HRD Staff Profiles
HRD staff members are dedicated professionals who provide essential educational experiences to thousands of University employees each year. With extensive knowledge of a wide range of University challenges – including culture, climate, and workplace issues – HRD staff members possess the up-to-date training methods and expertise to effectively partner with University departments to help faculty and staff members meet their goals. We hope that you will get to know them better in the year ahead. They are here to serve you and your department.
Kelly Brewer, B.S.
Cost & Budget Analyst
Kelly oversees the financial processes of HRD. She prepares projections of HRD’s revenue streams and handles the billing for HRD’s consulting services and custom training. She is involved in the curriculum development process by preparing per-course cost analysis and recommending pricing structure for all catalog courses and custom training. She also handles the personnel processes for the unit and oversees the timekeeping function. Kelly has over 17 years of experience in the accounting and tax field in both the public and private sector. She earned her B.S. at Northern Michigan University. Kelly joined the University of Michigan in 1995 and has been working with HRD since 1996.
Email: kabrewer@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 763-3076
Lynn Carruthers, B.A.
Marketing Lead
Lynn coordinates the marketing efforts, course pricing and promotion, oversees the graphic design for course manuals/materials, web and online course development, and catalog content preparation for HRD. Prior to working at the University, she gained several years experience in the temporary staffing industry as a staffing manager. She has experience in both the public and private sectors in administrative, sales, management and other leadership roles. Lynn earned her B.A. in philosophy and English at Michigan State University and obtained the Certified Program Planner (CPP) designation from the Learning Resources Network. She joined the University in 1995 and has been working in HRD since 1997.
Email: lcarruth@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 764-3185
Joan Curran, M.A.
Organizational Development Consultant
Joan has special focuses in strategic planning, team development, and group facilitation with an expertise in group dynamics, use of the PPS/DISC® work-style assessment, change management, process improvement and meeting management. In addition, she facilitates staff retreats and teaches leadership and management courses. Recently, Joan provided design and facilitation expertise for the VOICES network, the staff involvement program sponsored by the President’s Office. Joan has a B.S. in speech and an M.A. in organizational communication from Eastern Michigan University and certifications from the Adizes Institute in group process. She has 15 years of experience in the University environment and several years prior to that in corporate training and development.
Email: jcurran@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 936-8911
Robin Martin
Senior Training Assistant
Robin provides graphic design for HRD course materials, manuals and special events. She also assists with various marketing and promotion efforts including the HRD brochure and website. She is the editor for the Foundations of Supervision and BRM Academy training manuals. Robin serves as the key liaison for instructors regarding all course needs and logistics. Robin studied art and design at the University of South Carolina and has a total of 15 combined years experience in graphic, web, and freelance art and design. She also has several years experience in customer service and administrative support in both the public and private sectors. Robin joined the University in 2003 and has been working in HRD since 2004.
Email: robner@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 647-0533
Barbara Mulay, M.Ed.
Organizational Development Consultant
Barb’s expertise lies in the area of group facilitation and instructional design. She helps groups to collect and analyze information to assist in decision making processes regarding strategic planning, team development and performance management. She also facilitates a number of leadership and management development programs and has worked with units to enhance their customer service focus. Barb has a B.S. in business and education and M.Ed in education from the University of Maryland. She has additional training in change management, instructional design, and team facilitation/dynamics. She has over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors including government, corporate, health care, and higher education settings.
Email: bpmulay@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 936-8916
Deborah Nystrom, M.A.
Organizational Development Consultant
Deb’s areas of expertise include organizational planning and strategy development, performance management and competency systems design, feedback and coaching, organization change and transition, career and professional development. In addition, Deb facilitates project teams, meetings, focus groups and retreats. She has extensive OD training and qualifications including the Lippitt Planned Change Practicum, Jack Sherwood’s Organization Effectiveness Institute, the MBTI® and Appreciative Inquiry. Deb has a B.A. from the University of Michigan in English and history of art and an M.A. from Eastern Michigan University's program in education leadership and counseling. She has over 20 years of experience in the University environment and non-profit community organizations.
Email: dnrevel@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 763-4130
Deborah Orlowski, Ph.D.
Training and Organizational Development Consultant
Deborah’s areas of expertise, both as a consultant and instructor include: conflict resolution and improving communication and teamwork, especially when impacted by intercultural issues; leadership development of non-managerial staff; personal styles identification; and designing and facilitating focus groups and team retreats. Deborah is trained in the use of Appreciative Inquiry and is certified in the Personal Profile System® (DISC®) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator™ (MBTI®). She is a volunteer mediator at UM as well as at the Dispute Resolution Center. She is a graduate of Wayne State University’s Multicultural Experiences in Leadership Development (MELD) program, as well as New Detroit’s Cultural Immersion program. Deborah holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of Michigan; an M.P.A. from Eastern Michigan University and a Ph.D from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Email: orlowski@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 763-4042
Ron Sober
Training and Organizational Development Consultant
Insert Ron's bio here.
Email: rasober@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 936-0368
Kristen Storey, M.A.
Director
Kristen specializes in the area of instructional design, assessment, and evaluation and is the training manager for HRD. In that role Kristen provides curriculum development, coordination and oversight for HRD course offerings, as well as assisting schools, colleges and departments in developing specialized programs to meet their training needs. Kristen’s additional areas of expertise include survey development, change management, team development, process management and management development. Kristen played a key role in the development of the highly lauded University programs Research Administrators Instructional Network (RAIN) and the I-9 compliance training tutorial. She also participated in developing the Foundations of Supervision program, which she now coordinates. Kristen has an M.A. in adult instruction and performance technology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a B.S. in education from Western Michigan University. She has over 15 years of experience in the University environment.
Email: kstorey@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 763-4764
Karen Warren, CPP
Operations Lead
Karen oversees the course registration process for classes taught by HRD instructors and provides certificates of completion for participants, including CEU certificates for some courses. Managers can contact her to receive reports on current and/or trend information for course registration by organizational area. Karen provides process oversight for our client database reflecting project activity. She recently obtained the Certified Program Planner (CPP) designation through the Learning Resources Network (LERN) and has 12 years of experience as a data coordinator in HRD as well as additional experience in the public and private sectors as an event coordinator, fundraiser, and temporary staffing recruiter.
Email: kwarren@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 936-8908
Jacqueline Doneghy, M.A., M.S.W.
Adjunct Instructor
Jacqueline has more than 20 years of experience in the field of human resource development including serving as an executive director of a non-profit agency, as a program developer of programs and courses on life skills as well as a consultant. Specifically, Jacqueline has over 15 years of experience as a training specialist specializing in staff development and organizational behavior. Her interests include communication skills, personal leadership, conflict resolution and teamwork effectiveness. She has worked for both private and public sectors in government, corporate, and educational environments; including facilitating workshops through HRD since 1985. In addition to training, she has been on faculty with Washtenaw Community College and a guest lecturer with the School of Social Work. Jacqueline earned an M.A. in education and an M.S.W. in social work, both from the University of Michigan.
