In the early 1950's local personnel administrators, as human resource managers were then commonly called, organized the Northeast Georgia Chapter of the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA), the original name of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The chapter encompassed 28 counties stretching from Georgia's northern border to a line below Athens. The group alternated meetings between Athens and Gainesville.

As the area closer to Athens continued to grow, the Athens Area Personnel Association was formed in 1985. In 1994 the chapter changed to its current name: Athens Area Society for Human Resource Management (AASHRM).

AASHRM is an active organization with members from both the private and public sectors representing a broad cross section of area employers. Membership in the Professional, General or Associate category is open to HR Professionals at the exempt and non-exempt level, HR Consultants, Professors, and others with a bona fide interest in the field of human resource management.

The chapter holds monthly meetings that include a speaker or program and provide HR professionals with the opportunity to network with colleagues while keeping abreast of the most current topics in our field. The group also sponsors workshops, certification study groups and scholarships and participates in other community activities throughout the year.

AASHRM is an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management. SHRM was founded in 1948 by a group of just 28 individuals who anticipated the need for a national personnel organization. The goal in founding ASPA was to provide continued professional development opportunities for what the founding members recognized as a profession in transition, promote national networking, and to generally advance the interests of the profession. Since that time, SHRM has been through many additional changes, including a name change from ASPA to SHRM in 1989. SHRM represents more than 225,000 individual members in over 125 countries, and has a network of more than 575 affiliated chapters in the United States, as well as offices in China and India.

Typically, AASHRM members also maintain membership in SHRM at a level well above the required number to maintain chapter affiliation. The national organization provides human resource professionals with access to a myriad of member services including a comprehensive web site, professional publications, seminars and conventions. The Society of Human Resource Managers is dedicated to providing members and the HR community state-of-the art products and services. For more information on national membership go to National SHRM . When applying for national membership, be sure to designate AASHRM as your primary chapter!

Our chapter welcomes new members!