San Diego HR Roundtable (SDHR) announced on Monday, June 11 that the organization would be making a formal change of leadership.
Jennifer Johnson, MBA, SPHR will assume the role of the group’s President beginning June 15, 2012.

SDHR, founded in 1998 by Julie Magnuson, is an online Human Resource networking association for San Diego HR Professionals with approximately 250 members. Magnuson, who has held the title of President since the group’s inception, resigned from her role earlier this year after co-founding a new Recruitment Process Outsourcing organization (VETS RPO) focusing on placing military veterans with companies who want to supplement or expand their military hiring strategy.

“As a longtime member and fan of SDHR, I have personally experienced the incredible value of a place just for HR professionals like myself to share our real time experiences and advice to each other as we need it.” Johnson states. “I am excited to have the opportunity to step into the role of President of SDHR. The organization has been an important part of San Diego’s HR Community for many years, and I look forward to working with my peers in HR to keep the vision and founding principles of SDHR moving forward.”

Jennifer Johnson is an HR Consultant in San Diego and brings a diverse and unique background to her role in SDHR. After more than 6 months of searching for the right successor, Julie Magnuson chose Jennifer to fill her shoes and is happy to know that the organization will be in capable hands. Jennifer will be forming a new Board of Directors for the group, and will likely engage Magnuson to continue with the group in a Past President role on the upcoming board.

“While SDHR will always have a special place in my heart, I found myself drawn to a new calling in working with companies to hire our enlisted military, which caused me to change the direction of my career. After dedicating more than 14 wonderful and rewarding years to building SDHR, it was time for new leadership to take the helm and reinvigorate the group with a fresh outlook and new ideas. It was not an easy decision to find my replacement, however it was a relief to finally find a match in Jennifer. She embodies the unique spirit of the group, and shares the values that SDHR has held dear for many years.” Says Magnuson, “SDHR has always been different than any other HR group in San Diego, and needs a special person who will keep it on the forefront of technology where people go to share cutting edge HR practices. Jennifer has the energy and personality to take SDHR to the next level, and I can’t wait to see the group’s success under her leadership.”

SDHR continues to have a strong member base, and engages with members of the community via social media using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The group has the most member engagement with its highly active job board, where members can post unlimited jobs at no additional charge through the organization’s online outreach. Johnson will be reviewing the various additional products and services and soliciting feedback from members past and present to begin the process of implementing a new strategy for growth and increased member value. Johnson tells us “SDHR has a high percentage of HR Executives and seasoned recruiters. Our member base is diverse, which provides opportunity for creative thinking. When smart people put their heads together to collaborate, great ideas are born. One of the exciting parts of SDHR is that we have the ability to be flexible and make changes easily, and I hope that our member base will enjoy the process of vetting out new ideas and making them happen together.”

Look for changes and further announcements to come on SDHR’s website, and stay tuned to hear about upcoming events. We thank you for your continued support, and encourage you all to welcome Jennifer Johnson as the new President of SDHR. SDHR also hopes that you will all join us in wishing Julie Magnuson success in her new venture at VETS RPO, and encourages San Diego companies to work with VETS RPO to hire more military veterans. In San Diego, HR is all about staying connected…and SDHR is your best resource! To join SDHR, or renew your membership, please visit us online at sandiego.hrroundtables.com . You won’t want to miss what happens next!