Board of Directors
President
Rebecca Harris-Smith
Rebecca Harris-Smith is the Owner of Diligent Data Services, a background screening organization in Upstate NY. She has gained industry-wide recognition for her work advocating transparent, public-record access across New York State. She fought diligently for access restoration across the 3rd Judicial District in February 2024 and is an expert in the New York State court system. She earned her MBA from The College of Saint Rose and earned her SHRM Certification in 2018. In 2022, she spoke at the Capital Region Disrupt HR event about turning Monday's into Friday's. She is also Board President of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schenectady County and involved in the Walk to End Alzheimer's locally. She enjoys party planning, crafts, gardening, and hanging out with her soon to be 3 nephews! She lives with her husband Joe and their two cats, Mr. Sweetie & Paisley. She loves being President of CRHRA and would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions on how to improve this wonderful organization! Email her at [email protected]
Vice President
Shauna M Waldin
Shauna is a certified Human Resource professional working within the Employee Benefit Management Group at NFP. Shauna has broad HR experience across multiple industries and brings a unique perspective while supporting clients in areas of compliance to include those governed by ERISA, the Affordable Care Act, State and Federal Regulations. Shauna received her Bachelor of Science degree from The Huether School of Business at The College of Saint Rose with a concentration in Human Resources and Financial Planning. Shauna also earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the same institution. Shauna is a long-standing member of SHRM at the National and Local level and has previously served CRHRA as Programs Chair and a member of the Government Affairs Committee. Email: [email protected]
Secretary
Michaela DiGiacomo
Michaela is the Director of Human Resources for The United Group of Companies, Inc. – a vertically integrated leader in real estate development and management for over the last 50+ years, based locally here in Troy, NY and with a portfolio of assets that spans nationwide. As Director of HR, Michaela is responsible for managing all day-to-day HR operations, with specific focus on talent and performance management. Over the course of her 15-year career with United Group, Michaela has worked on the design, planning, and implementation of impactful HR-related programs and policies that directly affect its employees and transform company culture - this includes assisting efforts to lead the organization to nine consecutive local Top Workplaces awards, and five consecutive Top Workplaces USA awards. Michaela holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from the State University of New York College at Brockport, as well as her SHRM-CP credential. Michaela has been part of CRHRA's 10th HR Leadership Class (finishing in January 2026).
Finance Chair
Erik J. A. Morrison
Erik J. A. Morrison is an experienced Human Resources professional and a passionate advocate for servant leadership, with over 10 years of experience in HR management, talent acquisition, and organizational strategy. He has held various positions in HR, including leadership roles, with WSWHE BOCES, Greater Amsterdam City School District, LaSalle School, and Maximus, Inc. Erik is now the HR Partner at Destine Preparatory Charter School in Schenectady as well as the Founder and CEO of the Kander Group, an HR Consulting firm.
His approach to HR centers on servant leadership principles—listening, empathy, stewardship, and commitment to people’s growth. Erik is deeply committed to building environments where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute their best work. By aligning HR strategies with business goals, Erik has helped organizations build high-performing teams that thrive in a culture of respect and collaboration.
Erik holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and Arts Administration from Skidmore College and a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in HR Management from Notre Dame de Namur University. He will complete his Master’s in Jurisprudence, focusing on Labor and Employment Law from Tulane University Law School in August 2025. Erik also holds the human resources credential of Senior Certified Professional from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP).
Outside of his professional work, Erik is actively involved in local community initiatives and organizations, including Skidmore College as the Fund Chair for the class of 2015, former Treasurer and Marketing Manager for the Saratoga Book Festival, a former tax preparer for VITA with the Tri-County United Way, and an event volunteer with Universal Preservation Hall (UPH) in Saratoga. Reach out to Erik at [email protected]
Certification Chair
Jenn Skellie
Jenn Skellie, SHRM-CP, is the Director of Human Resources with The Bone & Joint Center. She has experience in HR Management, Strategic Planning, Recruiting and Retention, Employee Relations, Payroll, and Benefits Administration in a variety of industries including Healthcare, Engineering, Environmental Science and Wholesale Distribution. Using strong communication and leadership skills, Jenn now handles all facets of HR including, facilitating and overseeing hiring decisions to help successfully grow her Management team and staff. Jenn is a long-term member of SHRM and is looking forward to playing an important role in the success of CRHRA’s Certification Committee and help HR Professionals achieve their goals. Email: [email protected]
Communications Chair
Emily Elder
Emily is a Human Resources professional dedicated to creating workplaces that are safe, supportive, and engaging for all employees. She is energized by solving workplace challenges, building strong partnerships with leaders, and fostering cultures where people can thrive. Her areas of expertise include HR management, employee relations, leadership development, and talent acquisition.
Emily earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Business Administration from Siena College. She has held HR roles with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Maximus, and Perlmutter Eye Center & Perlmutter Dermatology.
She holds both SHRM-CP and HRCI PHR certifications, and she is actively involved in the Capital Region HR community. Emily is a volunteer and the incoming Membership Chair for the Capital Region Recruiter’s Network (CRRN). She is also a member of the CRHRA Programs Committee.
Government Affairs Chair
Jeff Hall
Jeff is the Director of HR at Kitware, a software solutions company. Prior to this, he served in various HR roles in finance, manufacturing, and retail organizations. He has experience in all aspects of HR management, including talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, and employee relations. Jeff has been a SHRM and CRHRA member for over 15 years, and previously served as the Workforce Development Chair and Certification Chair. He holds a Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Rochester, an MBA from Empire State University, and an Executive Masters in HR degree from Cornell University, and is a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) through SHRM.
Programs Chair
Danielle Godin
Danielle Godin is the Director of Human Resources at The Wesson Group, a renewable construction company based in New York State. She brings extensive experience in HR operations, compliance, talent strategy, and organizational development within complex workforce environments, including both union and non-union populations.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from The Sage College of Albany, an MBA from The College of Saint Rose, and maintains a SHRM-CP certification. Danielle is passionate about building strong, accountable teams and creating practical, people-centered HR strategies that support both business goals and employee success.
Email: [email protected]
Workforce Readiness Chair
Susan Karavolas
Sue is the Deputy Chief People Officer at NYSTEC. She serves as a strategic partner to NYSTEC’s senior leadership team, providing consultative services in all areas of human resources, including coaching; employee engagement and relations; talent recruitment, development, and retention; culture; compensation; organizational design and change; organizational and performance management; training and development; and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Prior to joining NYSTEC, Sue served as Vice President of Human Resources for the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Assistant Deputy Director of the New York State Office of General Services’ Business Service Center, and Senior Business Partner of Human Resources at GlobalFoundries. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in management from the College of Saint Rose.
Sue is also a Certified Facilitator from Everything DiSC. Reach out to Sue at [email protected]
Workforce Readiness Chair
David Russell
With over 10 years of experience as a HR Business Partner in Manufacturing, Distribution & Transportation, Telecommunications. David is a strategic and results driven HR professional. His experience has built a foundation that supports performance management, talent management, improved employee engagement, and workforce strategy planning. He has built systems that allowed for data-driven projects that contributed to HR foundation KPI, and data driven decisions.
Prior to joining Ducommun Aerostructures, he has worked for Target, Hannaford, and Verizon. David is a certified HR professional SHRM-SCP. He also spends his time with the Coxsackie-Athens Rotary Club and continues to find more ways to give back to the community.
Immediate Past President
Thomas Schin
Tom Schin, is the owner of Build Better Culture. He's been heavily involved in the local Human Resources community since 2005 working with businesses throughout the Capital District, small and large. Currently he's focused on leadership development and coaching aspiring or current managers with the people side of their business, helping them with focusing on knowing how to better connect with their employees, their company culture and employee engagement. He has over 20 years of experience in the HR/recruiting industry, is a past-President of CRRN an alum of Leadership Saratoga, and is a CultureTalk Certified Partner. By day he’s building legenedary leaders, by night he's excited to connect all of you to the HR Community you need. Email: [email protected]
OPEN - Sponsorship, Diversity Equity & Inclusion Chairs
Board of Director roles afford you the opportunity to give back to your HR Community. It includes monthly board meetings, steering a committee of volunteers, and putting strategy in place. Board meetings are typically one hour per month, committee meetings are typically 30-60 minutes monthly. Additionally, the board holds an annual strategic planning session (typically 2-3 hours) to ensure we're adhering to CRHRA expectations and to set the course of our future.
Being on the board allows you to gain valuable leadership experience, SHRM credits, build a great network of peers, and can open doors to other opportunities (i.e. volunteer leader learning, NYS SHRM, etc.)
Currently accepting applications for our open board positions. Whether you're ready to take on a Board of Directors role, or want to get to know what committee volunteer work looks like, email [email protected] We'd love to talk!
