Roberta Bemiller, Director of Leadership Development, joined us in 2012 after being introduced to both Dottie and Mark by Mary Ellen Carlo, head of Search Services at Career Partners.
Roberta had worked for over 17 years in Human Resources within the banking, health care, and manufacturing industries. She had started her own career consulting and coaching business four years before meeting Dottie and Mark. Roberta says the timing was perfect, and the mission of Career Partners aligned well with her passion for helping others tap into their strengths to lead a more productive and passionate work life.
Roberta initially thought about a career in Psychology, as she enjoys studying human behavior, but her father had other plans for her. With a promise to pay her way through graduate school if she chose a more “suitable” profession, she went with her father’s advice and offer and got her Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources. It turned out that her father was a fairly wise man. “To be honest, business was the furthest thing from my mind. I was more interested in what made people tick and why they behaved the way they did. But by concentrating my studies on the people side of the business, I was able to find work and ultimately a career that I truly loved”, Roberta said.
She spent most of her HR career at M&T Bank where she says she worked with some of the best and brightest in the area. At the start of her career at the bank, Roberta managed the bank’s Executive Associate program. She recruited the top MBA students from some of the top business schools, including Wharton, Harvard, NYU, and Columbia University.
She said, “I’ll never forget recruiting at a Harvard career fair. I was placed in between a recruiter from Proctor & Gamble and one from Kraft Foods. At that time, we recruited under the former parent company name – First Empire State Corporation – and no one knew who we were. There I am competing against free macaroni and cheese and toothpaste! So, what does a bank give away? Money, of course! $100 bills to be exact!” It was a rewarding position that led to others within the bank, including recruiting, managing relocation, and leadership development.
Now beginning her ninth year with Career Partners, Roberta is still able to continue her focus on the people side of the business with her leadership coaching and consulting role and is also actively involved in the career transition side of the business. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. I am blessed to have this opportunity to do what I love, and with people I respect. To wake up and know that what we do makes a positive difference in people’s lives, there is nothing more rewarding in life than that”, said Roberta.
Roberta also enjoys giving back to the community. She is on the board of the Hamburg Alumni Foundation and Out of the Blue Foundation and a former board member of the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce. She enjoys spending her free time with her friends and two daughters, who she considers her greatest gifts
