Diane Anderson

Diane Anderson's work touches every employee at CEBAF, and most are not even aware of it. Working behind the scenes of Human Resources, Anderson makes the evaluations that impact employee compensation and benefits.

CEBAF's new Compensation and Benefits Manager advises supervisors and Associate Directors about the compensation packages offered to transferring and new employees.

Working with people is nothing new for Anderson. After graduating from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, she worked in a legal-aid office.

"I felt like I was making a difference in people's lives by helping them navigate bureaucratic mazes. Much of what we did was band-aid work, but every once in a while you experienced a breakthrough and succeeded in getting someone back on their feet. I continue to use the listening skills learned through the experience in my work in Human Resources," says Anderson.

After 3 years in legal aid, Anderson advanced to accumulate 16 years in the Human Resources Field. She most recently worked for the Virginia State Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services for three and one-half years. Commuting round-trip from her home in Midlothian, VA to CEBAF, Anderson has committed herself to designing systems which ensure the equitable and efficient delivery of Human Resource services.

Her principal responsibility is interpreting and conducting marketplace evaluations to ascertain the levels and types of compensation organizations are offering in the marketplace.

"The objective is attaining internal parity of compensation between similar positions, and continuing to attract the best and brightest from the marketplace to CEBAF," says Anderson.

Anderson's ongoing focus is developing a comprehensive infrastructure of job descriptions for each position at CEBAF. Such a system has not been completed due to CEBAF's relatively brief time in operation. "I like the challenge of designing new systems that fully consider the culture, mission, and work force of an organization," says Anderson. According to Anderson, future demands on resources may necessitate a shift in compensation strategies and delivery. She is exploring benefit options that provide additional benefits to employees without representing added costs for the organization.

An examination of the compensation programs of other organizations illustrates that CEBAF is competitive in the local marketplace. "SURA provides its employees with an appropriate compensation package," says Anderson.h

- Will Conners, Director's Office Intern

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