Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Thomas
Hi Amber, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started from very humble beginnings growing up in a very small house on Chicago’s southside. Living with four siblings and two parents but only having one bathroom gave me an early start in understanding organization and creative solutions (lol). Let’s fast forward to my life directly after graduating from college. I attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, which afforded me a BA in political science with the specialization and international relations and upon graduating I had dreams of becoming a politician. I quickly realized following those dreams would lead me down a rabbit hole of volunteer work leaving me with little to no means of making a living so I had to pivot. After working in a few industries I landed on the career path of Human Resources and that’s when the magic began.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
All roads come with obstacles so I wouldn’t say it’s been completely smooth. Some of the struggles I’ve personally faced have been workplace politics, imposter syndrome, and sometimes simply just having a lack of knowledge or expertise in certain areas, but I’ve committed myself to focusing on my strengths instead of the struggles. Becoming a master at problem solving and understanding the importance of utilizing all available resources has helped me to withstand many storms within corporate America.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Now, as a senior HR manager for a global water technology company I specialize in growth-focused thought leadership that includes all facets of Human Resources management. I’ve been recognized as an agent of change, have a demonstrated record of streamlining HR processes to accelerate organizational transformation and I’m a keen strategic planner, proficient at articulating and advancing HR strategies that generate business value along with accelerating organizational growth.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Well, as much I’d like like to say that HR will be saturated with AI in the next 5-10 years I believe that once we see AI’s rise and fall the industry itself will retreat back to its standard roots. This entails reverting back to human to human contact. I’m not saying things will go back to being completely manual but what I am saying is that the human aspect that has been removed by AI will be re-introduced. I look forward to seeing continued growth as it pertains to authentic employee relations.
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