By Lourdes Cué and Heidi Howland
More than 90 Human Resource Officers (HROs) from posts across the globe gathered in Washington, Sept. 16-18, for the first of its kind Global HRO Conference. Entitled “HR is Your Home Bureau,” the conference focused on the role of HROs as advisers and advocates, as well as on career and leadership development for human resource specialists. HROs are an integral part of the Bureau of Human Resources (HR), and of the Department overall, helping employees around the world do and be their best. They help to cultivate the talent of the Department.
Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources Carol Z. Perez gave opening remarks as well as the keynote address.
“We want this conference to be a conversation about your professional development and career progression and what we in HR can do to support and empower you,” Perez said to the group of HROs.
Participants also heard from other senior State Department leaders, the Jack Welch Institute, HR Bureau professionals and Department experts on a vast array of topics, including Department leadership priorities, strengthening the role of HROs as key stakeholders, and information technology and communications challenges.
The importance of HROs and their role in fostering the talent of Department employees was summed up by Under Secretary of Management Brian J. Bulatao in his remarks. “No talent, no mission.”
Lourdes Cué is the deputy director in the DGHR Strategic Communications Unit (SCU). Heidi Howland is the chief digital communications officer in SCU.
