Margie Mene

I love that my job is to help other people. For the last 14 years, I’ve been a human resources administrator at Stanford. 

My husband, a former Stanford employee, was actually the one who first referred me. He knew that after I took some time off to have our second child, I wanted to continue in human resources. I had never worked at a university before, but I had some experience with visas, so it felt like a good fit. What sold me on the position was him saying the people at Stanford are good people. I have felt that since day one. When I started, I naturally had a lot of questions and everyone was so supportive and committed to setting me up for success. We employ a lot of passionate individuals, and that collective passion pushes you to find and sustain your highest performance level. 

I originally started off in Stanford’s Business Affairs organization, but for the last three years, I have been a senior HR and visa specialist at the school. In addition to supporting the employment process for the school’s Academic Staff-Research employees, I act as a liaison between the school’s faculty sponsors, hiring managers, department administrators, and various immigration experts on and off campus. I also support communication between the employee I’m helping, Stanford’s Bechtel International Center, which processes the visa documents and other information I collect, and outside immigration experts like our legal team. 

I like to think of myself as an employee advocate. The visa world can be very complicated, so my job involves not only a lot of problem solving but also problem anticipating. I work on about 40 cases a year with varying levels of complexity and sensitivity, so I’ve developed ample experience handling H-1B employment visas and permanent resident or green card cases. I don’t officially have a legal background, but I now have a strong understanding of the entire process. That means that when an employee needs help, I can easily step in and explain it in lay terms to keep them from getting overwhelmed or lost in the jargon and mandates. 

This year the immigration landscape has been particularly complex because of the fluid nature of federal policy changes that affect visa holders. I have to constantly stay informed about major or last-minute adjustments that can affect employees. Also, everything in my world is time-sensitive, so staying on top of information is paramount. To do that, I of course read the news all the time, but I also take proactive steps like subscribing to legal newsletters. I’m also part of the Society for Human Resource Management, a country-wide human resources association. Stanford covers the membership fees for every member of its human resources community, which helps us stay on top of best practices in our field.

Even with so many moving parts and so much at stake, my primary focus is always supporting the employee as much as possible. When I don’t know an answer to a question being posed, I go out of my way to find it. I know I’m asking questions on their behalf, so I gather as many details as I can and work as fast as possible. I know how much is riding on this for them and how stressful it feels to be in status limbo, so I take my job very seriously.

The most common feedback I receive from people I’ve helped is a simple and sincere “thank you.” Every successfully closed case is a win, and each one is so meaningful because we’ve gone through something challenging together and arrived at a happy ending. It makes me feel good to know that I am making a difference in people’s lives. It’s funny, I have this sign on my desk that an old coworker gifted me that says “nope.” It makes me laugh because it’s a known fact that I don’t ever say “no” to people. I’m a very accommodating and people-first kind of person, which is a real asset in my line of work. 

I am really touched to be recognized this year with the Shah Award, the School of Engineering’s highest staff honor. I didn’t expect the recognition, so I kind of had to pinch myself. This year was really challenging, so it feels good that my colleagues recognized what we went through together and nominated me. To me, the award is a reflection of our collaborative efforts.

I’ve been really lucky throughout my Stanford career to have always had an amazing manager and co-workers who listen to me and want me to be successful. That’s the incredible thing about Stanford: They want you to grow. They want to understand what your needs are career-wise and development-wise. When I first came here, I really wanted to take on new and bigger responsibilities while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance as a mom, and Stanford made that possible. I’m thankful I can have a fulfilling day at work and still come home and have dinner with my kids every night. Over time my title and responsibilities have changed, but the thing that has remained consistent is the institutional support I receive. This is a community that cares about every one of its members, so I’m fortunate to be one of them.