With a desire to provide the best employee experience as possible, Christina Ross is bringing this philosophy to her new role as the director of organizational development and human resources for the college. 

An experienced and enthusiastic HR professional, Ross has led teams domestically and globally focusing on employee relations, performance management and leadership development. Prior to joining the college, she was the HR leader at Fortune Brands Innovations and has worked within manufacturing, automotive, healthcare and higher education (University of Akron). 

Ross is active with the Cleveland chapter of The Society for Human Resource Management, and with the HR Leadership Group of Northeast Ohio, and she holds several certifications, including a HRCI Senior Professional in Human Resources’ Lean Continuous Improvement Green Belt certification.

We asked her several questions so that you can get to know her better. Feel free to reach out to introduce yourself or if you are in need of support.

Why did you choose CWRU?

I felt this role allowed me the opportunity to combine my passion and knowledge to drive real change in the employee experience within The College of Arts and Sciences. I look forward to expanding my knowledge of higher education to build long-lasting relationships with the faculty and staff of the college. 

What did you do prior to joining CWRU?

I have a background in data analysis and started my career within inventory management working as an analyst and then as a buyer. I learned early on my passion for people and really fell into HR. I have led teams supporting the full end-to-end HR processes, including department transformations, harmonized processes and systems, and self-funded various employee facing programs. 

I have a continuous improvement mindset, so you will find me asking a lot of questions about the way things work and what could be optimized to improve the overall experience.

What do you like most about being an HR professional?

I am passionate about people and working to create the best employee experience possible motivates me. I firmly believe if I create the right environment for people to learn and grow, we all succeed and create the culture you want to be a part of. 

What do you look forward to in your professional career?

I am focused on continuing to learn and looking forward to getting to know the CWRU team and how I can support their own careers and development opportunities. 

Do you have any personal goals, hobbies, family, interests that you would like to share?

I’m an unpaid Uber driver for my children who are way more popular than myself. When I’m not running them around to sporting events, I can be found hiking, kayaking and attending any and all live music concerts that I can find!