Buckner International named Jennifer Mann as its new vice president and chief human resources officer. Mann will oversee human resources for the nonprofit’s more than 1,300 domestic employees, including Buckner International, Buckner Children and Family Services and Buckner Retirement Services. The position is effective Aug. 21. 

Mann is an HR executive leader with more than 20 years of experience. She specializes in talent acquisition, business partnership, employee engagement and talent development. At Buckner, Mann will report to Jeff Gentry, senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer and serve on the organization’s Executive Leadership Team. 

Mann brings more than experience: she brings passion

“What I found even more impressive than Jen’s experience was her passion for people,” Gentry said. “Jen is extremely strategic and future-focused regarding workplace culture and talent acquisition and development, but she never loses sight that each person is unique. I look forward to seeing how she helps Buckner cultivate even stronger relationships with each of our employees.” 

Prior to Buckner, Mann served as the vice president, human resources for Bassett Healthcare Network, headquartered in Cooperstown, New York. In her role, Mann led network talent acquisition, business partnering, talent management and DEI functions in support of Bassett’s 5,000 employees. Her nonprofit experience includes her work as chief HR officer for Damar Services, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit focused on serving children and adults with developmental disabilities. 

Mann received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Indiana University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in human resources. 

Seeking to support employees and those served by Buckner

“I’m looking forward to applying my HR experiences to support Buckner’s mission of serving vulnerable children, families and seniors,” Mann said. “I immediately connected to Buckner’s mission, vision and people. I am honored to do work that clearly connects to people in such tangible ways and makes a difference in the many communities Buckner touches.” 

While Mann is committed to serving employees of Buckner, she said one of her initial focuses will be to learn the full continuum of care solutions offered by Buckner to the children, families and seniors it serves.

“As an HR professional, I believe it is important to first understand the work Buckner employees do daily and our ministries before I can truly support employees."

“In tandem, I will partner with the HR and payroll teams to understand the current people-centric processes, projects and strategies," she said. "My goal for the team is to continue creating integrated, agile solutions to ensure we are poised for our future goals and growth strategies.”