Our Founder - Bob Bemel 
Bob Bemel started his career at Collins Rockwell after obtaining a degree in
business from U.M.D. He remembers Collins as a company ahead of its time,
as they hired him for what he knew about their product rather than what he
knew about HR (which consisted of one labor relations course in college).
Bob had operated Collins equipment in the U.S. Navy, and they knew he
could tell the Collins story to top flight engineers and technicians.
They then taught Bob HR ("personnel" then) by immersing him in the work
and sending him to Case Western University for more academic exposure to
the profession.
Bob held Collins' approach to investing in people as the standard of
excellence to which he compared all of his later employers. He went on to
obtain a certificate in HR from the University of Minnesota and continued
a challenging and rewarding career in HR for over 30 years with County
Seat Stores, General Mills, Hazelden and Dain Bosworth.
Bob then left the corporate world behind to follow a dream. His vision
was to provide HR leaders, like himself, an opportunity to receive
professional support and a peer learning experience in an environment that
was grounded in trust and forward thinking. Bob launched his vision by
forming hr connection® and, for 14 years, he focused on facilitating small groups of HR leaders
and making good matches doing HR search. Bob laid the foundation for
creating a powerful small group experience, which will always remain
central to everything we do at hr connection®.
Our Board of Directors
The hr connection® advisory board was
formed in 2004 to provide counsel and support to the hr connection® staff. The board is comprised of a variety
of business leaders who offer business expertise in the areas of operations, finance, and marketing, as well as functional expertise in human
resources, training and development, and OD. Each board member has been invited to serve on the advisory board because of his/her interest and
passion for making the hr connection® learning community a success.
John Booth
John has extensive executive and financial leadership experience, including serving as CEO of Spineology, (a medical device manufacturer), Phillips Plastics, (a $225 million plastics injection molding manufacturer), CEO of Incstar (a $45 million medical technology company), CFO and Vice President of Finance at Clincal Science, Inc. (a medical diagnostics company), and Corporate Controller of Immunomedics, Inc. (a biotechnology firm engaged in cancer research). John has a B.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A. – Finance from Seton Hall University’s Graduate School of Business. John focuses his expertise in helping organizations build a sound financial basis that positions them for short and long-term growth.
Gary McLean, Ph.D.
Gary N. McLean, Ph.D.serves as a professor in business and industry education, for the Department of Work, Community, and Family Education, College of Education and Human Development, at The University of Minnesota, St. Paul. A noted speaker and author, McLean has written over 100 journal articles and 20 textbooks. An independent consultant for nearly 35 years, Gary serves as principal consultant with ECCO (Effecting Creative Change in Organizations), now McLean Global Partners. He has received numerous recognitions for his teaching, research, and service, including Outstanding Scholar by the Academy of Human Resource Development (1997). He has also been named a Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor by the University of Minnesota.
Laird McLean
A senior consultant at McLean Global Consulting, Laird improves companies’ performance by effecting creative change in organizations worldwide. Prior to joining McLean Global Consulting, he was responsible for leading training and development for several departments at Boston Scientific. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Laird was a change management consultant at Anderson Consulting (currently known as Accenture).
Victor Thompson
Victor Thompson has more than 15 years of human resource and leadership experience in multiple business environments. His experience includes roles in the public (Hennepin County), not-for-profit (Medica) and private sectors (General Mills). He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan, M.B.A. from the University of Rochester and spent time pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona. In addition to most functional areas of human resources, Victor also has experience in business & strategic planning, organizational effectiveness and budget administration. He is currently responsible for the ongoing HR operations at EMPO Corporation, a professional employer organization, as well as heading up EMPO’s new HRO venture. Victor also offers a diversity perspective to the board of directors.
Amy Tolbert, Ph.D
Amy S. Tolbert, Ph.D., is a principal of Effecting Creative Change in Organizations (ECCO International), which specializes in increasing organization’s productivity and profitability through e-learning, technology and facilitated learning. She has authored a book, “Reversing the Ostrich Approach to Diversity: Pulling Your Head Out of the Sand,” a timely answer to the renewed urgency for actionable diversity information. In addition, Amy presents to international audiences discussing issues such as multicultural competency development, increasing influence in organizations, managing within a diverse workforce, motivation and leadership skills.
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