Community Spotlight – District 9

By Carol Lang, SHRM-SCP, SPHR

District 9 consists of two counties – Palm Beach County and Martin County, and the HR communities in each county are well represented by their local SHRM chapter.  While the two chapters differ greatly in size, both have served their respective members excellently well over the past year. 

Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County SHRM started off the new year with a major change (nothing new for HR Professionals!) as newly inducted president, Paula Humber, accepted the position of Members & Community Director for SHRM.  Lynette Lockwood, President-Elect, stepped up to the plate, and the chapter did not miss a beat bringing engaging, informative and topical programs to their members.

In addition to monthly dinner and breakfast meetings, webinars, diversity book club gatherings and networking events, PBC SHRM held their annual 2-day conference in May, which was a huge success.  The net proceeds from this event exceeded all prior years’ conferences.

The chapter’s most recent event was a very timely presentation by Florida Senator Mack Bernard, who spoke to attendees about the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act and its impact on the business and human resources communities.

A mid-year meeting of the entire leadership team gave the group an opportunity to review their strategic plan for 2025, and to fit in a little socializing. There are plenty of programs planned for the remaining of the year, which can be viewed at www.pbcshrm.org.

And while the results will be announced by the time this article is published, we must give a shout-out to PBC SHRM’s board secretary, Jenilsa Castilo, MSHRM, SHRM-CP, CPC, who has been selected as a finalist for SHRM Florida’s “HR Professional of the Year” award.  Congratulations Jenilsa!

HR Martin County

The mission of HR Martin County is to champion the highest professional standards of HR ethics and performance by providing ongoing professional development, resources, networking and support for its members and the community.

During the chapter’s monthly lunch meetings this year, guest speakers have presented on a variety of timely topics including Artificial Intelligence, People Analytics, and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves.  The chapter held their annual full day legal conference in May, and Marty Bryson, immediate past president of HR Florida, spoke about ADAAA Regulations and its impact on the workplace.  As this article goes to press, the chapter is looking forward to holding a full-day Manager-Supervisor Training workshop. The intended audience is both HR professionals and local community businesses that may not have in-house HR support.

HR Martin SHRM also makes time for fun, as evidenced by their social networking / bingo event held in April at the Frazier Creek Brewery & Distillery.

And as part of the chapter’s mission to support members and the community, HR Martin awards a professional development scholarship annually.  This year’s recipient was Deborah Ambrose, who serves as the VP of Membership for the chapter.