Yesenia Lopez

I've been in the hospitality industry for a very long time, starting at 17 with an internship and then moving into the culinary world on the hotel side. Over 19 years, I worked for about 14 properties, which gave me tremendous learning opportunities. While my initial goal was to become a GM, I realized I was more passionate about helping internal teammates, which eventually led me to Human Resources. I retired from the hotel sector last year and joined the University Club of Chicago 4 months ago, where I'm now in my sixth year in the HR world. The club is definitely a different world from hotels - it's more personable and engaging, with members who care about the staff first and make this place their home away from home. I'm in a company that values the staff and does whatever it takes to make our staff happy, which is exactly where I wanted to be. My focus is on being that mid person to inspire employees to continue moving forward, providing recognition and energy so they feel valued. I always tell the employees here that they are my internal members, so they understand why they need to be on their A-game. I believe in leadership over management - anybody can be a manager with tasks to complete, but a leader takes care of their team, inspires them for possibilities, and polishes them to eventually take over your job. That's what empowerment is all about.