Charge
HR Policy & Strategy Advisors is a group of representative staff members from across the college that meets regularly with Human Resources leadership to research, discuss, and provide feedback on institutional policies and practices.
Examples of staff policies and procedures the group have shaped are:
- Expanded staff tuition benefit
- Accelerated schedule for increasing vacation accruals for support staff
- Changes to the bereavement policy
- Cultural & religious observances
Policies around health insurance at the college are reviewed by the Benefits Committee, not HR-PSA.
Leadership
The advisors will operate with a Chair & Vice Chair from the members. These two positions both have a 1-year term and will meet regularly with HR leadership and will help set agendas as well as communicate regularly with the committee members. The Vice Chair will be the committee note taker and is expected to succeed the Chair.
Committee Structure
The committee strives for broad representation across the college. Membership will be based on the number of staff (FTE) within each division of the College, with a ratio of one representative for every 100 staff (FTE). The committee may have up to 18 members, including up to four members at-large, representing any area of the college.
- Dean of the College – 1
- Dean of the Faculty – 3 with one member from Athletics
- Provost – 3 with one member from Libraries
- VP of College Relations – 1
- VP of Finance & Operations – 5
- Chief Investment Officer, President, Chief Communications Officer, VP of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion* – 1
*Divisions with less than 50 FTE have been grouped together to account for staff capacity.
Committee structure will be reviewed at the top of each calendar year to account for changes.
Current Members
| Name | Division/Area | Term |
| Jeanette Kopczynski, Dining Services – current Chair | VP Finance & Operations | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| Christine Kelly, Graduate Program in Art History – current Vice Chair | Dean of the Faculty | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| David Owens-Branco, Williams Libraries | Provost | January 2024 – December 2026 |
| Mariia Smirnova, ’68 Center for Career Exploration | VP College Relations | January 2024 – December 2026 |
| Raquel Cuéller-Parajón, Alumni Engagement | VP College Relations | January 2024 – December 2026 |
| Regina Velázquez, Office of Communications | CIO/Pres./CCO/VP-OIDEI | January 2024 – December 2026 |
| Allison Stitcher, Dining Services | VP Finance & Operations | January 2021 – December 2024 |
| Justine Beringer, Dean of the Faculty | Dean of the Faculty | March 2021 – December 2024 |
| Sidra Mahmood, Chaplains’ Office | Dean of the College | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| Lida Doret, Computer Science Department | Dean of the Faculty | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| Angela Jimenez, Williams College Children’s Center | VP Finance & Operations | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| Lena Salamanca, Provost’s Office | Provost | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| Corinne Greenblatt, Provost’s Office | Provost | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| Tanja Srebotnjak, Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives | Provost | March 2023 – December 2025 |
| Stone Stewart, Williams College Museum of Art | Provost | January 2024 – December 2026 |
| Laini Sporbert, Dean’s Office | Dean of the College | January 2024 – December 2026 |
Ex Officio Members
Danielle Gonzalez, Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources
Richard Duncan, HR Operations Coordinator, Human Resources
Term Commitments & Selection
Members will be peer or self-nominated and decided internally by existing HR-PSA members and HR leadership. Committee members serve a 3-year term.
Intersection/Collaboration With Williams Staff Committee (WSC)
The Williams Staff Committee shall have one liaison who can attend HR-PSA meetings. The Chair and/or Vice Chair should attend WSC meetings every other month or quarterly and/or meet with the liaison to ensure communication and connection.
HR-PSA welcomes questions, comments, and suggestions from members of the staff.