Get to know your HR team

It can be difficult keeping up with Human Resources, amiright?  To help our colleagues know who to contact and to just overall get to know your HR team, we are sharing some fun deets about ourselves.

First up is Toccara Ball.  Toccara has been with NEOMED for 7 years and her current role is senior HR generalist, ER and development. In other non-HR words, she is our chaos coordinator, coaches management and guides employees through challenges, provides guidance for performance management, conducts training and manages policies. 

Random knowledge about Toccara:

  • When I was 5, I was pretty sure I’d be… a dentist when I grew up.  I really enjoyed going to the dentist and brushing my teeth.  I was terrified of cavities.
  • What song will you never forget the lyrics to? Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby
  • What popular trend bothers you?  The current teenage male hairstyle.  It reminds me of a bird nest falling apart resting on their forehead.

Next is Jenna Morgan, who has been with NEOMED just a little over a year. Initially hired as the HR generalist, Jenna is now our compensation specialist, which means she administers our compensation program, reviews job descriptions and determines pay grade for positions, approves salary for new hires and has the endless fun of participating in wage surveys. 

Random knowledge about Jenna:

  • If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d start a… brewery with an animal rescue. Enjoy craft beer while hanging out with adoptable pets!
  • Did your parents have alternative name options that they were considering when naming you?  What were they? There are a significantly more males in the family so my parents assumed I was going to be a boy; So, I was going to be ‘Luke.’ They had no girl names picked out
  • When I was 5, I was pretty sure I’d be a… teacher when I grew up.

Greeting you at the front HR desk is Kim Stormer, who joined NEOMED in late 2022.  Kim is our HR Coordinator which basically serves as traffic control for our HR email and phone as well as helping out in any way possible on the team, much to the joy of her coworkers. 

Random Kim knowledge:

  • If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d start a… full-time cookie business.  And, you know, keep working here.
  • The best piece of advice I have ever been given is… to LOVE what you do!!!
  • When I was 5, I was pretty sure I was going to be… the lady at the drugstore counter

Newly transferred into the HR generalist role is Chrissy LoCascio, who was our previous HRIS coordinator.  Our banner queen, Chrissy’s new role allows her to interact with new hires during their onboarding, assist employees during transfers internally as well as ensure all is in place for those exiting the university. Chrissy is approaching her 10-year anniversary with NEOMED this year. 

Random Chrissy knowledge:

  • What is the weirdest snack you like to eat? Nutella and peanut butter
  • What song will you never forget the lyrics to? Three little birds – Bob Marley
  • What popular trend bothers you? – Selfies, posting your life on social media

Newest to the HR team is Victoria Perez, our HRIS coordinator.  In this role, Victoria is the keeper of all HR data and spends most of her day in Banner so we do our best to rescue her as much as possible.   

Random Victoria knowledge:

  • If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d start a… company for the elderly, because they tend to be forgotten the most. And, you know, keep working here.
  • The best piece of advice I have ever been given is… Be like a goldfish in the hard times.
  • What song will you never forget the lyrics to? Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega

Many are familiar with Diana Lyons who has been with NEOMED for over 3 years as in her role as Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, as she is the recruitment guru and manages faculty and staff recruitment and hiring, advertises open positions, provides PeopleAdmin support, conducts exit interviews and the new staff orientation. 

Random Diana knowledge:

  • What is one weird fact or tidbit that you still remember from school? “Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”
  • If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d start a… coffee shop and an animal rescue. Maybe a cat café! And, you know, keep working here.
  • What song will you never forget the lyrics to? Taylor Swift – All Too Well (10-minute version)

There you have it, your NEOMED HR Team.  We are currently recruiting our next rockstar for the senior benefits specialist position, so this list will change yet again. Hopefully this was a valuable read for you because along with giving you some awesome playlist ideas, we are giving you a chance to tell Victor Torres that you are sorry for his status as HR adjacent.  

-- Submitted by Charity Davis, CDavis6@neomed.edu

April 19, 2023
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