Two New Mexico State University Human Resource Services professionals were recognized at this year’s Southern New Mexico Society for Human Resource Management Employment Law Update Conference Sept. 22 in Las Cruces. Gena Jones, assistant vice president for Human Resource Services, was awarded the HR Excellence Award, and Patrick Madrid, NMSU graduate, was awarded the Student Merit Award.
Southern New Mexico Society for Human Resource Management is an organization that represents human resource professionals in southern New Mexico and serves as a resource for support, professional development and networking.
The HR Excellence Award recognizes a human resources professional who has made a significant impact in the field of human resource management through their contributions, leadership and guidance to their most important resource — the workforce. Jones is an NMSU alum and has worked at the university for six years but has been in the human resources field for more than 30 years.
“I am honored to have received an award with such prestige,” Jones said. “I cannot tell you how proud I am, but I am not surprised that the work in NMSU Human Resource Services was recognized with such esteem.”
The Student Merit Award recognizes an NMSU student who has demonstrated academic achievement through their commitment to a career in human resources. Madrid graduated from NMSU with a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in human resource management. He was also the president of NMSU’s Society for Human Resource Management 2022-2023 chapter.
“This award shows how involved NMSU is in giving students and employees opportunities to drive their success,” Madrid said. “It also shows how NMSU’s classes and professors are top notch. I hope it gives current students the insight that anything is possible and a path they can follow to achieve their dreams.”
Jones said that honoring two human resource professionals from NMSU shows the collective effort of academic scholarship and employee talent representation that serves at the university.
“I think it is because of the work that we have done here at NMSU in human resources,” she said. “We have done a lot of innovative, creative and strategic work that has contributed to employee satisfaction and student success. It says we have a knowledge base in human resources here at NMSU that provides a platform to move NMSU forward. The work and dedication of my staff is the catalyst to receiving this award. Our work in human resources has to stay aligned and have direct impact to the achievement of the university goals.”
In the future, Jones hopes the university will continue to be represented as a great place to work and a place that prioritizes its employees and students.
For more information on NMSU’s Human Resource Services, visit https://hr.nmsu.edu. For more information on the Southern New Mexico Society for Human Resource Management, visit https://snmshrm.org.
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CUTLINE: Gena Jones (left), assistant vice president for Human Resource Services at New Mexico State University, was awarded the HR Excellence Award, and Patrick Madrid, NMSU graduate, was awarded the Student Merit Award, at the Southern New Mexico Society for Human Resource Management Employment Law Update Conference. (Courtesy photo)