About

HR Sushi Bar

I created this blog and called it “HR Sushi Bar” with several things in mind:

Human Resources has many different and diverse components, much like a sushi bar.
I don’t tend to be very verbose, but prefer to pose short questions and provide short observations to generate thought (bite sized pieces).
Much like a sushi bar, you’ll hopefully be able to sample a variety of topics and issues, some you may like, some you may not. (I’ll try to avoid posting any “gas station sushi!”)
If you are coming here looking for in-depth, analytical, scholarly human resources insights…you’ve probably come to the wrong place!
As a human resources professional of Asian-American decent and sushi lover, this seemed like a logical confluence of interests.

The Author – Jeff Palkowski

Headshot

Although my undergraduate major was mass communication / journalism, you will quickly discover that I am clearly not a professional writer / journalist. I like to offer ideas, perspectives and experiences in an easy-to-understand manner and hopefully relate to the majority of the readers with some real-life examples and often, unanswered questions.

Some fast facts about me:

I was ‘Made in Japan” and imported to the U.S. at three-months old
My early years were in a military family as the son of a US Marine (Semper Fi)
I grew up and spent most of my life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication/Journalism and a Master’s in Human Resource Management
I have work experience at many levels and in many industries which include:
- Financial Services – Investment Services Agent | Call Center Supervisor | Project Manager | Vice President of Investor Services | IT Relationship Manager | Methodology Process Manager
- Staffing – Integrity Interviewer| Professional/Technical Recruiter | Outsourced Remote and Corporate Recruiter
- State Government – Legislative Assistant | Policy Advisor | Deputy Chief of Staff
- Unemployment Insurance – Unemployment Claims Adjudicator
- Public Sector Human Resources – Human Resources Specialist | Human Resources Manager | Assistant Director of Human Resources | Title & Compensation Analyst | Senior Human Resources Specialist | Workforce Relations Specialist
I have the following human resources certifications and professional memberships
- Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
- Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)
- Wisconsin SHRM State Council (WISHRM)
  - Board of Directors – Director of Communications and Social Media and District Director-Southwest
  - Past Board of Directors – Director of Governmental Affairs
- Blackhawk Human Resources Association (BHRA)
  - Past Board of Directors – Legislative Director
- Greater Madison Area Society of Human Resource Management (GMA SHRM)
  - Past Board of Directors – Director of Government Affairs
- Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)
  - Advocacy Captain for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District
  - SHRM Government Affairs “Committee of 50”
  - SHRM Foundation Leadership Circle Member
  - SHRM Certification Ambassador
  - SHRM 19 Blogger Team Member
  - SHRM 21 Influencer
  - SHRM 22 Influencer
- College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR)
I currently live in South Central Wisconsin and work for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. #OnWisconsin