President's Message

December 29, 2025

Dear Members and Friends of SHRM Rainier West (formerly SHRM Olympia),

As we close out the year, I want to begin by sharing how immensely grateful and truly lucky I feel to have served as your President this year. It has been an honor to lead this chapter during a year of meaningful progress, thoughtful change, and renewed direction—and I am deeply thankful for the trust, support, and engagement from our members, partners, and broader HR community.

This year, our chapter focused on building a stronger foundation for long-term sustainability and growth. Together, we advanced our governance and board structure, clarified roles and processes, strengthened partnerships, expanded visibility across the region, and laid the groundwork for future programming and leadership development. We invested time in listening, planning, and aligning our efforts so the chapter can continue to serve HR professionals with purpose and impact. None of this would have been possible without your participation, feedback, and continued support.

We already have the first three events of 2026 lined up, so be sure to stay tuned. If you’d like to stay up to date on upcoming programming, I encourage you to visit our Events page, where you’ll find details for our January event and soon-to-be-released information for February and March:
👉 Future Meetings and Events

As part of this transition, I’m excited to officially introduce our incoming President, Elcista Ridings, SHRM-SCP. Elcista brings a thoughtful, collaborative approach to leadership and a strong commitment to the future of our chapter. I’m confident she will continue building on this year’s work as we move into 2026.

There are many ways to engage with and partner alongside our chapter—whether through sponsorships, collaborations, event support, or other opportunities outlined in our partnership materials. If you’re interested in exploring how to get involved, please see the attached flyer.

We also want to hear from you. Your feedback helps shape our programming, priorities, and direction. Please consider sharing your thoughts by completing our brief survey:
👉 2025–2026 Survey

If you’re interested in serving in a leadership capacity, we currently have Board vacancies available. Board service is a meaningful way to contribute your expertise while helping guide the chapter forward. Learn more and apply here:
👉 2026 Board of Directors Information

While we’re proud of everything accomplished this year, we’re just getting started. As you may have seen, our chapter has entered an exciting new chapter under our new name, SHRM Rainier West. We invite you to join us during this time of growth and change. More great things are ahead in 2026, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.

As we head into the New Year, I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and fulfilling year ahead.

If you’d like to stay connected, you’re also welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn:
👉 LinkedIn Profile

With sincere gratitude,
Rosemary Mesa-Walton

2025 President, SHRM Rainier West
(formerly SHRM Olympia)

August 15, 2025

Dear SHRM Olympia Chapter Members and Partners,

Here we are in 2025 — a year that marks a quarter of a century into the new millennium, and one that’s already bringing exciting and meaningful change across our five-county region.

As your SHRM Olympia Chapter, we’re building something stronger, more inclusive, and more sustainable — together. This year is all about transition: not just in structure, but in how we serve, connect, and lead.

We’re evolving into a more intentional nonprofit organization, grounded in transparency, collaboration, and long-term impact. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to improve how we operate — from refreshing our board structure and onboarding process, to strengthening our finances and building deeper partnerships across our region.

This transformation is rooted in a simple belief: that people matter, and that when HR professionals are equipped, empowered, and connected, entire workplaces and communities thrive.

Whether you’re an active volunteer, a new member, or someone watching from the sidelines — this is your Chapter. You belong here. And as we move forward, we want to hear your voice, your ideas, and your hopes for what comes next.

We’re so proud to serve Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston Counties — and we’re excited about what the future holds for our communities. Let’s keep building something meaningful, together.

Warmly,
Rosemary Mesa-Walton
President, SHRM Olympia Chapter

Links & Resources

All upcoming events and registration links for SHRM Olympia, WA SHRM, NHRMA, and SHRM National events can be found HERE.

As a SHRM Preferred Provider, we will ensure that our programs are pre-approved for both SHRM and HRCI credits to meet your recertification needs. Credit codes will be provided following event attendance.

If you are a SHRM National member, please designate SHRM Olympia as your primary chapter.  By doing this, SHRM provides financial support that helps provide you with the programs and SHRM / HRCI credits you need.

As Federal, State, and Local laws are developed and modified, we will diligently work to keep you as up to date as possible through our brand new website and throughout the year with outstanding presenters on important topics such as HR Employment Law and Benefits so you can be at the top of your Human Resources game in your employment.

If you are a local employer with an HR related job opening, we would be more than happy to post your job announcement for FREE!  You can locate our job board HERE!  Email us at [email protected] for additional information.

If you are interested in speaking at one of our events, our Programs Directors would love to hear from you at [email protected].

Don’t forget to follow us on Social Media at LinkedIn Company, LinkedIn Group, Facebook, and Twitter. 

If you need technical support, you can contact us at [email protected].