UW Human Resources Office to See Leadership Change

Nell Russell, the University of Wyoming’s associate vice president for human resources and diversity, is stepping down from her on-campus role but has agreed to temporarily continue working with UW as the head of HR in a consulting capacity.

In the meantime, Mark Bercheni, currently UW’s compensation and classification manager in the Office of Human Resources, has been selected to work with Russell and Vice President for Administration Bill Mai as the interim HR on-campus administrator -- with authority, in consultation with Russell, to make decisions on human resources matters.

“We are sorry that health considerations have caused Nell to make plans to leave Laramie, but we appreciate the fact that she will continue to serve the university through a transition period,” Mai says. “She will serve as the adviser to the search process to identify and ultimately appoint a permanent human resources director, and she will be active in our efforts as we seek to broaden and develop the scope of the Office of Human Resources as it relates to the university community.”

Bercheni, who has been at UW since 2010, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Michigan University and a number of certifications. With more than 25 years of human resources experience, he has directed employee relations, compensation and training for a nonprofit agency with about 2,000 employees; directed recruitment for a Fortune 500 company with more than 10,000 workers; managed Total Rewards programs for a major automobile manufacturer; and led human resources systems at a national electrical and natural gas utility conglomerate.