Human Resources Holds Inaugural Professional Development Conference

By Susan Gray, Manager – Employee Relations 

and EEO/AA Compliance

On October 19, 2017, the Office of Human Resources held its inaugural Professional Development Conference.   The Conference, which was attended by nearly 100 faculty, staff and leaders, was developed based upon feedback from employees as part of the Employee Wellness and Engagement survey.   HPU President, John Gotanda, Trustee and former Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, Linda Lingle, and Kupuna-in-Residence, Lynette Cruz, kicked off the Conference with a panel discussion on “Living the HPU Mission and Values.”    The panel shared their own observations of how HPU employees have, and can, best exemplify Pono, Kuleana, and Aloha.   

The four hour conference, included nine separate breakout sessions, ranging in topics from leadership

development to managing stress and wellness.   Sessions were presented by HPU staff, faculty, and other subject matter experts.   Suzanne Large, Director of Budget & Financial Analysis, shared her expertise to help attendees “Understand the Budget-Process through Adaptive Insights.”   Professors Dr. Warren Wee and Bill Potter led attendees through over 50 years of HPU history as part of their presentation, “Strategic Planning – Understanding the Past to Drive the Future.”    Attendees were also given the opportunity to get a glimpse of the student experience from Vice President of Enrollment Management, Greg Grauman, Assistant Director of First Year and Residential Communities, Jillian Liota, and Career Advisor, Amanda Austin.   The presenters discussed the challenges of first generation students and how HPU faculty and staff can help these students overcome barriers.  Dr. Lawrence Rowland and Dr. John Hart shared their extensive knowledge covering sessions on project management and keys to effective communication, respectively. 

Human Resources’ own Tameron Hodges and Bernard Nunies, led a discussion on Team Development, where attendees had the opportunity to better understand employee engagement and were provided tools and insight on developing their teams.  This presentation was reinforced by speaker Erik Burian, during his talk on “Leadership and the Power of Communication.”  Burian, a retired U.S. Navy Captain and HPU alumnus, provided his insights on leadership gained from his experience as a Navy Captain and his research on leadership.   He shared with attendees what great leaders do, how to lead change, and what really motivates people.  

 In response to employees seeking ways to manage their own health and wellness, HPU reached out to its partner, Kaiser Permanente, to provide information on “Managing Stress in the Workplace and at Home.”   HPU’s own Coach V, Darren Vorderbruegge, a certified trainer with the Blue Zones Project, presented a Life Purpose Workshop, which focused on the benefits of Blue Zones as a method of living a healthier lifestyle.

  

Human Resources would like to express its appreciation to the IT Services and Events teams for their assistance and thanks all the presenters and attendees for making this Professional Development Conference a huge success.   

If you would like to provide feedback on the conference, input is still being accepted here.  Additionally, presentations from the various sessions, if available, will be posted on the Professional Development block of the HR tab on Pipeline.