PIHRA has a variety of opportunities for you to choose from based on your preferred type of involvement and time commitment. Volunteer opportunities can span several weeks to several years – it’s all up to you. PIHRA needs your talent and time to provide communities, professional development, and resources to advance human resource professionals in California.
Dear PIHRA Volunteer Leaders and Members,
Welcome to the 2025 PIHRA Volunteer Leader Election. We appreciate your interest in serving as a volunteer leader and supporting PIHRA’s mission of advancing the HR profession across Southern California.
Volunteer leaders play a vital role in shaping PIHRA’s success, while also gaining leadership experience, expanding professional networks, and building visibility within the HR community.
As the Nominations Committee, we oversee the board officer and chapter-level nomination and election process, working closely with our chapters to ensure fairness and transparency. Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding governance or volunteer leadership.
Sincerely,
Tremaine Friend & Christy Hodson
Email: elections@pihra.org
2025 PIHRA Nominations Committee
PIHRA offers leadership opportunities at multiple levels, each providing meaningful ways to contribute to our mission and community:
Association Level – Leaders serve in executive roles such as president, vice president, treasurer, and regional representatives. These positions guide the overall strategy and direction of the association. These roles are held for two-year terms.
Also at the association level, standing committees guide strategic priorities such as Membership, Programs, Emerging Leaders, and College Relations. For instance, the PIHRA Government Advocacy Team (GAT), which provides leadership and oversight on legislative issues, is a committee at the association level. The committee chair roles are annual appointments made by the board’s president, and require year-round commitment and collaboration across all PIHRA chapters.
Chapter Level – Chapter boards oversee local initiatives, membership engagement, and localized professional development. Board service includes regular meetings, planning responsibilities, and supporting chapter events.
Event Level – Volunteers play key roles in executing signature PIHRA events, such as the California HR Conference, from registration and logistics to programming support and attendee engagement. These commitments are typically short-term and focused on specific activities.
Commitments
Volunteer positions vary in time commitment but generally include monthly or quarterly meetings, active participation in planning, and ongoing communication with board members. Leadership roles may also include mentoring newer volunteers and representing PIHRA within the broader HR community.
Election Process
Volunteer leaders at the board and chapter levels are elected annually through the PIHRA nomination and election process. Members may self-nominate or be nominated by peers, with final selections confirmed by the Nominations Committee. Event-level volunteers are recruited based on the needs of the association.
Together, these levels of leadership provide a pathway for members to engage, grow professionally, and strengthen the HR community across Southern California.
To be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors, the individual must be:
The requirement of serving as a previous PIHRA volunteer, as noted above, may be replaced by demonstrated volunteer leadership and/or board experience with a professional association or similar non-profit.
If you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please consider nominating yourself to any of the open board positions below.
The nominations committee is also seeking individuals who would like to chair standing board committees like those noted below. These are appointed positions, and the role is a one-year term.
Nomination Forms & Related Documents:
2025 Digital Nominations Form for Board Positions
2025 Board Commitment and Conflict of Interest Policy Form
Code of Ethics and Good Practices
Please contact the nominations committee at elections@pihra.org if you have questions regarding your nominations submission or are interested in serving as a chair of a standing committee.
The nomination form must be received by Friday, October 10, 2025.
Annually, the PIHRA Chapters elect their chair and vice chair. The nominations process has officially begun! Chapter members will elect their chapter chair and vice chair in an election at the end of October.
As mentioned, the only positions elected by chapter members are the Chair and Vice Chair. All other chapter positions are typically appointed by the Chair. If you’re interested in volunteering at the chapter level, please visit pihra.org/chapters, and email the chapter directly. You’ll find their email address under volunteer officers for each chapter.
2025 Digital Chapter Nominations Form for Chair & Vice Chair positions:
Please contact the Nominations Committee at elections@pihra.org if you have questions regarding your nominations submission. The chapter nominations form must be received by Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
Below are brief summaries describing each of the chapter board roles.
The chair presides at all chapter meetings and communicates with chapter leaders and board committees during the month to ensure responsibilities are being handled effectively.
The vice chair serves in the absence of the chair covering all of the chair responsibilities, as necessary. The vice chair is responsible for closely monitoring the activities of the chapter committees and assisting as needed in all areas.
The secretary takes minutes of all chapter board meetings and provides notice of meeting dates and times to chapter leaders. Maintains the current administrative files of the chapter including historic files.
The treasurer is responsible for all aspects of the financial functions of the chapter including accounts payable, record keeping, collection of fees, creation of monthly financial documents and tracking and reporting of all credit card use.
Responsible for annual recruitment and retention efforts of the chapter, including the implementation of the campaigns developed at the association level. Participates in the monthly/bimonthly PIHRA membership chair call (30 minutes).
Has the responsibility for the development of all chapter programs. Work closely with the chapter leadership and the PIHRA Home Office Programs Team to ensure that relevant topics and speakers are selected for presentation. Participates in the PIHRA program chair calls (30 minutes).
This position is responsible for ensuring that PIHRA chapter activities and achievements are well-presented on all of PIHRA’s social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram). Observes marketing, communications and social media best practices by participating in the monthly/bimonthly PIHRA Social Media & Communications Call (30 min).
This position is responsible for the selection of monthly meetings locations and coordinates menu selections.
The sponsorship chair is responsible for developing effective and values-centered sponsorship opportunities. Seeks organizations which support the chapter in their meeting and education efforts.
Click here for a summary of chapter board roles, responsibilities and estimated time commitment.
PIHRA will accept submissions from speakers for all programs, except CAHR, on a rolling basis.
Chapter Meetings
Webinars
Annual California Employment Law Update (#CELU)
HR Power Series
#RealHR Interactive Panel Collaborations
Annual California HR Conference
Speakers who wish to submit a proposal for CAHR must do so separately from our general speaker submission form. The CAHR26 call for presentations will open soon. Please check back regularly for access to the CAHR26 submission form.
ORIGINAL – (new/original proposals are prioritized over previously selected ones)
ENGAGING – Does your session title get people’s attention?
CURRENT – Demonstration of knowledge of current hot topics, trends and laws (as applicable)
TANGIBLE – Well-defined focus, clearly listing a minimum of 3 key takeaways/learning objectives
PRACTICAL – Practical ideas and application of material without the promotion or advertising of your company’s products/services – the audience wants to hear your expertise not a sales pitch
IMPACTFUL – Ability to deliver an innovative, impactful, and stimulating presentation
INFLUENTAL – Do you have a large social media following? Have you authored a book?
Power Point is the required format in 16:9 perspectives (widescreen)
Provide tangible and actionable takeaways in addition to the PowerPoint presentation. A great presentation includes links to worksheets/tips/tools for the audience.
Less is more- keep your slides simple with impactful images, texts and charts
Leverage multi-media sources such as video, polls, music, visual aids to get your point across and engage the audience
Context is important (industry company size) but make sure it connects to the overall point you are trying to make. Too many irrelevant details detract from an impactful story. When appropriate, let the audience engage with you in Q&A. Encourage interactions between audience members with roundtable discussions or activities. Ensure you are clear on learning objectives stated at the beginning and summarize before you close out the session.
However, for us to submit your session to obtain the recertification credit, it needs to be an educational session of interest and applicability for HR professionals. It should provide educational professional development and contain a minimum of 3 key learning objectives/audience takeaways, which would make the program eligible for general credit.
The primary goal of the selection committee is to provide conference participants “plus one” in value. They are responsible to fill various tracks – strategic HR, CA legislation, leadership, HR Dept. of One, DEI, etc. Additionally, they are tasked with accommodating attendees with differing degrees of expertise, from beginning to mid-level to senior level.
See our “TIPS” above to gain a better understanding of what you can do to stand out.
