2023 Minnie Lenox

Our recipient of the 2023 Jim Wilkins Lifetime Achievement Award is Minnie Lenox.

Minnie exceeds the eligibility and selection criteria who has continually shown outstanding service and has promoted the profession of Human Resources Management throughout her 40-year career.

She has been an active member of SHRM and her local chapter and served in many volunteer roles of the chapter’s Board of Directors and as Diversity Director for the Arkansas SHRM state council. 

Minnie began her HR career as the Office Manager over Personnel with the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Advertising & Promotion Commission leading her to become a trainer coordinator for the City of Hot Springs. She was promoted as the Director of Human Resources for the City of Hot Springs, where she recently retired after 41 years of service and is the first African American Human Resources Director for the City.

She implemented many programs for the City of Hot Springs, including a highly regarded employee recognition program, the city’s first online recruiting and application process, the largest attendance to date Employee Health Fair, the City's substance abuse zero tolerance process, to name a few.

Minnie is active in several organizations and is very involved in the community, especially working with our youth, through various tutoring programs as the past Community Faith-Based Tutoring Liaison for the Hot Springs School District.

She has written and conducted numerous workshops and has been a featured speaker for chapter and HR conferences receiving near perfect scores, with one attendee saying, "She speaks from the heart." 

Minnie is a committed HR professional who has helped other HR Professionals, organizations and her community in so many ways in moving the profession of Human Resources forward.