Dear ASHHRA Colleagues,

I love April – longer (hopefully warmer) days, spring break for the kiddos and the start of baseball season! Can it get any better?

This past week, I had an amazing time with my boys. I took time off to be with them for spring break. At one point, while we were out paddling around in a canoe, trying not to get tangled up in lily pads, my youngest asked me if I was on spring break. If you ever want to have an interesting Total Rewards conversation, try explaining the concept of PTO to a 10-year-old. My son was amazed by the generosity of my employer, letting me take time off with pay to play with my kids. He literally said to me, "Wow! Your boss is a really good guy!" ... Out of the mouths of babes!  As an HR leader, I was a little humbled by the conversation. How have I lost sight of how special that benefit truly is, to my family and for my own personal renewal? 

This conversation really forced me to pull back the lens and look at all of the areas in my life. What are the amazing resources, benefits and connections in my life that I need to be intentionally celebrating? Immediately, my mind went to my ASHHRA membership.

I have so enjoyed my time as president; the conversations I have had with members; the invitations to attend state chapter meetings; the work and dedication of the board, committee members, volunteers and staff. It is fun to watch the level of creativity that comes with this dedication and passion, including:  

• Did you know that we have several ASHHRA members sitting for their CHHR exam on scholarships offered by ASHHRA? The scholarship has allowed HR professionals the opportunity to sit for an exam that will help distinguish them as a health care HR expert for the rest of their career. What a great investment ASHHRA has made for its members!  
• Have you hopped onto one of our Twitter chats? If you are not aware of this avenue to connect, I will challenge you to Tweet the members of our Learning and Education Committee, chaired by Lotus Yon. Not only are we connecting current members, we are also reaching future members, creating an even larger network of influence and support.  
• Have you booked your hotel and travel to Grapevine for the annual conference? I can’t think of another conference that has so much rich content, specific to the work we do, as well as time to connect and recharge.  It truly is ASHHRA’s PTO plan!  

As the year marches forward, make sure to take some time to maximize the benefit that is your ASHHRA membership.  

Play ball!

ASHHRA 2016 President

Director, Partner Integration

Providence Health and Services