Welcome New Board Members

A warm welcome to our newest Board Member! Sharon Flanagan recently joined our Board in April 2008 and has taken on the role of Director of Volunteer Management. We would also like to welcome back Michael Kitagawa and Michelle Collier. Unfortunately Abby Cheung will not be returning for another term on the board due to personal reasons.

Here is a look at our 2008-2009 Board of Directors…

Chapter President:
Ian Turnbull, CHRP
Email: president@hrpyr.org

Past President & Marketing:
Bridget Carter
Email: marketing@hrpyr.org

Director of Membership Development:
Jackie Cabildo, MBA, CHRP
Email: membership@hrpyr.org

Director of Mentoring & Education:
Jodi Zigelstein-Yip, CHRP
Email: mentoring@hrpyr.org

Director of Volunteer Management:
Sharon Flanagan, CHRP, ACPC
Email: volunteer@hrpyr.org

Director of Professional Development:
JoAnne Trotter, CHRP
Email: prof_develop@hrpyr.org

Director of Chapter Management:
Jennifer Catania, CHRP
Email: management@hrpyr.org

Director of Relationship Management:
Michelle Collier, CHRP
E-mail: public_relations@hrpyr.org

Director of Finance:
Mike Kitagawa, CHRP
Email: finance@hrpyr.org

Below are short biographies introducing Sharon, Michael and Michelle.

Sharon Flanagan, CHRP, ACPC
An accomplished business executive and team leader, Sharon's successful leadership development and consulting business is in it's seventh year of operation, offering executive one-on-one and team coaching as well as coaching skills and leadership development workshops.

Having graduated from corporate life as a Vice President of Human Resources in a leading Canadian multinational financial institution, her managerial expertise has been honed over twenty years and includes a business foundation encompassing national and international operations, retail, head office and information technology. A Human Resources generalist with expertise in employment law, Sharon is known for her practical understanding of executive work and life realities and bringing fun to learning, without losing sight of the bottom line.

A Certified Professional Coach and CHRP, Sharon brings passion to people development as leaders are coached and mentored to explore and ignite their own potential and the potential of the people around them. Sharon is an Executive Coach Associate and Facilitator at both the Niagara Institute and the Adler School of Professional Coaching. She is also a proud recipient of the PRISM Award, given by the International Coach Federation in celebration of Excellence and Business Achievement through coaching

Sharon’s leadership development clients come from a variety of industries including financial services, manufacturing, integrated food services, advertising, information technology, e-business, retail, publishing and pharmacy. These business leaders and management teams want to leverage their strengths and create environments that balance management, leadership and personal responsibility.

Michael Kitagawa, CHRP
Michael has over 14 years experience in Human Resources and is currently Acting Human Resources Consultant with the Regional Municipality of York, Human Resource Services Branch.

He has a BA in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Ryerson and earned his CHRM (high honours) from Seneca in 1994. He has been a CHRP since 1997.

Michael has been an active member of HRPYR since its inception in 1997 and has held the position of Director, Finance since 2003. In this role he has contributed significantly to the financial health of the chapter bringing us from a deficit situation to a strong financial position. Michael has also implemented financial procedures and guidelines to ensure continued financial health of the Chapter. He believes it is important to work towards fiscal responsibility while attempting to provide Chapter members with as many services as possible at the lowest or no cost.

Michael is married with two children and has been a resident of York Region since 1988. He possesses a strong background in volunteering in both the professional and community arenas. He sat on the Board for the Hotel Human Resource Professionals Association (HHRPA), holding a position of Treasurer for several years, and has volunteered in the community as a guest speaker/lecturer for the Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce and the Orangeville District Secondary School.

Michelle Collier, CHRP
Michelle has been a senior Human Resources professional for over 20 years, specializing in start-up, development and management of Human Resources Departments in a variety of both union and non-union businesses. Her experience as a Director of Human Resources spans a variety of industries – hospitality, transportation and media.

During her time in the hotel industry, she spent a number of years as a Board member of the Hotel Human Resource Professionals Association of Greater Toronto (HHRPA), including five (5) years as their President.

Michelle has been a Board Member of HRPYR for 5 years, and in that time has handled several portfolios including Communications, Government Affairs and currently she is the Director of Relationship Management – our newest portfolio, which is responsible for linking HRPYR and the business community (per HRPYR’s mission and vision) through memberships in the various Chambers of Commerce within York Region.
 

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New Chapter Members - March 2008

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Join us in the celebration of Chapter members who achieved their CHRP in 2007 and to celebrate our volunteers who work extremely hard to create an exceptional chapter.

Click here for more information...

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Tee off for one of the best networking events of the year! Special guest player former NHL hockey legend Johnny Bower!

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The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) in partnership with Seneca College, Markham Board of Trade and Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce is offering York Region employers an opportunity to strengthen their workforces. The initiative, “Enabling Employers” is planned to assist small- and medium-sized companies by enhancing their Human Resources (HR) capacity so that they can effectively integrate skilled immigrants into their organizations.

For employers who choose to sign up (participation is limited and open only to members of the Markham Board of Trade and Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce) this no-cost program will provide a practical, “how-to” approach that covers the essential policies and practices used to successfully recruit, hire and integrate skilled immigrants.

The employers will be able to attend a half-day workshop led by an HR expert or bring the workshop in-house if appropriate. The expert will work with employers to determine their needs and schedule the workshop accordingly. The workshop content has been developed by TRIEC and Ryerson University and is being tailored for York Region employers by Seneca College.

TRIEC is looking to hire this HR expert. Independent HR consultants who are HRPYR members and are interested in working with this partnership to deliver these workshops can contact Kevin McLellan at kmclellan@triec.ca.

hireimmigrants.ca is a program of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). It provides employers with interactive tools and resources to accelerate the integration of skilled immigrants into their organizations. TRIEC is working to increase access and support for immigrants trying to enter the labour market, while at the same time helping organizations like yours benefit from the talents and skills immigrants bring with them.
 

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If it were necessary, would you be able to list all of your belongings off the top of your head? Not many of us would. That's why it's so important to keep a detailed list of all your belongings, in case your home is ever broken into, or damaged / destroyed by fire. Detailed records of antiques, jewelry, silver, sporting goods, major appliances and collector's items are very important, as these items are difficult to value once they're lost.

Conduct a room-by-room inventory of your home. Don't forget to inventory closets, the attic and the basement. Try to keep receipts for major purchases as these usually provide the name of the manufacturer, model, serial number, etc. Photographs of rooms or individual items are helpful. Also useful is a tape-recording inventory of books, records, collections, etc.

To obtain your Personal Property Inventory Form please visit www.johnson.ca, select “Products and Services” and select “Your Safety”.

Cathy Kuhlmann and Bonnie Maxwell are Senior Consultants with the Richmond Hill office of Johnson Inc., one of Canada’s leading insurance and benefit providers.

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HRPYR e-Connections

Director of Chapter Management:
Jennifer Catania
Chief Editor:
Karen Knowles
Committee Members/Contributors:
Elaine Pietrangelo
Catherine Poon
Adrian Quesada
Shelbyanne Samuels

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HRPYR e-Connections is published quarterly via member e-blast. Questions about articles in this issue can be sent to the feature contributor. To make general comments, queries or suggestions for or submissions of future articles please e-mail: management@hrpyr.org

If you are planning to travel internationally, there are health related precautions you should take including getting the proper vaccinations. Health Canada recommends that to allow time for any vaccinations you may need, you should contact a travel clinic or your doctor at least six to eight weeks before you go – this is especially true if you are going to tropical areas or developing countries. On Health Canada’s website, under the heading “Minimizing Your Risk”, a number of tips are provided to help people travel safely (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/life-vie/travel-voyage_e.html).

Another helpful resource is the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Travellers’ Health website (www.cdc.gov/travel). This site also provides information to assist travelers and their health-care providers in deciding the vaccines, medications, and other measures necessary to prevent illness and injury during international travel. The CDC site has a Vaccinations link that brings you to an easy to use map – simply click on the area of the map that you plan on visiting and information is outlined covering routine, recommended, and required vaccinations for travellers to that area.
 

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Presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame in support of the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness.

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Glory Years Sponsorship Information...