgram 700-800 pm

Dinner Choicesbull Fennel Roasted Pork Loinbull Chicken Wellingtonbull Grilled Fillet of Salmon

Costbull $3500 - Membersbull $4300 - Non-Membersbull $1500 - Students

(12 credits or more)

Please make your reservationonline (wwwcrhraorg) or bymail (CRHRA 1450 WesternAvenue Suite 101 AlbanyNew York 12203) or fax (518-463-8656) You may pay withan online credit card paymentby mail or at the door Alsoplease be sure to check-inwhen you arrive

RESERVATIONS and cancel-lations are required by noon onFRIDAY prior to the meetingReservations made and notkept will be billed to youPlease call CRHRA at (518)463-8687

We regret that we are unableto honor walk-ins on the dayof the meeting Casual attire isacceptable

By Mat PetrinCRHRA Diversity Committee

As we step one foot into this newdecade it is a perfect time for an in-trospective look at our diversity prac-tices and ourselves We should al-ways be evaluating our diversityprograms ensuring they are the bestthey can be but witha new decade aheadit is even more im-portant to start plan-ning right now

Look at your exist-ing programs anddetermine their ef-fectiveness ensure they are provid-ing maximum ROI for the organi-zation and if necessary make somechanges if you find yourself head-ing in the wrong direction Reviewour previous articles citing differentdiversity trends that may be impact-ing your business census resultsshowing shifting demographicsconstantly being asked to do morewith less and severe economic con-ditions affecting how our custom-ers use our services We understandthere is constant change But what-ever the change have your diver-sity practices responded appropri-ately

Many organizations trim where theycan quickly and easily keep costs inline Sadly cost cutting like this of-ten means starting with any non-revenue generating activities ndash di-versity training or development forexample Revisit some of the diver-sity changes you have had to makeover the last few months and if youare in the right place take the timenow to reverse or revise those deci-sions Consider any analyses youhave conducted to determine howeffective your diversity programsreally are Most likely we have nottaken the time to review the pro-grams in the appropriate way Now

is the perfect time to make thosechanges

You are not in the right place to makethose changes you say That is okStart small and make a case by justreviewing the things nearest to youTake a quick look around your of-fice for example Think about howthings have changed over the lastyear alone Think about the new-comers and the things they need tobe successful Look at the exit inter-views from your highest perform-ers determine if there was some-thing that would have kept themlonger What could you have doneWhat can you do now Simply re-stating your findings to your super-visor or those key decision makersmay be all it takes to plant a seed forchange

An ever-diversifying workforcemeans we are more than ready tohave the diversity agenda put backat the head of table Although di-versity ROI is sometimes difficult toquantitatively measure we need tostart by building at least the soft im-pacts back into the equation Con-duct a survey of your employees todetermine their comfort with diver-sity and its impact on their day-to-day jobs Want more Conduct asimple cost-benefit analysis by iden-tifying units of improvement mea-sure the improvement and calculateits required expense When at yournext budget discussion or strategicplanning session remember to sharethese findings and promote your di-versity initiative to everyone andanyone

Begin this new decade with a re-newed focus on diversity and takepart in making a difference in yourorganization Even if you donrsquot sitat the boardroom table being partof something little can allow you tomake a huge difference Start smalland grow from there

Diversity in the New Decade

6

September Meeting SponsorsExcelsior College CAP COM Federal

Credit UnionExcelsior College accredited leader in online and dis-tance education for busy working adults partnerswith organizations and serves the education and train-ing needs of employees through programs that rec-ognize workplace training as college credit Employ-ees get more of theircredits accepted andfinish their degreesthrough a variety offlexible affordable op-tions HR profession-als with PHR SPHR or GPHR can earn college to-wards a bachelorrsquos degree or MBA Excelsior CollegeCenter for Professional Development offers a numberof online professional development and training pro-grams designed to meet the demands of our ever-changing society All professional development andtraining programs are offered completely online andcan be taken anytime and anywhere These non-credittraining programs are geared for those looking forprofessional development continuing education andlifelong learning Visit excelsioredu for more infor-mation about all Excelsior programs

CAP COM Federal Credit Union was established in1953 as the Capital District Telephone Employees Fed-eral Credit Union for the New York Telephone com-pany in Albany Since then it has grown to more than$850 million in assets 77000 members and 220 em-ployees Their 11 branchesare located in AlbanyBrunswick Clifton ParkCohoes ColonieGlenmont Glens FallsLatham NiskayunaNorth Greenbush and Waterford CAP COM offers acomplete line of financial products and in a 2009 re-port by Callahan and Associates was the top-rankedcredit union in New York for economic value of mem-bership among institutions with $500 million to $1billion in assets

In the Capital Region 500 companies offer CreditUnion membership as a free employee benefit pro-viding their staff with on-site presentations about ser-vices available to them through CAP COM such as aunique car buying service and college bound programeducational workshops unique promotions exclu-sively for Member Companies and a summer visitfrom the CAP COM Ice Cream Truck

In their branches at community events and throughthe work of the CAP COM Cares Foundation theirmission is to be a sought after financial institutionwhose unbridled commitment to its members and com-munity will be unmatched by anyone This mission isaccomplished by making sure that everything theydo benefits every member every time every day

Join the PublicRelations Committee

If for no other reason than because we holdone meeting per year at the Saratoga RaceCourse The Public Relations committee isexpanding and needs your help

We promise your volunteer efforts will be fruit-ful and fun We need a photographer (ama-teurs welcome) a social networking gurumember relations writereditor and pinch-hit generalists to join our team If you wouldlike to explore any of our committee rolesplease feel free to visit a committee meetingto see if it could be your thing For more in-formation please contact Debra AntonelliPublic Relations Committee Chair atdantonellidelarkhrcom

Upcoming EventUpcoming EventUpcoming EventUpcoming EventUpcoming EventIPMA-HR Eastern Regionrsquos 83rd

Training amp Development Conference

Getting a Foothold in the Challenging World of HR

October 16-19 2011

The Queensbury HotelGlens Falls NY

wwwipma-erorg

7

WHY VWHY VWHY VWHY VWHY VOLOLOLOLOLUNTEERUNTEERUNTEERUNTEERUNTEERTop 10 Reasons to Volunteer with CRHRA

1) Gain leadership experience

2) Networkingget to know fellow members of the HR community

3) Enriching experience through teamwork

4) HRCI credits (committee members earn up to 3 re-certification creditsper year amp committee chairs earn up to 5 credits)

5) Get published ndash submit articles to monthly newsletter

6) Professional experience ndash whether you join the marketing committeepublic relations or workforce readiness yoursquoll gain valuable experience

7) Flexibility ndash As a committee volunteer you determine the amount oftime yoursquod like to contribute

8) Sense of achievement through giving back to your profession and thelocal HR community

9) Recommendations

10) Make a difference and have fun

To learn more about the volunteer opportunities available to our membersplease stop by the CRHRA table to speak to one of our board members orvisit our website wwwcrhraorg

8

TreasurerrsquosReport May 31

Tom McKenna reported the following tothe Board of Directors on the FinancialReport for the first 11 months of the 2010-2011 fiscal year Here are the specifics

Balance in the bank $6734170

Income to date 12729049

Expenses to date 11215646

Positive cash flow 1513403

This income for the 11 months throughMay 31st is $962749 ahead of the pro-jected income numbers for the full 12months

The expenses were $ 700654 under ourprojected expenses for the full 12 monthperiod Based on these numbers weshould close out the year (2010-2011) ona positive note

2011 CRHRA HR LeadershipClass Announced

CRHRA has announced the human resource professionals cho-sen to participate in its fourth HR Leadership class The CRHRAHR Leadership Program brings together human resource pro-fessionals who have demonstrated leadership potential for thepurpose of making them better equipped to assume leadershipresponsibilities within their organization and the human re-source community The 2011 program will run from Septem-ber through December

From a pool of highly qualified candidates the Capital RegionHuman Resource Association has selected the following indi-viduals to participate in the 2011 HR Leadership ProgramSamantha A Derrick Seton Health System MaryBeth VGoldstein PHR Capital District Physiciansrsquo Health Plan IncAlisa A Hobb PHR The Arc of Rensselaer CountyBrunswickCenter Services Kelley A McCart SPHR Environment OneCorp Christopher M Quinn SPHR The Vascular GroupPLLC Donna J Rabito SPHR Albany Medical CenterJacqueline D Rochler Center for Disability Services Rachel DShapiro PHR The Research Foundation of SUNY and Ona LSmith NYS Office of General Services

Congratulations to our 2011 class

9

Dan Moran Founder amp President of Next-Act recentlypresented two presentations at the New York StateYoung CPArsquos Conference in Albany NY on June 13thMoran spoke on Personal Branding ndash Microsoft and CocaCola Have a Brand ndash Why Shouldnrsquot You and on Ca-reer 20 The Importance of Career Management (versusjust working) Those who participated in the sessionslearned that it is critical to attend to your growth inyour career and to be continually planning their ca-reer through active involvement

Moran also recently spoke at the Society for HumanResources Management New York State Conferencein Saratoga Springs on July 10th and 11th on CareerManagement and Finding ldquoFitrdquo in Hiring critical forsuccessful hiring and retention

CHA is pleased to announce the following additionsto its Human Resources Group in its Albany NewYork office

Rea Weaver PHR has joined CHA as a Human Re-sources Generalist Ms Weaver will focus on recruit-ing on-boarding training and employee relations

Elvira Alexander has joined CHA as a Human Re-sources Generalist where she will focus on recruit-ing on-boarding training and employee relations

Cybil Kelly has joined CHA as an Employment Spe-cialist In this role she will support the firmrsquos recruit-ing efforts Affirmative Action Program and studentand community outreach efforts

Sue OrsquoLena has accepted a role with Global Found-ries as a HR Business Partner

Congratulations to Sandy Ayres PHR who has joinedNew Visions of Albany as HR Director Sandy bringsconsiderable HR and operations experience from theSchenectady ARC to this position She is an alumnaof the CRHRA HR Leadership Class of 2007

Congratulations to Jalinda Franke who was recentlypromoted at CDPHP to Talent Acquisition Manager

CRHRA welcomes Jim McNaughton PHR back tothe Capital Region He is joining RSS (Rehabilitation

Chapter ChatterSupport Services) as Employee Relations Specialist onSeptember 6 Members will remember Jim as a mem-ber of HR Leadership 2009 and his former roles atWildwood and as an active CRHRA volunteer Wel-come back Jim

Congratulations to Emily Bouplon formerly of UnitedCounseling Service Emily joined the Arc of Rensse-laer County on August 1st as Benefits Specialist

Denise Mallow PHR is now Manager Human Re-sources at TCT Federal Credit Union

Alliance Worldwide Investigative Group Inc has re-cently welcomed David Sanders to the company asan Account Executive Mr Sanders brings over 20years of sales and business development experienceto Alliance In his new role he will be focused prima-rily on working with organizations to help in theirRisk Mitigation Strategies

Congratulations to Sarah Delaney Vero Esq onlaunching Delaney Vero PLLC The firm providesemployment law and human resources consulting ser-vices to corporate and not-for-profit business clientsSarah started the practice following the birth of herdaughter Isabella

Joe Millington is moving within Momentive to acceptthe top HR position for the Americas

CRHRA Leadership alum Edie Crist has accepted arole with the Schenectady ARC as Director HumanResources

The Capital District Womenrsquos Employment amp ResourceCenter (WERC) is proud to announce that ElizabethM Miller PHR Executive Director is a recipient ofthe 2011 NYS Senate Women of Distinction Awardhonoring women in New York State Elizabeth wasgiven this award by Senator Neil D Breslin 46th Dis-trict for her 15 years of service to WERC serving as apioneer for equal labor and also for her service as adynamic community member and volunteer Con-gratulations Beth

Tracy Spargo was married July 15 to Michael SmithCongratulations

9

Dan Moran Founder amp President of Next-Act recentlypresented two presentations at the New York StateYoung CPArsquos Conference in Albany NY on June 13thMoran spoke on Personal Branding ndash Microsoft and CocaCola Have a Brand ndash Why Shouldnrsquot You and on Ca-reer 20 The Importance of Career Management (versusjust working) Those who participated in the sessionslearned that it is critical to attend to your growth inyour career and to be continually planning their ca-reer through active involvement

Moran also recently spoke at the Society for HumanResources Management New York State Conferencein Saratoga Springs on July 10th and 11th on CareerManagement and Finding ldquoFitrdquo in Hiring critical forsuccessful hiring and retention

CHA is pleased to announce the following additionsto its Human Resources Group in its Albany NewYork office

Rea Weaver PHR has joined CHA as a Human Re-sources Generalist Ms Weaver will focus on recruit-ing on-boarding training and employee relations

Elvira Alexander has joined CHA as a Human Re-sources Generalist where she will focus on recruit-ing on-boarding training and employee relations

Cybil Kelly has joined CHA as an Employment Spe-cialist In this role she will support the firmrsquos recruit-ing efforts Affirmative Action Program and studentand community outreach efforts

Sue OrsquoLena has accepted a role with Global Found-ries as a HR Business Partner

Congratulations to Sandy Ayres PHR who has joinedNew Visions of Albany as HR Director Sandy bringsconsiderable HR and operations experience from theSchenectady ARC to this position She is an alumnaof the CRHRA HR Leadership Class of 2007

Congratulations to Jalinda Franke who was recentlypromoted at CDPHP to Talent Acquisition Manager

CRHRA welcomes Jim McNaughton PHR back tothe Capital Region He is joining RSS (Rehabilitation

Chapter ChatterSupport Services) as Employee Relations Specialist onSeptember 6 Members will remember Jim as a mem-ber of HR Leadership 2009 and his former roles atWildwood and as an active CRHRA volunteer Wel-come back Jim

Congratulations to Emily Bouplon formerly of UnitedCounseling Service Emily joined the Arc of Rensse-laer County on August 1st as Benefits Specialist

Denise Mallow PHR is now Manager Human Re-sources at TCT Federal Credit Union

Alliance Worldwide Investigative Group Inc has re-cently welcomed David Sanders to the company asan Account Executive Mr Sanders brings over 20years of sales and business development experienceto Alliance In his new role he will be focused prima-rily on working with organizations to help in theirRisk Mitigation Strategies

Congratulations to Sarah Delaney Vero Esq onlaunching Delaney Vero PLLC The firm providesemployment law and human resources consulting ser-vices to corporate and not-for-profit business clientsSarah started the practice following the birth of herdaughter Isabella

Joe Millington is moving within Momentive to acceptthe top HR position for the Americas

CRHRA Leadership alum Edie Crist has accepted arole with the Schenectady ARC as Director HumanResources

The Capital District Womenrsquos Employment amp ResourceCenter (WERC) is proud to announce that ElizabethM Miller PHR Executive Director is a recipient ofthe 2011 NYS Senate Women of Distinction Awardhonoring women in New York State Elizabeth wasgiven this award by Senator Neil D Breslin 46th Dis-trict for her 15 years of service to WERC serving as apioneer for equal labor and also for her service as adynamic community member and volunteer Con-gratulations Beth

Tracy Spargo was married July 15 to Michael SmithCongratulations

10

Clockwise left to right SHRM District Director for Central NewYork Michele Wilkes-Hawkins CRHRA Student Chapter ChairKelly Conroy Peter Barnett Excelsior College Student Associa-tion President Dr Jane LeClair School of Business amp Technol-ogy Capital Region Human Resources Association (CRHRA)

President Tracy Smith PHR

Dr Jane LeClair dean of Excelsior Collegersquos School of Business ampTechnology discusses the importance of human resources

professionals at the Society of Human Resource Management(SHRM) student chapter chartering ceremony August 9 2011

Representatives from the Society for Human Re-sources Management (SHRM) and the Capital RegionHuman Resources Association (CRHRA) traveled toExcelsior College to officially charter a student chap-ter of SHRM at the private nonprofit regionally ac-credited distance learning institution

Excelsior College President Dr John F Ebersole be-gan the ceremony with an address on the importanceof education to economic growth He emphasized theimportant role human resource professionals play inhelping workers adapt and ldquore-toolrdquo to compete in21st century economy

SHRM District Directorfor Central New YorkMichele Wilkes-HawkinsCRHRA President TracySmith PHR and KellyConroy CRHRA Stu-dent Chapter Chair fol-lowed with impassionedspeeches on the impor-tance of human resourcesand professional organi-zations such as CRHRAand SHRM to profes-sional advancementConroy presented Excel-sior Collegersquos first studentassociation president Pe-ter Barnett with the stu-dent chapter charter

ldquoI would like to congratu-late Excelsior on its ap-proval as a SHRM stu-dent chapter and wel-come them to the SHRMcommunityrdquo saidWilkes-Hawkins ldquoThis isan exciting day for eachof our organizations andthe culmination of thehard work and dedica-tion of all involvedrdquo

SHRM is the worldrsquos larg-est association devoted tohuman resource man-agement with more than250000 members in over140 countries Founded

Excelsior College Officially SHRM Student Chapterin 1948 it has over 575 affiliate chapters in the coun-try The NYS affiliate of SHRM hosts programs con-ferences leadership training education and serves toenhance communication between each chapter withinthe Empire State

ldquoSHRM has proven to be an incredible resource forstudents in terms of education networking and build-ing the professional connections for career advance-mentrdquo said Peter Barnett ldquoAs the inaugural StudentAssociation President I look forward to embracingboth the challenges and the opportunities that lieaheadrdquo

The event concluded withDr Mary Beth HannerExcelsiorrsquos provost andDr Jane LeClair dean ofthe School of Business de-livering closing remarks

ldquoExcelsior has specializedin distance learning forthe past 40 years and oursuccess has been a directresult of both innovatingand providing our stu-dents with the opportu-nity to succeed throughcollaborations and alli-ances with professionalorganizations such asSHRMrdquo said Dr Hanner

Dr LeClair continuedldquoSHRM is a remarkableorganization and onewhich through its exten-sive continuing educa-tion programs and net-working opportunitieswill be a valuable resourceto our School of Businessstudents throughouttheir time here and intheir future careersrdquo

Individuals working ondegrees at Excelsior earn6 undergraduate creditsif they have the PHR des-ignation and 6 graduatecredits for SPHR orGPHR

11

lsquoMembers In TransitionrsquoVoucher System

By Allyson L Cimino PHRWorkforce Readiness Committee Chair

Are you a member of CRHRA whose career is in transi-tion Are you looking for the opportunity to connectwith over 100 HR professionals Each month CRHRAhosts a breakfast or dinner meeting to do just that Thisyear the CRHRA Board of Directors and the WorkforceReadiness Committee will continue to offer unemployedmembers the opportunity to attend up to two meetings(per year) at no cost The goal of the Voucher System isto assist unemployed members in their career transitionjob search and development

If you are an active member of CRHRA and interestedin receiving a voucher to attend a free program meet-ing you will need to meet the following criteria activemember of CRHRA unemployed and must have at-tended at least three program meetings over the pasttwelve months

To register for meetings use the standard on-line formon the CRHRA website and then send an email tocrhracaphillcom to request a voucher Your requestwill be held in confidence Once your active member-ship status and meeting attendance is verified an e-mail confirmation will be sent to you regarding the useof the voucher

We look forward to seeing you at the meetings this year

PHRSPHR ProfessionalCertification

Career opportunities in the field of Human Resourcesare becoming more difficult to hold on to and to secureif you are in transition Having your PHR or SPHRdesignation is more important then ever in either of thesecases Recent research shows the PHRSPHR designa-tion is now a requirement for HR position 5 times moreoften that just a few years ago

So whatrsquos stopping you from getting your designationCRHRA can help you with this important accomplish-ment in your HR career

We are pleased to once again offer a PHRSPHR Prepa-ration Study Group led by HRCI certified CRHRA mem-bers this fall The upcoming testing window for thePHR and SPHR exams will be December 1 2011 ndash Janu-ary 31 2012

Our PHRSPHR Preparation Study Group will be heldThursday nights September 22 ndash November 17 from6- 8 pm at Pitney Bowes in Troy

Online enrollment and more information about the StudyGroup can be found on the Certification Page of theCRHRA website at wwwcrhraorg beginning the weekof August 22 The deadline to sign-up is Friday Sep-tember 16

For more information contact Steve DiBiase atcertificationcrhraorg

Welcome New MembersElvira Alexander CHA Consulting IncValerie Andreoli Commercial Investigations

LLCJill Begni NYS Nurses AssociationAshley Blais Bimbo Bakeries USATeresa Brace WestaffNicole Cain Enterprise HoldingsMichael Ceonzo Center for Disability ServicesEvelyn Cruz Walden Federal Savings and

LoanLeslie Demarsh DA Collins Construction Co

IncSamantha Derrick Seton Health SystemRebecca Diakunczak Aileen Flach The Arc of Rensselaer CountyKelly Foster SAICSusan FreemanMichele Herzog Best Cleaners

Sue Hoffman SEMATECHAndrew Joslin ClearView Center IncChristine Kadish SI Technologies IncNina Kahn Market Force InformationCybil Kelly CHA IncMaire Masterson WestaffJustine Mongillo Saratoga Casino amp RacewayFelix NealsChristine OrsquoConnell Country CurtainsJennifer OrsquoConnor Albany Medical CenterJennifer PrevillePaula Reardon SUNY DelhiDavid Sanders Alliance Worldwide Investiga-

tive Group IncDavid Spokowski Skidmore CollegePatricia Strasser MVP Health CareJae Tracey Association Development

Group

Welcome to the new CRHRA members who havejoined our organization as of August 2011

11

lsquoMembers In TransitionrsquoVoucher System

By Allyson L Cimino PHRWorkforce Readiness Committee Chair

Are you a member of CRHRA whose career is in transi-tion Are you looking for the opportunity to connectwith over 100 HR professionals Each month CRHRAhosts a breakfast or dinner meeting to do just that Thisyear the CRHRA Board of Directors and the WorkforceReadiness Committee will continue to offer unemployedmembers the opportunity to attend up to two meetings(per year) at no cost The goal of the Voucher System isto assist unemployed members in their career transitionjob search and development

If you are an active member of CRHRA and interestedin receiving a voucher to attend a free program meet-ing you will need to meet the following criteria activemember of CRHRA unemployed and must have at-tended at least three program meetings over the pasttwelve months

To register for meetings use the standard on-line formon the CRHRA website and then send an email tocrhracaphillcom to request a voucher Your requestwill be held in confidence Once your active member-ship status and meeting attendance is verified an e-mail confirmation will be sent to you regarding the useof the voucher

We look forward to seeing you at the meetings this year

PHRSPHR ProfessionalCertification

Career opportunities in the field of Human Resourcesare becoming more difficult to hold on to and to secureif you are in transition Having your PHR or SPHRdesignation is more important then ever in either of thesecases Recent research shows the PHRSPHR designa-tion is now a requirement for HR position 5 times moreoften that just a few years ago

So whatrsquos stopping you from getting your designationCRHRA can help you with this important accomplish-ment in your HR career

We are pleased to once again offer a PHRSPHR Prepa-ration Study Group led by HRCI certified CRHRA mem-bers this fall The upcoming testing window for thePHR and SPHR exams will be December 1 2011 ndash Janu-ary 31 2012

Our PHRSPHR Preparation Study Group will be heldThursday nights September 22 ndash November 17 from6- 8 pm at Pitney Bowes in Troy

Online enrollment and more information about the StudyGroup can be found on the Certification Page of theCRHRA website at wwwcrhraorg beginning the weekof August 22 The deadline to sign-up is Friday Sep-tember 16

For more information contact Steve DiBiase atcertificationcrhraorg

Welcome New MembersElvira Alexander CHA Consulting IncValerie Andreoli Commercial Investigations

LLCJill Begni NYS Nurses AssociationAshley Blais Bimbo Bakeries USATeresa Brace WestaffNicole Cain Enterprise HoldingsMichael Ceonzo Center for Disability ServicesEvelyn Cruz Walden Federal Savings and

LoanLeslie Demarsh DA Collins Construction Co

IncSamantha Derrick Seton Health SystemRebecca Diakunczak Aileen Flach The Arc of Rensselaer CountyKelly Foster SAICSusan FreemanMichele Herzog Best Cleaners

Sue Hoffman SEMATECHAndrew Joslin ClearView Center IncChristine Kadish SI Technologies IncNina Kahn Market Force InformationCybil Kelly CHA IncMaire Masterson WestaffJustine Mongillo Saratoga Casino amp RacewayFelix NealsChristine OrsquoConnell Country CurtainsJennifer OrsquoConnor Albany Medical CenterJennifer PrevillePaula Reardon SUNY DelhiDavid Sanders Alliance Worldwide Investiga-

tive Group IncDavid Spokowski Skidmore CollegePatricia Strasser MVP Health CareJae Tracey Association Development

Group

Welcome to the new CRHRA members who havejoined our organization as of August 2011