NOVEMBER 2005                                    Vol. 1 Issue 2   In this Issue… MT-SHRM Members Honored at State Conference The HR Executive's Role in a Crisis Are You a "Best Employer in Tennessee?" Community Involvement Committee Has It Going On! Career Transition Committee to Host Second High-Speed Networking Event The 2005 HR Excellence Awards Best Practices Workshop Cumberland University Offers New MBA Programs in Nashville THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER SPONSORED BY:   RESOURCES GLOBAL PROFESSIONALS Two-thirds of the Fortune 100 Companies have relied on Resources Global Professionals to help them achieve success with their projects.  Shouldn't your company be next?   Finance & Accounting • Human Capital • Information Management • Internal Audit    Legal Services • Supply Chain Management      >>>  www.resourcesglobal.com MT-SHRM Members Honored at State Conference Rita Baumgartner President-Elect   Dear ,   More than 550 HR professionals and exhibitors from across the State of Tennessee gathered for the 13th Annual Tennessee State Human Resources & Legal Conference in Nashville from October 19–21, 2005.   Beyond the fact that this year’s attendance was one of the largest in conference history, we were awarded a record number of recertification hours which speaks to the quality of our programs and presenters.   Among those honored at the Conference were Andrea Buchanan, Bob McKown, Karen Saul, and Bill Sims.    Andrea was given the James House Williamson Scholarship Award, Bob and Karen both recieved the HR Management Excellence Award and Bill received a Special Achievement Award.   I would like to personally thank the Conference committee members, volunteers, exhibitors, our sponsors and all those who attended for making this year’s conference such a big success.   Click here to view the conference slideshow.   Back to Top >>>   The HR Executive’s Role in a Crisis An After-Work Program Everett Guthrie Continuing Education   At the height of Hurricane Katrina Regions Bank had closed some 190 branches in impacted areas in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.   John Daniel, Head of HR, mobilized his team of HR professionals to provide ongoing assistance to employees and customers while also dealing with the impact the disaster has had on their own lives.   “One call even came in through our HR hotline from a person who was trapped on the roof of her house and called to see if HR could help arrange for the emergency helicopters to evacuate her,” says John.  “We did.” Shortly after taking a breath from Katrina, the bank locations in Texas and Southwest Louisiana braced for another direct hit as they sat in the path of Hurricane Rita. Join John Daniel, Executive Vice President of HR for Regions Bank as he tells a compelling story of the HR Executive's Role in a Crisis on Tuesday, November 15, 2005.  To register, contact Anne Powers at 615-834-1355. This program is approved for HRCI recertification credit.   Back to Top>>>     Are You a “Best Employer in Tennessee?” Peter Burke Best Companies Group   Business TN Magazine, in partnership with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Tennessee SHRM, is accepting nominations for the 2nd annual Best Employers in Tennessee awards.   The program is designed to honor companies in Tennessee that show a dedication to their employees’ growth and quality of life and is open to all companies in two groups—25-199 employees and over 200.   Winning companies will be honored at a gala event in April of 2006 and be featured in a special edition of Business TN Magazine.   Hurry!  Nominations for the awards are being accepted until November 4, 2005 and companies interested in participating can click here to sign up online, or contact Peter Burke at 877-455-2159.   Back to Top >>>   Community Involvement Committee Has It Going On! Tracy Anthony Vice Chair Community Involvement   The goal of the Community Involvement Committee is to offer MT-SHRM members a chance to give back through charitable giving or volunteering opportunities.    In September, MT-SHRM members donated over 60 pounds of food to Second Harvest Food Bank.  This collection will continue through November so please bring your food or monetary donation to the next meetings, November 10th and November 24th. The “most needed” list includes canned fruits, canned meats, dried beans & rice, macaroni & cheese, and peanut butter. This will be our last chance to donate at MT-SHRM meetings.   Last Year in Nashville, over 3,000 children were caught up in the court system because they were abused, neglected or abandoned by those they loved and trusted the most. Fortunately, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is there to help.  In January, your Community Involvement Committee will host a BBQ lunch to benefit CASA.  More details on the event will follow.   Yes!  We have a lot going on and we need your help.  If you have an interest in becoming involved with this committee, please contact Tracy Anthony at 615-399-2228.   Back to Top >>>     Career Transition Committee to Host Second High-Speed Networking Event Matt LeBlanc Career Transition Committee   The MT-SHRM Transition Team will host a second annual High-Speed Networking event on Monday, January 30, 2006 at the Brentwood United Methodist Church from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.   At the last event there were 150 attendees that included job seekers, recruiters, decision makers, and entrepreneurs. This time we would like to top 250 and are looking for a few strategic partners to help us get the word out.  If you have an interest, please contact Matt LeBlanc at 615-477-5651.   There is no cost to attend this event which is open to the community.   The MT-SHRM Transition Group meets every Monday morning at the offices of Lee Hecht Harrison in Brentwood.  For more information, contact Linda McCall Blank at 615-263-8613.   Back to Top >>>     The 2005 HR Excellence Awards Best Practices Workshop Heather Vincent Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce   Every HR professional shares the goal to strategically drive the company’s objectives thereby making a difference in the quality of performance and the company’s bottom line. The HR Excellence Awards program recognizes organizations who are achieving that goal.   On November 3, 2005 join representatives from 2005 HR Excellence Award winner Education Networks of America, and Facet of Excellence winners Renal Care Group and State Farm Insurance, as they share their secrets to success. Information will also be available for the 2006 HR Excellence Awards program and past winners and examiners will be on hand to answer questions about the awards process. Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  The program begins promptly at 8:00 a.m.    To register, click here or contact Heather Vincent at 615-743-3051.   The HR Excellence Awards are presented each year by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Middle Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management.   Back to Top >>>     Cumberland University Offers New MBA Programs in Nashville Art Smith Communications Chair   Cumberland University announces two new MBA programs that will be offered in Nashville beginning in January 2006.   “The first is a Services MBA which is focused on the growing Service sector of the economy and the second is an Educational Leadership MBA which is focused on educational leadership,” says Dr. Paul Stumb, Dean of the Labry School of Business and Economics at Cumberland.   “We’re particularly excited about these two MBA programs because they are focused specifically in two areas that are different from those offered by other universities in Middle Tennessee.”    “In order to introduce these new programs, we plan to conduct a few lunch meetings during the month of November for individuals who are interested in learning more about these special programs.”   To get on the luncheon invitation list, contact Paul Stumb at 615-547-1210.   Back to Top >>>

THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR   Watch the Tennessee State HR Conference  Slide Show 2 Committee Links >>> Find out what's going on... Programs  Legislative Communications Diversity New! Membership Community Involvement Finance Workforce Readiness MT-SHRM South   Find Out What All the Chatter's About >>>   Join the MT-SHRM Chat Room and ask questions of, or give advice to your fellow members about resources, best practices, practically anything under the sun!   Membership Registration Required   Register Here   Quick Links >>>   About MT-SHRM General Information Board Members Career Connections About Career Connections Submit/Remove HR Jobs HR Job Listings Membership Information Join MT-SHRM Now Join National SHRM Guidelines for Membership Eligibility MT-SHRM By-laws Events Upcoming Events Calendar Events Photo Gallery New! News & Resources Professional Development Advertising Opportunities Other HR Web Sites Legislative Issues Newsletter Archive   Looking for an HR Professional? Quick!  Post a job on  Career Connections and get the right person, right now!     MT-SHRM 2004-2005 Board of Directors   Sheila Armstrong - Past President   Rita Baumgartner - President Elect   Denis Blackwelder - President   Barry Campbell - Membership Co-Chair   Judy Cline - Workforce Planning Chair   Kellie Conn - Member Relations, Special Projects Chair   Tracye Mayolo - Finance Chair   Rachel McClelland - Membership Co-Chair   Bob McKown - Programs Chair   Jimmy Patterson - Legislative Chair   Dan Ryan - MT-SHRM South Chair   Art Smith - Communications Chair     MT-SHRM Communications Committee   Art Smith - Communications Chair   Gayla Zoz - Vice Chair, Marketing and Public Relations   Kathy Story - Co-Vice Chair, Publications   Patty Smothers - Co-Vice Chair, Publications   Ginny Thornton - HR Job Development   Gary Bynum - Web site Manager   Dan Aronoff - Web site Marketing   Contacts   Please forward comments, suggestions and/or questions to communications@mtshrm.org   To change your subscriber information, contact Anne Powers   For Connections Newsletter sponsorship, contact Dan Aronoff     Connections Newsletter   is published monthly by Middle Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management © 2005