Laura Azzarella recently joined Daemen as associate vice president for employee engagement.
She oversees human resources – supporting the college in its practices and procedures to ensure they are as contemporary as possible. She has also been appointed to the college’s cabinet.
Before pursuing her career in HR, Azzarella earned a bachelor’s degree in media relations from the University at Buffalo. A background in media brought experience in managing teams producing films, concerts and other projects.
Azzarella landed her first position as a human resources assistant, where she drew on a variety of skills developed from her managerial background, including what are known colloquially as “people skills.”
She took her new professional direction to the next level by earning a master’s in human resource management from Stony Brook University.
“I fell in love with the field,” said Azzarella. “I wanted to make sure I was developing myself as much as possible.”
She also earned a certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute.
Prior to working at Daemen, Azzarella most recently oversaw human resources for two 24/7 manufacturing plants where she focused on building strategic relationships and developing leadership training and succession planning.
“I’m incredibly passionate about developing and mentoring people in leadership. I love to set the tone of leadership and bring them above and beyond their goals,” said Azzarella.
She added, “I was drawn to Daemen’s high level of collaboration and leadership, as well as its focus on diversity and inclusion.”
Azzarella resides in Tonawanda, New York with her husband and two rescue dogs, Helios and Baldr. In her spare time, she enjoys completing illustration and graphic design projects.