Last week ASE celebrated the HR profession with our Annual Summit.  While that is what kept me up at night for days prior, I can now rest easy because it was a successful event.  I look forward to this event all year.  It’s such a great time for our members to get together, network, and celebrate HR.

We started the evening out networking and then enjoyed a highly engaging keynote presentation by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.  Mayor Duggan captivated and inspired the audience as he reviewed the accomplishments that the City of Detroit has made over the past 10 years.  It was amazing to hear about the improvements in street lighting, EMS response time, and the bus system.  He outlined his system for fighting the blight, which was eye-opening to say the least.  I can’t speak for the residential, outlying areas of Detroit, but I can say that the downtown area is booming.  I feel like a new restaurant is opening up virtually every week.  If you haven’t been downtown in some time, I would highly suggest you visit.

Following the mayor’s presentation we honored four outstanding individuals as HR Executives of the year, and I’d like to tell you a little bit about each of them:

Danielle Crane, Chief Talent Officer at GreenPath Financial Wellness – While at GreenPath Danielle has transformed the HR department into a strategic partner within the company. She created a year-long Leadership Academy at GreenPath that provides formal leadership and development training for management.  In addition, Danielle serves as the Director of Student Chapters for the Detroit Society of Human Resource Management (DSHRM) and has also facilitated a session with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on helping HR to bridge the gap between policy and human need.  As stated in Danielle’s nomination, “Danielle’s ability to transform the HR function from an administrative department that the organization worked around, into a critical and strategic partner to the business in less than two years is impressive.” 

Brenda Gallick, Director of Team Member Success at Billhighway – Brenda has made a significant impact at Billhighway.  Some of her accomplishments include the development of Billhighway University, instituting paid volunteer days, creating work/life balance programs, and developing employee engagement programs.  She led the company through an acquisition and was able to retain 100% of their employees.  She has a strong commitment to building community impact programs at Billhighway, some of which have included Habitat for Humanity, Common Ground Sanctuary, Keep Growing Detroit, and Kids on the Go.  As her nomination stated, “Brenda's is a key steward of our culture and has showed tremendous leadership in defining our culture through our plays, philosophies, and guiding principles and in turn building out a set of core supporting HR processes that supports our growth strategies.”

Cynthia M. Glass, Ed.D., Vice President, Human Resources and Chief of Staff at Henry Ford College – I didn’t realize it until that evening, but it turns out that Cynthia used to work for ASE years ago!  I knew she looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it.  The world really is so small.  Dr. Glass has come a long way since her days in research at ASE.  While at Henry Ford College (HFC) she helped guide them through the worst financial crisis in HFC history by successfully negotiating many contracts for HFC that helped to alleviate some of the financial burden.  Perhaps most fascinating about Dr. Glass’s nomination is that she was nominated by the president of a union.  As the nomination stated, “217 people have better wages, better sick time, better vacation time, and better working conditions because of her leadership in HR.”

Adam Jeffries, Vice President of Human Resources, North America at Faurecia North America – Adam has made significant impacts while at Faurecia. He built a team of high potential employees who he is known for personally helping to develop and grow into their next steps while supporting them completely along the way.  He is highly involved in Faurecia University and has successfully implemented innovative initiatives on work/life balance and volunteerism in the local community.  He is actively involved in Habitat for Humanity and encourages all management and staff to get involved in community events.  As stated in Adam’s nomination, “Being humble, calm, confidential, honest, and caring are the words that Adam's team and extended team use to describe him.”

For those of you who did not attend, I hope this gives you an idea of what you’re missing.  It’s a wonderful evening of celebration and recognizing colleagues for their HR contributions.

On a different note, I received some very interesting feedback after my last blog about Pets at Work.  Below are two ASE member companies that have developed unique and innovative Pets at Work programs:

Takata/TK Holdings Inc.

“Here at Takata in Auburn Hills, every other Friday throughout the summer we are visited by volunteers from the Oakland County Animal Control and Pet Adoption Center.  They bring two large vans full of dogs, and our employees can sign their waiver/release and spend a couple of hours walking the dogs (we come at it more from a health benefit standpoint, but both dogs and humans really enjoy the time together as well as the cardio workout).  It is a great morale boost, and every other week we easily have 20+ employees walking and running around with the dogs…. As an added bonus, we donate items to the shelter all year long (especially at Xmas) and over 2 dozen pets have been adopted by our Michigan employees over the past 2 years. Win/Win!” - Chris Eschker, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Sr. HR Manager, North America

Thank you, Chris, for sharing such an innovative approach.

Leader Dogs for the Blind

“As many people would expect, Leader Dog is an organization that allows dogs in the workplace and we have found many benefits of doing so including increased morale, productivity and camaraderie. At the same time, we recognize that employees must be responsible for their dogs and so we have a comprehensive guideline for those who wish to bring their dog to work.

Several years ago we developed a leadership program based on the principles of the working relationship between a person and their Leader Dog where communication and clear direction can literally mean the difference between life or death. This program, Harness the Power of Leadership, is a one-day, one-of-a-kind leadership workshop held on Leader Dog’s campus in Michigan. It is appropriate for new and mid-level managers, and cross-functional or newly-formed teams alike. One highlight of the workshop is when attendees put their leadership skills to practice during a blindfold walk with a Leader Dog in training.” - Melissa Peña Gallis, Chief Talent Officer, Leader Dogs for the Blind

Thanks, Melissa, for sharing this wonderful program.  For any of you who would like more information on the Harness the Power of Leadership program can download an information sheet.

Keep the great feedback coming!  I’d love to hear any feedback on the Annual Summit from any of you that attended.  Email me at [email protected].