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Position Description & Duties

The State Director is the chief elected officer of the State Council and effectively establishes policy, strategies, and objectives consistent with SHRM, Region, and National Board policies. The State Director oversees and guides State Council members and serves on the Executive Committee.
 
Responsible To:
State Council

Responsibilities:
  • Manage the affairs of the State Council as the chief elected officer.
  • Serve as a voting member on the SHRM North Central Region
    Council and primary contact with the Membership Advisory Council Representative.
  • Serve as the presiding officer for meetings of the State Council.
  • Serve as Co-Chair of the Nominating Committee with the Immediate Past State Director.
  • As appropriate, conduct general membership meetings involving SHRM members within the State.
  • Act as an ex-officio member of all State Council committees.
  • Provide leadership for the State Council by assigning responsibilities for achieving State, Regional, and national objectives.
  • Serve as primary contact with SHRM Membership and Community Director.
  • Direct all State Council members' activities, plans, and objectives.
  • Provide mentorship and support to he State Director-Elect to prepare for transition into the State Director role.
  • Promote the State Council and the HR profession through personal appearances and speaking engagements before SHRM affiliate chapters and other organizations.
  • Prepare reports, as requested, for the SHRM North Central Region Council and SHRM.
  • Identify individuals who demonstrate effective leadership skills and potential for potential volunteer leadership roles on the State Council.
  • Provide direction, assistance, and support for professional development activities within the state.

Core Competencies:
  • Excellent time management and organizational Skills.
  • Strong written communication Skills.
  • Team oriented.
  • Ability to advocate for the State Council and SHRM.
  • Ability to assist with recruiting potential WI SHRM State Council members.
  • Previous SHRM volunteer leader experience is preferred.

Requirements:
  • Must be a SHRM member in good standing.  SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification is highly desirable.
  • Regular attendance at State Council meetings is expected.
  • Attendance at the WI SHRM Volunteer Leadership Conference and annual Strategic Planning Meeting is expected.
  • Attendance at WI SHRM events is highly recommended.
  • Attendance at SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Business Meeting and Regional Council Business Meeting, as invited.

Term:
 
  • The State Director position is filled by the State Director-Elect and not by election.  The State Director-Elect is nominated by the State Director and is elected by a majority vote to serve a one-year or two-year term beginning the first day of January and ending on the last day of December.
Last Updated:  9/30/2024

 

Back to Board of Directors

 

Contact Information

 

Jeff Palkowski,MHRM, SHRM-SCP, PHR, PMQ
State Director

Ph:  414.467.5247
Em:  statedirector@wishrm.org
Term Start:  1/1/2025

Biography

Jeff Palkowski, MHRM, SHRM-SCP, PMQ, PHR, recently retired from public service after several HR positions with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the State of Wisconsin. He has worked in private and public sector human resources roles and has been an active member of SHRM at the national, state, and local chapter levels since 2003.

Jeff will serve as the State Director of the Wisconsin State Council SHRM in 2025-2026, is the Ambassador for Individual Giving for the SHRM Foundation, and is a SHRM Foundation Leadership Circle member. He previously served as the Director of Government Affairs, District Director South West and South East, Communications and Social Media Director, State Director-Elect for Wisconsin State Council SHRM, and a volunteer leader for the Greater Madison Area SHRM and Blackhawk HRA chapters.

Jeff is active on social media and is Hootsuite Social Marketing Certified. He has been invited to serve on the SHRM Annual Conference Influencer Teams since 2019 and brought this concept to Wisconsin to establish the WI SHRM State Conference SMILE Team in 2021. He has appeared on HR-related podcasts, including We’re Only Human Show, HR Mixtape, SHRM HR Storytellers, HR Social Hour, Life in the Leadership Lane, HR Like a Boss, Be Well with Mel, and HR Break Room. He has also been cited in numerous media publications and is a contributor to the book “Drive with Purpose: Move Your Career from Success to Significance” by Bruce Waller. Jeff posts on his blog, HRSushiBar.com, and you can follow him on X (@JeffPally) and LinkedIn.

Jeff serves on the board for DisruptHR Madison and was a featured speaker for their 2024 re-launch event. He is an advocate and supporter of the HR Conference Cruise. Jeff received the HRUnite! Ambassador Award in 2022 and 2024 for volunteer service to the HR profession.

Jeff is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), SHRM People Manager Qualified (PMQ), and a State of Wisconsin Notary Public. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications-Journalism (BA) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master of Human Resources Management (MHRM) with distinction from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Jeff has completed additional coursework at Cardinal Stritch University, Purdue University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

Additional Information

The State Director is the chief elected officer of the State Council and effectively establishes policy, strategies, and objectives consistent with SHRM, Region and National Board policies. The State Director provides guidance to Council members.