York University’s Office of the Assistant Vice-President Human Resources hosted the Council of Senior Human Resource Officers (CSHRO) on June 7 and 8, where senior human resources (HR) leaders from across Ontario universities attended.
CSHRO is an affiliate of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and has a mandate to lead and advance human resources practice within the Ontario university sector.
Mary Catherine Masciangelo, York’s assistant vice-president human resources and CHRO, led the session as the CSHRO’s newly appointed vice-chair. This two-year appointment was announced during the Council’s annual general meeting, which was held at the conference.
For the past year, Masciangelo has been a member at large on the CSHRO Executive, and said she is “pleased to continue collaborating with the CSHRO Executive in this role and advancing the HR profession.”
The conference, which was held in a hybrid format, aimed to advance the CSHRO community of practise. “This year’s conference was focused on key human resource issues facing our sector, with opportunity to share our collective experience and to learn from each other as well as expert guests. On behalf of the CSHRO Executive, thank you York for your hospitality,” said Pamela Cant of Wilfrid Laurier University and Chair of CSHRO.
Senior HR leaders from the Ontario university sector, including president and CEO of COU Steve Orsini, worked collaboratively during the two days to tackle critical challenges facing HR and share best practices. Well-being was a focus of the conference, with the theme “Re-Set and Re-Charge to Re-Engage,” and offered leaders the opportunity to expand their skills through events such as a workshop on managing burnout, facilitated by Jhanelle Peters, registered psychotherapist, Schulich alum and recognized speaker on mental health. Participants were also led through a mindfulness session presented by Kaylin Dyal, Schulich MBA alum, certified yoga teacher and reiki practitioner. Dyal is also an associate of the York Change Leadership (YCL) office.
“It is important for the HR community to come together to leverage each others’ strengths in this collaborative forum,” said Masciangelo. “As York’s human resources team advances the strategic priorities of One HR, the CSHRO community of practise provides relevant, current HR insights essential to leading a contemporary HR function as together we right the future at York.”