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The First Friday Newsletter is the monthly publication for all things Idaho Division of Human Resources. Every month, the main stories from each newsletter will live here in long form. For more information, please reach out to Brennan Serrano at brennan.serrano@dhr.idaho.gov.
DHR Welcomes New HRIS Analyst: Jeni Lang
Jeni came from Boise Cascade where she spent the past 12 years in a variety of HR roles, most recently Total Rewards Analyst, and Talent Acquisition Specialist that was also part of a project team assisting with the implementation of a new HRIS system.
Jeni has a bachelor’s degree from Boise State University in Multidisciplinary Studies, with a minor in Communications.
She was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, and will be celebrating my 13th wedding anniversary this year! Jeni has one 7-year-old daughter, Chloe, who she happens to think is the most fantastic person around.
Her weekends and off time are typically spent at either a concert or a campground, or gardening in her own yard.
Idaho Department of Veterans Services Welcomes new HR Specialist: Amber Kesner
I am excited to announce that we have a brand-new HR Specialist in our Post Falls home! Well, brand new to us. Amber Kesner comes to us with 17 years of experience in human resources! Amber is excited to join IDVS and support our important mission of caring for Idaho’s honorable veterans.
When not working, Amber is spending time with her spouse and four school age kids. All of her kids are currently playing various sports so most of her time is consumed at different sporting events on the weekends. Amber and her family are avid Oregon Duck fans as well. When Amber and her family aren’t catching a game, they are spending their time outdoors or catching a good movie.
Welcome Amber!
Department of Insurance employee Maggie Roberts and Department of Finances employee Georges Rohmer-Abdou obtained the ADAPT Certification through National Employment Law Institute (NELI) in April 2023. This is a completed minimum of 5 hours of intensive ADA training each calendar year with NELI. See information here: https://www.neli.org/NADAPT-certification.asp
Department of Environmental Quality Adds Trio to HR Team
Department of Environmental Quality promoted Victoria Mayer to HR Specialist Senior as well as hired Kamila Warden (Center) and Kimberly Hanson (Right) as HR Specialist.
Workers Compensation Trainings
DHR and State Insurance Fund are excited to announce new trainings for safety and workers’ compensation for employees and managers. The training schedule and registration are now available on the DHR website at https://dhr.idaho.gov/workers-compensation-trainings/
Accessibility Training Webpage Announcement
Accessibility is essential for some but useful for all. In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (Thursday, May 18, 2023) DHR will be adding an Accessibility Training webpage to our website. Please stay tuned and share with your agencies.
First Friday Newsletter Archive
February 2023
March 2023
DHR Welcomes New HR Specialist Senior
We are excited to announce that Krystan Thompson will be joining DHR as a HR Specialist, Sr. Krystan has been with Idaho Department of Correction since 2014 and brings great HR experience to her new role.
In her spare time, Krystan enjoys all things outdoors including camping, hiking, and paddle boarding and spending time with her husband and their fur baby, Hoss.
Krystan will be starting in this role on March 6th.
DHR Welcomes New Classification and Compensation Program Manager
We are excited to introduce DHR’s newest team member, Logan Klaas (pronounced like class). Logan started on February 27th and is the new statewide Classification & Compensation Program Manager. He was most recently working at WinCo Foods as a Sr. HR Analyst. Prior to WinCo, he worked for several other companies in the area, including Boise Cascade, Ada County, and is retired from the Idaho Army National Guard as a Technical Engineer. An Idaho native, Logan graduated from the College of Southern Idaho and Boise State University with a BBA in HR Management. Logan is an avid guitar player and he and his wife Chelsea, and their dog Finn, reside in Eagle. Bringing nearly 20 years of HR experience, we are thrilled to welcome Logan to DHR!
State Hospital South Welcomes new HR Specialist Senior
Please join me in welcoming Becky Neese to State Hospital South. Becky has accepted the position Sheryl is vacating as the State Hospital South Human Resources Specialist Senior. She comes to us from ITD, where she has worked for the last 3 years. Her first day at SHS will be February 21st.
George Menendez becomes Certified Workers’ Comp Specialist
Department of Labor Welcomes New Human Resource Officer
Originally from South Louisiana, Keri Norton and her family recently relocated to the Boise area. Keri possesses an undergraduate degree in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources, as well as a master’s degree in Leadership & Human Resources Development with a concentration in Workforce Development. She possesses over 15 years of experience in the Human Resources sector with the State of Louisiana, working with state agencies such as Public Safety, Administration, State Civil Service, Transportation and Development, and most recently Education. Keri is extremely excited to join the Idaho Department of Labor and is looking forward to developing strong roots as she learns to call Idaho home. In her spare time, Keri can be found enjoying time with her family, playing with her pups, and exploring her new surroundings.
MARCH EQUAL OPPORTUNITY CORNER
The Civil Rights and ADA Manager has been receiving calls and questions regarding digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Training resources have been shared throughout the last few weeks. In addition to the resources already shared, ITS also has a webpage dedicated to Accessibility Training and other resources, we invite you all to work through those resources and share with your content creators, web masters, and other applicable staff.
2023 Cybersecurity Training
The 2023 Annual Cybersecurity Statewide Training campaign is happening now! Complete your training by Friday, March 31, 2023.
April 2023
Department of Labor welcomes new HR Specialist Karl Prokop
Karl comes to us from Boise State where he spent the past 5+ years in a variety of roles, most recently that of Compensation Coordinator in Human Resource Services. He has a Bachelor’s degree with a double major of Entrepreneurship Management and Human Resource Management from Boise State, and he will be graduating this winter from there with a Masters of Anthropology. Karl also possesses the SHRM-CP certification and attended Supervisory Academy. He is married with two daughters and is originally from California but has been in Idaho for 7 years. He is a big Bronco fan and likes to attend Steelheads and Hawks games when he can find the time.
PERSI welcomes new HR Specialist Ryan Beus
Boise State HR has a new Interim Associate Vice President Annie Hightower
Free CEU Opportunity
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Congratulations Debbie Bowden
Debbie achieved Silver status as a 2023 Lives Impacted earner. We’re thrilled to celebrate your hard work changing lives in 2022.