Christy Pambianchi Groat Award Speech 2023
Thank you so much Dean Colvin.
It is truly an honor to receive such an incredible award and to join the cohort of prior Groat Award recipients.
I am truly moved.
I am surrounded today by my Family; ILR Alumni, Faculty, and Staff; friends & classmates from the program; Colleagues from my HR career; and my mentors who have guided me along the way.
While I want to thank so many people, I want to start by thanking my Mom.
She passed away at 34, when I was only 11.
But, even before she died, she left an indelible impression on me and my sisters regarding the importance of work and the importance of humility.
She was a nurse.
She had a big heart, so we often had someone down on their luck, living with us.
And, she always said to me and my sisters, that we were not better than anyone else.
We put our pants on one leg at a time like everyone else, and that the world needs people from all walks of life.
She never wanted us to be arrogant and she placed value on work, of every kind.
When her life was cut tragically short, I remember promising myself that I had to use my life to do something meaningful and to make a difference.
And this incredible recognition today closes that loop for me. I have been running my whole life, and this recognition is something that transcends the award, and lets me know, it mattered that I was here, and that I helped make a difference in some way in the world.
It goes without saying that Cornell, and ILR, changed my life!
The vision of the ILR school, “We exist to drive positive change in work, employment and labor that advances the world of work.” What a perfect aspiration.
Work.
The world of work.
After sleep, work is where we will spend the majority of our adult lives.
And all of the empirical evidence, much generated by the ILR School, affirm the critical role that work plays in the quality of someone’s life.
…In their social mobility.
…In their physical and mental health.
…In the opportunities they and their family have.
I fell in love with the Human Resource profession because it creates an opportunity to make a difference in this very thing – WORK.
As an HR leader, I have always kept in focus that I serve three very important stakeholders.
- The organization – does it have the human capital, winning culture and talent strategy to succeed?
- The leaders – Do they have qualified leadership teams, effective org designs and talent strategies to deliver the business plan?
- And most importantly - The employees – are we creating the culture and opportunity for employees to thrive and reach their professional and personal aspirations? Are we living our values, treating them with dignity and respect? Are we caring for the intersection of work and life?
And we know, from lots of research done at ILR, companies that get this right THRIVE, and so do their employees!
In the end, this is a large optimization problem -
Companies need and want great employees.
And, people need and want to work to survive, and thrive.
I have dedicated my career to optimizing this equation and had the opportunity to do so at four amazing firms over 33 years: Pepsi, Corning, Verizon and now Intel.
I have had the opportunity to impact hundreds of thousands of lives, and I carry with me the values taught by my family, career mentors and ILR in my job every day.
As Ezra Cornell’s vision says, “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study”. As the granddaughter of an 8th grade educated immigrant who came through Ellis Island in 1923, and later graduated from an Ivy League college, I am a living example of this vision coming to life and the impact it can have.
I want to especially thank my Dad, who always supported and encouraged me to work and be a working mom, even when it was not common.
To my incredible sisters – they are and have been my strength through my whole life! And are amazing inspirations in their own right.
My mentors and professors – you take my call; you help me be a better version of myself and I am so grateful.
And to Mike – I met Mike in high rise 1 my second week on campus. We got married at Sage Chapel six years later, in 1992, and have been married for over 30 years. We have four amazing children who have enriched our lives in ways that are unimaginable. I love you all so much!
To all of the guests here tonight, and our ILR community, may we remember it is not the big things, but the hundreds and thousands of little things we do that add up over time to make a difference. I always say there are no shortcuts. And may we continue to walk in the words and challenge of Ezra Cornell, in service of the greater good.
Thank you!