In spring 2023, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) announced the promotion of Terry Bowe to associate vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and human resources (HR). As the Office of Human Resources navigated through the transition, promotions and expansion occurred within the offices.
The growth of the HR office presented the opportunity to promote Brooke Hickey to human resources manager. Hickey has served at SMWC since 2019 as a human resources generalist. Bowe shared that her skills and leadership have continued to promote growth for both her and the institution.
“This opportunity to fill the enormous shoes of Dee Reed ’08, (who retired in spring 2023) was granted to me by leadership after ongoing discussions on how we can best leverage the foundation that Dee set and expand upon it without losing the momentum we had gained during her tenure. DEI and HR have some significant relationship values that I have strategized throughout my career.” Bowe continued, “Balancing the leadership of both HR and DEI became a credible option for me, knowing leadership aligned with my vision and knowing I had a capable counterpart to handle the day-to-day operations with Brooke Hickey.”
In September, the SMWC community welcomed Christina Buell as human resources coordinator. Buell has three-plus years of experience in human resources and is already enjoying The Woods.
“With the addition of Christina, the transition has allowed me to have oversight of both areas and has allowed Brooke to expand her talents to not only manage the day-to-day but to be more strategic in our HR initiatives. She now can not only process but also have visibility with our employee and faculty population. She also can manage and develop Christina, who already has a significant and valuable HR skill set,” Bowe said.
Additionally, the Office of DEI and HR has welcomed two student faces to the team. Dani Badgett joined the team as a Pomeroy graduate assistant for diversity, equity and inclusion. Badgett is a current Ph.D. student at SMWC and has relevant DEI experience. She will work closely with the Diversity Council. Madison Fueger, a junior majoring in kinesiology, will serve as a human resources student worker.