Heartfelt HR: Laura Mueller, '96, Chief Human Resources Officer
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet

Laura Mueller, '96, Groundworks Chief Human Resources Officer (Photo: Groundworks)

Laura Mueller, '96, knew at an early age that she wanted to advocate for employees in the skills and trades industry, but it was NIU faculty who helped her discover her career’s direction and even helped her secure her first job.
 

Her mother, Linda, raised Mueller on the South Side of Chicago.
 

“I learned the importance of hard work at a young age,” Mueller said. “Not only did I watch my mother work extremely hard, but I also began riding horses. Every day before and after school, I fed them, groomed them and ensured they had what they needed. It taught me that if something was important in my life, I needed to nurture it and continue pushing at it. And this has been a way of life for me ever since I started riding at seven years old.”
 

Today, with over 25 years of human resources leadership experience, Mueller is the chief human resources officer for Groundworks, a leading foundation and water management solutions company in the United States and Canada. She specializes in high-growth, multi-location and international organizations—a perfect fit for a rapidly growing company like Groundworks. Most recently, Mueller served as the chief human resources officer at Convergint Technologies, where she supported a workforce of over 10,000 employees across more than 30 countries.
 

Mueller credits the guidance of former NIU instructor Jim Ward and Professor Terry Bishop, Ph.D., for impacting her professional journey.
 

“Jim’s guidance helped me to discover the direction I wanted to go in my career and even helped me secure my first job,” she said. “Terry was our Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) chapter leader at that time and emphasized teaching students to think critically. While the two were very different individually, their combined knowledge was instrumental to my experience at NIU. Often, they would argue with each other about a number of HR philosophies, and I just loved listening to their funny, but ultimately educational, banter.”
 

Mueller chose NIU as it was one of the few universities at the time that had a management degree with a human resources focus. She made a conscious effort to build relationships with her professors and peers.
 

“I picked the university with the exact program to achieve my goals,” she said. “But I knew making friends could be challenging when transferring from a community college. My NIU classmates had already been together for two years, so I had to find ways to build friendships. I purposely got a dorm room on the business floor and joined a business fraternity, so I spent most of my time with my classmates. My fondest memories come from conversing in the dorms with my peers.”
 

Approaching graduation, Mueller was offered two jobs—one from a small consulting firm and the other from Honeywell. She chose the smaller firm with the hope of gaining a broader experience, and although it was a challenge, it enabled her to explore every facet of human resources functions. She describes the experience as the “ideal first job everyone hopes for.”
 

Later in her career, an extremely difficult period became her proudest. While working at Nordex North America, she was forced to close a plant she had previously opened, putting herself and hundreds of others out of work.
 

“I didn’t want to leave my colleagues without a way to support themselves and their families, so I got to work,” Mueller said. “I utilized my relationship with the Arkansas State Capitol to provide resources to everyone who would be losing their jobs. We brought in resume writing assistance and hosted job fairs and government agencies on-site. The state helped us provide continued education to those who wanted to level up their degree at no cost. In the end, every single person walked away with a new position while still keeping up with business operations until the plant closed. That was an extremely challenging time for me, but I am proud of the way we were able to manage it.”
 

Continuing to expand her career, Mueller took an international position for Nordex SE in Hamburg, Germany. The exposure to global human resources and the challenges of multiple companies operating under varying rules and regulations helped her learn to identify where issues can arise and when to ask questions.
 

These pivotal points in her career gave Mueller key experiences and confidence to create and influence change.
 

“The most fulfilling part of my career is making a positive change for the company, the employees and the customers we serve,” she said. “I focus on delivering a high work ethic, positive energy and intense curiosity, and although unusual for HR professionals, I tend to look at everything through a business lens. It’s easy to get caught up in the ‘law’ or the ‘right’ way instead of thinking about how to run a business properly. A different perspective goes a long way.”
 

She recalls the career advice her father gave to her at her NIU graduation.
 

“My dad said, ‘Always get there before your boss, leave after your boss, and dress better than your boss,’" Mueller said. “I never took it literally, but it’s stuck with me since that day. You always want to show your boss you’re dedicated and hardworking. If you want to be in their shoes one day, act like it.”
 

With Huskie pride, Mueller now shares her own wisdom with NIU students by regularly speaking to College of Business students and the SHRM chapter to discuss career tips and current human resources topics. 
 

“Giving back to the university that has given me so much is such an honor,” she said.