Her Story
About Tami
I currently work with Yamaha Motor Corporation, specifically with our Marine Business Unit, although I perform HR functions for the entire organization. Marine is our biggest and most profitable product group. My hands are on a bit of everything - from being a generalist to handling employee relations, talent acquisition for high-profile hires, and onboarding and orientation. I'm part of the Yamaha Employee Engagement Committee, which has won the President's Award two years in a row. Our goal is really to engage our employee base and make sure they get a certain level of satisfaction and know that the organization appreciates them. I like to tell people we work hard, but we also play hard. I'm big on culture - that day one orientation really is a time and place where you set tone and you really explain culture, and then from there, they get the chance to see culture come to life. I founded our first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council here, which I've since rebranded as People and Culture because DEI has kind of put a sour taste in a lot of folks' mouths, but the work doesn't stop. We've gotten involved with Kennesaw State University, supporting their students through food pantry drives and stocking their owl closet - they're right across the tree line and serve as an employee pipeline for us. We've also partnered with the LGBTQIA plus community in California and supported a domestic violence women's shelter called Wise Place. What I enjoy most now that my role has evolved is being seen as more of a strategic thought partner as I'm on the HR business partner track. I appreciate being in rooms and having conversations about the way the organization is growing, what departments look like, talent reviews, and making sure we're developing the right talent to produce future leaders. We have about three generations in this workplace currently. I've been with Yamaha for nearly 7 years now, and in that time I've become a certified diversity professional, a certified coaching professional, and I've got my SHRM certification. I've appreciated being able to impact and support this organization while also having them support me in my professional development journey.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tami
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have to contribute a lot of the things that I've achieved to my son and my daughter, and now my grandson. Being a teenage single parent, I was thrown into the fire early. You learn so much when you have to navigate life like that. You understand early what hard work looks like if you crave a level of your own independence. You learn what strength looks like, what dedication looks like, what perseverance looks like. I was one of the first in my family to even go to college, so I wanted to make sure that I served as an example. Yeah, it wasn't necessarily something that was smiled upon to have a child out of wedlock, however, I was able to move past that. I've been able to continue my education and continue to serve as an example for my child and my grandchild, for my cousins - me going to school has inspired my cousins going to school and completing their degrees, my brother going to the military just to do something different. I think oftentimes, while we give a lot of credit to scholastics, just being the person that you are, through your actions, you're able to influence others to want more, to do better, just because they witness and see who you are and what it is that you do. I think that the movements that I've made have totally been a catalyst for my relatives.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First of all, in the field of human resources, or actually in any field, it needs to be a passion, it needs to be something that you love. I am a resource for humans. Being a resource for humans is something that I love to do, so it does not feel like a job. Don't do it for the pay. Do it because it's something that aligns with your values. Do it because you genuinely have an interest in this field. Don't do it because you saw someone else do it, or because you perceive a level of power with this position. Do it again, because it's something that aligns with your values, it's something that you enjoy. And also know that human resources is vast, it's not just one thing. There are many facets of HR, so pick something. It's not all of it, pick something that really resounds with who you are and that you feel like you can make a difference in someone's life by doing the work that you do. And you'll find fulfillment.
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