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Profile of a Senator January 2023

Meet Melissa Hallman, Staff Senator and HR Specialist & Liaison, Fiscal Services

 

Role: I am Fiscal Services’ first and only HR Specialist & Liaison, assisting Fiscal Services’ employees with all of their HR-related needs. Because of the placement of my position across the hall, I spend a lot of time interacting with Central HR with a goal to create a community space for Mason HR liaisons (or individuals with HR responsibilities) to collaborate, support, and learn together!

Mason journey: I started my Mason journey in Spring 2021 in the College of Science. Almost exactly a year later, I moved to Fiscal Services where I have never felt more at home. Prior to Mason, I spent 6.5 years at Northern Virginia Community College, after 3.5 years at Germanna Community College. So I suppose you could say higher ed is my jam.

Best thing about working at Mason: From day one I felt that Mason truly cared about its people. This belief originated because of what some might consider a very small part of their onboarding: picking up my Mason ID. I have worked (and attended) several higher ed institutions and Mason is the first to have the National Suicide and National Sexual Assault Hotline numbers on the back of every ID. As soon as I saw that, I fell in love with Mason. Add to that the amazing people I get to work and interact with on a daily basis and Mason is the first place I have ever considered worth retiring from.

Why serve on the Staff Senate: I am always advocating for better working conditions for my colleagues and co-workers to the point of once being told by a supervisor that I had no sense of self-preservation (and I took that as a compliment). Advocacy and service have always been a part of my makeup. Even as a child I volunteered regularly and participated in marches for equal rights and justice. Joining Staff Senate seemed like the perfect way to support my lifelong goal of creating a more equitable world (or work environment) for all I encounter.

At the end of the day… I go home, feed my derpy, grumpy-old-man of a mutt, Marty, and relax with Legos, paint (or diamond) by numbers, sculpey clay, knitting, baking, and putting together furniture when I have it; in other words, I love working with my hands. I am also a lifelong learner. In addition to being a full-time staff member, I am a part-time student in Mason’s Sociology and Anthropology department.