I have the honor of working as the Human Resources Director for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas since June of 2011. In my spare time I enjoy working as an Adjunct Faculty member at both Concordia and St. Edward’s University in the Business Departments. Since joining Concordia University on January 7th of 2006, I have facilitated a number of Undergraduate and Graduate Human Resources courses.

My volunteer activities include numerous Board appointments over the past 10 years with distinguished organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Austin Rowing Club.

In addition to my Undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice (Simon Fraser University in Canada), I also hold two Master’s Degrees; Human Resources and Conflict Negotiation (both from St. Edward’s University). I am proud to say that I am also a credentialed conflict resolution specialist / mediator in the State of Texas.

Brief statement why you have accepted appointment and what you would consider to have been a successful tenure when your term:

Given all the hard work and planning that we will put into the development of the components of the program, my goal is to have trained, dedicated leaders armed with successful learning tools to integrate into their organizations, thus taking them to the next level of their professional development. I feel that by having our non-profit leaders (and future leaders) invest in themselves and complete the program – they will make a difference in the community and that would satisfy my personal goal of being a part of this endeavor.

Brief statement on your sense of the Center’s impact for its first 15 years and its potential for future:

This is a great question, and I think that the Mission of the Center of strengthening nonprofit professional and volunteer practice by providing learning opportunities throughout Central Texas resonates with me.

I recently read an interesting article about notable trends in the leadership development field. In the past two decades, Human Resources trends included the proliferation of new leadership development methods and a growing recognition of the importance of a leader’s emotional resonance with others. This really struck a chord with me because working for the Food Bank and participating in the Human Resources non-profit group, I genuinely relate and understand that we need to develop leaders and give them the support that they need to succeed at their organizations.

The Center’s impact will be crucial in the growing recognition that leadership development involves more than just developing individual leaders but will lead to a greater focus on the context where leadership is developed and thoughtful consideration about how to best use leadership competencies, and work/life balance issues.

Along with that, the impact of the programming today and tomorrow will address future trends in the arena such as potential advances in globalization, technology, return on investment (ROI), and new ways of thinking about the nature of leadership and leadership development!

I also believe that by involving Nonprofit practitioner’s in the Center will foster a culture of support – mentoring. This committed, long-term relationship will sustain and excel the professional development of our leaders in the community.