Getting to know the human resources team
by Mohsina Yusuf
It’s simple. The Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences can’t function without our human resources team. We know who to go to when we have questions about benefits or payroll, but today we get to know who they are outside of Emory. Meet Melinda Wilson, Althea Rutherford Edwards, and Erin Kirkland—a small team of three with three different personalities who undoubtedly mesh well together.
Melinda, the department’s human resources operations manager, oversees recruiting, benefits, compensation, and onboarding. She’s worked in human resources for 20 years, and almost half of that was spent with Emory. She even played a pivotal role in the merger and acquisition of Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. She’s been with Emory Radiology for over a year now.
Melinda’s most important role is being a mother. Her daughter currently also works at Emory. Her son is currently enrolled at Daytona State University and was a starting member on their men’s soccer team. What you might not know is the role Melinda played in her son’s college athletics career.
“Since he was 8 until he was 19, I traveled with him all over the Southeast for his soccer games. When it came time for college, I called the coach at Daytona State about doing an unofficial visit because I just had a feeling about the school,” shares Melinda. Her son was offered a spot on the team during their visit and it turns out her feeling was right. Talk about a mother’s intuition.
With her youngest off to college, Melinda shares she’s currently in the process of rediscovering herself. She enjoys staying physically active, particularly outdoors. Her evenings and weekends are frequently spent biking the BeltLine, kayaking, or walking. She spends so much time outdoors that she’s even managed to persuade her daughter, who considers herself more of an indoors person, to join her.
Melinda’s most important role is being a mother. Her daughter currently also works at Emory. Her son is currently enrolled at Daytona State University and was a starting member on their men’s soccer team. What you might not know is the role Melinda played in her son’s college athletics career.
“Since he was 8 until he was 19, I traveled with him all over the Southeast for his soccer games. When it came time for college, I called the coach at Daytona State about doing an unofficial visit because I just had a feeling about the school,” shares Melinda. Her son was offered a spot on the team during their visit and it turns out her feeling was right. Talk about a mother’s intuition.
With her youngest off to college, Melinda shares she’s currently in the process of rediscovering herself. She enjoys staying physically active, particularly outdoors. Her evenings and weekends are frequently spent biking the BeltLine, kayaking, or walking. She spends so much time outdoors that she’s even managed to persuade her daughter, who considers herself more of an indoors person, to join her.
Human Resources Operations Support Specialist Althea Rutherford Edwards has been with Emory since 2008 and has worked on both the healthcare and university sides of the enterprise. She provides comprehensive support in human resources such as employee onboarding, orientation, payroll, timekeeping, FMLA, and the processing of international scholars and observers. Althea also brings a wealth of experience in credentialing and is a credentialing specialist for the department. She earned her B.A. in sociology from Georgia State University and received her MBA with a concentration in health administration from Strayer University.
When not at work, Althea can be found watching or attending sporting events and cheering on her favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, and spending time with loved ones. Her favorite sports are football, basketball, gymnastics, and track. Althea participated in various athletic and dance activities in her home country of Guyana before she and her family moved to the United States when she was 10 years old; they lived in New York and New Jersey the first few months before settling in Georgia. Coincidentally, Althea comes from a medicine- and healthcare-oriented family. Her father was a physician, and her mother is currently a respiratory therapist at Emory. Her sister also works at Emory University Hospital Midtown in social work.
When not at work, Althea can be found watching or attending sporting events and cheering on her favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, and spending time with loved ones. Her favorite sports are football, basketball, gymnastics, and track. Althea participated in various athletic and dance activities in her home country of Guyana before she and her family moved to the United States when she was 10 years old; they lived in New York and New Jersey the first few months before settling in Georgia. Coincidentally, Althea comes from a medicine- and healthcare-oriented family. Her father was a physician, and her mother is currently a respiratory therapist at Emory. Her sister also works at Emory University Hospital Midtown in social work.
Erin Kirkland, also a human resources operations support specialist, is the youngest of the group. She joined Emory back in February 2019 after graduating from the University of West Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She was recently accepted to Clayton State University’s graduate degree program, and starting in March, she will pursue her MBA with a concentration in human resources leadership.
Erin is a music lover. Her favorite artists include Drake, PartyNextDoor, and anyone else on the October’s Very Own roster of recording artists. Outside of Emory, you can find Erin attending concerts. She’s seen Drake and PartyNextDoor, of course, as well as Migos, B2K, and Chris Brown. She hopes to continue growing her list. She also loves exploring Atlanta and traveling. She recently went on a cruise that stopped in Nassau, the Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk. She also plans to visit Cancun later this year.
Erin is a music lover. Her favorite artists include Drake, PartyNextDoor, and anyone else on the October’s Very Own roster of recording artists. Outside of Emory, you can find Erin attending concerts. She’s seen Drake and PartyNextDoor, of course, as well as Migos, B2K, and Chris Brown. She hopes to continue growing her list. She also loves exploring Atlanta and traveling. She recently went on a cruise that stopped in Nassau, the Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk. She also plans to visit Cancun later this year.
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