BOARD BENEFITS

SAHRMA Board Members step up to serve on the board for various reasons, from a desire to give back to the HR community, to seeking an opportunity to gain experience in a leadership role within the HR industry. In addition to the most common reasons why SAHRMA members run for office, prospective board members will be pleased to know that service on the SAHRMA board has several other benefits.

While serving on the 2021 SAHRMA Board, putting in many volunteer hours, current board members have the cost of SAHRMA and SHRM memberships covered by SAHRMA. Board members may also attend General Meetings and all SAHRMA sponsored programs for free, which includes the South Texas HR Symposium, the Employment Law Conference, and various ancillary workshops offering HRCI and SHRM credit. Throughout the year this equates to over 40 credit hours. Since board positions are typically two years in length, a board member can receive the majority of their recertification hours just by attending SAHRMA programs and being an active board member, as serving on the board also counts as certification credit.

Each year the SAHRMA President and the BOD make decisions on chapter expenses. If the budget allows, board members may have the opportunity to attend the Texas SHRM Meetings twice a year in rotating locations in Texas. This is a fantastic way for the board to get to collaborate with Texas SHRM counterparts and other SHRM chapter leaders around Texas. Some of my best memories of when I was first elected to the SAHRMA BOD have been from trips taken for the Texas SHRM Meetings, that end up doubling as board retreats.

Six members of the 2021 SAHRMA BOD recently attended the Spring Texas SHRM Meeting in Austin. The entire group attending the conference was thrilled to be finally meeting in person again. The SAHRMA board members who attended gained new ideas and best practices from the collaborative breakout groups, met several dynamic SHRM leaders and counterparts from around Texas, and had fun bonding even more with fellow SAHRMA board members.

Texas SHRM Meeting in Austin - May 2021

Select Executive Board Members are also provided the opportunity to attend the SHRM National Conference at the determined location for the year and the Volunteer Leader Business Meeting in Washington, D.C. At each of these national conferences, the Texas SHRM leaders make it a point to get together again as representatives of our great state. This is usually a casual and fun networking event, a VIP hospitality room just for SHRM Texans, or for those who have an interest in Legal and Legislative Affairs, one can even sign up for “Hill Day” to meet with Texas Senator’s offices to discuss issues important to the workplace. 

In October, as the SAHRMA BOD pursues continuous improvement and also plans for 2022, board members are invited to represent SAHRMA at the Fall Texas SHRM Meeting and attend HR Southwest in Fort Worth

Programs and conferences are just part of the benefits of serving the SAHRMA BOD. If you have an interest in serving on the board, just complete and return the board interest form back to us. The elections for the 2022 SAHRMA BOD will be here before you know it! Please reach out to any board member if you have questions about a specific position or want to know more about serving on the SAHRMA board, and thank you for your membership!

Dawn Cunningham, PHR, SHRM-CP

SAHRMA President

LEARN | CONNECT | SERVE