Member Spotlight: Susie Couture
Organizational development director, MarBorg Industries, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Susie Couture, SHRM-CP, was nervous about giving up her HR job in the U.S. when her husband’s employer presented the couple with the opportunity to move to Thailand for two years in 2012. But she found meaningful work there with a nonprofit before landing an HR role with a wind power company.
As a result of the experience, Couture learned to adapt and gained empathy for others who find themselves in new or uncomfortable settings.
“I think it broadened my perspective,” Couture says. While many people are focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion now, “it’s already part of my DNA,” she explains. “I recognize differences and celebrate them.”
That’s why Couture enjoys spending Saturdays mentoring college students of diverse backgrounds who are interested in HR.
As the college relations director with the California State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (CalSHRM), Couture coordinated the CalSHRM Virtual HR Games & Student Summit last year. She has also served as past president of the Santa Barbara Human Resources Association, among other roles.
An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.