Joan Oakley
Human Resources Specialist
Joan is our Human Resources Specialist at BDC with over 20 years of experience. Joan has gained a wealth of knowledge over the years through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), seminars, webinars, and an HR Committee that she has been a part of since 2005, which she says is filled with an amazing group of professionals and guest speakers who have guided and helped develop her skills. Joan fell into her HR career by chance and realized that she was a natural fit for the role. Joan admits that HR can be extremely challenging at times, that sometimes she must make tough decisions, so it truly brings her joy when she is able to help someone, on any level, and make them happy. Joan loves her job and credits Director of Operations, Jenn Brown, and Dr. Brown for their love, support, and for creating a space that makes team members feel at home. Joan is deeply inspired by the huge circle of strong women in her life that have help, supported, mentored, cried with, and celebrated with her. They have shown her love and mutual adoration that inspires her every day. Joan says that one can’t be in HR without the values of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and compassion. Joan believes it’s important to be honest with yourself and other, to always strive to do the right thing, to be dedicated to your team, and to use compassion as a tool to see through the eyes of others and understand their perspective to work out a viable solution. Joan listens to Mayim Bialik’s podcast “Bialik Breakdown,” that focuses on the importance of mental health, which Joan is very passionate about. In her free time, Joan loves to spend time taking in the sunshine and salty air while boating and spending time with her family.