Membership Advisory Council (MAC)

The purpose of the Membership Advisory Council (MAC) is to serve as an interface between SHRM’s members, its Volunteer Leaders, its Executive Team and its Board of Directors.

The MAC is composed of one elected representative from each of the Regional Councils. The MAC provides input from the membership through the regional councils to the board and feedback from the board to the membership, back through the regional councils; and provides operational input to SHRM to ensure optimum service/support to and from the volunteer leadership.

2024 MAC Representatives:

NORTHEAST REGION

CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

Louis Lessig, SHRM-SCP
Partner
BROWN & CONNERY, LLP
Cherry Hill, NJ

E-mail: llessig@brownconnery.com

Louis R. Lessig, Esquire, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, is a partner with the firm of Brown & Connery, LLP. His practice concentrates in labor and employment litigation, counseling, negotiations, speaking and training.
Mr. Lessig represents clients in all types of employment and labor matters, including but not limited to claims of discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, wage and hour irregularities and retaliation in state and federal courts as well as before administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, U.S. Department of Labor, American Arbitration Association, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.
Mr. Lessig is a nationally recognized speaker, also known as the Employment Law Translator®, and publishes articles that have appeared in periodicals including XpertHR, Westlaw Journal Employment, Westlaw Journal Computer and Internet, the Family and Medical Leave Handbook, Employment Litigation Reporter, Corporate Risk Spectrum, HR Professional, The Tri-Stater and Labor and Employment Law Quarterly.
He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. He is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Lessig is a member of the American, New Jersey (Executive Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section), Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, and Camden County (Past President, Bar Foundation; Past President, Board of Trustees) Bar Associations. He is also an active member of the National Speakers Association and serves as a Past President of the Philadelphia Chapter.
In addition to his professional activities, he is the State Director for Garden State Council-SHRM (NJ) and immediate past Legislative Director for Garden State Council – SHRM (NJ). He is also a member of Tri-State HRMA where he is a Past Chapter President. Mr. Lessig is also Past President of the Muhlenberg College Alumni Board.

Northeast Region Alternate: Ned Hirt (NY)

SOUTHEAST REGION

AL, GA, FL, MS, BM, BS, PR, USVI, DC, KY, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV

Shirley Rijkse, SHRM-SCP
Lead Professor HR & Workforce Readiness
Central Carolina Community College
Broadway, NC

Email: shirleyr.ncshrm@gmail.com

Shirley boasts extensive HR knowledge gained from diverse roles, including healthcare, cosmetology, and retirement community management.
She excels in curriculum design, teaching, and coaching, helping individuals and students achieve their goals.
Shirley has demonstrated strong leadership, achieving platinum status for SHRM chapters, and initiating student scholarships. She also mentors professionals and students to embrace their talents and reach their dreams. In Toastmasters, Shirley has held club officer positions, club coach, and area director. Leading Youth Leadership programs is one of her passions.
Shirley has served on numerous boards, currently on a soup kitchen board and a Guardian Ad Litem for children in District 11.
She holds numerous qualifications, including an MBA, SHRM-SCP, and a Master Certificate in Data Driven Leadership, among others. SHRM Involvement: Shirley has actively contributed to SHRM at both the chapter and state levels, consistently exceeding expectations.

Southeast Region Alternate: Chad Sorenson (FL)

SOUTHWEST CENTRAL REGION

AR, AZ, CO, KS, LA, MO, NM, OK, TX, UT

James Stevens, SHRM-CP
Chief Human Resources Officer
NM Wellness Center
Albuquerque, NM

E-mail: james.abeytastevens@gmail.com

James Abeyta Stevens is originally from Las Vegas, NM and is a native New Mexican residing in Albuquerque, NM. He holds a Master’s degree from New Mexico Highlands University in Guidance and Counseling, Professional Counseling, which began his professional therapeutic career in 2012. He also holds an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of New Mexico, and a second Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Psychology from the College of Santa Fe. He holds a SHRM-CP certification from SHRM and a PHR certification from HRCI. On top of that, he is also a Licensed Mental Health Therapist in the State of New Mexico.
James recently retired as a Director of Human Resources in 2021 in the Native American tribal gaming industry extending more than two decades. As a therapist, he currently assists those with gambling addictions, bereavement, substance abuse, domestic violence, and career counseling. James took over as the Chief Human Resources Officer for his agency, where he doesn’t only do therapy, but completes all the HR functions as well. You can take the person out of Human Resources, but you can never take the Human Resources out of the person. In fact, “Fun” is James’ middle name as he is a corporate culture Champion. He led his large organization to more than a dozen #1 titles in a large company category within the State of New Mexico in organizational competitions such as the Albuquerque Journal Top Workplaces, Best Places to Work, and others.
James is also an Instructor in the Substance Abuse Certificate, as well as in the Human Services Degree program at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in Albuquerque, the largest community college in the State of New Mexico.
James is the current SHRM New Mexico Immediate Past State Council Director and was the very first male in this position in SHRM NM history. He is a driving force to bettering Human Resources support in and around the state of New Mexico.

Southwest Central Region Alternate: Angie Schaefer (MO)

NORTH CENTRAL REGION

IA, MN, WI, ND, SD, NE, IL, IN, MI, OH

Jason Sutheimer, SHRM-SCP
Director of Human Resources
ND Department of Environmental Quality
Bismarck, ND

E-mail: jsutheimer@nd.gov

Jason is currently the Director of Human Resource at North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality; is the Founder of DisruptHR Bismarck; and is an Online Instructor of Human Resources at Dakota College at Bottineau. Along with his current full-time position, he also serves as the Government Affairs Chair of the Central Dakota Human Resources Association, and the President-Elect of the International Association of Workforce Professionals.
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Mary; a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems and Business Administration from North Dakota State University; and is certified as a Society for Human Resource Management – Senior Certified Professional from the Society for Human Resource Management, Senior Professional in Human Resources from the Human Resource Certification Institute, and a Certified Workforce Professional from the International Association of Workforce Professionals.
Jason was recognized for this expertise through the 2016 ND SHRM Award for Professional Excellence in Human Resource Management and the 2020 Prairie Business 40 under 40.

North Central Region Alternate: Julie Doyle (OH)

PACIFIC WEST REGION

AK, CA, Guam, HI, ID, MT, NV, Northern Mariana Islands, OR, WA, WY

Desireé Navarro, SHRM-SCP
Chief Human Resources Officer
Shodair Children’s Hospital
Helena, MT

Email: dnavarro@shodair.org

Desireé is the Chief Human Resource Officer for Shodair Children’s Hospital, a non-profit facility in Montana specializing in psychiatric care for children and adolescents along with a nationally recognized genetics program providing care for all ages.
Desireé has over 13 years’ experience in Human Resources, specializing in the non-profit/not-for-profit private sector for large and small organizations across multiple states. She has a passion for change management, engagement, leadership and employee development.
Desireé has a Master of Business Administration from The University of Liverpool, a Bachelor’s from the University of Montana Western, and is both SHRM-SCP and SPHR certified.
Desireé has been a SHRM Volunteer member since 2015. Desireé has held different volunteer leader roles on both her local Helena SHRM Chapter and the Montana State Council. She enjoyed her time on the Helena SHRM Chapter where she was able to volunteer as the Membership Director, President-Elect, President, and Past President. While President of the Helena Chapter they achieved the SHRM Platinum Excel Award.
During her time on the Montana SHRM State Council, she served as the Secretary, Communications Director, Director-Elect (Conference Coordinator), Director, and Past-Director achieving the SHRM Platinum Excel Award.
In addition to her volunteer leadership for SHRM, she also volunteers for her local DUI Task Force.
In her free time Desireé enjoys traveling with her family, riding her Peloton, baking, and reading.

Pacific West Region Alternate: Richard Steel (ID)

SHRM Staff

Michael P. Aitken
Executive Vice President
HR Professional Solutions
Phone: 1.800.283.7476, enter "1", ext. 6027
Email: mike.aitken@shrm.org

Meredith Nethercutt
Director, Volunteer Leader Community
Phone: 1.800.283.7476, enter "1", ext. 6417
Email: meredith.nethercutt@shrm.org