Name: Erica D’Angelo
Title: HR Administrator, Agency Human Resources Business Partners
Department of Administrative Services
Office: Statewide Human Resources
1. Can you share your current role and key responsibilities within the State of Connecticut?
My title is Human Resources Administrator - Agency HR Business Partners, and I report directly to the state’s Chief Human Resources Officer and DAS Deputy Commissioner, Nick Hermes. This role has operational and strategic responsibility for our human resources teams deployed across the 35 agencies in scope under HR centralization. Our teams are embedded within many of the state’s executive branch agencies and provide frontline consultative HR services to over 30,000 employees! Those services include, but are not limited to, recruitment and selection support, workforce planning, position management, employee relations, strategic leadership support, and day-to-day HR administration. Many of our DAS employees know Theresa Judge and her team, and they are a part of our group.
2. What motivated you to pursue a career with the State of Connecticut, and what has been your journey here?
Both of my parents are retired state employees. My mom was a social work case manager with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and my dad was a maintenance crew leader at the Department of Transportation, so I was able to witness growing up the inherent altruism that goes along with providing critical support to the citizens of Connecticut through our state agencies. In 2017, after spending about 15 years in the highly competitive, revenue-driven staffing and HR consulting world, I made the shift to public service. My career at the state started off serving as the first-ever Director of Talent Acquisition at UConn Health. In January of 2020, I made the move to DAS to help implement Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 2, focusing on the consolidation and modernization of human resources and labor relations functions. Making the switch from the private to the public sector has been the most rewarding part of my career.
3. What achievements at the State of Connecticut are you most proud of, and what impact have they had?
Without hesitation, the implementation and ongoing success of human resources centralization. The project alone was exciting and ambitious, but 6 weeks into the HR leadership team beginning our work, the pandemic hit. To add complexity, my large division within statewide human resources would go on to experience close to 60% staff turnover due to retirements in the first few years of implementation. When I look back on those first months and years of human resources centralization to where we are now, 5 ½ years later, I have so much pride in what our teams have accomplished against all adversity. Our work is ongoing, but I attribute the project's achievements to the absolutely amazing team of HR professionals we have at DAS. The creativity, caring nature, and work ethic that our teams possess are the reasons for our success. I am beyond lucky to have a great leader, colleagues, and staff who make work engaging and fun!
You can read more about the human resources centralization project and accomplishments here.
4. What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of your work, and how do they enrich your life?
Spending time with my husband, children, family, and close friends is where I find my joy. We are an active family and live in a great, small town with plenty of outdoor activities, so my free time consists of hiking, biking, boating, swimming, skiing, rollerblading, and any other activity my local friends ask me to join. I also grew up as a multi-sport athlete and love a team dynamic. I’ve been playing softball competitively for over 40 years, and plan on continuing as long as I’m able! When I’m not active, I’m cheering my kids on during their competitive sporting events, listening to pop-culture podcasts, dreaming of my next beach vacation, studying astrology, and shopping with my teenage daughter.
5. Could you share a memorable travel experience and what made that destination special for you?
I have been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing locations around the world, but I truly believe that it’s the company that makes the trip! Last summer, my family and I spent a week in the Outer Banks in North Carolina with some of our closest friends. It was a house filled with kids running around, and it was an amazing week of zero plans and responsibilities, laughing, eating, beaching, swimming, surfing, and shopping. Three days into our trip, we had to be evacuated to another house due to Hurricane Erin. We just picked up and brought the fun with us!
6. What advice would you give to someone considering a career with the State of Connecticut?
Absolutely, consider it! I don’t know of any other organization or company that employs as wide a skillset range as the state. Whether you are a seasoned professional or someone looking for their first job in the workforce, there is a rewarding role for you here. You can find fulfillment as a nurse, lifeguard, chef, accountant, teacher, engineer…almost anything! Additionally, the state has done an excellent job positioning itself as an employer of choice in the market (shout out to DAS!). Competitive salaries, best-in-class benefits, and a healthy work/life balance. This, plus the opportunity to truly make a difference by serving the public, makes a career here immensely rewarding.
7. What’s your favorite spot in Connecticut, and what makes it special to you?
My favorite spot in Connecticut is my home. We live on 12 acres in northwest Connecticut, and our land has walking trails, a garden, large streams, and lots of wildlife. The energy here is amazing, and it is our family’s sanctuary. A close second is People’s State Forest in Barkhamsted. I love to hike the trails to the top and enjoy the views of the Farmington River below, especially during peak foliage in October.
8. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it to make a difference?
I’d love the ability to have instant knowledge and immediately understand anything I want to study. For instance, look at a math problem and instinctively know the answer. I would use this power to teach and help others, assist in emergency situations, or just make smarter everyday decisions.
9. Who is the person you admire, and what qualities do they possess that inspire you?
A person whom I admire is my 8-year-old son Eli. Eli was diagnosed with autism at 23 months old after he had experienced the total loss of his verbal communication skills over a period of 6 months. We were fortunate to have the resources to enroll him in full-time support that focused on early intervention. Over the next few years, I had the opportunity to see my son work hard every single day, regaining his language skills, learning self-care and social skills, and preparing himself for school with peers. Getting to witness life through Eli’s unique lens is a gift, and from him I’ve learned to value what is truly important. Today, he is an amazing friend, athlete, fisherman, and math whiz!
10. What’s an interesting or fun fact?
Bananas are radioactive. They contain potassium, and a tiny fraction of that is a naturally radioactive isotope called Potassium-40. Good news for banana lovers, you would need to eat millions of bananas at once for it to be dangerous.
