Need to Know

Open fora to feature finalists for Vice President for Human Resources position

The University's Vice President for Human Resources Search Committee has narrowed its consideration to four distinguished HR professionals

VPHR, candidates, open fora, 2021

icon of a calendarMonday, September 13, 2021

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University faculty and staff are invited to take part in four open fora featuring finalist candidates for the position of Vice President for Human Resources (VPHR).

Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the VPHR has university-wide accountability for leading human capital strategies and programs to build an effective and inclusive, high-performance culture.  The VPHR also provides leadership and direction to the university and HR department overseeing talent acquisition, classification and compensation, employee records and information systems, training and development, benefits administration, employee relations, performance management, faculty and staff appointments and employee recognition.

The VPHR search process started in spring 2021 with the announcement of Ron Watson's plans to retire in June. The university selected Harris Search Associates to serve as consultants and an internal search committee comprised of nine staff and faculty members was established. The committee is chaired by Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Peggy Cooke.

The fora – scheduled to take place via virtual meetings – will include a brief introduction of featured candidates; candidate remarks outlining their experience and their interest in the VPHR position; and their thoughts on pressing human resources issues in higher education. Each session will include a question and answer period. Information regarding the finalist candidates and the open forum slated for each follows:

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 – 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

James Gallaher, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Gallaher provides strategic leadership for Illinois Human Resources serving as a senior member of the central HR leadership team. He leads the HR strategic planning process, the statewide public university diversity, equity and inclusion committee; and the “Future of Work at Illinois” committee. Gallaher developed the “New Illinois Leader Onboarding” program in collaboration with the Provost Office, and delivered a global online new faculty orientation, among other initiatives. He formerly served in HR leadership positions at Butler University, Eastern Michigan University and General Motors.

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Thursday, September 16, 2021 – 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Eric Herppich, Director of Benefits and Compensation at Oakland University

Herppich plans and administers compensation and benefits programs for faculty and staff, including providing counsel and guidance on total compensation packages. Prior to joining OU, he served as Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations for the County of Macomb, Michigan. There he provided leadership for a comprehensive human resources and labor relations program, transforming it to a consultant-based, service-based delivery model functioning as a strategic partner to county departments. Herppich managed the Human Resources and Labor Relations department and its 26 staff with a budget of $2.2 million.

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Friday, September 17, 2021 – 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Patrick Smitowski, Senior HR Director for the College of Literature, Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Smitowski leads the development, implementation and evaluation of organization-wide HR practices, impacting more than 5,000 union, non-union, regular and temporary employees.  He led the redesign of HR service delivery model, consolidating HR professionals into single unit, and developed a comprehensive, five-year staff diversity plan including metrics for evaluating plan effectiveness. Smitowski also developed strategies for managing major organizational change, such as new performance management practices and market-based compensation practices.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2021 – 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Joi Cunningham, Assistant Vice President for Academic Human Resources, Oakland University

Cunningham provides strategic planning and advice to the provost and deans for all matters relating to academic personnel, including recruitment and hiring, promotion and tenure, benefits and compensation administration and workforce strategy. She also has staff-focused responsibilities including labor/employee relations and employment services, and leads efforts to create an inclusive workplace and increase the number of underrepresented minority faculty and staff. Cunningham previously served as the university’s Title IX coordinator, providing strategic leadership on goals related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

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Following the open fora, participants will be given an opportunity to submit thoughts and preferences regarding candidate selection. The search committee expects that an offer of employment will be extended to the preferred candidate soon after the completion of the open fora.

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