Message from the President

It is an honor to serve you as the President of the Bluegrass Society for Human Resource Management in 2009.  I have served as a board member for three years and during that time our chapter has experienced significant growth and changes.  Our chapter made great strides during 2008, and some of our accomplishment include:

• An Advisory Council was formed to provide a forum for senior level HR executives and to provide guidance to the board for chapter development
• A Work Skills and Education Connection Fair was held to provide an opportunity for our membership to meet with local education service partners and discover the services available
• A diversity workshop was offered in November which was pre-approved for three strategic recertification credit hours
• The chapter membership was surveyed to gain an understanding of member needs and expectations
• We were ranked fourth in the nation in support of SHRM Foundation
• Networking events were held to provide opportunities for our members to get to know each other
• We co-sponsored a Habitat for Humanity house and raised over $12,000 in support of this project
• We earned Superior Merit Chapter status for the sixth continuous year

2009 will prove to be another exciting year for Bluegrass SHRM.  We are facing challenging times both professionally and personally due to our economic environment.  HR professionals have an opportunity to make a difference through our response to these challenges.  Our response must include engagement of the individuals and entities that we serve in our respective roles.  For that reason, Engagement will be our theme during 2009.  The entities and affiliated groups that we will seek to engage this year are: 

• Our board
• Our membership
• Our community
• Our student chapter
• Our advisory council
• Our legislators
• Other chapters
• Bluegrass Compensation Association
• Our geographic emphasis groups
• Our service partners

Due to our tremendous growth over the past couple of years, there are several processes that need attention, and we will focus on process improvement in addition to our goals.  During 2009, the Bluegrass SHRM Board, our Advisory Council, and all of our hardworking volunteers will work toward establishing the foundation for our future initiatives.  Every Board member will accomplish their work through committees, and I encourage you to volunteer your time and help us succeed.  There are volunteer opportunities that are ongoing throughout the year and opportunities that don't require as much of a time commitment.  Feel free to contact me or any of the Board members to learn more about volunteerism within our chapter.

Again, I appreciate the opportunity to serve you this year.

Sincerely,

Tracy Morford, SPHR