"Someone told you I was the best, I am only the best because I work with the best. You don't trust the men you're working with, you're good as dead."

Find the laughter. This is Mayra’s tried and true method of turning a bad day into a good one and, if we’ve learned anything here at AMIAS, intentionally seeking out the humor of a situation is a key skill to surviving and thriving in the world of human resources! Mayra’s friends describe her as funny, as well as driven and caring. She counts her mother and previous HR bosses as her role models and she has received some valuable advice over the years:

• Closed mouths don't get fed
• If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
• Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend. 

Along with knowing when to heed solid advice, Mayra possesses a strong sixth sense. Listening to (and following) those instincts has led her to a career working with people, and no one but her is surprised at how good she is at it. If she had not ended up in HR, Mayra would have pursued a career in law enforcement and there is an undeniable parallel between the two fields. Describing in the simplest terms what it is she does as an HR director – easy enough for children to get it - Mayra explains that she makes sure everyone is following the rules. Human resources: the cops of the corporate world!

Although she enjoys music in her off hours, Mayra works best in a quiet environment. Music during work is too distracting because it makes her want to dance! So, Mayra maximizes her focus by working in silence and focusing on breathing. This helps her keep a calm mindset.  Her first ever concert was the band Maná and, if you catch her at karaoke night, her go-to performance is Tequila by The Champs. Genius. 

We officially have a friendly rivalry between directors here at AMIAS. Mayra roots for the Ohio State Buckeyes (and she has a Buckeyes ally in our Posting Picasso, Amya), while Bill is a lifelong University of Michigan Wolverines fan. Mayra’s guilty pleasures are reality TV (Real Housewives and Southern Charm are favorites) and a newfound hobby of gaming (lookout, Mario Kart!) that she is hoping to eventually be as good at as she currently is at debating, which she is unbeatable at! She also loves to play with her dogs, Goldie and Bradley, she stays organized with her digital calendar, and if she could choose a superpower, it would be time travel. One day, should she decide to publish her memoir, look for the title, Wait . . . what?! Anyone with any experience in the world of HR can relate to that title! 

Bill joined AMIAS in July 2022 with a cross-country move to be closer to family and soak up a little desert sunshine. Speaking of the desert, Bill’s three desert island must-haves include beer, ice cream and classic rock music. 

After working for a few tyrants, cut-throats and bloodsuckers (along with plenty of excellent colleagues, as well!) throughout his career, Bill decided it was time for a change. No, he still has not achieved his childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player (Go Tigers!) - but fear not - that dream is still alive. He expects his call from the big leagues Any. Day. Now. In the meantime, enter AMIAS HR! Where the attraction is people who care. A welcome and refreshing philosophy Bill subscribes to 100% and currently applies daily in his team operations and on-site HR consulting role for our Las Vegas area AMIAS HR clients.

A lot of times in our AMIAS bios, we start off talking about our professional selves, but we’re switching things up a bit with Mike and doing a little something called a business sandwich with fun bread: talking about some fun stuff first, then the cool resume boosters, then ending with a few more fun facts. *Ahem* Let’s just use this moment as an example of the writer of this bio maybe needing to take a note from Mike’s favorite quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “ . . . brevity is the soul of wit . . .” Anywho . . .

Efficiency is the name of the game for Mike. He takes advantage of all things digital to organize his life and admits he struggles in the creative realm because of his strong analytical tendencies. His preferred super power would be teleportation because he says there aren’t enough hours in a day (we HEAR that, Mike!) but if he could clap his hands and teleport, he would love to take his wife to Italy for the honeymoon they haven’t had a chance to take yet. 

During his off time, Mike loves spending time with his wife and two sons, and especially loves watching his boys grow and excel in school, choir and sports. We love hearing about proud Dad moments! He also enjoys playing golf and watching sports on TV (UFC, football, hockey, basketball and baseball) with a glass of bourbon in hand. A sports fan since the beginning, when he was in elementary school, Mike dreamed of playing professional football or baseball when he grew up. Though that has yet to transpire, he loyally roots for our Vegas Golden Knights (brownie points with the crazy CEO), the “San Diego” Chargers and the New York Mets. 

Meanwhile, instead of playing on the pro circuit he has kept busy with jobs in quite an eclectic mix of industries, such as a security guard, lifeguard, bartender, door man, celebrity security detail (do tell, Mike!), food and beverage manager, event coordinator, sales director, winery general manager, restaurant manager, hemp manufacturer, COO, CEO and business owner! And funny enough, in all that experience, he still hasn’t even gotten around to using his college degree in sports psychology! Though he thought he would have been a little more focused in his career, being a jack-of-all-trades has served him well over the years and given him the ultimate experience in the common denominator of all those jobs: working well with people. 

Now for a few amazing random fun facts about Mike:

- Go-to karaoke song: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough 

- Favorite music to relax to while working: Citizen Cope

- Favorite piece of advice: When saving money, be sure to spend some on yourself. 

- We only have one life and we need to live it to the fullest. AMIAS will toast to that. 

Welcome aboard, Mike!

Memories of her time in the workforce were fading during Alissa’s time spent focused on raising her family in recent years. Let’s be real - everything is a blur in the early years of parenting! It needed to be a special situation to lure her back in and working with Michelle and the AMIAS team is indeed special! Alissa feels very lucky to be part of the AMIAS crew, polishing up skills she had not used for a bit. She comes from a journalism and marketing background, giving a unique perspective on communicating with and helping people in the HR field. 

Always learning, Alissa considers herself a permanent student and enjoys reading (preferably real paper and ink books rather than a screen but in a pinch she won’t be picky) and teaching herself how to design and DIY home renovation projects. The passion for paper and ink also spills over into staying organized. This may seem old fashioned, but Alissa (just like Michelle and others on the amazing team) is all about analog with her paper planner instead of a digital calendar. Paper nerds, unite!

Flying Forward: Embracing Change, Challenge, and Opportunity is the current favored title for Kristie’s future memoir. A veteran of our United States Air Force (thank you for your service!) and a native New Yorker/New Jerseyan, Kristie has honed her warrior skills and disciplined background experience into a successful human resources career in Las Vegas. Kristie credits her military experience with helping her learn to adapt quickly to sudden changes and unforeseen circumstances and boy does that help with those pesky and pivotal HR moments. Though she originally thought she would go into a science-related field, she always knew whatever area she ended up in, it would be a career in which she could help people. 

Inspired by some remarkable favorite role models, Kristie credits her mom and sister for their incredible hard work and dedication, as well as some amazing historical figures – Amelia Earhart, Christa McAuliffe and Maya Angelou – for making lasting impacts with their passion, perseverance and bravery. One of the best pieces of advice Kristie ever received is, “Control what you can, and don’t stress over what you can’t.” Keeping this in mind helps her let go of things beyond her control while allowing her to focus on maximizing her own actions, attitude and mindset. 

She is a big believer in sticking to a routine, which keeps her focused and her energy high. Rather than music during work, you’re more likely to find Kristie listening to a podcast or audiobook if she isn’t engaging with an employee. She enjoys all genres but is passionate about learning new topics and stories. Remaining organized in her work and personal life helps her stay on top of the self-care that keeps her feeling her best. Early bedtimes help this natural early bird catch the worm, along with her consistent workouts and healthy meals. She keeps a great balance with a lavender latte every so often as a treat. Although she claims she would make a terrible professional athlete since she did not participate in sports while growing up, Kristie’s mile run time is seven minutes. Not too shabby, there, Kristie! 

Off-duty, Kristie enjoys spending time with her family and dachshund, going for walks and enjoying nature hikes or exploring new parks. If there was a beach nearby, Kristie would likely visit it every day. Isn’t that just THE DREAM for us desert dwellers?! She also unwinds by cooking, baking desserts, reading or practicing yoga. She is unbeatable at word searches and is putting in a lot of practice to become better at knitting and crocheting. Her fantasy superpower? Ultimate knowledge! So much can be accomplished with the answers to resolve everything. Despite not currently possessing ultimate knowledge, Kristie has brought with her a great collection of skill sets to help all of us here at AMIAS and our amazing clients. 

Meet Taura! Known as Hunny to her grandkids, Taura dedicates exceptional, seldom-matched energy to all she does. Bringing a unique combination of experiences to the AMIAS HR team, which just happens to includes sales, her vast business knowledge is unparalleled. A local to Las Vegas (well, since 2006), her honesty and attention to detail make her vital to helping AMIAS with growing our business development side of things.

Taura incorporates creativity and strategic thinking in building warm, long-term relationships related to business-to-business sales, particularly with HR. She brings that same energy and inspiration to her family relationships. Along with her hubby, she puts their blended family of children and all those adorable grandchildren, first, representing exactly how family comes first at AMIAS HR. 

While her job and family life keep her on her toes, Taura also finds time for other passions, including exploring new things and traveling. One of her best stories is about a trip to Cancun … it’s so good, we can’t even reference it here. So not HR appropriate … the best kind.

 Every day, in every way, I get better and better. This is the favorite inspiring adage, shared by his amazing wife, that James likes to keep in mind regarding his life, as well as his work with AMIAS HR. He stays active by participating in his HOA softball league and a club basketball team. It’s all part of the plan to achieve his elementary school dream of becoming a professional basketball player, and all the better if it happens to be with his favorite team, the Portland Trailblazers. The love of the game runs deep and if he had not pursued his career in human resources, he would have explored an alternative career as a basketball coach or scout. Don’t think HR must be boring in comparison to sports, though! James’ HR career took him to the Middle East, where he ended up working for ten years. Along the way, James has continued to expand on his HR expertise and became a successful certificate holder with the Association of Workplace Investigators. This is the official fancy way of saying he performs brilliant quality impartial workplace investigations. He is AMIAS HR’s own MI6 and FBI secret spy rolled into one.

James’ children and grandchildren bring him joy and in his off time he loves spending time with his family and friends, attending plays and concerts, and spending time outdoors exploring, hiking, hanging at the beach and boogie boarding. He also enjoys music and would like to learn how to play guitar. The first concert he attended was Chicago (CTA) at The Hollywood Bowl and he feels stronger everyday (sorry, couldn’t resist – so many good Chicago classics) working with music on, when possible, either alternative rock or indie. 

Should he decide to write his memoir, the title is already decided: No, I Didn’t Eat the Last Brownie. Maybe because his current guilty pleasure is mango mochi?! Though there must be some entertaining stories that come along with that title, James could ultimately keep it short and sweet by summing up his life story in this single sentence: There is never a dull moment and I look forward to keeping it that way.

Hello, Hola, Bonjour and 안녕하세요 (Annyeonghaseyo) from Erika! Born into a Spanish-speaking family, Erika studied her first foreign language during twelve years of grade school French classes. She followed that up by mastering English at UNLV and has been exploring the Korean language for the past several months. Her talent for speaking and reading multiple languages, her remarkable interaction talent, and keeping her humanity front and center all aid her in collaborating well with a diverse group.

Inspired in her life and work by her maternal grandmother, Erika says her Mamama Alicia was always ahead of her time. Forward thinking like that is often not fully appreciated until it is viewed in retrospect, but that’s not stopping Erika from incorporating it into her job today. Something that has surprised her about her human resources career path is how, as an HR professional, it’s possible to change people’s lives. It also doesn’t hurt that she brings her unbeatable positive attitude with her to work every day. Fun fact: Erika loves color coding with colorful fine tip pens – it helps her stay organized. She is also a beloved fellow Paper Nerd – we just keep finding one another somehow!

The support of her family and close friends, who are always there to celebrate her successes, keeps Erika motivated to be the best version of herself so she can continue to make them proud. Being at home with her family and pets brings her joy and she enjoys dining out as a family, with her favorite guilty pleasures being all-you-can-eat Sushi at Umiya or Korean BBQ. As a fan of live music, Erika enjoys attending concerts; her favorites so far have been P!nk and Luis Miguel. She is also a sports fan and proudly roots for her favorite teams: the new Vegas Thrill professional volleyball team, our Vegas Golden Knights and her son’s soccer team. If she could choose a superpower, Erika says it would be flying, hands down. Efficient and economical travel – imagine that! That’s almost impossible to find anymore! 

She shared that the best advice she has been given is, if you’re struggling to decide on a solution to a problem, just pick one, put all your energy into it, and stand by your decision. She also has a trick up her sleeve for turning a bad day at work around: stay focused on the bigger picture and search for a friendly face or voice to chat with when things aren’t going as planned. If it’s a bad day at home, blast some K-pop music and eat a BIG chewy chocolate chip cookie. Does anyone else think that in addition to her HR career, Erika could be an awesome life coach?!

¡Somos muy afortunados de tenerla aquí en AMIAS! ¡Gracias por ser parte del equipo maravilla!

Enlisted to take the reins of our AMIAS social media presence, Amya brings on board a fresh point of view and a positive outlook. In addition to her beautiful name (how serendipitous that she has joined AMIAS!), Amya imparts her role with a spirit of living in the moment. If her day isn’t going as well as she likes, she’ll turn it around by going for a walk and listening to music or fitting in a workout of Pilates or a spin class. She is currently listening to more R&B and Indie music, including work by Declan McKenna and Mumford & Sons. Oh, how times have changed since Amya’s first concert, but Selena Gomez will always have a nostalgic place in her heart.

Also, we have found another cherished paper nerd! Despite her proficiency with all things online, Amya prefers a paper calendar to a digital one so she can cross things off once finished. The pure sensation of accomplishment that comes with that rewarding action? So good. All our fellow paper nerds out there, reading this right now, relate to this exact feeling. 

Influenced by movies like National Treasure and Holes that she watched as a kid, Amya wanted to be an archaeologist as an elementary student. Though things changed over the years, her innate curiosity led to a lifelong love of reading (she recommends Normal People by Sally Rooney and Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan) and enjoying nature while taking hikes. She is a big fan of Netflix (Gilmore Girls marathon, anyone?), Ohio Buckeyes football, and accept a Yahtzee challenge from her at your own risk: Amya is unbeatable! Spending time with friends and family and dogs brings her joy and just try to escape being inspired by her favorite quote; Dum spiro spero, Latin for While I breathe, I hope. Her support means the world to us at AMIAS.

Currently “under contract” with AMIAS on a strictly trial basis, Andrew offers his knowledge part time, off the books, as free labor (that’s what happens when you’re married to the CEO!). Known as the Chandler Bing of AMIAS, we all have fun guessing, “What exactly does Andrew do?” To be honest, it’s a bit of a mystery. But we sure are grateful he is here and Michelle is grateful to have him here when the printer breaks!