Pamela Prescod-Caesar Joins Swarthmore as Vice President for Human Resources
Pamela Prescod-Caesar Joins Swarthmore
as Vice President for Human Resources
by Nancy Nicely
12/21/2011
Swarthmore College President Rebecca Chopp announced today that Pamela Prescod-Caesar will join the Swarthmore community as its new vice president for human resources on February 15, 2012.
Prescod-Caesar will be responsible for overseeing all human resources functions for staff, for managing employee benefits and payroll processing for both faculty and staff, and for supervising the Human Resources Department. She will play a key role in establishing and communicating human resources policies and priorities to staff, faculty, and members of the Board of Managers.
She is currently associate vice president for human resources at Colgate University. She has also held several senior-level positions at Harvard University, and served as vice president of human resources at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries in Boston.
"Pamela is skilled at developing collaborative partnerships. In her previous positions, she has had great success in finding solutions for complex problems that yield beneficial community outcomes," Chopp says. "Among such successes is her rich history of creating and implementing diversity programs that foster and support building inclusive communities. Pamela also has experience in helping an institution achieve its organizational goals through the implementation of its strategic plan."
"I very much look forward to working in partnership with faculty and staff members to advance the strategic initiatives of Swarthmore and I'm very excited at the prospect of becoming an integral part of the College community," says Prescod-Caesar.
"The credibility that Pamela has earned with staff in her previous positions is outstanding," says Karen Henry, assistant dean and gender education adviser, who served on the search committee. "The work that she has done around diversity issues is particularly impressive, and I found her to be an exceptional communicator. She has much to offer our community and I'm looking forward to working with her."
Prescod-Caesar holds a master's degree in business administration from Curry College and a bachelor's of science degree in business management from Lesley College. She was a fellow in Harvard University's Administrative Fellows Program and has also been certified in mediation training.
She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. Her community affiliations include past membership on the board of Roxbury Comprehensive Health Center and the Greater Boston YMCA Black Achievers Alumni Association.
Prescod-Caesar and her husband Henry Caesar have two children, Nichole, 23, and Toren, 21. Nichole is completing a master's degree at Boston College, and Toren is a junior at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Bernadette Dunning, administrative coordinator for the Music and Dance Department, who also served on the search committee, says "Pam has an open and welcoming manner that inspires trust. She clearly understands and values each individual's worth to a community and values an honest work environment. She has a long track record of working with both faculty and staff to help them achieve their full potential, and we look forward to her bringing those skills to Swarthmore."
