2017 Minnie Lenox
It is with great pleasure that I nominate Minnie Lenox, a very deserving individual, for the Arkansas SHRM HR Professional of the Year. Minnie holds nearly 40 years of experience in the HR profession, serving the profession as a trainer, HR professional, leader, and volunteer.
She is a native of Hot Springs and attended Langston High, Hot Springs High, Indiana University, GCCC/ Quapaw Vocational Technical (now National Park College) and Henderson State University, where she majored in Business Administration with a minor in Engineering.
In 1982, Minnie was the Office Manager over Personnel with the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Advertising & Promotion Commission. In 1990, the City began providing the administrative duties for Advertising & Promotion leading her to become a trainer for the City of Hot Springs and in1992, Minnie was appointed Training Coordinator. In 1996, she attended Oklahoma State University, where she became certified as a Training and Development Specialist. On February 1, 2004, she was promoted to the position of Director of Human Resources for the City of Hot Springs, where she is currently employed.
In 2016, Minnie's department processed 1,773 applications. She led a successful campaign to recruit and hire a new Police Chief with 75 applicants from all over the United States and led a successful campaign to recruit and hire a new Airport Director with 34 applicants applying online. Minnie studied RFP’s for a new Third Party Administrator for the City's Health Insurance and selected QualChoice. In addition, she revised the City's Substance Abuse Policy which sets forth zero tolerance regarding substance abuse. and updated the Grievance Policy creating a more clear and concise procedure. Her department held a very successful Annual Employee Health Fair with the largest attendance to date, and she hired a new Health-Safety & Training Coordinator for the City.
Minnie has implemented many programs for the City of Hot Springs, including a highly regarded employee recognition program. Minnie makes everyone that works for her, with her, and those that she is speaking with, feel very important. In that moment, you feel you are the most important person to her.
She has written and conducted numerous workshops in Professional Development, Customer Service, Teamwork, Leadership in Today’s Workplace, Diversity in the Workplace, Sexual Harassment, Dealing with Negativity in the Workplace, You are Important - You are Needed - and You are Necessary, Drama Queens, Stress Management, and Workplace Ethics.
Minnie has spoken at the WCASHRM Managers Seminar numerous times receiving near perfect scores, with one attendee saying "She speaks from the heart." Attendees request her to speak year after year at the event because each time she speaks she makes the listener feel important and each one leaves the room glad that they attended her session. In addition, she was the keynote of the 2014 WCASHRM Managers Seminar. She has also served as an Arkansas SHRM HR Conference Speaker, and the Commencement Speaker for Arkansas Career Technical Institute and College of the Ouachitas. Most recently, she was the guest speaker for National Park College's International Women’s Day Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
She is a member of the National Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and West Central Arkansas SHRM chapter in Hot Springs. She previously served the chapter and Arkansas SHRM State Council as Diversity Director.
Minnie also holds memberships with the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) and Arkansas Public Employees Human Resource Association (APEHRA).
She has been 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 and as a volunteer for Junior Achievement in the local school districts. She currently serves as the Youth Education Coordinator for Union Missionary Baptist Church.
She has held positions on the National Park Medical Center Women’s Advisory Board, Community Counseling Board of Directors, and Combined Federal Credit Union Supervisory Board. She is a volunteer for the Lupus Foundation of America and served as the 2014–2015 Co-Chair for REGARD.
Minnie was a charter member of the Jessie D. Hawkins Lions Club and was recently presented the 2016 LION of the Year Award from the Jessie D. Hawkins Lions Club. She is a graduate of Leadership Hot Springs Class XII.
Her hobbies include motivational speaking, conducting numerous training seminars, and writing, producing and directing various church plays, bowling, golfing and reading. She and her husband Lonell, who is a professional trainer/recruiter driver for Elite Transportation of New Jersey, have four children; Lonell (Natasha), Ronald, Eric, and Melody; and nine grandchildren.