September DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

Maria Saunders
HR Business Partner, Advisory at Jack Henry & Associates
Collin CountyHR
"Maria has been an amazing volunteer and leader with the CCHR committee for many years. Serving on the membership sub-committee, she has made countless connections with new and renewing members. Maria‘s volunteer work has primarily been welcome cards and LinkedIn messages with new members to make them feel welcomed to DallasHR/CCHR. It’s evident that she’s dedicated to service and cares deeply about people." – Sarah Recker, Director-Elect Collin CountyHR 

August DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

Monalisa Banerjee

Strategic Hiring Specialist at Brillio 
Career Support Committee


“Monalisa has been a member of DallasHR since August 2018 and joined the community relations committee in January 2021. Not only was she eager to volunteer she immediately jumped in to help our local community by coordinating several virtual events. She has been a vital part of our committee, always ready to help out in any capacity. She brings passion and energy, has a servant heart and makes it look easy. We are certainly grateful that she chose to volunteer her time and share her skills with us and the communities we serve are better for it. Thank you.” – Maria Garate & Brandon Mccormick, Director & Director-Elect, Career Support Committee

July DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

Paul Simon

Partner at Simon | Paschal PLLC


“Paul always goes the extra mile for Collin CountyHR. Between leading the efforts on organizing educational events to volunteering his office as a meeting place, Paul constantly steps in when we need him. This past year Paul has lead his subcommittee in conceiving, organizing and promoting various educational events which have received rave reviews. The education events have been top notch due to his leadership and attention to the smallest detail. We’re a better organization because of volunteers like Paul Simon.” – Mike Pierce, Director of Collin CountyHR

July HRSouthwest Conference Volunteer of the Month

Genevieve Northup 

HR Manager of Professional Development at Collin College

“Gen has been a longstanding member of the ed sessions committee.  She is always super vested in the selection of speakers to ensure our conference is successful every year.  Gen goes out of her to offer her expertise and feedback in every part of the planning process.  Without Gen, each process would take a significantly longer amount of time. Gen is very engaged and always helpful.” – Rhonda Clemente, Director of Ed Sessions

June DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

Michaela Glendening

Senior Human Resources Generalist at FC Dallas

“Michaela always raises her hand. “I can do that,” she often says. Serving her second year on the Student Engagement Committee, Michaela has a passion for working with students. She partners with Member Engagement to support the mentor/mentee process; was a major contributor to SEC’s first student virtual networking event and is a driving force to improve student offerings at HRSW Conference.  A proud Texas Tech University alum, Michaela enjoys DallasHR networking events, travel, golf and hanging with friends. SEC appreciates Michaela’s great ideas and hard work!” -Tomi Morriss, Director, Student Engagement Committee

May DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

Mark Downey

Shareholder, Downey Law Group 

“Mark Downey has been an essential part of the  Education Committee the last several years consistently stepping up raising his hand to help the committee with anything they need help with. Most recently he helped plan/coordinate the DallasHR Legal Exchange, and  jumped in with a moment’s notice to help moderate event making it a huge success. He’s hard-working, dependable and always brings fresh ideas to the table to help coordinate our events. Thank you, Mark for all you do for me, our committee and for DallasHR!” – Lisa Harris, Education Director

April DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

Donna Lee

Chief Human Resources Officer, Primal Labs 

“Donna has jumped into the Member Engagement committee with both feet!  Her leadership and servant’s heart has been recognized and is so greatly appreciated.  Donna has done an outstanding job of leading her team of volunteers, has been a voice and advocate for the DHR members, and is always willing to assist others when we are falling behind.  All of this is done with a smile and no expectation of reciprocity or credit.  Thank you, Donna, for your commitment to Member Engagement and DallasHR!” -Lauren Truelove, Director of Member Engagement Committee

April HRSouthwest Conference Volunteer of the Month

Mariya Gavrilova Aguilar

Lecturer, University of North Texas 

“Mariya is a great asset to the Ed Sessions Committee.  Whenever Ed Sessions needs a volunteer Mariya is always one of the first people to jump in and help.  Mariya has been a committee member for several years and is a wealth of information.  She not only relies on her past experiences to provide guidance; she actively participates in discussion that challenges the status quo.  Mariya’s contributions are appreciated and help to ensure that the best conference speaker are selections and the we continue to improve the overall process.” -Rhonda Clemente, Director of Ed Sessions Committee 

March DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

LaSandra Morris Moore

Diversified Health Care Affiliates, Inc. 

 “LaSandra Morris-Moore has served on the DallasHR Career Support Committee for over two years.  She goes above and beyond and has been a driving force behind keeping the committee organized with a sense of purpose, supporting the HR community.  LaSandra is always one of the first to volunteer her time when something needs to be done, taking on vital behind-the-scenes tasks, that often go unrecognized.  She has helped plan numerous successful committee events and always has a smile on her face.  So thankful for LaSandra and all she has done and continues to do!” -Krystal Yates, Career Support Director-Elect

February DallasHR Volunteer of the Month

Kjersten Faseler

Client Relationship Manager, High Profile Staffing

 “As a member of the Collin CountyHR committee, Kjersten consistently brings an energetic, service minded approach to her work. Her efforts have helped promote numerous events and helped members ensure they’re getting value from their membership.” Mike Pierce, Collin CountyHR Director