Maureen Huffam, Senior Director of Human Resources, Conservation Services Group
Huffam
After 30 years in the HR field, Maureen Huffam recently moved from a job at Shriners Hospital in Boston to one at Conservation Services Group, a national energy services firm headquartered in Westborough. She told the WBJ the two organizations have more in common than you might think.
Vital Stats
- Age: 52
- Residence: Medway
- Family: Husband Bob and three boys ages 13, 16 and 24
- Education: BS from UMass Amherst
- Previous job: Director of HR for Shriners Hospital of Children in Boston
- Start date at new job: July 14
Q. How are you settling in at your new office?
A. You know, changing jobs is always a little scary. New place, new people. It's been a very comforting transition. Even though I've been in HR all my adult life, the energy business is new to me. People here are very proud of the business we are in and have been extremely helpful in educating me. I found the folks here very mission driven and committed to promoting energy efficiency and the green movement.
Q. What's the biggest surprise you've had in starting the job?
A. That CSG has been dedicated to helping stop global warming for the last 25 years. They were doing this long before it became a crisis. And that their work is so expansive: program design, management services, energy saving strategies, technologies and working with the utilities, government agencies, consumers. For all these years they've worked with one goal in mind, and that is to reduce harmful carbon emissions.
Q. What challenges do you see in your new position?
A. Keeping up with the projected growth. This year we increased our headcount by 71 people. That's over a 20 percent increase in staff. We also have 14+ locations around the country. Believe me, that is a welcome challenge to someone in HR in this economy. Most employers are downsizing.
Q. How different is this job from your previous position?
A. I worked for a nonprofit prior to this position and both organizations are very mission driven. There are more similarities than there are differences, especially with regard to the people and their commitment to what they do. Then again there is the commute time: Working in Boston it would be an hour commute each way. Now, 15 to 20 minutes tops.
Q. How close is this to what you imagined in high school you'd end up doing?
A. Well, in college I majored in consumer economics. I was one of Nader's Raiders! And now I'm back into an organization whose mission revolves around my original passion and I get to practice HR, which has turned into a passion. So I guess I have the best of both worlds right now.
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