As I continue learning about the world of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI), this opportunity allows me to practice HR and Talent and embed diversity and inclusion practices into my work, from an equity perspective. In this role I am responsible for talent acquisition and talent development including:External Talent; I manage the talent acquisition process at CEI, partnering with hiring managers in each search to find talent that adds value and perspective to CEI. Justice Fellowship program: Working with leadership to explore and develop a year-long fellowship program centered on racial equity and justice, engaging with fellowship candidates from communities where services have been limited or non-existent, and who are interested in the CDFI field; College Relations and CEI’s Internship program; Internal Talent Development. I also support the implementation of CEI’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by working with the SVP of HR to develop, measure, and identify trends in engagement, performance, pay, and retention of diverse employees, and by participating in the Equity Leadership Team - finding D&I educational resources from an Equity lens.I support the overall efforts of the HR and Office Administration functions to optimize effectiveness, compliance, efficiency, and employee engagement, as well as work on the preparation of annual EEO and Affirmative Action plans, and reports.

I had the great honor of co-chairing the Diversity Hiring Coalition of Maine for two years, along with the talented Mandy Levine and Cassie Christie. More info on this in the volunteer experience section.

As a Talent & Diversity Specialist, I supported the development programs offered by the Bank. I enjoyed connecting with communities, educational institutions, and students across New England. I coordinated the Summer Internship program and the Coop programs, providing guidance to interns and Coops, and helping them navigate different situations. I also supported the DEI efforts that Bangor Savings Bank carries out; focusing on internal education and learning opportunities. This allowed me to increase my awareness and knowledge of DEI practices in the industry, and also in the Northern New England region. I learned a lot about community banks as well as different types of companies in the financial services domain.

At K-State, I acquired a wealth of experience in the Talent Acquisition field. I consulted hiring managers on hiring processes and procedures, learned about Applicant Tracking working with PageUp to manage recruitments university-wide, and facilitated training for applicant tracking system users.I leveraged and communicated employer benefits, observed the executive recruitment process, and provided a high level of customer service to stakeholders.To top it all off, I created social media content to attract applicants and promote employer brand, which allowed me to learn about content creation and marketing strategy.

This position gave me first-hand experience as an HR Generalist. I provided human resource administration, support, and guidance to departments in the College of Agriculture and K-State Research & Extension, and this was a great opportunity because each department was unique and required a different strategy. I served as the initial contact for questions related to federal, state, and university HR policies, I advised administrators, department heads, managers, supervisors, and employees as well as facilitated the hiring and recruitment processes, and in general, I performed generalist duties such as processing personnel paperwork, administering time and leave process, monitoring FMLA, and serving as a Human Capital Services liaison.

Working at the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss was a life-changing experience! I assisted in travel planning, procurement, expense reports, visa processing, sub-award agreements, among various administrative duties. What made this experience great was learning about the work different people and organizations around the world do to fight food insecurity and to educate and provide resources for farmers and families which main economic activity is agriculture.

As Accounting Specialist, I supported the third-party billing unit and served a the University Cashier recording of collected revenue into the financial reporting software and accounts receivable. I provided customer service to internal and external customers - which was a valuable experience given the size and the range of departments on campus.

During my time at Purple Wave, I provided assistance in the bidding process and supported auction surveillance and asset assistance. I was able to help Spanish-speaking customers.

This was my first professional role and I provided office support, business travel planning, business meeting planning, petty cash control, SAP reports and requests, support to in-processing personnel, phone and personal service to internal and external clients.