Webinar: Conflict in the Workplace

Our speaker today is Gary Butterworth.  Gary is the Learning Facilitator of Training and Development for the Human Services Agency at the County of Ventura, where he creates and conducts workshops in communication skills.  He is a certified seminar leader who has delivered soft-skills training to participants across western North America.  Recognizing his ten years of work as an onsite training specialist, the “Annual Independent Contractors’ Conference” in Kansas City twice honored Gary as “On-Site Trainer of the Year.”

Gary holds a master’s degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge.  As a part-time faculty member at CSU, Northridge, Gary was awarded “Outstanding Teaching Associate of the Year.” 

Before devoting his career to full-time training and teaching, Gary spent two decades as a radio broadcast personality TV weathercaster. Today, he is president of his local PSHRA chapter in Ventura (“Channel Islands”), California and makes presentations at conferences.

Since May 2019, Tamara Steele has served as the Human Resources/Communications Director with the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA).  Tamara is the current president of the Oklahoma chapter of the Public Service Human Resource Association (PSHRA). She received a Bachelor of Arts in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s in Leadership and Human Resource Development from Louisiana State University.  Steele is a Senior Certified Professional with PSHRA and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

As a leader in human resources for 20+ years, Tamara has acquired experience in the public and private sectors with skills in Leadership, Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt, Compensation, Benefits Administration, Mediation, Discrimination Complaint Investigations, and Talent Management.  Tamara believes her role as an HR professional is to encourage others to use their strengths, talent, and creativity to develop personally and professionally.  When those traits are realized, it creates a positive outcome for themselves and the organization they serve.  In her current role, Tamara leads the human resources and communications initiatives and ensures strategies align with the goals and mission of the agency.  Collaboration is an integral part of her job as a member of the OHFA Executive team, where works with agency leadership to enhance program processes and operations.

With a heart for public service and serving her community, Tamara is the current president of the Louisiana State University Alumni Chapter for Oklahoma, serves as a board member for the non-profit organization, WovenLife, Inc., and was a previous member of the Diversity Committee for the Oklahoma City Human Resources Society.  An avid cyclist, Tamara is a co-leader for the Oklahoma chapter of Black Girls Do Bike non-profit organization.

Shelby Tipton serves as the Human Resources Director at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, as well as the chapter president for the Mississippi chapter of PSHRA. She holds a Bachelor's degree in History from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, and a Master's in Public Administration from Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi.

Commencing her career as a historic preservation grants administrator at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Shelby worked with the National Park Service to preserve historic structures throughout the state. However, under the guidance of a perceptive mentor who recognized her potential, Shelby's career trajectory shifted toward the realm of human resources – a transition that proved to be an ideal fit. She embraced her role in human resources at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2017, progressing to assume the position of agency Human Resources Director by 2020. She is a graduate of the Stennis Executive Development Institute of Mississippi, affiliated with the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development at Mississippi State University, and holds certifications in human resources and supervisory management from the Mississippi State Personnel Board.

Shelby is passionate about creating positive change in the public sector. In her current role, she is guiding equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. In 2021, she introduced the agency's first quantitative tool for measuring equity in salaries, hiring, and leadership development. In 2022, she launched an inaugural leadership institute focused on succession planning for leadership within her agency. In 2023, she designed and implemented a comprehensive salary plan aligning employee compensation with market rates for their roles.

Deeply dedicated to human resources in the public sector, Shelby believes that human resources professionals play a crucial role in nurturing a strong public workforce. Her focus is on creating environments that support business outcomes while fostering employee growth and well-being.