P&P: How long have you been in Human Resources?

JT: I’ve been in Human Resources almost 30 years. I’ve worked in the following industries – energy, insurance, banking and now real estate.

 

P&P: How did you come to Cohen-Esrey?

JT: I learned about the opportunity through one of my HR contacts. When Jeanette Jayne (1996), Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of Cohen-Esrey and I met, we discovered we had several mutual contacts, who I believe, vouched for my experience, character, and work ethic.

 

P&P: Tell us about your family.

JT: I have one daughter, Erica, who is married and lives in Fort Worth, TX. Her family is growing as she has a 20-month-old son, Hayden, and is expecting a daughter the first of November!

 

P&P: What do you do outside of work?

JT: I love to spend time with my grandson and make frequent trips to Fort Worth. Besides Fort Worth, I enjoy exploring anywhere new. If I’m in town on the weekend, you can usually find me outside tending to my yard and flowers or just hanging out on the patio with Troy, grilling while enjoying a good glass of wine.

 

P&P: What is the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?

JT: The most dangerous thing I’ve ever done is go whitewater rafting on a girl’s trip in New Mexico. The river was especially high and swift and within five minutes, I was thrown out of the raft and went shooting down the river, bumping into rocks and trees, losing my water shoes and sunglasses. It seemed like it took forever for the raft to catch up with me and several strong, teenagers to pull me out and back into the raft. For the rest of the ride, I hunkered down in the middle of the raft and never looked up. That was the LAST white water rafting trip I will ever go on!

 

P&P: Tell us about your education.

JT: I got my degree the hard way by working full-time and going to college at night. It was a long haul, but I was determined and received my Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC). A few years later, I studied and sat for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification through the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). To keep the certification, you must get 60 hours of continuing education credits every three years. At a certain point in my life, my certification lapsed. In 2019, once I was at Cohen-Esrey, I studied and sat for the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SCP) designation. I will never let my certification lapse again!

 

P&P: What do you do outside the company to help the community?

JT: The organization I have chosen to support is the Women’s Employment Network (WEN) whose mission is “To advance positive change in the lives of women, their families, and the community, one woman at a time.” In the past, I have assisted with mock interviews, helping create resumes and mentoring women in their job search.

 

P&P: How has Cohen-Esrey Empowered You to Thrive?

JT: Cohen-Esrey has Empowered Me to Thrive by trusting in my ability and experience to make sound decisions when it comes to team members and how decisions may affect the company. I have a great team I work with and that helps me thrive in my role. I couldn’t do it without them!! Shout out to Sara Antar (2002), Payroll Administrator; Marilee Scheid (2019), Director of Learning & Development, Adizes Integrator; Dee Krause (2022), Recruiter, and Gina Long (2022), HR Generalist.