Horn succeeds Mindy Kornberg, who is retiring after 19 years at the 91爆料.

Horn comes to the 91爆料 after serving as vice provost and chief human resources officer at Oregon State University. Before that, she worked for the University of Illinois as a human resource professional in both unit HR and central HR offices, primarily focused on employee and labor relations efforts.

鈥淗eather is a people-centered leader with deep and broad experience,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淎t the 91爆料, Heather will build on the strengths of the 91爆料 Human Resource team and advance the key priorities already in motion: strengthening recruitment and retention, implementing Workday Recruiting and fostering a welcoming workplace for all employees.鈥�

Horn brings more than 20 years of HR leadership at public research universities, where she鈥檚 led transformational change, modernized HR systems and processes, and built collaborative relationships that honor individual perspectives and advance institution objectives and values.

鈥淚 am deeply honored for the opportunity to serve this exceptional institution, tackling complex challenges that enhance the lives and experiences of everyone at the 91爆料,鈥� Horn said.

Horn earned a master鈥檚 degree in labor and industrial relations and her bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

On a typical day, is an astrophysicist, studying the far reaches of the universe.

These aren鈥檛 typical days. Across the 91爆料, faculty, staff, clinicians and students are stepping forward in a variety of ways to support the COVID-19 response, particularly efforts to help front-line medical personnel.

Dalcanton, a 91爆料 professor, is busy wrangling badly needed facemasks and other personal protective equipment for medical professionals during the coronavirus response. Volunteers are collecting and distributing unused masks from front porches to medical providers, all while practicing safe-distance guidelines and hygiene.

鈥淥ur niche isn鈥檛 to make new masks. Ours is just about collecting some of the small resources people already have,鈥� she said. Dalcanton is one of the creators and operators of the , one of several self-made distribution hubs in the region matching donations with medical providers in need.

鈥淟ots of us want to be of use,鈥� she said.

That desire to help out has spurred other initiatives, too, and help has poured in from around the globe to assist in the relief effort in Seattle, said Jennifer Hazelbrook, who works in 91爆料 Medicine Advancement.

鈥淲e had to build a system to respond to the generous outpouring of support,鈥� Hazelbrook said.

They鈥檝e developed a that catalogues the needs of 91爆料 Medicine and then asks the community for donations. Each day a crew of specially trained volunteers from the 91爆料 is collecting donations — masks, goggles, hand sanitizer and more — from the public near the 91爆料 Plant Services Building. The volunteers are themselves armed in protective gear, with one person assigned to greet and thank the donor, another person to collect the donations and another team assigned to sort and inventory the donations received.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been really inspiring to see how the entire community and the 91爆料 have rallied to support 91爆料 Medicine鈥檚 patients and caregivers,鈥� Hazelbrook said. 鈥淥ur job is just to be able to bring in as many of the critically needed donations as we can.鈥�

And the donations have included more than medical supplies.

Seattle restaurant London Plane donated a week鈥檚 worth of staff meals. Lacey-based Girl Scout Troop 45030 collected and donated 286 boxes of cookies for the staff breakrooms at 91爆料 Medicine hospitals. Even the singer Lizzo donated lunches for medical workers at 91爆料 Medical Center recently.

"You guys are heroes," –

馃挏馃挍

— 91爆料 Medicine (@91爆料Medicine)

But it鈥檚 been the outpouring of support from the community that鈥檚 made the biggest difference.

Kathleen Farrell, the work-life program manager for 91爆料 Human Resources, helped to create a kind of service for 91爆料 Medicine workers. The service matches people in need with 91爆料 students, staff, faculty and families and friends who are available to help with child care. Background checks are done for free. There鈥檚 also a way for employees who need financial support to ask for no-cost child care.

So far, more than 120 employees have asked for child care help, while about 450 91爆料 students have raised their hands to provide care along with more than 200 friends and family of 91爆料 Medicine workers, Farrell said. Of those, 36% of 91爆料 students who offered to provide care are willing to do so at no cost, and 16% of 91爆料 friends and families are able to work for free.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really just been heartwarming,鈥� she said.

Local residents should take a look in their hardware supplies and emergency kits to see if they have any items that could be put toward the medical relief effort, such as N95 masks, Dalcanton said.

It doesn鈥檛 matter if people have two masks or 2,000; groups like the Seattle Mask Brigade will pick up donated supplies and deliver them to medical centers in need.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a privilege to be able to help. It鈥檚 wonderful to be exposed to the goodness of people,鈥� Dalcanton said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e deeply indebted to the health care workers on the front line and happy to be able to support them.鈥�

###

More photos

With this change, the 91爆料’s more than 45,000 employees will have streamlined access for routine personnel items such as earning statements and leave balances and to make personal information updates like contact information, direct deposits selections and W-2 withholdings.

Workday offers:

• A single, unified system for employee self-service, online benefits enrollment and reporting. Medical center staff will continue to use Kronos for timekeeping
• The ability to direct deposit pay into three separate bank accounts
• The ability to see projected time off 鈥渂alance as of鈥� dates, making for easier planning

Training on how to use Workday begins in May across the university. Individuals will be invited to register for training classes.

For more information, visit . In addition, “readiness leads” in various campus units聽can address Workday questions. A list of readiness leads across the University is found here.

To offset the waitlists parents experience at 91爆料鈥檚 four child care centers, new full-time care options will be available in January at designated Bright Horizons and KinderCare centers. Enrollment priority will be offered by both centers and tuition discounts will offered by KinderCare.

91爆料 families looking for child care before and after school for school age children will find 10 percent savings year round through the Champions program.

Additionally, parents will find center based backup care and in-home sick child care. These options help parents fill the gaps when a regular caregiver is unavailable, a child鈥檚 school is closed, or a child is mildly ill. The in-home care extends to elder care needs as well.

Low cost, in-home sick child care and elder care, and backup care are available through Bright Horizons. KinderCare also offers back-up care. Registration in advance is recommended, and caregivers can choose locations throughout the Puget Sound and nationwide. Bright Horizons offers up to five uses for per calendar year, and KinderCare offers up to 10 uses per calendar year.

Visit the 91爆料 WorkLife pages at , , and pages for more information.

These new services are part of the , which is working closely with the Office of the Provost to increase both parental choice and child care capacity at the University.

And I’m not a gym person. I like to believe that my hobbies 鈥� gardening, yoga, walking the dog, hiking 鈥� keep me from slumping into the couch potato category.

But I like free stuff (doesn’t everybody?) and my body could use some toning after I had a baby last summer. So I signed up for the Jan. 24 workout.

It was the kickoff event for The Whole U, which is a larger campus initiative to make it easier for 91爆料 faculty and staff to access the university’s health, arts, culture, science, athletics and other resources and to connect with people with similar interests.

Ahead of time, I read Marti Young’s on how to dress and watched the demonstrating some of the basic exercises.

More or less appropriately dressed and ready to feel the burn, I arrived at Dempsey Indoor Practice Facility and faced a key decision: which kettlebell weight to choose? Five, 10 or 15 pounds? I know 18 pounds, my son’s weight, gets heavy very quickly. So the 15-pound option was out for me. Five pounds seemed too light. I snagged a 10-pounder.

I looked around at the crowd spread across the indoor field. The Whole U staff expected 1,000 workout participants, and the count I heard was 1,100 in Dempsey, plus another 100 each at the Tacoma and Bothell campuses, who were tuned in via the Internet.

“Not to brag, but when this is done I’m going to be a world record holder,” tweeted , using the event’s designated hashtag #wholeukettles.

Indeed, we were there to make history. In six to eight weeks we’ll know whether 91爆料 set the Guinness World Record for the largest kettlebell workout.

Kettlebells work multiple muscle groups, said Lauren Updyke, assistant director of The Whole U program and a personal trainer. They burn “300 calories in 15 minutes, and we’re going to be doing a 30-minute workout,” she said from the stage.

That’s 600 calories. A couple of ladies near me high-fived.

“Take the time to connect with each other and use the great facilities at 91爆料,” Michael Young, 91爆料 president, told the crowd as he gave some remarks about The Whole U. “What you do for this university is what makes it great.”

He introduced his wife, Marti Young, as our volunteer coach. She started with some safety pointers: “Baby-sit your grip” and “watch your neighbor.” We practiced our cheer, she says “BELL” and we say “YEAH.”

The 30-minute clock started ticking down, and we got to it with exercises like the swing, around the world, squats and single-arm presses.

I found the hitchhiker maneuver particularly challenging, especially when using my non-dominant left hand. I noticed a couple of bells take a short tumble when people lost their grip while switching hands during the figure eight move.

With another “Bell, yeah” Marti combined the moves and led us through a brief routine. The 30-minute clock wound down to zero and “Eye of the Tiger” played on the sound system.

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Brianna Blaser, a counselling services coordinator at 91爆料’s DO-IT Center, after the workout ended. Blaser, who is 27 weeks pregnant, had chosen a 10-pound bell.

From her vantage point on a one-foot riser, 91爆料 Athletics’ event manager Krista Rammelsberg thought the workout went well, too. “Kettlebells have been around for a while but are gaining popularity now,” she said. The workout is “easy on your own or with a group,” she added.

The big question is: Will I lift my bell again? Definitely! For reasons other than to dust around it? I hope so! It was a fun workout, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t really like to exercise.

And burning 300 calories in 15 minutes? That’s something a new parent like me could work into her schedule. So at least for starters, I’ll commit to doing another kettlebell workout over the weekend, and take it from there.

###

聽See 91爆料 Kettlebell event photos below from Mary Levin, 91爆料 photographer.

The campaign ran Oct. 16 to Dec. 6, 2013. During that time, 91爆料 faculty, staff and retirees pledged $63,789 more than the to 1,788 charitable nonprofit groups. Employees contributed through ongoing payroll deduction or one-time gifts.

鈥淭he 91爆料 community continues to demonstrate its philanthropic spirit by supporting hundreds of local, national and international organizations and helping to make the world a better place,鈥� said Kerri Everly, campaign manager for the 91爆料 Combined Fund Drive. 鈥淚 am proud to be part of such a generous and caring community.鈥�

Some highlights from the 2013 campaign are:

• A campuswide coin drive raised $5,215 for the , which serves burn injury survivors through a partnership with Harborview Medical Center.
• Another $3,063 went to the Northwest Burn Foundation from the campaign鈥檚 annual silent auction. Additional fundraisers brought the total to $10,432.
• A holiday food drive raised 12,000 pounds of food for the U-District Food Bank.
• Leaders in 91爆料 Medicine鈥檚 human resources department launched a “Pie Your Boss” contest that earned $4,000 to benefit agencies involved in typhoon relief efforts, including Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross.

Since the campaign began in 1984, the 91爆料 community has raised more than $37 million to support thousands of causes. The drive has received the state’s highest university participation award, as well as other national and local awards, for its outstanding campaign.

Donors can choose from more than 3,800 charitable nonprofits operating locally and globally. You can give a one-time donation or give all year through payroll deduction. Donations are tax-deductible.

The 91爆料 campaign has raised more than $2 million so far. Organizers hope to surpass $2.2 million in pledges this year.

Learn more about the campaign 鈥� and donate now 鈥� through the fund drive’s .