We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carla Dykstra. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carla below.
Hi Carla, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
WilcoHR is an affiliate of the Society of Human Resource Management, the world’s largest human resource management and professional organization, WilcoHR members enjoy many benefits. WilcoHR’s mission is to serve the Professional, Advance the Profession. Members of Williamson County Human Resource Management Association (WilcoHR) play a strategic role in the leadership, management, and success of their respective Williamson and North Travis County (and in most cases throughout Texas and/or nationwide) businesses and organizations.
Williamson County Human Resource Management Association held its first meeting in April 1997. Today WilcoHR has over one hundred fifty members and continues to grow. In 2022, WilcoHR changed our motto to People Focused Purpose Driven.
Our purpose is to support, develop, and engage local HR professionals and develop HR leaders. HR has involved so much since this association began 26 years ago. Our jobs as HR Professionals became more complex in the wake of the pandemic and remote work. It changed how we deal with challenges (i.e. virtual meetings, extended illnesses, returning to the workplace, reductions in force) in our workplaces. It changed the way we do and support business. We learned how to quickly pivot. Not only did many organizations but WilcoHR did as well.
At WilcoHR, our mission is to serve as a supportive, engaging community for local HR professionals and affiliates, facilitating high-quality, dynamic programs and opportunities to develop HR competencies, inspire HR leaders, and advance the HR profession. Because of this and our ever changing work environments, WilcoHR had to pivot to focus on upskilling HR Professionals and those who do work of HR and we led the way of doing that in Central Texas. From holding our meetings in a multiple locations to accommodate members who work within the 7 counties we support to making sure we are inclusive.
Our vision is to inspire and develop a community of engaged, local HR leaders that help their organizations thrive and advance the HR profession. We love our community and people who live, work, and visit Williamson County.
Our Board is the most diverse in the state of Texas. We truly believe in our core values and demonstrate them in the work we do through WilcoHR. Our core values are:
Commitment: We believe in actively supporting each other and are committed to advance the HR profession within our community.
Collaboration and Outreach: We want to build positive relationships and encourage our members to take an active role in the realization of our vision and mission.
Learning and Growth: We benefit from the diversity and experiences of our members and strive to follow a path of continuous learning and growth.
Integrity: We value ethics and integrity with compassion for one another, delivering on the promises we make.
Leadership: We want to lead together and help enable our members to influence positive outcomes.
There was a time when no one knew about WilcoHR. Now people in the community are familiar with our association, but now they know and this will continue in the future. Our work goes well beyond HR. If we are attending a Round Rock Express game and introducing their fans to WilcoHR through their community spotlight or volunteering our time as a partner with the Texas Baptist Children’s Home, you will find us cleaning up our local parks. We are and will continue to make a difference in the lives of people who live in our community.
Carla, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born in raised in Riverside, California. I am the youngest of 4 children and due to the age gap between myself and my siblings, I grew up like an only child. Because of that, my family felt different to me. My hometown was known for having gangs but my parents provided us with access to activities so we would never be involved in them. My father experienced racism growing up and my mother, who is light skinned, had different experiences than my father. My dream was to go to law school to become an attorney. My father, who had an 8th grade education, didn’t believe I needed to go to college because he felt a person could learn and be successful in life without it. So I went to college and paid for it myself. I didn’t graduate because I started working full time, got married and moved along in my life. Fast forward to now, I returned to college in 2010 and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree then followed up and completed my Master’s degree. I’ve worked in human resources for 25 years. The profession fell into my lap as I worked temp to hire jobs and finally got my break and offered a position in Human Resources and the rest is history. At the time, I worked in a male dominated environment as a Safety Coordinator and always believed I had something to prove to people as I have often been passed over for promotion in favor of men and/or less qualified individuals. My hard work paid off and I ended up serving in many HR roles from Generalist to Regional HR Manager for various organizations in manufacturing, distribution, retail, a start up, higher education to name a few industries. After working hard to get where I am now, my focus and passion is to give back to all people struggling to be successful in their career (or life) and influence them to speak up for themselves or their voice especially in the current work environment.
I moved from San Diego, California to Round Rock, Texas, just north of Austin, in the Spring of 2017. A multitude of things were not what I was accustomed to, but I love it here. The only difficult part moving to a new city where you know absolutely no one, is meeting new people. This is how I became involved with WilcoHR, first as a member.
I started working as a Senior Compensation Analyst for the local community college and worked there for 5 1/2 years and went to work in the same role for a well know global organization. In 2022, I became a Board Member overseeing Programs for the Chapter and was also elected as President Elect. In 2023, I took over the reign as President. I had been serving on the Board for the Texas Diversity Council – Central Texas Advisory Board because I wanted to meet people and assimilate to living and working in Texas. Yes, I was treated different because I was from California. Another different experience than what I was used to. Hence my reason for becoming involved in the local HR Association and the TDC-CTAB. I also serve as the President of the Texas Diversity Council – Central Texas Advisory Board.
I am known for possessing proactive communication practices and has had great success in building consultative, collaborative relationships with leadership and colleagues at all levels. My specialties are HR Leadership, Policy and Procedures, Culture Enhancement, Project Management, Learning and Development, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Benefits Administration, Workers’ Compensation, Safety, Employee Engagement, Workforce Planning, and Compensation. I serve as a mentor to emerging business and HR professionals through various associations. Most importantly, I stand for always fostering an inclusive work environment and respect all aspects of diversity.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I was married young (in 1995) and then found myself in a separated in (2008). In 2010, he suddenly passed away two months before our divorce was final. I learned so many things about him that I never knew being married for that long. He was a stranger to me. I went bankrupt twice, laid off from jobs many times, I moved back home multiple times, and I ended up remarrying in 2013. Unfortunately, after 10 years of what was the perfect marriage with the most amazing man and rebuilding myself to be a strong woman, we divorced. My perfect world seemed gone in a blink of an eye.
With no family in Texas, for the third time in my life, I am starting over. I’m still dealing with the lost feeling of not knowing someone else did not love me. It happens to all of us. I know I’m not alone. I have been through a lot and hit the low of lows but I know it has helped me learn to be grateful for what I have accomplished in my life. Through these difficult times I understand that things could be so much worse. I grew up in what I now know as a lower income family, not having much, but knowing my parents provided me with everything my heart ever desired. I am always aware of where I came from and fortunate to know where I am and what I have now.
I share my experiences with other people so that no one has to go through what I have gone through. I don’t want people to feel the same pain I have felt. I try to be an example of how you can improve your life, no matter what your upbringing was. I also believe possessing and practicing empathy is important and understanding that everyone has bad days. No one should ever compare ourselves to other people and dwell on their hardships. There is a time when we all have to pick ourselves up and keep going. If I can embody this in front of other people and provide support to people in need, we will see change within the HR industry and in our society.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Working in Human Resources, you always have to be ready and open to pivot at all times. Every day is different. No one day is the same, even working in Compensation. I am faced with challenges every day as President of both associations. If it isn’t my recent divorce, changes in work dynamics, etc… It’s been a hard lesson to learn but one cannot control every aspect of life. And it is true that is how we react when something happens (good or bad) that makes us who we are. We can be disappointed or excited when it does. Always remember your mind set.
About a year ago, my eldest brother sent me an Instagram Reel made by a former NFL player. In short, a former coach talked about always being ready to say “yes: and having an open mindset and to be ready for anything you receive. This coach didn’t have experience as a football coach, he was primarily a basketball coach. This was an amazing story because he embraced an opportunity that what was brought to him and it provided him with more than he realized and expected.
My lesson from that Reel was it is important to be ready for everything coming my way. As I have gotten older, I start to remember a lot of things my dad used to say to me as a little girl. One thing being this… always embrace what comes your way and be open to everything. You never will know when a path will lead to a pot of gold.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @carladykstra951
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/carla-dykstra