Jose A. Berrios Elected Chair of SHRM Board of Directors

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Global Business Awareness and Leading-Edge Technology Priorities for His Term

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jose A. Berrios, a national thought leader on workforce diversity and a 22-year member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), has been elected chair of the Society's Board of Directors.

Berrios — president of BTG: The Berrios Talent Group, a diversity consulting and search firm in San Antonio — has served as a board member since 2006.

In a two-year appointment that was effective Jan. 1, Berrios replaced Robb E. Van Cleave, chief talent and strategy officer at Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles, Ore.

SHRM is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management with more than 255,000 members in more than 140 countries.  Its 13-member Board of Directors sets direction and priorities for the organization; provides fiduciary oversight; and ensures that the Society's services and products benefit its members.

At SHRM's Leadership Conference in November, Berrios previewed for state council and chapter leaders his priorities for the next two years: the use of innovation and technology to anticipate and meet the developing needs of members in the rapidly changing global business environment. "The need to be global and the need to be tech-savvy will be important areas of focus for SHRM. That's what the workforce demands," he said.

Berrios added that while HR professionals are facing greater expectations and challenges today, SHRM will continue to provide members with access to the information, people, trends, networks, practices and technologies needed to succeed and advance throughout their careers.

"Jose Berrios has been an invaluable contributor to the SHRM board," said Henry G. (Hank) Jackson, interim president and CEO. "He brings to the role of board chair important insights on global business, workplace diversity, and emerging people management strategies that will serve SHRM's members well."

Berrios' career in human resources has included 20 years on the corporate HR team at Gannett Co., Inc., a news and information company based in McLean, Va.  As vice president of leadership development and diversity at Gannett, he was responsible for corporate HR programs, leadership development, succession planning, and a nationally recognized diversity strategy for more than 90 daily newspapers, including USA TODAY, and 20 television stations.  He also has held management positions at NBC and Time Warner.

A founding member and past chairman of The Conference Board's Workforce Diversity Council, he has served on the board of advisors of Catalyst and on the board of directors of the National Association of Minority Media Executives.  He is a founding member of the National Hispanic Corporate Council.

Berrios attended Oblate College in Washington, D.C., and the University of Puerto Rico.

About the Society for Human Resource Management

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in more than 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India. Visit SHRM Online at www.shrm.org and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SHRMPress.

SOURCE Society for Human Resource Management