In this episode of HR Storytellers, LaTrelle Porter, SHRM-CP, recounts success stories and hiring strategies from her efforts over the past 20 years in city government to recruit and support job candidates with criminal histories. Porter, a human resources business partner for the city of Savannah, joins host Tony Lee to share her HR story.

In this episode of HR Storytellers, Jeff Palkowski, SHRM-SCP, outlines how he left a career in customer service to learn HR from the bottom up, starting at a staffing firm and then leveraging his talents and additional education to move into human resource management. Palkowski, workforce relations manager in the division of Information Technology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, joins host Tony Lee to share his HR story.

In this episode of HR Storytellers, Brian McComak shares his thoughts on why learning to hire without bias and treat all employees equally is a challenge that line managers and the HR professionals who help them need to overcome. McComak, a former HR manager at Christie’s, Disney and Tapestry, and now the CEO and founder of Hummingbird Humanity, an inclusion consulting firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., joins host Tony Lee to share his HR story.

In this episode of HR Storytellers, Heather Deyrieux, SHRM-SCP, explains how her passion for volunteering and the successes and fulfillment she achieved helped lead her from a career in strategic planning to human resource management. Deyrieux, human resources manager for Sarasota County Government, past president of the HR Florida State Council and current SHRM Southeast Member Advisory Council representative, joins host Tony Lee to share her HR story.

Brenda Reedy, SHRM-SCP, discusses why being brutally honest with employees, especially when they’re trying to overcome a difficult personal situation, is critical to succeeding as an effective HR professional. Reedy, human resources manager at the Wyoming Supreme Court in Cheyenne, joins host Tony Lee to share her HR story.

As an employment attorney, Louis Lessig, SHRM-SCP, offers guidance on how HR professionals can keep their employer as far away from the courtroom as possible, especially when managing people working in multiple states. A partner at Brown & Connery in Westmont, N.J., Lessig also serves as state director of the Garden State Council of SHRM. Lessig joins host Tony Lee to discuss his HR story.

Heidi Hartman, SHRM-SCP, shares her experience of falling into HR after many years of working in retail, and how an introduction to the profession proved to be a perfect fit that has also led to several local volunteer leadership roles. Hartman, a certified executive coach and past president of her local SHRM chapter, joins host Tony Lee to share her HR story.

In this episode of HR Storytellers, Alexander C. Pullen, SHRM-SCP, discusses how employees looking out for one another creates cultures of organizational resilience that help companies successfully navigate crises and adversity.

In this episode of HR Storytellers, Rose Ann Garza, SHRM-SCP, shares how having a sister with special needs helped her realize the importance of giving back and serving others, which she does now as the chief human resources officer for fast-growing restaurant chain Kerbey Lane Cafe.

In this episode of HR Storytellers, Paul Falcone offers career lessons learned from serving in a range of senior HR roles in Los Angeles at such companies as Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, Time Warner, the Motion Picture & Television Fund and City of Hope Medical Center, as well as from writing many bestselling books on HR practices.

James Abeyta Stevens, SHRM-CP, discusses how he strives to try to change employee perceptions so that HR professionals are seen more positively, and his efforts have paid off as his New Mexico employers over the years have regularly been rated as a best place to work. Abeyta Stevens, chief human resources officer at Stefanie Juliano Therapy and New Mexico Wellness Center near Albuquerque, joins host Tony Lee to share his HR story.

Adrienne Salvaggio, SHRM-SCP, reflects on how her experience as a middle school science teacher and passion for training paved the way for her career as HR director at beverage startup Big Easy Blends in New Orleans, La. In this episode of HR Storytellers, she joins host Tony Lee to share her HR story.

Julie Orchard, SHRM-CP, explains how she leveraged an Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) audit to transition from working as a technical writer to becoming an HR professional managing a team in the health care industry in Eastern Washington, where she also is an active SHRM chapter volunteer. In this episode of HR Storytellers, Orchard, director of human resources at Spokane, Wash.-based Providence Health joins host Tony Lee to share her HR story.

Art Jackson has spent 25 years as a leadership consultant and conference speaker, and the West Point graduate has much to share on the value of strong company leaders, as well as why effective training is critical to developing people managers to their full potential. Jackson, president and chief consultant at Woodbridge, Va.-based Eagles Nest Performance Management, joins host Tony Lee to discuss his HR story.