New Student Supports ILR
Paula Sacks is newly enrolled in ILR’s Executive Master of Human Resource Management (EMHRM) program and she is already diving in. Before even stepping foot on campus, she made a gift on Giving Day.
“I am excited to support an institution that is giving me opportunities. When I learned on LinkedIn that I could increase my impact through ILR’s matching gift challenge for Giving Day, I immediately reached out to the development office to say I want to be part of the Cornell community coming together to give back,” says Sacks, one of more than 1,000 donors who give back to ILR every year.
Sacks started the EMHRM program in May and said that in just a few weeks, she can already see the valuable aspects of the program that she can immediately apply to her work.
She recently joined ENGIE as chief human resources officer, North America, in Houston, Texas. She knows that it will be a lot of work to start a new job and a master’s program, but Sacks did not want to put her career on hold while going back to school.
“It was challenging to find the right executive master’s program that would give me the blend of on-line convenience and on-campus experience until I learned of ILR’s new EMHRM program, where I will learn from world-renowned HR faculty while not putting my career on hold.”
Sacks is excited to build on her professional experiences in both the EMHRM program, as well as her new role with ENGIE. She has served in HR leadership roles in the energy and financial services sectors, most recently as vice president, Human Resources, for Fiserv Output Solutions in Houston.
Sacks lives in Houston with her husband, Jonathan, and their eight-year-old son, Austin. She loves traveling extensively and hosting dinner events for friends and family. “Our family is passionate about education and we have always supported educational institutions through volunteerism and philanthropy.” she said. Sacks and her family enjoy giving back to places which build opportunities for young people.
“As I have advanced in my career, I remember those that have been mentors and sponsors to me along the way. A commonality among all of them is how they continually give back to education and the HR community. I am passionate about continuing to further this cause” she said. “Through Cornell’s Giving Day, I was able to do that in a small way, as I joined other donors coming together to make a difference for ILR and the students who will benefit from my contribution.”