Sarena Cook

About Sarena Cook

Throughout my career there has been one thing that excited me more than anything else - the growth, development and engagement of talented people in the workplace. In order to have the things we want in life, work is a necessity. I am a firm believer that inspiring work that fills your cup is critical to wellness and happiness. The big question I am consistently asking is: how can I support others in finding work that they love?I’ve spent the last 20 years diving into that question. As a retail banking manager, I made it a goal to provide the development resources and advice that helped my team members get promoted and reach new heights. Happy employees create happy customers and great results. As a Learning and Development Manager, I approached the question at the organizational level. What learning or development opportunities will help others realize their strengths and live into the best versions of themselves? How can they use those strengths to improve the environment on their team and make contributions to their community? Now, as a People Experience Business Partner I have the opportunity to dive even deeper into the elements that generate engagement, peak performance and a sense of connection and purpose for everyone at my organization. We all know that the workplace is changing rapidly and we as people leaders, we will need to rise to the occasion and meet the needs of the workforce of the future. How can we use data to make impactful decisions? How can we bolster individual resilience and create impactful development opportunities? Collaborative teams? Better communication? Foster an inclusive workplace that provides opportunities for everyone? I have some answers but I plan to spend the next chapter of my career learning from others and enjoying the journey of exploration into what creates an engaging and inspiring workplace.

Experience

1. People Experience Business Partner

   OCCU | Oregon Community Credit Union

   Feb 2024 — Present · Eugene, OR, US

   The People Experience Business Partner plays an integral role in driving engagement initiatives, strategies and philosophies. They lead the planning, development and implementation of programs and strategies to maintain a culture of exceptional employee engagement adhering to OCCU’s vision and values. This Business Partner demonstrates strong facilitation, coaching and meeting management skills to foster open, direct and consistent communication at all levels of the organization. Specialty areas include Employee Engagement and Experience, Career Development, Coaching, Performance, Incentives, and Internal Communications.

Education

• Metropolitan State University of Denver

  B.S. Employee Management and Development, Business Management, Leadership, HR

  2008 — 2012

Skills

• Leadership
• Employee Management
• Volunteer Leadership
• Loans
• Coaching
• Banking
• Relationship Management
• Small Business
• Investments
• Public Speaking
• Loan Origination
• E-Learning
• Credit
• Volunteer Coordination
• Consumer Lending
• Sales
• Small Business Lending
• Commercial Lending
• Employee Engagement
• Blended Learning
• Leadership Development
• Training
• New Business Development
• Learning
• Personal Development
• Retail Banking
• Volunteer Recruiting
• Customer Service
• Employee Learning & Development
• Team Building
• Management
• Lead Generation
• Employee Development