Photo by Lester Smith
Karin Ziemba, after four months on the job, seems comfortably settled in her position as Suffield’s Director of Human Resources. For now, at least, her office is next to the Public Works Department, on the second floor at 230 Mountain Road.
In July of this year, Karin Ziemba started a new chapter in her work career, becoming the Town of Suffield’s Human Resources Director.
Karin had spent thirty years as an HR director in the fast paced hotel industry, putting in sixty hour weeks. The birth of her first grandchild made her feel that she needed to leave that environment to have a more balanced work/family life. At the same time that she made the decision to get off that “high speed train,” she became aware of a Suffield job opening for an HR director, and that proved to be a great fit.
Karin, her husband Ed and son Kristopher live in neighboring Feeding Hills, which has changed her hour commute to ten minutes, another wonderful selling point. Daughter Kimberly, her husband David Mattesen (a Suffield native), and the one year old grandson Bryce, who triggered the job change, live just over the river in Enfield.
In Karin’s brief tenure here in Suffield, she has already been involved in filling several positions. Her philosophy for finding the right individuals means looking for more than just technical ability or an impressive resume. Through the interview process, she tries to determine if the person has the “heart” for the job. She always has in mind that town employees are in the service business and customer satisfaction has to be a top priority. Karin walks that walk herself, and sets the tone. She knows that the support she offers to our town employees helps give them the tools to do their jobs effectively. Her open door, open communication policy is based on her belief that no question or problem is too small to be addressed quickly and effectively, and she sees a complaint as an opportunity to solve problems.
Karin is looking forward to getting to know Suffield, participating in local events and using her skills in team building and employee appreciation. She has already been involved at Suffield on the Green and the Scarecrow Contest, and looks forward to lots more events on the horizon.