HR Professional Spotlight | Tyiesha Brooks

We're back with another spotlight blog! Today, we chatted with Tyiesha Brooks, an HRBP with years of experience in the HR space.

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I'm born and raised in Richmond, VA. However, I'm currently living in Maryland and have been here since November 2019. My family is fairly small, especially on my maternal side. I have one brother and we are 5 years apart and 1 niece, Devy, who's almost 2. I enjoy going hiking and I recently started traveling. I went hiking in Vegas last month. The first time I flew was in 2017, that was due to a work trip to Indianapolis and then I went to New Orleans shortly after for vacation. Since my first flight, I didn't fly again until going to the Dominican Republic in 2019. My latest international trip was to Morocco in September of this year. On this trip I travelled with 14 Individuals that I just met, and we all stayed in one room at a hostel. When I'm not traveling and spending time with family or on family vacations, I enjoy spending time alone watching movies and shows.

Tell us about your current job and role.

In my current role, I serve as an HRBP at Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) located in Alexandria, VA. I have been in this role since July 2022. I support my client groups by assisting with their general HR needs, performance management, and with the recruitment efforts. IDA is an Independent, non-profit corporation, that has 3 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). IDA goal is promoting national security, preserve the public welfare, and advance learning by analyzing, evaluating, and reporting on matters of interest to the US Government.

What has your journey in HR been like?

Since undergrad I have worked in HR in various capacities and in different industries including retail, supply chain, healthcare, and now serving in my current role in the Defense and Space Manufacturing industry. My first HR role was as a HR supervisor with JCPenney from 2013-2015. Then, I recruited for IT professionals on national level for a staffing firm in Richmond, VA. I then relocated to Charleston, SC from 2016-2018 and I worked for Lowe's starting as a HR assistant then serving as a HRBP in Lowe's Delivery Terminal. From there, I ventured into healthcare from 2018 until June 2022. Being in healthcare during the height of COVID had its challenges and this prompted me to pursue my original goal from when I had moved to Maryland in 2019 - to work for the government in some form, either as a federal employee or a government contractor. Now here I am achieving that goal.

What is your favorite part about working in human resources and/or what is something you love about your job?

Working in HR has been very rewarding, and I love what I do. I would say my favorite aspect of the work that I perform is when I get interact with employees at all stages of their careers with respect and dignity. I also love seeing staff grow professionally and personally. My favorite quote by Maya Angelo is "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." That helped me stay true to my purpose professionally and personally.