Community Over Everything
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If you want to go far, go together. - African Proverb
Community is having its moment and rightfully so. This is much deeper than the communities being built around nascent platforms like Web3, NFTs, Crypto, or the metaverse (I know, 🤔).
Community, connections, and networks have been absolutely essential for the field of HR to survive the past 18+ months.
In the face of a humanity-shaping pandemic and the series of events that followed our ability to learn from each other, share resources and templates, and support each other through the emotional peaks and valleys was essential. Our access to communities and networks was a driving factor in our ability to weather all of the things that were thrown our way.
As I began designing the new Amplify Accelerator platform I knew that community would be the foundation of everything we built. From the cohorts to the courses to the community itself, there had to be a deep sense of embedded connectedness across the Amplify ecosystem. I also knew I couldn’t build that alone.
Introducing Amplify Community Catalysts
The most amazing thing about building this community is watching how members go out of their way to support each other, share resources, and lift each other up. There’s a true spirit of growing together. Onboarding new members. Connecting questions with answers. Helping peers through difficult discussions with their leaders, teams, and employees.
The collective intellect is high, but the willingness to share and give back is the real differentiator.
I’m excited to introduce a team of Community Catalysts who are generously volunteering their time to help support Amplify’s mission of accelerating innovation in HR. They’re all members of the Amplify Accelerator community. Some have been supporting since the earlier iterations of the community. Others joined this year through Cohort programs. All are passionate about lifting others up and adding value to our industry and I’m grateful to each of them for helping build and steer this new community and the broader amplify ecosystem.
The Community Catalyst team is led by Balbina Knight - Director of People & Projects for Thrive Digital. Balbina has been an active voice and an advocate for inclusive and progressive people practices for years. She’s been a chapter lead for Culture Amp’s Culture First Community and is an alumnus of the Amplify Accelerator Cohort (Alpha class). I’ve long appreciated the way she shows for our field and I’m stoked she’ll be the driving force behind the Community Catalyst team.
Balbina will be joined by a globally distributed mix of HR and people practitioners and leaders who will help support community engagement, editorial projects, open-source initiatives, and more. I’m thrilled and grateful to bring their leadership and expertise into all of the Amplify Accelerator channels.
Ashley Orchard - Credit Karma - Senior Director, Talent Experience (United States)
Chloe Sesta Jacobs - Deputy - Global Director, Inclusion & Engagement (Australia)
Ciara Lakhani - Dashlane, Chief People Officer (France)
Donna Heaslip - Finite Carbon - Head of People (United States)
Erin Culp - Sunfolding - People Development Consultant (United States)
Jeff Calvin-Nethercott - EarnUp - Senior Talent Acquisition and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Leader (United States)
Jennifer Mumford - Zip Co - VP, People & Culture - US & New Markets (Australia)
Kimiko Mainprize - Box of Crayons - VP, People & Culture (Canada)
Maria F Garcia - Thinkific - Customer Champion (Canada)
Noah Warder - Guusto - Head of People (Canada)
Stephanie Smith - Tagboard - VP of People & Culture (United States)
Susan Mendrala - Sarepta Therapeutics - Associate Director, Employee Experience & Communications (United States)
Thuy Le - City Year - SVP, Talent Acquisition (United States)
You’ll be seeing more of the community catalysts inside and outside of the community sharing content and resources, writing pieces for the blog, and more.
Amplify & Elevating Voices
You’ll also see some new initiatives on the Amplify Media side aimed at elevating new voices in the field. From the Amplify Story Lab to open-source projects to guest posts on the blog. If you’re interested in contributing to any of these or future editorial or community initiatives, complete the brief survey below.
About The Community
A New Type of Community ⏩
I've been spending a lot of time over the past year examining communities, cohorts, and networks outside of HR. I've learned a lot about building vibrant communities over the last ten years of my career, but the truth is I knew I had much more to learn. I wanted to build a new type of community tailor-built to support the modern people operators and leaders of today. Something that went beyond the Q&A nature of many communities and online forums and was designed to be a place of real connection, kinship, and growth.
A Place Where You Belong 📍
There’s no shortage of communities in the HR and talent space. Some are largely transactional and centered around Q&A. There’s value in that, but the Accelerator community is being purposely designed to be a destination where you want to spend your time, build your global peer network, and grow as a leader.
Your Support Network 🫂
Let’s be real. HR can be a tough job - and a lonely one. Having peer sets that you can go to for support when you need it is critical for longevity in this field. When you need someone to listen or share how they’ve overcome challenges you’re facing, your community will be there for you.
Building Blocks of Learning 🧠
Share and consume content, join weekly live “office hours” video chats, attend exclusive webinars, access highly curated resources and tools, and more. The Accelerator community will connect you with HR and people ideas, inspirations, connections, and community, unlike anything you’ve experienced in the field.
Unique Benefits & Perks ✨
Community Catalyst onboarding ambassadors to ensure you have a smooth entry into the community
Weekly “office hours” live group video chat to connect, converse, and support
Exclusive content, AMA’s, and fireside chats with HR and people leaders
AI-matching tools to connect community members with peer and mentoring opportunities
Early access to Open Source Learning Lab resources
A library of shared resources and templates from the Amplify Accelerator community
Discounts on Amplify Accelerator Cohorts and courses.
Need help hiring HR roles?
Add your jobs to the Amplify Accelerator job board for added reach and visibility to the Amplify and Redefining HR communities.