What area do you work in within the VPFA portfolio?
Human Resources, Classification and Compensation
What is your current position, and what are your job responsibilities?
Classification and Compensation Analyst.
I collaborate with campus departments to provide strategies and solutions to classification and compensation objectives. This work is always done with an eye toward fairness and compliance with applicable laws, bargaining agreements, and policies.
What has been your career path; how did you end up in your current position?
I have worked at the University of Oregon for 5 ½ years in Human Resources. After a brief introduction as a Human Resources Assistant, I took a job as a Data Analyst and continued in that role for 4 years. In October of 2018 I moved into my current role as a Compensation Analyst.
Prior to my work at the U of O, I worked for the State of Oregon Employment Department for 16 years providing job search assistance as well as supervising unemployment insurance adjudicators.
What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
I am a first generation college graduate.
What is your work history and education that enabled you to attain your current position?
I graduated from the University of Oregon as a Sociology major. After graduation I began work as a Community Integration Specialist for people who had been housed at the Fairview Training Center which was a state-run facility for people with developmental disabilities. This work was very challenging and instantly broadened my life perspective, but it took a toll on me physically and emotionally. After a year or so, I began to question whether my current career path was going the right way. To give myself some reprieve, I spent a few years working in manufacturing jobs. I enjoy working with my hands and creating useful items. However, it didn’t take long to realize that I wasn’t being challenged intellectually in this line of work, and the manufacturing work environments weren’t suitable to my long term goals. I took the knowledge gained through all these jobs and applied it toward providing job training for people with disabilities. I was working part-time so I began volunteering at the State of Oregon Employment Department helping job seekers with resumes, cover letters, and other job prep activities. I worked there for 16 years, culminating in the supervision of adjudicators in the department’s Unemployment Insurance division.
How has working at UO enabled your professional goals and interests?
Working at UO has exposed me to the moving parts that make up Human Resources and allowed me to interact and collaborate with colleagues who perform the many tasks required to do this work successfully. I have always had an underlying belief that business and personal relationships need to be based on values of honesty and openness, traits that I see daily in my work. Knowing that I am part of a unit that has a positive effect on campus and does so with integrity, makes it easy to come to work. I have goals of constantly learning new skills and HR has given me that opportunity through professional development and promotion. Like many, I also strive to maintain a work-life balance that is sustainable. Again, the university has afforded me the opportunity to do this through their understanding of talent retention.
What do you like about your current position?
Latitude given to make meaningful decisions.
Supported by leadership when disagreements occur.
Analyzing situations from multiple perspectives, making decisions, and writing clear supporting documentation.
Co-workers and colleagues are amazing. So smart, responsible, and conscientious about others.
Please share some insight into what your job involves.
Class and Comp receives an array of requests from campus departments and each comes with the expectation of being handled with confidentiality, tact, fairness, and timeliness. Setting priorities, developing relationships, and performing analysis are the three tasks set in motion by these requests. I am proud to say that our unit offers the service and flexibility of reviewing cases for their urgency and campus impact so they are prioritized correctly. Delivering quality and timeliness that exceed expectations are the moments when I feel most proud. I am not the type of person who needs personal accolades; I prefer knowing the team is well respected for the work they do.
What advice do you have for others; what secrets would you share for someone thinking of applying to UO?
The university is a vital component of what makes Eugene such a wonderful city to live in. My advice? Take part in what the university has to offer, whether that be education, community services, or employment.
My advice to all job seekers: Do your homework! Find out if the work environment is right for you. Use your network to learn more about the university. In this city, chances are you are separated by only a degree or two from a UO employee. They undoubtedly have insights they would be willing to share with you.
Share a little about yourself personally:
Family: Married, daughters ages 16 and 8. Born and raised in Eugene along with two brothers.
Favorite food: Mexican, pizza, homemade pasta
Best movie you’ve seen: I’m not a big movie fan, but I did recently watch Fantastic Fungi which documents ways that fungi can heal and save our planet. Given a choice, I would rather listen to a few albums or go to a rock, metal, or punk show than see a movie.
If you could only take three items with you to a deserted island, what would they be?
Music collection, wife and kids
How do you want to be remembered?
As a person who puts others first.
If you could have the answer to any question, what would it be?
I don’t find myself pining away for the answer to any questions. Seems they’re all either Google-able or impossible to answer.
