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 & Communications 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
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 catalog and website. She is the editor for the Foundations of Supervision and other 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
Deborah Orlowski, Ph.D.
Learning Specialist
Deborah’s areas of expertise include: conflict resolution and improving communication and teamwork, especially when impacted by intercultural issues; leadership development of non-managerial staff and personal styles identification. Deborah is certified in the Personal Profile System® (DISC®) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator™ (MBTI®). In addition to her instructional role, she coordinates custom classes and is the lead for special events. Deborah is a graduate of Wayne State University’s Multicultural Experiences in Leadership Development (MELD) program, New Detroit’s Cultural Immersion program, and is a member of the Off-Campus faculty of Central Michigan University. 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
Rachael Richmond
Training Assistant
Rachael is the face of HRD; the first contact that clients have with the department whether it be in person or via phone and email. She provides a warm welcome to visitors and friendly assistance in navigating the catalog and registration process for courses. She provides support to the HRD team and external instructors, including logistics, course evaluation and facilities management. Rachael has been with the University since 2008, and has 20 years of customer service and management experience in the retail industry.
Email: rachrich@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 764-7410
Ron Sober
Learning Specialist
Ron is the curriculum lead for HRD and also provides HRD support to the advancement of the goals of the VOICES of the staff Career Development network team. His areas of expertise are instructional design, learning and e-learning development, facilitation, strategic planning and change management. Ron has expert knowledge of instructional technologies and how to apply those technologies in support of the learning function. His 17 years as a learning professional in the private and public sectors have provided a wealth of experience to draw from allowing him to easily partner with those who are interested in the development of learning strategies.
Email: rasober@umich.edu
Phone: (734) 936-0368
Kristen Storey, M.A.
Director
Kristen provides the overall vision, direction and leadership in aligning HRD’s services in support of the UM community’s professional and career development needs. She has held many roles within HRD over the years, the majority as a training and organizational development consultant prior to taking over leadership of HRD. Kristen’s current area of focus is the integration and delivery of HRD services through formal, traditional learning and informal, collaborative approaches leveraging technology and social media. Her areas of expertise and consultation are in the areas of instructional design, team development, leadership development and customer service development. Over the years she has worked as a lead instructional design consultant on numerous well-respected U-M learning programs such as the Research Administrators Instructional Network (RAIN), Foundations of Supervision, HR Academy and the Budget and Resource Management Academy. Kristen holds a M.A. in adult instruction and performance technology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and B.S. in education from Western Michigan University.
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 obtained the Certified Program Planner (CPP) designation through the Learning Resources Network (LERN) and has 15 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
