PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2023

CUPA-HR Announces the 2023-24 Ignite Program Cohort

Twelve members of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) have been selected to participate in the 2023-24 CUPA-HR Ignite program, a 12-month leadership development experience designed for early-career higher education human resources professionals. Program participants will have the opportunity to develop their professional skills through tailored learning experiences including mentorship, learning events and courses, and the completion of a project showcasing the insights they gain throughout the year.

Participants were selected based on their HR strengths and areas for development identified on the program application as well as their interest in and commitment to the program.

The selected participants are:

• Gian-Karlo Alvarez, HR business partner at the University of Central Florida
• Bona Bame, classification and compensation consultant at North Carolina State University
• Jennifer Eckert-Dennison, associate director of human resources at SUNY Cortland
• Chelsea M. Hall, human resources generalist, division of business services at the University of Pennsylvania
• Mariah Hotard, manager of talent acquisition and development at Rhodes College
• Kelsey Kinzie, project coordinator at Tulsa Community College
• Jenna Perez, director, employee relations at Rowan University
• Kiana Porter, talent development specialist at Drexel University
• Bianca Price, employment customer service supervisor at Michigan State University
• Alex Reyes, talent acquisition advisor at the University of California, Berkeley
• Erika Salcedo, HRIS technician at California State University-Bakersfield
• Alicia Smith, HR recruitment coordinator at Jefferson College

“We are very excited to welcome our 10th cohort for this program,” shares CUPA-HR President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Brantley. “I am so proud that CUPA-HR has been able to support this outstanding leadership development opportunity for early-career professionals for a decade. The program has also provided a great opportunity for our higher ed HR leaders to give back and help prepare the next generation of higher ed leaders. We look forward to the year ahead and the opportunity to continue this program for many years to come.”

CUPA-HR’s Ignite program (formerly known as Wildfire) is led by outstanding current and past CUPA-HR leaders and national office staff and made possible in part thanks to support from HigherEdJobs.

About CUPA-HR

CUPA-HR is higher ed HR. We serve higher education by providing the knowledge, resources, advocacy and connections to achieve organizational and workforce excellence. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serving over 34,000 HR professionals and other campus leaders at nearly 2,000 member institutions and organizations around the country and abroad, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education workforce data, extensive online resources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information.

Contact Information
Jessica Thompson
Marketing Coordinator – Communications and Marketing
[email protected]