Faculty
Ramona Agrela
Bio: Ramona Agrela is a dynamic and strategic human resources executive with extensive experience leading HR functions in complex, fast-paced environments. As the senior vice president of human resources at UC Irvine, she is responsible for shaping and executing the organization’s people strategy, driving organizational culture and fostering an inclusive and high-performance workplace. With a passion for helping organizational leaders achieve their strategic goals through progressive talent management strategies, she truly believes that HR’s role is to empower people to drive a culture of innovation, learning and service. She is involved in her community both professionally and personally. She is active with the Southern California Chapter of CUPA-HR, SHRM, WorldatWork, and the Professional in Human Resources Association.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s of public administration, both from California State University, Fullerton. She is a SHRM-certified senior professional, a WorldatWork certified compensation professional and a Human Capital Institute Strategic HR Business Partner.
Fun Fact: I have a deep passion for all animals but particularly large dogs. At one point, I owned four dogs.
Amy Boyle
Bio: Amy Boyle is the vice president for human resources at Purdue University, bringing more than 23 years of progressive experience within Purdue’s HR organization. Prior to assuming her current role, she served as associate vice president for talent, where she advanced Purdue’s reputation as a leader in the development, engagement, retention and attraction of innovative talent. Throughout her career at Purdue, she has held leadership roles spanning recruitment, compensation, employee relations and enterprise HR strategy, providing her with a comprehensive and strategic perspective on workforce excellence in higher education. She attended the inaugural ARU‑HRI CHRO Academy in 2023. In January 2026, she expanded her responsibilities to include serving as chief human resources officer for Purdue Global, alongside her role at Purdue University.
Known for uniting teams and providing clear strategic direction, she has led several high‑impact initiatives, including the successful integration of the former Student Life and Physical Facilities HR teams — enhancing service delivery while simplifying processes and eliminating redundancies. She has played key leadership roles in Transform Purdue, the Human Capital Management (SuccessFactors) implementation, the job family structure initiative and the Future of Work project. Before joining Purdue, she began her HR career in manufacturing as an HR generalist. She is an active member of CUPA‑HR and a graduate of the Collegiate Management Institute and the American Research Universities Human Resource Institute. She holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and supervision from Purdue University and an MBA from Purdue Global, reflecting her deep commitment to innovation, inclusive leadership and building a dynamic, future‑ready workplace.
Fun Fact: I enjoy spending time in Chicago, especially in the summer months when it’s warm enough to be on the beach.
Melissa S. Curry
Bio: Melissa S. Curry, M.Ed., SHRM-SCP, serves as vice president for human resources at the University of Florida, leading efforts to elevate employee engagement and retention for more than 33,000 employees. As vVice president, she spearheaded enterprise-wide strategies for faculty hiring, executive searches, classification and compensation structures, and UF’s implementation of Workday to modernize HR operations and position UF as an employer of choice. Over her 27-year career at UF, she has championed initiatives that reimagine the employee experience, build organizational effectiveness, and create a strong culture of accountability and performance. Prior to her current role, Curry led a number of system implementations, recruitment efforts for the Faculty 500 initiative, and launched the Strategic Talent Group, an internal executive search group created to assist with UF’s high-level and difficult-to-fill positions.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her master’s degree in higher education administration from UF. She is completing her doctoral degree in educational leadership at UF.
Fun Fact: I’m a huge Swiftie and believe some experiences are worth going all in for — so I traveled to Los Angeles, London and Vancouver to see the Eras Tour and was lucky enough to attend the final show.
Shari Mickey-Boggs
Bio: Shari Mickey-Boggs serves as the senior associate chancellor and chief human resources officer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, bringing more than 30 years of human resources experience, including two decades of distinguished leadership in HR transformation across both public and private higher education institutions. A strategic, values-driven executive, she oversees a comprehensive HR portfolio encompassing organizational strategy, workplace culture and well-being; employee experience and engagement; talent acquisition and development; compensation; labor and employee relations; policy design; HR systems and analytics; and regulatory compliance.
Her academic foundation includes a bachelor’s degree in political science and an MBA, and she is currently advancing her expertise through doctoral studies in education policy and organizational leadership. She is a graduate of the National Academy for Human Resources CHRO Academy and the Harvard Institute for Educational Management Higher Education Program. A certified Core Strengths facilitator and an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation, she integrates coaching and strengths-based development into her leadership approach.
She is a dedicated leader in the national HR community, serving on the ARU-HRI board and as past president of the Society of Higher Education HR Executives. She is a champion for innovation, inclusion and excellence in HR practices across academia. When she’s not powering through Pilates, she’s busy attending a sporting event, checking national parks off her list — 36 down, 27 to go — and plotting her next adventure. Next stop: South Korea!
Fun Fact: I’ve explored 49 U.S. states and 36 national parks so far, and I won’t stop until I’ve seen them all!
Michelle Piekutowski
Bio: Michelle Piekutowski currently serves as the vice president and chief human resources officer for NYU, with over 20 years of leadership experience in higher education. She is a seasoned human resources professional with a demonstrated track record of driving transformation within higher education institutions. Previously, she served as associate vice president and chief HR officer at Carnegie Mellon University and associate vice president for human resources and chief HR officer at Clemson University. She is an expert in her field and has presented on several HR topics, such as strategic HR analytics, diversity and inclusion training, and competitive compensation programs. Her extensive experience has equipped her with strong values, a proven ability to realign resources for success and a passion for transformational change. She is recognized for her expertise in human resources and her ability to lead strategically.
Her current and most recent professional affiliations include sitting on the National Chief HR Council for The Conference Board, the TIAA Advisory Committee, and the board for the American Research University-HR Institute, where she currently serves as chair. She also serves as a member of the CNBC Workforce Executive Council and the Society for Human Resource Management Executive Network. Additionally, she has served as an HR legislative advocate for the Society for Human Resource Management, on the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium advisory board, and as past president and vice president of the CUPA-HR South Carolina Chapter. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business education from Western Carolina University and a master’s in human resource development from Clemson University.
Fun Fact: I enjoy cleaning out closets.
Cheryl Reardon
Bio: Cheryl Reardon has dedicated more than 35 years to the University of Iowa, serving in leadership roles across student life, academic administration, and research and economic development. She was appointed chief human resources officer and associate vice president in September 2016, where she leads HR strategy and operations for a large, complex public institution employing more than 34,000 people across its academic and health care enterprises.
She holds a Master of Science from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a Bachelor of Arts from St. Ambrose University. At Iowa, she has contributed to four campus-wide strategic planning processes, served on regional and state committees and served as Staff Council president in 2004. Nationally, she has served as past chair and vice president of the ARU-HRI Council, representing CHROs within the Association of American Universities, and as a member of the TIAA National Advisory Council.
Fun Fact: I bleed black and gold. Go Hawks! I also ride my bike across the state of Iowa every summer as part of RAGBRAI. It’s the best week of the year.
Helena Rodrigues
Bio: Helena A. Rodrigues is chief human resources officer at the University of Arizona and a member of the university’s senior leadership team, where she serves as a strategic advisor on workforce, organizational and operational priorities. In this role, she leads the division of human resources for an R1 institution supporting more than 18,000 employees and 16,000 affiliates, including the University of Arizona Health Sciences and the University of Arizona Global Campus. She brings extensive leadership experience across higher education and the private sector. She is a member of the TIAA Advisory Council and is vice chair of the national board of directors for the American Research Universities Human Resources Institute, where she contributes to shaping national dialogue on workforce strategy in research universities. Actively engaged in her community, she sits on the board of directors for the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and for the Carondelet Health Network. In addition to her senior leadership role at the University of Arizona, she holds an academic appointment as professor of practice in the School of Government and Public Policy within the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Fun Fact: I love Pilates.
Patrick Sheehan
Bio: Patrick Sheehan is the associate vice chancellor and chief human resources officer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In this capacity, he oversees the university’s human resources strategy and operations, supporting more than 22,000 faculty and staff across the campus, including the academic medical center. With over 15 years of service at UW-Madison, he has held multiple senior leadership roles within the office of human resources, including director of talent acquisition and retention, director of workforce relations, and chief of employment relations. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing inclusive hiring practices, enhancing employee engagement and aligning HR initiatives with institutional priorities.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University and holds both a juris doctorate and an MBA from Willamette University, with a specialization in employment law and human resources management.
Fun Fact: I played professional soccer in Germany (a very long time ago).
Eugene Whitlock
Bio: As UC Berkeley’s chief people and culture officer (associate vice chancellor), Eugene Whitlock leads a 90-person human resources department including talent acquisition, people and organization development, employee and labor relations, compensation, benefits, staff engagement and belonging, UCPath campus operations and HRIS. He also serves on the governing board of the American Research Universities-Human Resources Institute and the Human Resources Leadership Council for the University of California. During his time at UC Berkeley, he has emphasized the creation of a workplace where everyone can be themselves and feel like they belong.
Prior to UC Berkeley, he served as the vice chancellor, human resources and general gounsel for the San Mateo County Community College District. He is most proud of his work to infuse equity into the hiring process by rewriting job announcements and interview questions, as well as training each person who is part of the decision-making process on the benefits of diversity and reducing the impact of unconscious bias. In 2017, the Association of California Community College Administrators selected him for its Progress in Diversity Award given for outstanding achievement in support of diversity in the higher education community.
He also served as a deputy county counsel for the County of San Mateo for eight years, where he primarily served as outside counsel for K-12 school districts. He has also worked as a corporate attorney for Davis Polk in New York, Tokyo and Menlo Park, as an investment banker for Deutsche Bank in San Francisco, and as a project manager for Stiftung, Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin.
He obtained his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Stanford University and earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Michigan. He is also a fluent speaker of Spanish and German.
Fun Fact: I have traveled to over 60 countries.