Shannon Chmura — Behind the Scones [Scenes] of an HR Superstar

By: Darra Kubera, Director of Communications

December 1, 2022

Back in 2021, I was out to brunch with my good friend Shannon Chmura. As our chatter turned towards work-related topics, she asked if I knew of anyone looking to fill a human resources position. Turns out she had perfect timing — here at FOS we had been looking for the right candidate to fill an HR business partner role. After learning about the job opening at FOS and touring our new downtown Buffalo location, everyone, including her, decided she was the right candidate. She started in July 2021, after 2 years as the senior HR coordinator at Welch’s, a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania.

As the first interview in this “people-focused” series that I’ve gotten to conduct in person, I join Shannon in our Buffalo office, and tell her to pretend we’re not good friends and that I know nothing about her. I admit that I always seem to start off with the same question, but luckily I’ve yielded varying results from each of my subjects. What’s your story?

“I wanna say I got to this place in life from a lot of things, weird things, going wrong.”

Do tell. And ignore my breakneck keyboard clacking as I write down everything you say.

“I started my corporate career at M&T Bank years and years ago, in an administrative assistant-type role. One thing I learned about myself quickly is that I get bored very easily. So after being at M&T for a bit I had my regularly scheduled existential crisis and decided I wanted to go into the military. The Air Force specifically; I was going to be a Cryptologic Linguist, which requires taking a special test called the Defense Language Aptitude Battery, or DLAB. It's a test that teaches you a fictional language and requires you to answer questions about it. It makes no sense and turns your brain to mush, and in the Air Force, you have to score above a 100 to even get into the program. I scored a 114. So I went through that long, grueling process only to find out that the military has this thing where they don’t like if you have asthma or any sort of respiratory distress issues, so they sent me home. I was completely devastated, but another thing I learned about myself, that I like about myself, is that I’m pretty tenacious. So after some wallowing, I picked myself up and made a game plan. It absolutely wasn’t easy, but I don’t know if I’d be where I am now if it weren’t for that experience. Today, I can confidently say I wouldn’t change a thing.”

From there, Shannon went back to M&T Bank in a different position. Shortly after that she met her now husband, moved to where he lived, and landed a job as a clerk at a local bank. While there, an opportunity for an HR assistant opened up and Shannon leapt at the chance. “As someone who is curious, borderline nosy, I like to be at the epicenter of all the action, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me. That was a really great team to be a part of; they taught me a lot about myself, about leadership, and about working with a productive team in general. After a few years there, I got the job with Welch’s.”

What has switching from manufacturing to facility management taught you?

“I never want to work in a union environment,” we laugh, “Honestly, it’s taught me that no matter what industry it is, HR at the root is always the same. At least in my opinion. You’re there to try to be a good balance between what’s best for the company and what’s best for the people you support. I know HR gets a bad rap sometimes from the decisions made or policies put in place, but there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into it and at the end of the day, those choices really are in the best interest of the employees.”

Here I pause and sheepishly admit to Shannon that each time she says “scenes” I accidentally type “scones.” That sidebar leads to an entire tangent about how hungry we are and where to find the best scones downtown (answer: Public Espresso or Flint which is conveniently on the first floor of our office building). Trying to get us back on track, I ask — aside from the behind the scones…I mean behind the scenes work, what’s your favorite part about working in this industry?

“I really like that I’m working with people regardless of where they are in their career, and that they’re professionals. Specifically at FOS, being able to get exposure to architects and mechanical and electrical folks, getting to listen to them talk about their craft, I really enjoy that. Being able to work with Joe [FOS President] from kind of the ground floor as we build up the business has also been exciting.”

Without hesitation Shannon attributes her professional persona to the mentors she’s been lucky to find along the way. “Janinne Dugan was my first HR boss; she gave me the foundation of all my knowledge and best practices. At Welch’s, Lori Jafarjian was able to help me blossom and truly discover what my interests in HR were. Claire Petrie, who is big in the Buffalo HR scene, and Laura Azarella who actually inspired me to apply to that first HR position in the first place — they’ve all been instrumental in shaping the path I’ve taken professionally.” 

You clearly have a passion for what you’re doing; what are you most proud of? “Personally, I’m proud that I managed to earn my bachelor’s in four years, despite starting with an associate’s in equine science and transitioning to psychology. I also have my MBA, which I also worked to earn quickly since I did that while planning my wedding! Professionally, I’m proud of the positive changes I’ve made within FOS concerning the interview and hiring process. When I first started, it was long and arduous, but I’ve done a lot of work to make the candidate experience as efficient and pleasant as possible.”

I have to ask Shannon to backup for a second — equine science?! She gently laughs, “Horses! I’ve been riding horses since I was ten and I’m currently trying to learn dressage.”

Delving more into her personal life, Shannon shares she would spend every single summer day at the beach if she could, she has two dogs that she’s obsessed with, and she just celebrated her five-year anniversary with her husband.

“This year, being a working parent to an infant has been a challenge to navigate, and actually it’s just like working in the HR field. I go from being an HR professional to a nurse to a therapist to a teacher. It can be frustrating, but it’s also very rewarding. It’s not all sunshine and roses all the time, but when you do have a win or great things happen it feels fantastic. It makes it all worth it.”

I could have continued chatting, and writing, about Shannon for ages and not just because she’s my friend. A true professional who has honed her craft, I feel honored to get to work alongside her.

If you want to work with a superstar like Shannon, you’re in luck! We’re hiring for a variety of positions. Click here to learn more and apply today!