Colleen joined the Xenium team in July of 2019 as an HR Account Representative and was promoted to HR Business Partner in July of 2020, and Sr. HR Business Partner in July 2023. In this role, she works with the HR team to meet with and build relationships with a variety of Xenium clients. She enjoys determining each client’s individual HR needs and then providing customized, quality and timely delivery of those services.
Colleen accumulated plenty of HR experience during her last 13 years working in law firms. After spending a few years working for solo-practice attorneys as office manager (handling HR, legal assistant duties), she made the move to the larger law firm of Garrett Hemann Robertson P.C. In this expanded role she first worked as a legal assistant before transitioning to a hybrid HR/Accounting position, where she managed the administration of payroll/benefits with the firm’s payroll provider; handled all new employee onboarding/orientation; administered OFLA/FMLA paperwork and tracking; and managed employee relations issues as well as implemented and facilitated employee enrichment programs.
In 2018, Colleen obtained her SHRM-CP certification, which was a culmination of her HR experience as well as her coursework (HR, business, and psychology) completed over the years at Corban University and Linfield College. After obtaining her SHRM certificate and realizing that she really enjoyed the world of HR, her goal was to find a more specific HR job where she could continue her career by learning as much as she could, and Xenium seemed like the perfect fit!
Colleen was born in Klamath Falls, OR, but spent a good portion of her childhood in Colorado Springs, CO, returning to Oregon when she was in grade school. She and her husband, and their four daughters, spent a year in Gulfport, Mississippi assisting families in rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Katrina. This was through her husband’s job with a non-profit. They returned to Salem, OR after this year-long mission and have been there ever since.
Colleen enjoys traveling with her family, as well as hiking and trying new foods. Her biggest passion is CrossFit – she has participated in three team competitions, and treasures the wonderful, supportive friends who also enjoy this “crazy” sport.
Favorite things? Taking long walks with her chocolate labradoodle, listening to motivational podcasts, reading both fiction and non-fiction books and sipping on a full-bodied Americano.