Mary Sonner, director of personnel services at Tusculum College, was recently named treasurer of the Tennessee College and University Personnel Association (CUPA). Her term began July 1, and she will serve until June 30, 2012.
“Being elected onto the Board of Directors will provide me with great leadership experience,” she said. Her job as treasurer will be to present to the Board of Directors the chapter’s annual budget and periodically report on the chapter’s fiscal status.
Mary Sonner
She will recommend to the Board of Directors all fiscal policies and operating procedures. Sonner came to Tusculum College in 2005, and has been a member of CUPA since July 2006. She has been involved in Human Resources for 20 years in both the profit and nonprofit aspects of the field.
CUPA’s mission is to “provide dynamic leadership to the higher education human resources profession and the higher education community by delivering essential knowledge, resources and connections that enhance individual and institutional capacity and effectiveness.”
According to Sonner, participation in the organization benefits her not only professionally, but also directly benefits Tusculum College.
“I think it benefits me personally in giving an overview and insight on how colleges and universities compare to a corporate environment, and it benefits Tusculum College because it keeps us up-to-date on latest trends with higher education. This gives us a comparison base with other colleges and institutions of higher education.”
It is very important to stay networked within the human resource community on both legal and other trends, said Sonner. “Being involved on the Board of Directors gives me better insight. You just know more of what is going on in a more specialized way. It brings you more up-to-date on the current issues within the college and among other colleges.”