Christine Ackley is the director of human resources within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
In January 2023, Christine Ackley joined OVCR’s human resources (HR) office from the UNC School of Medicine. Most recently, she was the clinical HR lead, where she oversaw a team of consultants and managed the HR functions for five clinical departments within the school’s HR service center.
UNC Research spoke to Ackley about her new role and what’s next for the office.
What drew you to a career in HR?
I hadn’t given HR much thought until I worked as the Office Manager for Carolina Student Legal Services. That role exposed me to just how challenging and variable each day could be when fielding various human resources-related issues. In addition to the variety, assisting people with employment matters, or attempting to improve training and development within our office was particularly satisfying for me.
I’ve always loved helping people when I could, and I was introduced to a potential career path that would allow me to do this. Shortly after that position, I decided to pursue my MS with a concentration in Human Resource Management and have never looked back.
What role does the HR Service Center play within OVCR and beyond?
The HR Service Center centralizes many tasks, tearing down a lot of the silos that can be created when units manage items independently. Most employees working within OVCR wear numerous hats, and often HR-related items can be difficult to navigate. Having our office in place allows for my team to focus and excel in the area of HR.
The goal of our group of HR consultants and specialists is to relieve the burden of keeping up with ever-changing HR policies and procedures. Having the Service Center in place frees up employees in other OVCR units to focus on supporting our thriving research enterprise — the reason they took their positions in the first place.
What plans do you have for the service center?
We are currently working to fill a few vacancies and the plan is to be fully staffed within a month or two. My plan is to focus on the immediate needs of the departments, and this includes having a committed and reliable HR representative responsible for all HR matters for a given department. To continue with the theme of customer service, I would like to see our team not only meet the needs of each department they support, but also anticipate upcoming needs as well. It may be a bit ambitious, but I’d really like our service center to be a role model for others on campus.
What would you like OVCR employees to know about their HR services?
Our team is incredibly talented and motivated to do a great job for all OVCR employees. We are always here and willing to assist in anything that may come up. Our focus is on customer service, so the expectation is that we are thoroughly guiding everyone through processes that may be complicated or tedious, but in a manner that makes it easy for OVCR employees to navigate. We are ready and willing to assist with any HR-related task that may come up and are always happy to make time for even the simplest of inquiries.