Accountability. Civility. Collaboration. Diversity. Excellence. Knowledge. Leadership.

These aren’t just the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) core values — they’re how Randi Barclay, SHRM-CP, PHR, approaches every day as human resources manager at the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

“The core values align with my own personal values,” she says, “and being able to use them as a foundation is very important to me.

“They’re one of the things that attracted me to the School of Nursing and UMB,” she adds. “Sometimes core values are just ‘wallpaper’ — they look or sound good, but that’s where it ends. Not here. We really do live ours. You can feel it. They’re in the energy on the campus.”

They’re also captured in job listings for the School of Nursing. When recruiting new talent, Barclay says she wants applicants to know what UMB’s core values are and what UMB is committed to.  

“We strive to identify candidates whose values align with ours,” she says. “We want all candidates to know from the beginning exactly what the core values are and that we take them seriously. We look for individuals who are able to define those values and demonstrate them here.”

It’s clear why Barclay’s the perfect fit for her position. She’s a spark of positive energy; her warmth and passion make her a strong advocate for UMB and a calming presence for job prospects — faculty and staff alike.

Since she began her position at the school in 2015, her can-do attitude and infectious philosophy to her work, grounded in the University’s and school’s core values, permeate everything she does — from staffing and recruitment to employee growth and retention, to helping the school achieve its strategic planning goals.

“Randi creates an environment that motivates our team to make changes to improve ourselves, both professionally and personally,” says Monica Williams, MSL, HR program specialist at the School of Nursing. “She’s very friendly and has such a compassionate approach to her work. Her care and concern for others really pushes her to be diplomatic in her approach to dealing with HR matters.”

For more than 20 years, Barclay has worked as a human resources specialist in a number of industries, from investment banking to nonprofit, from health care to the public defender’s office. 

“I love being a resource to employees as well as the organization,” Barclay says. “Dealing with people every day, it’s not like working with this BIC pen, for example. I know exactly how this pen will perform when I need it, but when dealing with people, it’s not always that simple. I never know what I’ll walk into the next day.”

In a past job, she spent five years as director of human resources at Health Care for the Homeless, an organization that works to end homelessness in Baltimore and beyond. She longed to return to health care — when her position at the School of Nursing became available, she knew that was it.

“Health care is one of those sectors where something is always new or cutting edge,” she says. “It’s exciting to know that you’re part of something that’s helping people and contributing to the greater good. I feel privileged to be a part of that. There’s always a new advancement or innovation happening at UMB — take the BioPark, for example. I feel like I’m part of that energy now, too.” 

Barclay loves that no two days are the same in HR — or at the School of Nursing. In her three years at the school, one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the United States, Barclay’s increased the size of her small HR team, worked in collaboration with other UMB schools on various HR initiatives, and advocated for a strong, diverse school alongside Jeffrey Ash, EdD, associate dean for diversity and inclusion.

The School of Nursing is the first school at UMB to devote a full-time, associate dean position to diversity and inclusion. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is the school’s hub for service and community outreach, collaborative and innovative thinking about diversity, and inclusive excellence among students, faculty, and staff.

Barclay recalls during her own interview process when Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing, shared her vision for adding a dean for diversity and inclusion. That vision became reality not long after Barclay joined the school and she began the recruitment process for the position. 

Barclay has worked collaboratively with Ash to support diversity and inclusion initiatives at the School of Nursing. For example, she helped to facilitate a breakout professional development workshop session on tools for resolving conflict. Barclay has helped to grow and expand the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s professional development programs and initiatives, strengthening a working and learning environment where all are welcome.

In her quest for excellence, Barclay utilizes another core value (collaboration) regularly with her UMB peers. Just recently, she brainstormed with another UMB human resources manager to implement a successful staff hiring strategy. 

“It truly does take a village to do everything that we do from an HR perspective,” she says.