Vice President Alison Alden to retire

To the members of the MIT community:

I write to share the news that Alison Alden has decided to retire as MIT's Vice President for Human Resources (HR) in early spring, following seven years of exceptional service to the Institute.

Alison came to us after serving as Senior Vice President for Human Resources at John Hancock and a 25-year career as a leader in HR and organizational development. Since joining MIT in January of 2007, Alison has made significant contributions to the HR organization and to transforming HR practices more broadly across campus. With a deep commitment to diversity and to promoting an open and inclusive environment for all, she has helped MIT extend its reputation for being an outstanding place to work and to live. The culture of caring that she has helped to advance reflects her deep appreciation for MIT culture and values.

Under Alison's leadership, MIT institutionalized the Excellence Awards, elevating the annual forum that celebrates the extraordinary work that goes on at MIT in support of the MIT mission. She is responsible for strengthening the network of HR professionals across campus, and has been a great champion for expanding learning opportunities for staff. Recognizing the importance of leadership at every level, she was instrumental in extending elements of the Leader-to-Leader program to those in supervisory and managerial roles. During her tenure many HR systems and processes were modernized.

Alison will continue in her current role into the spring semester. As we begin the search for the right individual to build on what Alison has accomplished and fill the important role of leading HR, I welcome your input regarding potential candidates, as well as thoughts about the role. Please send comments or suggestions via email to me at evpt-hiring@mit.edu, or to Room 4-204. All correspondence received will be treated as confidential.

We know that Alison will enjoy this opportunity to spend more time with family and friends, but we also hope that she will remain connected to us as part of the MIT family. There will be occasion to celebrate Alison and her contributions, but for now, I hope you will join me in expressing our gratitude for her tremendous service to the MIT community.

Sincerely,

Israel Ruiz
Executive Vice President and Treasurer