A Brock business professor has received a top award for her research and contributions to human resources.
Deborah Zinni, associate professor of Human Resources Management, was awarded the Right Management HR Academic of the Year Award at the annual Human Resources Summit Awards on Jan. 26.
Deborah Zinni
Zinni is chair of Organizational Behaviour, Human Resources, Entrepreneurship and Ethics and first got involved in human resources as an employee more than 30 years ago.
“I found I really had a knack for it in terms of organizing things and being able to deal with employees,” she said. “I like the way that HR systems work together with management systems to help organizations reach their goals.”
Over the past 25 years, she has sat on numerous committees at the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). She is also past president of the Toronto West Human Resources Professional Chapter, and twice a year, helps students prepare for their national certification sponsored by the Canadian Council of Human Resources Association.
Since becoming a professor in 2002, her research interests have included union participation, the unionization of graduate students and the retention of Aboriginal employees. Most recently she has authored several papers on the volunteerism of older workers in healthcare. She has authored several textbooks, and increased the number of students studying Human Resources at Brock by working with her colleagues to develop the undergraduate MBA and MSc graduate programs.
The award, Zinni said, makes her feel honoured to be following in the footsteps of human resources professionals she respects.
“I’m very honoured to get that award,” she said. “There are a lot of other deserving people as well who do a lot to help the profession.”
Zinni’s favourite part of teaching, however, is the students.
“I really, really enjoy seeing students succeed. I just love when they leave here and are working in the field and I get an email from them telling me about how they’re doing.”
The HR Summit Awards are presented by the HRPA and the Canadian HR Reporter.
