Karen Harvey
Director-Human Resources
Executive Office
What are your primary job responsibilities?
I am responsible for the recruitment and retention of all APTA employees. That means, when we want to fill a position here, I compose all the advertisements, place them accordingly, handle all the interviews—and I think, after 15 years, I’m a pretty good judge of who is a good fit for APTA.
I’m also responsible for benefits administration: medical, dental, life insurance, long- and short-term disability plans, as well as APTA’s 401(k) and pension plans. I meet with all the brokers and seek the most cost-effective programs available for our employees.
I plan all the educational classes for the employees in the benefits area, such as workshops on 401(k) asset allocation and preparing for retirement.
In addition, I work with an outside human resources consultant in planning wage and salary administration. This includes market pricing our positions to ensure that our compensation practices are competitive, so we can hire and retain the best and brightest employees.
Through my association with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), I stay up to date on all federal regulations.
I have designed and written (and rewritten) the employee handbook several times during my tenure; it’s now online so the employees have easy access to understand APTA’s policies and procedures.
One fun part of my job has been planning the annual holiday party; the summer employee event; and—most of all—staff appreciation activities: length of service awards and special recognition for hard work at APTA conferences.
Do you have any direct contact with APTA members? If so, please talk about recent times you’ve helped out a member.
Yes, I do. APTA members call me a lot for information regarding compensation, job descriptions, policies and procedures, and public transit benefits.
When I first came to APTA, I was the staff liaison to the Human Resources Committee, the Women in Transit Committee, and the Minority Affairs Committee. After about four years of having those separate committees, we mainstreamed them into the Human Resources Committee and then formed the Diversity Council. Over the course of those years, I met many members with whom I still stay in contact today, even though I haven’t been the staff liaison for 10 years. When I do attend APTA conferences, I see them. We get together and talk about human resources issues.
More recently, an APTA member called to ask for information regarding how we went about hiring our new president & CEO. The member asked specific questions about how we selected our search firm, where we advertised, and how we formed our search committee.
What initiatives, projects, or programs have you worked on at APTA that you have taken particular pride in completing?
I’ve overseen the implementation of several major policies in the past couple of years: the employee maternity/paternity policy; switching from vacation-sick leave to a combined paid time off system; instituting a short term disability program.
Over the years, we’ve had Lunch and Learn brown-bag luncheons for our employees, bringing in outside presenters to deal with topics such as identity theft. I invited a physical therapist to help employees with reducing stress, improving their posture while working at the computer, and seated exercise. I organized a benefits fair, which included bringing in vendors to speak with the staff about their products and services (such as insurance, credit union, and short-term car and bicycle rental); health booths; and seated massage.
I organize charity functions for our employees. For example, during the Day of Caring, they work in kitchens, pack food, stock shelves, and provide administrative support to a charity that provides meals to homebound individuals.
How did you “land” at APTA? How long have you worked here?
I answered an ad. I’ve worked here 15 years as of September.
When I interviewed here, APTA had everything that I was looking for: the right number of employees, the work I was doing. It fit well with the past work I had accomplished in human resources and I wanted to continue that work.
What professional affiliations do you have?
SHRM, American Society of Association Executives, Finance and Administration Roundtable.
Could you tell us something about yourself that might surprise us?
In my earlier life, I was courageous enough to jump out of an airplane a mile in the air, and I landed on two feet. I became very interested in scuba diving and became certified to dive at night. I spent six days in Hawaii diving off the coast of Kona, seeing green moray eels, lobsters, sharks, and a lot of other forms of sea life. I’m an identical twin.
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