Leading Forward: Rob Richardson 

Ensures people operations run smoothly and efficiently

Title: Director of Human Resources 
Works closely with: School staff and faculty, staff development, benefits and leave programs, employee relations, and University HR partnerships
Years at UT: 13 
Hometown: Northport, New York
Education: B.A. ’08, University of Richmond;  M.A. ’10, Ohio State University   
First job: Residential community director at Dickinson College

What are your top priorities when it comes to learning, leadership development, and building community at McCombs?

My primary role is partnering with department leaders and managers across the school to align our staffing strategy and programs with the school’s academic, student success, and research priorities. Given feedback from multiple staff engagement surveys, we created the Rising Leaders Program, now in its third year, to provide a cohort-based, yearlong learning experience to staff members across McCombs. It focuses on critical leadership topics such as strategic planning and navigating conflict while offering insights into building trust, alignment and collaborative environments with teams.

Another priority has been building community across the school, which has been led by our Staff Advisory Council (SAC). So many of our roles require cross-team collaboration, and the SAC has played an integral role in helping staff feel connected to the community through monthly socials. Finally, a highlight of my year is our annual staff awards ceremony, where the school celebrates staff accomplishments and recognizes team members who are celebrating milestone years of service to the University. This event regularly leads me to reflect on how lucky McCombs is to have engaged alumni and donors invested in the success of our school’s community. 

How does your team support staff and faculty throughout their time at McCombs, from onboarding to overall well-being?

In addition to the regular partnership with department leaders and managers, my team and I are heavily focused on being responsive to the needs of our staff and faculty community. At times, the partnerships are focused on successful recruitment efforts and providing a positive new employee experience.

Other times, it is working individually with staff and faculty on wellness programs and University resources. Like our business affairs colleagues, our goal is to “cut through the burnt orange tape” and successfully connect team members to University resources such as the Employee Assistance Program, HR’s Leave Management or HR Benefits group so that they maximize the University’s wellness, leave, insurance, and retirement programs. Our goal is to ensure that every community member has the appropriate resources to make meaningful contributions to the school’s academic and research activities. 

What is it about the McCombs community that makes it such a meaningful place to work?

My five years working at McCombs has been thrilling! McCombs staff and faculty embody our “Human Centered, Futured Focused” brand on a daily basis. We have a community that is highly invested in our mission and excited about educating the next generation of leaders. Each day, I learn something new about our external partnerships, the research happening across our academic disciplines, and the ways in which our staff support student learning and development. I appreciate the thoughtful, collaborative, and human-centered mindset our community brings to the table when we are solving dynamic problems together. What starts here really does change the world! 

• Hidden campus gem: Blanton Museum of Art — It’s such a great treat to have an art museum so close to McCombs. 

• Favorite Austin hangout: Town Lake. I love running along the trail or kayaking on the lake with friends.

• Burnt orange gear: The Jacob Hashimoto tote bag from the school’s staff and faculty Winter Soiree this past January. It’s become my go-to reusable bag. It’s a fun reminder of how special and transformative the art installations are for Rowling Hall.