#WISHRM25 SMILE Team Spotlight: Emily Ware

It is an honor to lead the 2025 WI SHRM State Conference SMILE Team. This year's team is made up of six amazing HR professionals who are excited to share some pre-conference sneak peeks and share their conference experiences with all.

Today, I spoke with one member of the SMILE Team, Emily Ware, about her career, SHRM volunteering, and more!

Q & A with Emily:

1. What inspired you to pursue a career in Human Resources? Was there a moment or a mentor that sparked your interest? 

I don’t know if it was inspiration, but I’ve been around it my entire life. My mom was a technical recruiter and taught HR-related classes with a focus on behavioral psychology and sociology at a collegiate level. I was her classroom ‘treat fairy’ and would put together little gift bags for her students at various points during the semester – my first engagement job. I’ve also always leaned towards being an organizer and wanting to help others either have a positive experience or feel supported and heard through difficult times. My extroverted theatrical background and passion for human rights lends itself to employee engagement, advocacy, and creative solutions. It just made sense, career-wise, to stay either in the HR space or adjacent to it.

2. What’s your favorite part about being an HR professional today? Any recent trends or topics you’re especially passionate about?

As an eternal theatre kid, I love the creative side of HR - planning employee engagement events, designing wellness challenges, and creating graphics for our communications. There's something really satisfying about combining people-focused work with creative design.

I'm especially passionate about two things right now: DEI and how we create truly inclusive environments where everyone can thrive and maintaining human creativity and connection as AI becomes more prevalent. I see AI as a tool that can free us up to focus on the strategic, relationship-building aspects of HR that really make a difference in people's work experience.

3. Why did you volunteer for the 2025 WI SHRM SMILE Team? What does this experience mean to you?

This will be my third year on the SMILE Team and I find that it really helps focus my neurodivergent brain in on the task at hand. Having a specific role just makes everything better - I get to connect with speakers, vendors, and other team members on a deeper level. But what I really love is going in with a plan: targeting certain topics I want to learn more about/am passionate about or discovering new vendors who could be great to shoutout as they might offer a solution to a common workplace issue or gap. It makes me way more intentional about everything I do there, and suddenly every choice feels like it actually matters.

4. How do you plan to connect with attendees through social media during the conference? Any creative ideas or strategies you're excited to try?

I use a Blog, LinkedIn, and Instagram for my social media platforms – specifically LinkedIn and Instagram during the conference. I’ve used more in the past, but I find it’s easier to limit myself to a long form platform and a short form platform to make my life easier. I haven’t thought of anything specifics for a creative idea beyond a continuation of SHRMies in the wild so stay tuned on that front.

If the stars align and time allows, I might have a sweet treat to giveaway Wednesday night as I meander.

5. What’s one tip you’d give to HR professionals trying to build their presence on LinkedIn or other platforms? (Or, what's helped you the most?)

Start with the basics - post regularly, engage authentically, and share content that adds value. But what's helped me most is thinking beyond the digital space. Get involved in your local HR community! Your local SHRM chapter, HR meetups, professional events - that's where you build real relationships. These aren't just LinkedIn or Instagram or Facebook connections; they're people you can actually pick up the phone and call. And honestly, those local connections often become your biggest supporters and amplifiers on social media too.

6. Which part of the WI SHRM State Conference are you most looking forward to? (A speaker, session, activity, etc.)

Beyond the sessions and keynotes, I'm totally an expo hall person - you'll find me there on opening night! For anyone who deals with sensory overloads like I sometimes do, loop earplugs are a game-changer. And here's a pro tip: Take advantage of gaps between sessions or if you have an open timeslot when there are sessions going on, that's the perfect time to revisit the expo hall when it's less busy. Especially if there’s a vendor you might have wanted to chat with, but didn’t have the chance.

Additionally, I'm really excited because this will be my first time attending a pre-conference session!

7. What’s your go-to social media platform, and why? How do you use it to stay connected professionally?

Professional top choice: LinkedIn

Personal top choice: Tiktok

I, personally, don’t post any HR related on Tiktok, but I know people who do and people who’ve had a lot of success there/find similar success on Instagram. While I use Instagram duing WI SHRM and other SHRM related events for posting, LinkedIn is my go-to. LinkedIn is great for building your professional brand, learning from/connecting with industry leaders, and creating genuine business relationships that can benefit everyone involved.

8. What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day in HR? Any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

I do a lot of crafting (knitting, crochet, painting, drawing) and baking in my free time – I've gotten back into sourdough. I also play a lot of video games and am part of a few table top game groups with friends where we play Dungeons and Dragons and a few other versions. Additionally, I do a lot of music and theatre. During my SMILE Team Takeover, you’ll all be able to come along with me to record back up vocals for a local band’s next album!

9. Share one fun fact people might not know about you.

I am a HUGE Lord of the Rings fan – The Silmarillion and The Hobbit are great, but the trilogy has my heart. I have a goal to get a LOTR themed half sleeve to go with the tattoo I already have. I have read the books multiple times, saw all of the movies in theatres multiple times upon release, and have done the extended edition marathon more times than I will admit (about 13 hours total in one sitting) including most recently at a local theatre, The Rivoli.

I used to read the appendices as a kid for fun and begged my mom for a fell beast plushie (they didn’t exist, I was just weirdly obsessed with them). I was in the 6th grade when I read The Hobbit the first time and I distinctly remember picturing Neopets in place of people for the characters (Bilbo was a Blumaroo). Additionally, the Rivendell set is my dream Lego set and I’ve made a promise to myself to get it this year. I have also seen the Lord of the Rings Musical twice – once in London and most recently in Chicago. Ask about it at your own risk, I will absolutely hype it up for a solid 20 minutes and tell you ALL about it.

10. If you had to describe the SMILE Team in one word, what would it be and why?

Dynamic – it's a high energy group and I feel like everyone brings something different to the table. We are all coming at the WI SHRM Conference from different angles and different perspectives. It creates a really dynamic group full of life and vibrant ideas.

Meet Emily:

Emily is a Wisconsin native who has worked in Customer Service and Human Resources for over 10 years and obtained her SHRM-CP certification in 2023. She attended the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and has a deep passion for Diversity and Human Rights work, as well as finding creative engagement strategies in a remote world. Currently, she serves as Secretary on the La Crosse SHRM Chapter and has previously held the position of Diversity and Governmental Affairs Director. Emily also dedicates time to volunteering in her community.

In her free time, she enjoys playing tabletop and video games with friends, attending theatre performances, creating podcasts, crafting, crocheting, writing, baking, and drawing. She is also a classically trained opera singer and loves to travel when her schedule permits. Emily has two furry and chaotic co-workers, Mushu and Bam Bam, and is always looking for new and exciting ways to keep them entertained, as they struggle with pivot tables.

Follow the 2025 WI SHRM SMILE Team: https://linktr.ee/wishrmsmileteam