The Central Keystone Valley HR Professionals was founded in 1967 by Mr. Marvin Hittle. Mr. Hittle was employed by Chemcut Corporation. The first meeting was held at the State College Hotel on January 14, 1967. The group was called “The Centre County Personnel Association”. The first officers were:
President: Ray T. Fortunato, Director of personnel services-employee relation at the University, State College President Elect: Glenn Aumiller, personnel manager of Cerro Copper and Brass Co, Bellefonte Secretary: Mrs. Michael R. Cannon, Cannon Instrument Company, Boalsburg
Over the years as the organization grew, it joined as an affiliate member of the Society of Human Resource Management and changed its name to The Human Resource Association of Centre County. The HRACC continued to be a nonprofit organization that provided networking and educational support to professionals in the human resource function for employers throughout Centre County for many years to come.
In the fall of 2014, the HRACC expanded into Mifflin, Juniata, and Huntingdon counties. This gives the HRACC the opportunity to offer programs and workshops in the Juniata Valley through this Membership Service Area, which is something unique that our chapter has that most chapters do not.
In The summer of 2018 the HRACC Board of Directors began the tedious task of bringing our bylaws up to date as well as developing a new identity to take HRACC forward. Since the expansion into the 3 additional counties, the Board felt strongly that our name was misleading and not inviting to our members in our surrounding areas. Through significant discussion and work, the Board settled on new bylaws and the new, more inclusive, name of Central Keystone Valley HR Professionals. In February 2020, after nearly a 9 month wait, SHRM approved our new bylaws and they were ratified by the chapter membership. Thus, Central Keystone Valley HR Professionals was born to be a more inclusive way to integrate members from all areas, both geographically and professionally, into the chapter as we move into the new decade.
Why Central Keystone Valley HR professionals?
Normally, the first thing people think about our area is the mountain which separates Mifflin and Centre counties; especially since the question “How’s the mountain?” is spoken almost as frequently as “How’s the weather?” But, a mountain wasn’t as fitting for the Juniata County/Huntingdon County areas. Then we had the epiphany…we all lived in valleys! Centre County is also considered Happy Valley. Mifflin and Juniata Counties are in the Juniata River Valley. And Huntingdon County was created from portions of several areas, which includes Kish Valley, or Big Valley (also shared by Mifflin County), and Tuscarora Valley. In fact, there are 161 valleys through the 4 counties our membership covers. It only seemed like a fitting description of our central Pennsylvania membership.
