This week we are continuing the series of articles featuring the accomplishments of our distinguished alumni. We are excited to announce that, for the 2015-2016 academic year, two of the IOHRM program’s alumni have been nominated for the Appalachian State University College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award. The Outstanding Alumni Award is presented annually to distinguished undergraduate or graduate alumnus or alumna in the College of Arts and Sciences. Nominees are recognized for their distinguished contributions in the form of leadership, public service, creative endeavors, or other accomplishments. Although we are extremely grateful for all of our alumni support, we would like to especially thank Dr. Rich Cober and Jennifer Cline for their continued and distinguished support of the IOHRM program. We are lucky and honored to call you our alumni!
Dr. Rich Cober graduated from the IOHRM program in 1998. After graduation, he continued his education by pursuing his Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology at the University of Akron. While pursuing his Ph.D., he blended both research and practice. One of his distinguished research studies explored the experience of job applicants with corporate recruiting messages on the Internet. This research was awarded with a $60,000 research grant from the Society for Human Resource Management. The grant funded work that ultimately made up his dissertation, as well as content that made up many of his early published works.
Dr. Cober served as a visiting professor at Cleveland State University during his last year of graduate study at Akron. After one year of full-time teaching, he moved to Washington D.C. to pursue a consulting career with a small strategic planning firm. Soon afterwards, he began consulting with the global management firm, Booz Allen Hamilton. During his consulting career, Dr. Cober continued to be an active researcher and practitioner. By developing his knowledge on the craft of management consulting, he was able to apply skills in employee survey development, statistics, and Talent Management tool design.
In 2006, Dr. Cober continued pursuing his career goals with Marriott International. He has grown with Marriott and has been able to employ a number of positions. His responsibilities have included designing a global selection platform for Marriott’s management associates, redesigning Marriott’s performance management process and tools, and serving as a senior HR Generalist for Marriott’s Brand Marketing Sales and Consumer Services departments. The global scope of his work has broken ground, in many cases, on how HR tools are used on a global scale. Dr. Cober continues his career with Marriott as the Vice President of HR for the Brand, Marketing, Sales, and Consumer Services.
Along with the many other career accomplishments, Dr. Cober is extremely engaged with the current IOHRM faculty and students. His role on the IOHRM advisory board provides mentorship, enhances the program’s connections to the business community, and helps prepare the IOHRM students for success after graduation. He has also been awarded many honors throughout his career. In 2013, he was awarded the SIOP Early Career Professional Practice Award. He received the SIOP Coin for Contributions to Research and Practice in 2011. We want to congratulate Dr. Cober on another career honor, being nominated for the Outstanding Alumni Award. Thank you for your continued support and being an amazing mentor!
Jennifer (Houseworth) Cline graduated from the IOHRM program in 2006. She began her career at PPD Pharmaceutical in 2007 as an internal consultant working on the company’s human resources information systems. She quickly moved into an HR analyst position. In 2010, she was promoted to HR Specialist of Global Organizational Effectiveness. Jennifer’s responsibilities included cross-functional change management for global policy changes and implementations, development of talent management strategy, employee engagement, policy implementation, global leadership program, top talent development, mentorship programs, and new leader integration training.
In 2011, she accepted a position at TIAA-CREF as an Organizational Development Business Analyst. While in this role, she supervised the company’s employee survey and led a cross-functional team of senior business and HR leaders to develop results-driven strategies. Jennifer was able to widen her scope of skills and progress through her career goals in five years. In her time at TIAA-CREF she has served as the Organizational Development Business Analyst, a Senior Organizational Development Advisor, the Director of Organizational Effectiveness, the Director of Employee Experience, an HR Business Partner, and now as a Senior Director. Her latest responsibilities include leading the strategy and planning of HR initiatives relating to the TIAA Asset Management affiliate organizations, leading HR merger and acquisition activity, and implementing solutions that ensure a win-win for TIAA-CREF and their affiliates. In just 10 short years, Jennifer has earned high accolades from colleagues, served in many professional leadership roles, and rapidly progressed through her career.
In addition to her career, Jennifer has an active role as an IOHRM program alumna. She contributes time and expertise as North Carolina Industrial and Organizational Psychology's (NCIOP) secretary and historian. She serves on the NC Society of Human Resource Management State Council. She is currently President, but has also been the College Relations Chair for the Lower Cape Fear Human Resource Association. In this position she built a networking program to connect college students with HR professionals in the community.
Jennifer works directly with the IOHRM program by holding a position on the Alumni Team. Working closely with current students and faculty, she helped establish the IOHRM Professional Development Conference. She has been an invited speaker at conferences and has been an integral part of the IOHRM program’s alumni outreach efforts. In addition to her other responsibilities, she offers mentorship to students and provides academic, professional, and career advice. We want to congratulate Jennifer on another career honor, being nominated for the Outstanding Alumni Award. Thank you for paving an amazing path for IOHRM students in North Carolina and your continued offer of endless support!
Rich Cober and Jennifer Cline
