Registry Advisory Services is pleased to announce a new value-added and long-needed Human Resources Consulting Practice (HRCP).  Presidents, members of the institutional executive leadership group as well as Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) may now avail themselves of the knowledge, competencies and confidential advice of highly seasoned, trusted higher education HR leadership executives.  With a deep and intimate understanding of higher education, the HRCP will position the new or current HR leader and the enterprise-wide HR function for accelerated involvement and contributions to institutional priorities.

Core Service—Raising the Impact and Value of the HR Function

HR offices, CHROs, and everyone involved in the enterprise-wide HR work have been stretched beyond their limits and must now refocus on the current and future workforce needs of the institution.  Providing strategic institutional and innovative leadership while maintaining core functions often seems impossible; to do so requires rethinking the priorities, structure, services, staffing, and technology of the central office, and building connectivity throughout the institution for an enterprise-wide HR function including leaders, managers, and HR departmental liaisons.  The HRCP will draw upon extensive leadership competencies and experience, key relationships, benchmarking and best practices to help the CHRO and institutional leaders build a plan with clear roadmap to change.  If the CHRO position has been vacated, the HRCP will partner with the institution to reassess and focus the HR operation with new/revised priorities prior to recruitment.  If a Registry Interim CHRO will be used, the HRCP can partner with the interim CHRO to accelerate progress.

Value Delivery—Solving Problems and Advancing Priorities

1. Improving Success of the HR function—as noted above, up to and including a full program review
2. Supporting Institutional HR Priorities—taking on HR projects that are critical and not within the time, effort or knowledge bandwidth of internal HR
3. Supporting Institutional Culture and/or DEI Priorities—guiding the modification of HR programs and services to directly support the desired culture and to work collaboratively with the priorities of the DEI leader
4. Providing a resource for process improvement—within the HR function or in other business processes to optimize organizational effectiveness
5. Policy Environment—drafting/reinventing/organizing policies focused on workplace best practices to optimize organizational effectiveness and mitigate risk
6. Leadership and key talent searches—we can design search processes when a search firm is not needed or desired; and whether a search is internal or with a firm, we can ensure there is a global approach including position definition, selection factors, screening and interview processes, pre-boarding, on-boarding, periodic performance check-in and guidance processes
7. Leadership Effectiveness—our consultants have extensive experience serving a key advisory role to senior leadership when taking on new positions or when focused on achieving transformational change
8. Additional Examples and Services are available

Our Value Proposition:  Deep insights with extensive senior experience on the “inside” of higher ed; proven careers of high trust level with presidents, provosts, fellow CHROs and other senior leaders; a focus on delivering outcomes versus activity; backed by the Registry brand.

Larry Lewellen, Practice Leader, Senior Consultant, Registry Member - A seasoned executive with an MBA in Finance, undergraduate degree in business management/human resources, and extensive experience in both private and public sector.  Mr. Lewellen’s interests are in the development and execution of human resources strategies tied to business objectives, culture and leadership development; and optimization of the human resources structure, function, talent and connections for higher education.

Mr. Lewellen’s recent assignments as Registry Interim Chief HR Officer include St Petersburg College, Brandeis University, and University of Maine.  Important accomplishments include reorganizing HR, elevating the status and services of the office, integrating across the institution, and recruiting a talented ongoing CHRO.

His career at Ohio State University spanned 29 years, with 14 years as the Vice President and Chief HR Officer for the entire university and medical center—an extremely complex national research university.  During his career at Ohio State, he gained experience in all facets of human resources operations, services and leadership, including wellness, compensation, executive compensation, benefits, talent, employee relations, labor negotiations, management information, PeopleSoft system, leadership development, strategic planning, pension reform, and leading enterprise-wide culture transformation.