Dr. Blanchard announced some exciting changes regarding the Office of Human Resources at the beginning of the fiscal year. We’ll be periodically posting updates in The Source about those changes!

The Office of Human Resources is a full-service Human Resources department that is comprised of the following teams: Benefits and Compensation; Talent Acquisition, Development, Management, and Employee Relations; Payroll and Records; and Administrative. We’ll be featuring each team individually over the next few months so you can learn more about how our teams support student success through service excellence. Navigate to the end of this article to read previous installments in the “Say Hello to HR” series.

The next team we will feature is the Talent Development Team. This team is dedicated to the continual growth of UHD employees, and they provide personal and professional development opportunities to faculty, staff, and student employees.

The Talent Development Team delivers soft skills workshops, supervisor/manager training, individual performance coaching, department-specific training and team building, and eLearning programs. In addition, they facilitate organizational planning and development solutions, one-to-one consultation and solution strategies for team development needs, process development, organizational change management, and much more.

The Talent Development Team oversees the Gator Connect staff mentorship program, the Gator Learning professional learning series, tailored learning experiences through the Gator Aid program, the annual mandatory training process, the Gator LEAD supervisor development series, and New Employee Orientation.

By consistently providing high-quality, competency based personal and professional development opportunities to UHD employees, most of which are at no-cost to individuals or departments, the Talent Development Team contributes to UHD’s strategic goal 4: being the employer of choice that supports a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff.

You can learn more about the Talent Development Team by reading the profiles included in this article or by visiting the UHD Talent Development webpages. You can easily contact the Talent Development Team by sending a message to their shared email inbox, TD@uhd.edu. You may also schedule an appointment with the Talent Development team by calling x8060 or by visiting the Office of Human Resources in OMB S910.

Donnie Kesterson

Manager, Organizational and Talent Development

How long have you served at UHD? What roles have you served in that time?
I have served as a proud Gator for over 5 years across several roles within the Talent Development function: Talent Development Specialist, Talent Management and Development Specialist, Sr. Talent Development Specialist, and Manager, Organizational and Talent Development.

Do you have any other connections to UHD?
I am a native Houstonian. H-Town!

What’s something people should know about you?
I love connecting with people through stories and shared experiences. We learn through stories, and all have a story to tell. Tell me how I can be of support in your story. Personally, my three obsessions are organizational and talent development, industrial-organizational psychology, and being near, in, or on water.

How does your role contribute to employee and student success?
I am privileged to manage a team contributing to employee and student success by identifying training needs, curating training programs, and supporting new employee onboarding experiences from their first day to a year and beyond. It is with an exceptional Talent Development team that these contributions come to fruition. In my current role, I support managers in best practices in modern management that result in individual and team motivation, engagement, performance, and, indirectly, student success.

What are some common things people could reach out to you/your team for?

• UHD competency-based training opportunities
• Customized team training workshops
• Management training and resources
• Team building activities
• Personality assessments and team development
• Staff onboarding support
• Learning management system (My TalentSpace) support
• Networking

What is something you enjoy about your position/responsibilities?
The most rewarding aspect of my job is partnering with Staff and Faculty to achieve individual, team, and organizational goals. Personally, I am delighted when staff provide feedback on how our training has helped them in their performance and work/life balance.

What advice would you give to a new employee just starting their journey at UHD?
Be organized in learning your new responsibilities, ask many questions, take notes, create a professional development plan with your manager, make connections within and outside your department, participate in events and training workshops, and take advantage of our location by exploring downtown and surrounding areas.

Brandi McInnis

Senior Talent Development Specialist

How long have you served at UHD? What roles have you served in that time?
I have served at UHD for 1 year and 5 months. My roles have included Career Counselor II (11 months) and Sr. Talent Development Specialist (7 months).

Do you have any other connections to UHD?
I was connected to UHD through my previous role at the Houston Food Bank, where I established and managed Food Scholarship Programs for students, including UHD’s Food Market, on college and university campuses.

What’s something people should know about you?
I don’t view my job as a metric of success; instead, I view my job as a tool that helps me create memorable life experiences.

How does your role contribute to employee and student success?
I believe my role as a Senior Talent Development Specialist for university staff and faculty plays a crucial role in contributing to both employee and student success. Below are just a few ways I feel as though I contribute through my role:

• Professional Development: I design and implement professional development programs for staff and faculty. This helps employees enhance their soft skills, drive for innovation, and networking opportunities.  
• Retention and engagement: by creating opportunities for ongoing learning and growth, my role contributes to employee engagement and job satisfaction. When staff and faculty feel seen, heard, and motivated, they are more likely to extend enhanced support and guidance to students.
• Alignment with institutional goals: I align talent development initiatives with the university’s strategic goals and competencies which contributes to a more cohesive and purpose-driven institution, benefitting both employees and students.

What are some common things people could reach out to you/your team for?

• Professional development opportunities
• Conflict resolution
• Peer-to-leader relationship management/Support
• Networking & professional connections
• Assessment and evaluation
• Onboarding and orientation

What is something you enjoy about your position/responsibilities?
The one thing I enjoy most about my role is that I get to engage face-to-face with students, staff, and faculty. It is nice I enjoy meeting new employees, seeing other’s interests in professional development, and getting to know my colleagues on a personal level – learning about their interests and passions outside of work.

What advice would you give to a new employee just starting their journey at UHD?
My advice would be to give yourself the grace to make mistakes and opportunities to learn from a different perspective. I always say, “This is your first time doing this human thing (aka life); don’t be so hard on yourself; we’re all learning.”

Mike Guajardo

Talent Management and Development Specialist

How long have you served at UHD? What roles have you served in that time?
Having been faced with a layoff after 16 years on the job, I was grappling with depression and unsure about my next move. Encouraged by First Lady Michelle Obama’s words, I decided to return to school to complete my bachelor’s degree at UHD. My first points of contact at UHD were Eugene Bernard and Courtney Lundgren. I began my role as a student worker in enrollment management and was selected to assist them during covid online student orientations. Subsequently, I transitioned to a position at the Welcome Center, where I dedicated almost two years as a student worker. The experience was enriching and fueled my desire to remain a valuable part of the team.

Do you have any other connections to UHD?
I take great pride in being a graduate of the Class of 2022 at UHD, representing the first generation in my family to achieve this milestone!

What’s something people should know about you?
I’m a massive Star Wars enthusiast, a self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur, unabashedly in the Beyhive, and an all-around pop culture enthusiast!

How does your role contribute to employee and student success?
One of my primary responsibilities is to ensure you have everything you need for your first day of employment. I aim to familiarize you with UHD’s mission and guiding principles so that by your second day, you are fully prepared to actively contribute to helping students and the UHD community.

What are some common things people could reach out to you/your team for?
Reach out to me if you want to be a Gator Connect Mentor, need help regarding TAP and mandatory training, LinkedIn Learning, Alternative Work training or general questions about your first day and year of employment at UHD! If I am not able to assist, I will always direct you in the right direction.

What is something you enjoy about your position/responsibilities?
I take pleasure in assisting new employees and sharing my story about why UHD is the best. My joy comes from engaging with people, ensuring they have everything they need. Having experienced situations where new hires felt like mere numbers in a system, I strive to provide the warmth and patience that was extended to me when I started years ago in a student employment position.

What advice would you give to a new employee just starting their journey at UHD?
Do not overthink anything! Wear your name badge for the first couple of months to help people remember your name, and most importantly, have fun. If you’ve recently made a career change, UHD is an excellent place to embark on this new journey.

Other Installments of the “Say Hello to HR” Series

• Part 1: Say Hello to the Office of Human Resources
• Part 2: Introducing the Benefits & Compensation Team
• Part 3: Introducing the Payroll & Records Team
• Part 4: Introducing the Talent Acquisition Team
• Part 5: Introducing the Talent Development Team (this post)