Listen Now: S1E6 - In the Door and At the Table: DEI and HR Practices
This episode was suggested by Katie Brown, Assistant Vice President for Student Success and University Registrar at Aspen University. Katie asked how those of us in positions that oversee hiring can make a concerted effort to increase DEI initiatives at our institutions and how to remove barriers in interviewing, hiring, and onboarding. To tackle this subject, the ladies talk to Simone Brown Thunder, District Human Resources Manage for the North Orange County Community College about interviewing, onboarding, and creating an inclusive environment for everyone.
Simone and her family returned to California in 2018 after living in Falcon Heights, Minnesota for eleven years. She joined the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) as a Human resources Administrator. Part of what attracted Simone to this position was the opportunity to focus on talent acquisition and to have an impact on one of the most minoritized and marginalized student populations in higher education.
Previously, Simone was working at the University of Minnesota in the Office of Human Resources as a human resources consultant, with a focus in talent acquisition and continuous improvement. She helped colleges and units improve the hiring process while creating inclusive strategies to increase the diversity and cultural competency of faculty and staff.
Simone is passionate about talent acquisition, whether that is consulting with employees about best practices for hiring a diverse workforce, or educating employees on the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Simone herself represents diversity as a member of the Karuk tribe—one of the largest Native American tribes in California. Originally from Eureka, California, she worked in Sacramento with Indian Health Service, a federal agency that supports tribes and health clinics throughout California. Simone has many years of human resources experience, along with a Master of Education in Human Resources Development from the University of Minnesota.