As our Human Resources Manager, Lena enjoys helping employees navigate the resources available to help them succeed at Greenville Utilities.

“My primary responsibility is the recruitment and hiring process, and helping employees with a wide range of things they need for success here,” she said. Lena and her team of two assist our supervisors from start to finish with the hiring process and onboarding, and they don’t stop there. “We’re here for both the new employee and the supervisor. Our role is to help with a number of things needed to make a smooth transition for new and existing employees.”

One example of this type of assistance is the Supervisor’s Toolkit class that Lena’s team, along with others in HR, provides once a quarter. “The class offers different topics our supervisors have asked to learn more about,” she said. “They range from about 20 to 45 minutes, and all supervisors across GUC are invited to join in.”

Lena also assists with policy interpretation and HR’s outreach program. She and her team are especially instrumental in getting Greenville Utilities employees into schools and colleges to show students the variety of careers available here. “When students think of utilities, their thoughts go instinctively to careers in construction, line work, or engineering,” she said. “They’re always amazed when we show them that we also have jobs in biology, finance, information technology, and so much more.”

Lena grew up in Illinois, where her grandmother still lives. She has her undergraduate degree in English Literature from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, and she earned her Master of Education degree in Leadership and Diversity of Higher Education with a concentration in LGBT Studies at the University of Maine.

Lena came to GUC in 2016 with a wide range of human resources experience, from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire to Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores. Along the way, she also earned the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification.

“What I love about the HR profession, especially here at GUC, is that we get to work with so many people every day,” said Lena. “Our employees bring a wide diversity of experiences and skill sets to Greenville Utilities and our community. To that point, GUC is a big community partner, and I like serving in that capacity as well.”

Outside of work, Lena also stays busy with her family. She and her husband, Steve, have two children, Dora (7) and Greta (4). “We moved here to be close to Steve’s parents, who ended up moving next door to us, which we and the girls love.”

In her spare time, Lena enjoys doing yard work and tending to the family critters. “We have two golden retrievers and six cats, and they are an important part of our family, too,” she said. Lena also enjoys watching their girls grow and figure out what they enjoy most in life. “Dora is our creative one and likes to sing,” she said. “So far, Greta is showing more of an interest in building things. They both enjoy softball and swimming, and we all like living closer to the beach.” Something she and the kids do together a lot is bake. “I can’t promise it all tastes good but we have fun doing it!”

Favorite Book – Pride and Prejudice
Favorite Movie – Labyrinth
Favorite TV Show – Downton Abbey
Favorite Snack – Honeycrisp Apples