MSU names Hernandez new chief human resources officer
Contact: Sid Salter
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A veteran human resources leader who has managed HR programs at the highest levels in shipping, healthcare and retail enterprises is being named Mississippi State’s new chief human resources officer.
Jason I. Hernandez, who holds an Ed.D. from Vanderbilt University in Education, an MBA from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and a B.S. degree in Biology and Social Science from Chapman University in Orange County, Calif., will succeed current CHRO Leslie M. Corey, who is retiring July 1 after more than 31 years of service to the university.
“Leslie Corey has been a real hero during her outstanding career with MSU’s Human Resources Management team,” said MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David R. Shaw. “She has been a catalyst for stability, and at the same time brought innovation to MSU’s human resources program. All of us at MSU thank Leslie for her service and wish her all the best.”
Hernandez previously served as vice president for human resources at FedEx Freight in Memphis, Tenn., and later as CHRO at Centerstone Healthcare. At FedEx, Hernandez led the company’s global HR functions in one of the world’s most complex and challenging business operations from 2007 to 2019.
He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and holds the SHRM-CP certification.
“We conducted a national search to fill this important position and that search produced several outstanding candidates, but it was clear that Jason had a truly outstanding depth of knowledge about the profession and relevant, cutting-edge experience in the corporate world,” said Shaw. “His lifelong link to higher education support was also a huge factor the committee considered.”
MSU’s more than 5,300 faculty and staff members make the 148-year-old land-grant institution among the region’s largest employers. Positive feedback from MSU employees has helped designate the university as a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education since 2016. Hernandez will lead the areas of domestic and international employment, compensation, benefits, employee relations, learning and development, and data services, as well as other university-wide human resources management support.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.