In July 2023, NDHR added a new role to the total rewards team: family services consultant. This role focuses on the caregiving needs of working families, ranging from expecting or adopting a child to caring for elderly parents. The goal is to connect employees with family-centered benefits and resources, answer questions, and provide support during those moments that matter.
Maureen Baska, the new family services consultant, says, “I’m really excited to join a new area of the University and serve my colleagues. I know, as employees, we all are in various stages of life, and I’m looking forward to using my experience to help others navigate the challenges those stages can bring.”
Baska is taking on the planning and resource development of this new role. She spent 11 years in the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development, where she provided holistic and developmental career counseling to undergraduate students. She holds a master’s in counseling from Indiana University Bloomington.
Baska will begin offering consultations for employees starting this month. Thirty-minute consultations are available in-person or virtually and can be scheduled via the new Family Services and Programs website or by calling NDHR. Currently, consultations will focus on three primary categories: expecting parents/preparing for a leave, newborn needs/returning to work, and caring for children, aging parents or a spouse. The range of consultation topics will expand over time. In addition to consultations, employees can get information about benefits and resources on the family services website, launched last summer.
As part of the family services offerings, and in collaboration with campus resource groups for employees, NDHR will host a Summer Camp Expo on Wednesday, February 28 in the Morris Inn. This will be an opportunity for faculty and staff to learn about summer camp opportunities for their children in grades K-12 in the greater Michiana area. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.