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2009 Board of Directors

Barbara Davidson, PhD. Programs Co-Chair

What is my background?

I am a strategic Human Resources and Organizational Development leader with strong consulting, people management/development and project management skills, as well as deep experience across all functional areas of Human Resources.   I am a creative problem solver with particular strength in visioning opportunities to integrate business and culture goals, and proven successes in connecting the dots, achieving buy-in and applying practical approaches.  I am an enthusiastic contributor with a strong sense of team who cares about people and produces results.

My  over 25 years of experience include taking on various consulting assignments with premier organizations across industries, as well as many successes as an internal contributor and leader.  Most recently, I spent over seven years developing the Human Resources and Organizational Development function for NBME, the organization that licenses all medical doctors to practice in the United States.  Before that, I was a consultant for two years, and spent 6 years in internal roles with CoreStates (now Wells Fargo) blending approaches from compensation and organizational development to build accountability for modeling Core Values, as well as playing a key role in the development and implementation of the Total Quality Management program.  This followed 12 years of broadening and deepening my Generalist skills and contributions at CIGNA.

I have a Ph.D. in Psychoeducational Processes and an M.B.A. in Industrial Relations and Organizational Behavior from Temple University, where I also completed extensive coursework, including 9 months of internship as a therapist in an M.Ed. Counseling Psychology program.

Where do I live?

I live in Center City, Philadelphia where I can walk everywhere!  I cultivate friendships with animal lovers and spend lots of time in the dog park as well as at home where I enjoy my two feline children, Callie Sarah and Aaron Bernard.

How did I get interested in HR as a field?

I was an undergraduate psychology major.  As this was an essentially useless degree, I sought out Human Resources opportunities in which I could utilize my interest in forming productive relationships.  I simultaneously started a parallel career collecting advanced degrees so that I could integrate my work and education to form a systematic model with which to maximize my contributions within the Human Resources and Organizational Development arena. 

What are my responsibilities on the Board?

I am Co-Chair of the Programs Committee (along with Pat Schaeffer).  Together we work closely with committee members as well as other board members to ensure that a line up of compelling thought leadership and networking programs are offered that meet or exceed the needs and expectations of PHRPS members.

What issues/changes do I see on the horizon for the industry?  For the profession?

I am hoping that more organizations begin to understand the critical role that a strong Human Resources function plays in contributing to the success of the organization.  Talent Management of Human Resources professionals, not just line and other infrastructure resources is critical going forward.  Critical within these Talent Management efforts is the development of an intuitive systems approach for use by Human Resources professionals when doing our work.  All of us must become knowledgeable of organizational development theories, and integrate this with the more traditional functional areas of human resources in order to meet the emerging needs of organizations.

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