Meet Genevieve Northup, MBA, SHRM-CP, HCI-SPTD | Leadership Training Facilitator, Professional Speaker, Freelance Writer/Editor, and Jewelry Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Genevieve Northup, MBA, SHRM-CP, HCI-SPTD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Genevieve, can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I am Collin College’s HR Manager of Employee Success and Talent Development. My days are spent designing and facilitating training to develop Collin’s current and future leaders. Our team has received countless accolades for the innovative and engaging 12-session “Leading for Excellence Academy.” We have also revamped and augmented many other employee success initiatives, including new-employee orientation, sabbaticals, performance appraisals, and wellness. In terms of college involvement and volunteerism, I am president of Staff Council, a 35-member employee organization that serves in an advisory role to the district president. The council coordinates employee recognition events and fundraising initiatives for student scholarships.

I have volunteered for DallasHR’s educational programming for four years and am currently the director-elect of the HRSouthwest Conference Educational Sessions Committee. I was named the 2020 HRSouthwest Conference Volunteer of the Year. I have been a featured speaker at the HRSouthwest Conference, Association for Talent Development Southwest Learning Summit, and Texas Society for Human Resource Management Student Games at The University of Texas at Dallas.

In 2005, I began my career in recruiting and training after completing my undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2009, an opportunity arose for my husband and me to move to Germany, and we jumped at the chance. We moved out of our uptown apartment, put everything in storage, and clamored aboard a flight to Frankfurt with 10 suitcases and two pets. I worked as an HR training professional for a Department of Defense squadron, meeting the training needs of 1,200 military and civilian employees. I loved the job, but there was no upward mobility for me. I also loved writing and began volunteering with Stars and Stripes Europe, a Department of Defense media organization. I was eventually hired as a writer-editor and later promoted to lead writer-editor, where I oversaw 60 travel and lifestyle magazines, a website, and a team of staff writers and freelancers. I learned valuable leadership and change management lessons, as well as graphic design skills. I missed training others, so I taught as an adjunct professor of management for Central Texas College’s Europe campus. While teaching and writing, my purpose was reaffirmed: I wanted to develop and inspire leaders.

My husband and I returned to Dallas in 2017, and I was hired at Collin College initially in a grant-funded training consultant role. I later transitioned to a full-time training consultant role in the Collin Corporate College before my current role was created. I just happened to come across the job announcement for the HR manager role on LinkedIn, and I immediately applied because I knew the job was where I wanted to be — it was my next step.

Beyond my current role at Collin College, I am an avid runner, foodie (which is why I have to run), jewelry designer, subject-matter expert for high-profile clients of CopyPress, and freelance travel writer.

I love exploring the world and writing about it, having visited 54 countries to date. I have snorkeled with manta rays in the Maldives, jumped from Croatian cliffs, hiked the mountains of Morocco, dined at Dubai’s seven-star hotel, cage dived with sharks in Hawaii, prepared pasta with a Michelin-starred chef in Tuscany, toured the Taj Mahal, stayed in a Transylvanian count’s estate at Halloween, scuba dived between two continents in Iceland, and, most recently, survived canyoning in the rainforest of Costa Rica.

Traveling has given me practical skills in budgeting and planning, but the real reward has been that it has catapulted my personal growth. Experiencing other cultures has helped me see the world through a different lens. There isn’t one “right” way to do things. My problem-solving skills, ability to relate to others, comfort with change, and courage to take risks are all a result of traveling. Ultimately, traveling has made me a better human being.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live and work in McKinney, and my two favorite things are the great outdoors and great food.

I would start with some intense trail biking at Erwin Park. We’d have some Liège waffles (waffles with baked-in pearl sugar that hail from Liège, Belgium) at Layered one morning or gourmet sandwiches from Patina Green, both on the square in downtown McKinney. We would also have Sunday brunch and wine flights on the outdoor patio at Zin Zen Wine Bistro in McKinney’s Adriatica Village, a gorgeous center designed to look like a Croatian village that has cobblestoned streets, tile roofs, and a lake.

We would stop by Plano’s Legacy Food Hall for an outdoor concert and the chance to try food from the 20+ stalls. In the summer, we’d pack a picnic and drive out to Fort Worth’s Botanical Gardens for Concert in the Garden, a night of live music and fireworks under the stars.

Up next is the Dallas Arboretum to stroll through the beautiful gardens, followed by the Perot Museum’s dinosaur exhibit.

For dinner, we would have Michelin-quality meals: sushi at Uchi in downtown Dallas, Rye in McKinney’s square (once it reopens!), and crab cakes from Eddy V’s in Plano.

We’d stuff our faces in Carrollton’s Koreatown before imbibing and singing in a private karaoke room.

And we definitely wouldn’t miss the Texas Twinkies (jalapenos stuffed with brisket, cream cheese, and wrapped in bacon) and warm peach cobbler at Hutchin’s BBQ.

What do you want your legacy to be?
I strive for excellence in all that I do. At work, it is improving a program, leading teams to be exceptional, and inspiring leaders to create an environment where team members can be their best and feel their best. I want to be remembered as the facilitator who spurred action from attendees to make changes for the better and the writer who ignited readers’ wanderlust. I am also passionate about helping those who struggle with mental illness and want to be known as the person who will give unconditional support.

My legacy is that I am a wife, daughter, sister, aunt, godparent, and friend with impeccable style (and accessories) who loves the people and fur babies in my life, travel, and adventure. Success means nothing if we do not have great people to share in our achievements, so we must be intentional with the time we have together.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to thank my husband, the love of my life. He has been so supportive in my career and creative journeys. He has helped me find the courage to take risks and believe in myself. He is my favorite traveling companion. So far, we’ve explored more than 50 countries together — and are still counting.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gennorthup