EPSHRM Kicks Off the New Year

On Jan. 23, 2015, EPSHRM was proud to kick off their new year at the El Paso Club with the Honorable County Judge Veronica Escobar serving as their keynote speaker. There were a total of 65 attendees at this evening event, including three scholarship recipients for the following categories: EPSHRM Member, Sons and Daughters and HRCI certification.

Astrid Bunner, EPSHRM member, is currently a senior at the University of Texas at El Paso and will graduate this summer with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a core in Human Resources. Astrid works for the City of El Paso and received a $500 scholarship. Andrea Nunez, the daughter of EPSHRM member Juan Carlos Nunez, will graduate this May and will pursue her linguistics degree at the University of Texas at Austin. She also received a $500 scholarship to assist with her education. Finally, EPSHRM member Verenice Acosta registered to sit for her PHR certification on Jan. 24, 2015. She received a $250 scholarship to assist with the registration fee the night before the big exam. A few days later, EPSHRM received notice that she passed her exam!

Ms. Lourdes Bonilla-Jones was also presented with the 2014 EPSHRM Professional of the Year award due to her contributions to the profession. She serves as Director of HR for Trans-Expedite, and assists EPSHRM as the SHRM Foundation Chair. In 2014, Lou successfully led EPSHRM’s efforts to raise $2,877.06, which was a 106 percent increase over the past year!

EPSHRM’s theme for 2015 is "Connect. Collaborate. Commit." At the kickoff event, each CLA Director hosted a booth to "connect" the membership with their areas, and recruit new committee members in an effort to enhance "collaboration." Those members who successfully visited all booths were eligible to participate in a drawing that raffled a wine basket, courtesy of Glazer’s Distributing, or one of two Visa gift cards.

The event concluded with an inspirational speech given by El Paso’s County Judge Veronica Escobar. During her speech, Judge Escobar challenged the HR professionals to "commit" to the profession by serving their businesses and helping the city to move forward, regardless of the industry. She spoke about her own relationship with her HR Department and encouraged the audience to seize the opportunity to influence the decisions of their own CEOs.

EPSHRM meets again in February to learn about the "HR Professional Competency Model: A Roadmap for Success" hosted by SHRM Sherry.