University of Wisconsin–Madison

Communities of Practice for HR Professionals

There are several communities of practice (CoP) across campus focused on human resources that bring professionals together to connect, learn, and grow. Joining a CoP is a great way to build your skills, stay up to date, and expand your network. Explore the options below to find the community that matches your interests and get involved.

What is a CoP?

A CoP is a group of people with shared roles or interests who meet regularly to exchange ideas, solve problems, and support one another.

Join an HR community

Interested in joining an HR-specific CoP? Complete the interest form.

Academic HR CoP

An ongoing learning community of HR professionals from across academic departments and divisions on campus. We are committed to sharing knowledge about emerging best practices in implementing the new HR Design human resources system, while evaluating past practices and procedures, and partnering on related initiatives.

Contact: Julie Karpelenia, Kristen Seguin

Campus Supervisors Network (CSN)

Promotes a welcoming and safe environment for campus supervisors and aspiring leaders alike to share ideas and connect with others who face similar challenges. We’ve created a network where participants can learn how to be more effective in their positions and help them excel by removing barriers. Collaborate with others by sharing information from your work area, allowing others to learn from your experiences. We organize an average of 15 sessions per year, with topics based on community feedback and campus trends.

Website: Campus Supervisors Network
Contact: Rich Gassen

GAPP CoP

The Graduate Assistant Policies and Procedures (GAPP) CoP is a collaborative learning community of divisional HR professionals across the schools, colleges, and divisions on campus. The group is committed to aligning practices, sharing expertise, and co-developing resources, training, and policy guidance to support consistent, strategic HR approaches for graduate assistant employment.

Contact: Julie Karpelenia

L&S Payroll CoP

Meeting every other Friday at 1 p.m., as an informal group where members can come with various payroll or financial-related questions. Between group members, someone usually has a solution or suggestion for resolving the issue. All L&S employees who work with UW financial and administrative systems are welcome to attend meetings or join the email list. The CoP also informs members about upcoming events.

Contact: ChoonYee Ho-Jonas

Onboarding CoP

Designed for HR professionals and others at UW–Madison to build community amongst those responsible for onboarding initiatives and programming. Together, we share best practices, resolve onboarding-related challenges using the collective wisdom of the group, and create space for innovation around onboarding practices.

Contact: Marci Birkes

Payroll and Benefits CoP

Bringing together payroll and benefits professionals across UW–Madison to identify challenges, successes, and best practices in the work that is performed. The group’s domain will evolve over the next year as they establish their rhythm and select the topics they would like to discuss. The group currently meets monthly for 90 minutes.

Contact: Tim Delaney, Barb Walters

Recruitment CoP

Intended to provide HR Professionals who handle recruitment responsibilities at UW–Madison an opportunity to share best practices, learn, provide feedback, network, and collaboratively interact with campus peers. The CoP encourages communication to foster an increased and renewed ability to recruit top talent to campus.

Contact: Kaylie Anderson, Leah Stoiber

Volunteer Managers CoP

This group meets quarterly to discuss volunteer-related topics, including recruitment, retention, volunteer recognition, and potential policy impacts. It aims to share best practices and support program managers with collective brainstorming for volunteer-related challenges and opportunities. There is no requirement to be a manager to participate.

Contact: Steve Ticknor

Workforce Relations (WR) CoP

The WR CoP brings together Divisional HR Representatives who manage workforce relations matters. It provides a dedicated space for thoughtful dialogue on complex topics and policies—especially those that require critical thinking beyond standard workflows. These conversations help HR professionals navigate challenging situations more effectively and offer valuable insights that inform the Workforce Relations Team’s approach and support strategies.

Contact: Kelley Novak, Kathleen Smith, Megan Dzyuba

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