Our History

History of The National Academy of Human Resources

Since its establishment in 1992, The National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR) has played a pivotal role in advancing the human resources profession by honoring distinguished individuals in the field and fostering the development of future HR leaders. As we commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the NAHR, we invite you to explore the timeline and discover the organization's rich history.

Timeline

    • Multiple HR organizations met as the Coalition of Human Resources Management Association (COHRMA) to discuss the possibilities of an organization to complement other HR organizations and benefit the HR Profession

    • The Formulation Group was formed to create the new organization

    • NAHR registered in New Mexico

    • Bill Johnson became NAHR's first Executive Director and Walt Burdick became NAHR's first Chair

    • Declaration of Directors

    • NAHR founded: inaugural class of 12 Fellows inducted including the CHRO Academy and Annual Dinner held virtually due to continued COVID pandemic Moved Annual Dinner out of Waldorf to JW Marriott Essex House Moved CHRO Academy out of Yale Club to Park Lane Hotel Moved CHRO Academy out of Park Lane Hotel to the Sheraton New York Times Square first Black Fellow (James Perkins) and the first female Fellow (Madelyn Jennings

    • Inducted first Distinguished Fellow (Frank Doyle)

    • Election of Formulation Group as Directors

    • November 4, 1993 – Business Meeting - Motion passed unanimously to continue with Formulation Group as NAHR Directors until elected Fellows of the Classes of 1992, 1993, and 1994 would assume responsibility

    • Established the NAHR Patrons Program

    • Assembled Fellows in Santa Fe, New Mexico to discuss the state of NAHR and its future

    • Inducted first Honored Organization: College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR)

    • NAHR retreat held at Duke to discuss NAHR's future direction, clarifying criteria for Fellows and confirming the Academy's role in assuring the future vitality of its Fellows and the HR profession

    • February 1, 1997 - First President title appointed to William Johnson

    • Number of Fellows exceeds 50

    • Joan Simpson-Player became NAHR's first Program Administrator

    • All Fellows retreat held to review the direction set at the 1997 Duke retreat and set the direction of the organization for the coming years

    • First Grand Sponsors for the Annual Fellow Induction Dinner (Hewitt, Spencer Stuart)

    • Conducted first CHRO Academy

    • Charles Tharp appointed as President

    • Conducted first Modern CHRO Role and Strategies for Success (Top Seat) Program with Cornell, led by Pat Wright

    • Dick Antoine appointed as President

    • Foundation valued at $1M

    • American Research Universities - Human Research Institute launched

    • Established Ram Charan HR Essay Contest

    • First NAHR book published: The Chief HR Officer - Defining the New Role of Human Resources Leaders

  • Annual Dinner cancelled due to Super Storm Sandy

    • Retail HR Leaders Forum conducted, led by Katy Barclay and Dick Antoine

    • Number of Fellows exceeds 150

    • NAHR contributed to the funding of and Fellow time to the Consortium to Reimagine HR, Employment Alternatives, Talent, and Enterprise (CHREATE) led by John Boudreau and Ian Ziskin

    • Foundation valued at $2M

    • Jill Smart appointed as President

    • Established NAHR SHRM Scholarship Program

    • Published: The Rise of HR - Wisdom From 73 Thought Leaders

    • Program Administrator Joan Simpson-Player retired and Debbie Knaack hired

    • Introduced the Masters Student Program

    • Published: CHROs: An Underutilized Resource for Corporate Boards whitepaper

    • Moved Annual Dinner out of the Yale Club to the Waldorf

    • NAHR partnered with SHRM for a new website

    • Hired first Finance Director, Susan Erdman

    • Published: View From the Top - Leveraging Human and Organizational Capital to Create Value

    • Foundation valued at $3M

    • Celebrated NAHR's 25th Anniversary

    • Moved Annual Dinner out of Waldorf to JW Marriott Essex House

    • Moved CHRO Academy out of Yale Club to Park Lane Hotel

    • Inducted the most recent Honored Organization - Riegel & Emory Human Resource Research Center (Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina)

    • Moved CHRO Academy out of Park Lane Hotel to the Sheraton New York Times Square

    • Established an NAHR presence on LinkedIn and YouTube

    • Established the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) partnership

    • NAHR produced its first video

    • Inducted 15th Distinguished Fellow

    • Launched NAHR Fellows in the Classroom Established partnership with Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) on Anti-Racism Grants and the Research Horizon Forum on Diversity & Inclusion

    • CHRO Academy cancelled, and Annual Dinner held virtually due to COVID pandemic

    • Foundation valued at $4M

    • CHRO Academy and Annual Dinner held virtually due to continued COVID pandemic

    • Established first named scholarships in honor of Richard Beaumont (partnered with Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources) and James Perkins (with his alma mater Tuskegee University)

    • Daniel Marsili appointed as President

Download timeline.