Dr. Holly Hutchins, Associate Professor of Human Resource Development in the Department of Human Development and Consumer Science has received the 2011 Early Career Scholar Award from the Academy of Human Resource Development. The Academy of HRD Early Career Scholar award recognizes outstanding HRD scholars for their significant research contributions, productivity, and innovation. An Early Career award recognizes top researchers in the HRD field who publish innovative and influential work within seven years of receiving their doctorate.
"I am very proud to promote the success of Technology faculty members like Professor Hutchins," said Dr. William F. Fitzgibbon, Dean of the College of Technology. "This is the first time that a University of Houston HRD faculty member has won the Academy of HRD Early Career Scholar award, highlighting the growing recognition of our program and faculty as scholarly leaders."
Dr. Hutchins' academic accomplishments include numerous peer-reviewed articles in the areas of human resource development, evaluation and assessment, and performance improvement. Her work on training transfer and HRD's role in crisis management have been ranked among the top ten most cited and most read for the last five years in Human Resource Development Review and Advances in Developing Human Resources (respectively). Collectively, she has received more than $600,000 in sponsored funding including federal, industry, and internal grants for her work on learning design and assessment. As a consultant to major industry partners, she has designed and facilitated training on performance improvement competencies and the role of HRD as a strategic partner. Demonstrating innovation, Dr. Hutchins has developed a model of e-learning design that leverages research from human resource development, instructional communication, and educational technology. She has been recognized for teaching excellence also, earning the College of Technology Fluor Award for Teaching in 2008, and the University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award in 2009. Her current participation as co-PI in the NSF ADVANCE proposal will enhance UH's ability to recruit, develop and support women faculty in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM).
"Dr. Hutchins has established herself as one of the premier researchers on transfer of training, said Dr. Elwood F. Holton, Jones S. Davis Distinguished Professor of Human Resource, Leadership, & Organization Development, School of Human Resource Education at Louisiana State University. "Training transfer is one of the most important problems in training today so this is an incredibly meaningful accomplishment for an Associate Professor, both from research and practice perspectives. She is clearly 'plowing new ground' in this area and having a strong influence on the field," he said.