Jennifer (Cokotis) Russell Email & Phone Number

Boston, Ma, Us

Newton, Massachusetts, Us

● Provide Human Resources consulting services to small & medium employers on various topics, including recruiting, onboarding, talent development, employee engagement and process improvement.● Support organizations with special projects such as policy and employee handbook development, HR system implementations (Workday), designing SOPs and facilitating learning and development trainings.

Milford, Ma, Us

● Oversee new hire onboarding and employee offboarding processes, including pre-employment clearances, Form I-9, New Hire Orientation, separation letters, exit interviews, and severance agreements● Conduct coaching conversations and workplace investigations to support both employees and managers with the company’s disciplinary process tracks and training initiatives● Collaborate and establish processes with the benefits team for employee leaves of absence in alignment with company, state and federal laws● Partner with HRIS to plan, test and implement system updates and integrations in Sage People to improve HR process efficiencies● Leverage reports and trends in the company and industry to strategize and implement improvements in employee engagement, retention and succession planning

Las Vegas, Nevada, Us

•Provide strategy, support and oversight for 8 casino-resorts in 7 states to build and maintain candidate pipelines for full-cycle recruiting and employment•Develop and lead sourcing strategies to support Regional properties (outside of Las Vegas) with community and workforce development commitments, focusing on top talent•Create a consistent and great candidate and hiring manager experience at all Regional locations•Support Workday® conversions for new MGM properties for Talent Acquisition and hiring managers on recruiting functionalities•Streamline communications and strategies to align Las Vegas and Regional initiatives•Ensure compliance with Company and Labor Relations CBAs as part of MGM’s reinstatement process of separated employees due to COVID-19

Springfield, Ma, Us

•Transitioned and stabilized the Talent Acquisition and Employment teams post-opening to normalize operations and align hiring practices with the company’s Human Resources operating model•Managed day-to-day operations of 4 Specialists to support the business with recruiting strategies, I-9 employment and state gaming license processes for all operational divisions, including Hotel, Food & Beverage, Casino Operations, Facilities, Retail, Finance and Marketing•Collaborated with Corporate Compensation and property Finance teams to maintain staffing levels, job descriptions and salaries/wages within the property’s budget and Massachusetts labor laws•Partnered daily with HR Employee & Labor Relations colleagues to support property managers with hires, transfers and promotions while maintaining company policies and diversity requirements•Represented MGM Resorts during workforce development and community partner meetings and events, along with local high schools and college career fairs to establish candidate pipelines•Oversaw Performance Management for 200 property leaders, including revenue-focused goal setting and personal development plans•Special Project: Supported HCMS and Empire City Casino (Yonkers, NY) with the Workday® integration, system testing, and hiring manager training (including BBI training) from August 2019 to February 2020

Springfield, Ma, Us

*Managed the recruitment process of 3,000 new employees for the $950 million MGM Springfield resort and casino (opening Fall 2018)*Oversaw and supported the Talent Acquisition team of 13 employees with recruitment at career fairs, managing requisitions in Workday Recruiting and partnering with hiring managers*Trained new hiring managers monthly on legal policies and hiring practices, introduced them to Workday Recruiting and reviewed the expectations of the Service Level Agreement*Liaison between legal counsel and hiring managers to create interview auditions for key technical roles and provided coaching to hiring managers to ensure compliance with the company's hiring practices*Planned, organized, scheduled 150 volunteers and oversaw event logistics of four mass-hiring events where the team successfully job offered 1,500 candidates

National Harbor, Maryland, Us

•Successfully opened the $1.4B MGM National Harbor property, by onboarding over 4,000 team members and orchestrated six “mass orientations” of up to 900 employees per session in November 2016•Oversaw the L&D Task Force members by delegating tasks and responsibilities to support the HR initiatives and prepare operational leaders for opening and onboarding their teams•Managed a team of two specialists by providing continuous coaching and feedback, delegating projects and department assignments, and supervising curriculum launches and program roll-outs •Launched and retrained all employees on property with the S.H.O.W. Service Basics in alignment with the Company’s new guest service initiatives•Co-led, organized and facilitated a second property-wide roll-out for guest service recovery focused on "Owning the S.H.O.W."•Collaborated with Talent Acquisition to fine-tune the onboarding experience for new hires, forecast turnover and effectively use hiring data for training needs•Oversaw Performance Management for 237 property leaders and partnered with the Organizational Development team to ensure on-time completion•Collaborated with the HR Business Partners to identify and evaluate training tools needed to improve soft- and technical-skills for leaders of people

National Harbor, Maryland, Us

•Designed, developed, and managed the implementation of new hire orientation and new leader onboarding curriculum, consistent with MGM National Harbor’s brand and the Center of Excellence’s requirements•Consulted and collaborated with department leaders to assess training needs at all levels of the organization to ensure employees experienced a seamless and comprehensive onboarding process•Managed the learning management system platform for the property to track and maintain records of compliance and training completions for data reporting•Responsible for maintaining all training space logistics and materials as well as scheduling classes and tracking enrollments •Collaborated with MGM National Harbor’s Security and General Counsel leaders to establish and implement the Life Safety and Workplace Safety Programs•Partnered with vendors, Engineering, Marketing and Procurement teams to prepare the Employment Center for opening with signs, furniture, and additional resources for full-business operations

Las Vegas, Nevada, Us

* Supported the HR Learning and Development Team with class facilitations, compliance reports and uploads, and Company growth plan initiatives* Coordinated, communicated, and partnered with departments and outside vendors for all of the Personal & Professional Development Series classes offered for line-level employees, including Financial Wellness, Baking & Cooking, Public Speaking, and Business Writing* Managed all participant surveys and feedback for classes offered by Learning & Development* Collaborated with departments and HR colleagues to research, develop and deliver a “Conflict Strategies” class for management* Managed all communications and reports for new hire orientation in addition to facilitating orientation each week* Oversaw reports, focus group feedback and audits for the “Onboarding For Success Toolkit” to assist management and new hires with a smooth and consistent transition into their department

Las Vegas, Nevada, Us

* Participated in a yearlong leadership development program focused in Human Resources at both the property and Corporate levels to understand the responsibilities, culture and role of HR for the Company* Rotated in Hotel Operations, Casino Operations, and Food & Beverage to improve customer service skills and business acumen competencies* Researched, prepared, and presented a 30-minute Capstone Project with my team on M life enrollments to the Company’s senior leadership* Led one of HR’s subcommittees to establish an action plan designed to increase employee satisfaction from feedback on the Employee Opinion Survey

Las Vegas, Nevada, Us

* Selected to participate in MGM Resorts International’s highly competitive internship program * Assisted HR with administering the Employee Opinion Survey and achieved the property’s goal of employee participation* Shadowed Employee Relations Specialists during due processes, arbitrations, separations, union-manager meetings and I-9 Audits* Audited job descriptions for every department and updated the format to include the property’s initiatives* Co-hosted employee appreciation week with Special Events where I motivated and interacted with employees through raffles, games, prizes and pet adoptions

*Developed a consolidated spreadsheet of employees’ feedback from several business workshops to be utilized by the Human Resources department.

* Managed and prepared all files and documentations containing state notifications, waste manifests, and employee air tests pertaining to each client’s portfolio using a unique company filing system, in addition to verifying certifications, W-9 Forms and licenses of companies and employees associated with Abide, Inc.* Documented and communicated air test results to On-Site Supervisors and notified the Project Manager of dangerous levels to ensure workers properly wore safety equipment and complied with OSHA regulations* Created Customer Satisfaction Survey to conduct customer follow-ups after job completions* Assisted Managers and Estimators to prepare client proposals, schedule appointments, maintain employee work logs and handled general office tasks

Bachelor Of Business Administration - Bba, Business Management

Masters Of Hospitality Administration, Hospitality Administration/Management