Charlotte Hodges, CPP, is the American Payroll Association’s Region 2 Advisor. She serves as the liaison between APA and local
chapters in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Learn more about Charlotte with our exclusive Q&A session!
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Like pretty much everyone I’ve met in payroll, I fell into my profession. It was a discovery of sorts. I had gone to an APA one-day seminar about paying employees and discovered that one of the processes we were following was not in compliance with the Department of Labor guidance. I took that information back to my manager and we made the appropriate changes to remedy that issue. I knew I could be an influencer and that I was in the right profession. On a personal note, I originally came from Washington State but settled in Virginia with my husband more than 30 years ago. Therefore, I call Virginia my home. When not working, I am happiest when I am around or on the water on a warm sunny day.
How long have you been involved with APA and local chapters?
I am a member of the Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter (WMAC) since the early ’90s and have been a CPP since 1996. I am a past President of the WMAC Chapter and currently the Chair of the Education Committee. I enjoy the ongoing educational aspects of payroll that are critical to staying current and knowledgeable in our payroll profession.
I have been a speaker at WMAC Chapter meetings and the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference. I hope to be given more speaking opportunities in the future. I am also becoming more active at the national level by accepting additional volunteer opportunities and committee assignments.
I was honored and humbled to have been awarded the APA Meritorious Service Award in 2020.
What goal would you like to achieve as a Regional Advisor?
My goal is to be a conduit for the Chapters in my region to share their ideas with APA and their network of Chapters. There is a lot of talent and enthusiasm across the payroll community. I want to shine a spotlight on those who give so much of themselves to their respective professions and their communities.
What is the best advice you would like to give to the chapters in your region?
The advice I can give to the chapters in my region is to invest in the younger generation of payroll professionals. Payroll is getting to be increasingly complex. Being a mentor to the younger generation entering and rising in the payroll profession can have a profound impact on their confidence in facing new challenges and will have a positive impact as their careers progress. Allowing the younger generation to be leaders in their Chapters will benefit not only these new leaders but will also spark new ideas on how the Chapters can remain relevant in the future.
How do you use social media to help promote and market the chapters in your region?
This is the age of social media. Chapters are taking full advantage of the resources at their disposal. Chapters are generally running very lean from a budget perspective.
Social media is a means to reach a large audience with a small or no financial investment. Chapters use social media to advertise events, share opportunities, ideas and socialize with each other.
How has the pandemic changed the way you interact with the chapters in your region?
To a large degree, the pandemic has forced Chapters to be more flexible and think ahead to the future from a different perspective than they would have pre-pandemic. The Regional Advisors are geographically separated from the Chapters they service in their respective regions. I look at the virtual world as presenting an opportunity to keep connected with the Chapters in my region on a more consistent and frequent basis by erasing the miles that separate me from them.
Are you a proud chapter leader in Region 2? Introduce yourself to Charlotte in the comments or send her an email.
