Brett Zografos
North Dighton
Summary
With over ten (10) years of progressive experience in human resources management, currently serving as Human Resources Manager with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I am passionate about efficient strategic workforce management, fostering organizational efficiency, and cultivating employee engagement by changing workplace culture through building community. My expertise spans public and private sector leadership and managing employee relations, with a demonstrated ability to engage teams, leverage long-lasting professional relationships, and support organizational initiatives. Collaborating with a broad array of diverse stakeholders, I am passionate about creating supportive workplace cultures aligned with organizational missions. As a Juris Doctor candidate, I bring a unique perspective to both policy and legal compliance, focused on implementing valuable, impactful solutions that drive organizational growth and employee wellbeing.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Human Resources Manager
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Chelsea, MA
03.2025 - Current
- Oversee all Human Resources functions, Employee Code of Conduct, policies and procedures, employee classification, recruitment and staffing, performance management, staff investigations, personnel record management and reporting.
- Serve as liaison to area field office, Labor Relations Unit, Executive Office of Veterans’ Services Human Resources and Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.
- Provide guidance to staff and senior leaders to ensure that policies and practices are adhered to accordance with EOVS and facility expectations.
- Serve as the agency Civil Rights, Diversity and ADA Compliance Officer.
- Develop and manage Affirmative Action plans and support diversity as a strategic advantage.
- Foster the MVH’s mission, vision and operational policies while maintaining compliance with the standards and policies of the VA, Executive Office of Veteran Affairs, CMS/DPH and other state/federal regulations.
- Support strong workforce development through recruitment and retention programs
- Coach and advise staff on HR related issues, employee satisfaction, and engagement.
- Establish and maintain Employee Performance Review System (EPRS) cadence ensuring facility-wide compliance for all stage gates.
- Review job descriptions annually.
- Provide advice and guidance to managers on a wide range of issues including recruitment, staffing, performance management, classification/compensation, and employee & labor relations matters.
- Represent the agency in statewide human resources efforts, training, task forces, diversity meetings, and other special projects/assignments.
- Participate in daily or weekly executive team meetings.
Assistant Manager, Leave of Absence Administration
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Boston, MA
07.2022 - 03.2025
- Oversee outreach to employees, healthcare providers, Agency leadership, ADA and Secretariat Labor units to ensure consistent, effective and timely case management of complex leave of absence requests;
- Audit daily reports to ensure that communications and processing are being handled timely based on established procedures and regulatory requirements;
- Prioritize workflow and communicate issues and concerns to Lead Coordinators, Leaves Manager, and Secretariat leadership. Assistant Manager, Leaves Administration, Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
- Assist with training and development to provide employees with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to follow prescribed processes and align with EOHHS’s mission, vision and values;
- Communicate and build relationships with external groups and individuals concerning leave administration policies, priorities, programs, services, and individual leave of absence cases for assigned for management oversight;
- Administer and oversee requests related to other leave of absence entitlements, such as military, Workers’ Compensation, Catastrophic Leave, etc.;
- Ensure compliance with collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as Agency policies and procedures.
Leave of Absence Coordinator
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Boston, MA
12.2021 - 07.2022
- Administer and coordinate Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leaves;
- Work as an intermediary to effectively coordinate all aspect of leave entitlement from the initial processing of leave requests to the employee’s return to work;
- Resolve issues with employees, managers and external parties by providing exceptional customer service, via email, phone calls, and in-person visits with timely follow-up;
- Fully document and track all FMLA cases via electronic filing system and agency FMLA database;
- Investigate issues to resolve problems within acceptable timeframes, routing or escalating complex issues to a Supervisor or Manager;
- Communicate and provide FMLA information to EOHHS agencies on a monthly basis utilizing the FMLA Tracking system;
- Respond to requests related to other leave entitlements (Military, Workers’ Compensation, Catastrophic Leave, etc.);
- Ensure compliance with collective bargaining agreements, Federal and State laws, rules and regulations as well as Agency policies;
- Enter a variety of HR transactions into HR/CMS;
- Monitor reports to ensure accurate processing of leave time and generates and reviews reports to ensure accuracy of Agency payroll information as it relates to employee leave of absences;
- Process all HR correspondence and inquiries from employees and/or external parties;
- Answer and respond to all inquiries received on the EOHHS Benefits & Leaves Customer Service Line;
- Work with other human resource personnel in cross-functional projects and performs all related duties as required.
Board of Selectmen
Town of Dighton
Dighton MA
04.2016 - 04.2022
- Human resource functions ranging from onboarding to ensuring compliance with all Town policies and procedures to offboarding.
- Manage and oversee a municipal organization comprised of more than 100 employees;
- As the Chief Elected and Executive Officers of the Town, Selectmen are vested with all the municipal authority not specifically retained by the Town's legislative body, Town Meeting, or other elected boards;
- Negotiate collective bargaining agreements (CBAs);
- Issue warrants for Town Meetings, initiate legislative policy by inserting articles in Town Meeting warrants, and implement the votes subsequently adopted;
- Adopt town administrative policies;
- Appoint members of various official boards and commissions, hold public hearings on important town issues, and enforce town bylaws and regulations.
Benefits Specialist
Veolia North America
Boston, MA
07.2019 - 12.2021
- Responsible for the day-to-day administration of active and retiree employee benefit programs including wellness, COBRA, 401(k), and voluntary benefits;
- Serve as liaison between vendors/outsourcing partner and employees to resolve escalated situations in a timely, accurate, and effective manner;
- Maintain department's internal website and department's section on company intranet;
- Conduct audits between payroll, vendor/recordkeeper, and benefit elections, including 401(k) loans and deferrals;
- Process invoices and perform administrative functions for employees of related employer group;
- Respond to Tier 2 inquiries related to benefit plans;
- Respond to requests for information from vendors;
- Miscellaneous audits as needed to ensure benefit plan eligibility and deductions from carriers to payroll;
- Other work-related duties and projects as assigned.
Plan Administration - Senior Analyst I
Mercer
Norwood, MA
09.2018 - 07.2019
- Provide support to Service Delivery Manager, clients, and multiple internal contacts by serving as a subject matter expert and as a technical systems resource for the benefit plans and employee populations of their assigned clients through the daily administration of processes, case management, and project work;
- Use sophisticated database of tools to set up a client’s healthcare & group benefits database; define data fields, import data, design screens, and create queries and reports;
- Meet with project managers and clients to define project scope and objectives, prepare work plans, documenting project’s scope and review with clients;
- Manage administrative and case management issues as well as data processing activities on a daily basis;
- Monitor project schedules to ensure timelines and deliverables are met; notify project manager or client if timelines are in jeopardy;
- Test and analyze system configuration against requirement documents during implementation and administration;
- Manage client data using a variety of technical tools and resources;
- Manage client requests and processes.
Shared Services Analyst
Mercer
Norwood, MA
04.2018 - 09.2018
- Case research involving health and life insurance products;
- Work with Service Delivery and Benefits Consultants on cases to find a resolution for participants;
- Make outbound calls to communicate case resolution to individuals;
- Track trends in order to improve and streamline current processes;
- Provide feedback and coaching to Benefits Consultants in order to encourage and improve professional development;
- Assist with appeals.
Benefits Consultant
Mercer
Norwood, MA
08.2017 - 04.2018
- Educate, consult, assist, and guide individuals in making decision about health insurance benefits. Assist in determining individual eligibility for benefits;
- Obtain producer’s license and register in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Answer calls from participants (and others) regarding health insurance products. Products include medical prescription, dental, vision and pre-65 individual/family plans;
- Consult with participants to determine overall health insurance needs and assist with enrollments into any applicable plans;
- Assist with appeals process when necessary;
- Ensure carrier, state, and company guidelines are followed;
- Conduct outbound calls when needed to follow up on a participant’s case;
- Properly document and update business systems for reporting;
- Adhere to call center metrics.
Education
J.D. -
New England Law
Boston08-2028
Ph.D. - Cell & Molecular Biology
The University of Texas At Austin
Austin05-2013
Bachelor of Science - Molecular Biology
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater05-2007
Skills
- Public service leadership
- Conflict resolution
- Employee relations
- Employee engagement
- Strategic workforce management
- Building positive workplace culture
- Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote)
- Human Resources platforms (Workday, OnBase, ServiceNow, LeaveAssist, PeopleSoft, HR/CMS, One Hub, ADP)
- Benefits platforms (Salesforce, One Place 365, Benefit Express)
Certification
- Scheduled for SHRM-CP 2026-07
- Management Certificate Program, Commonwealth of Massachusetts 2024-06
LANGUAGES
English
French
Timeline
Human Resources Manager
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
03.2025 - Current
Assistant Manager, Leave of Absence Administration
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
07.2022 - 03.2025
Leave of Absence Coordinator
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
12.2021 - 07.2022
Benefits Specialist
Veolia North America
07.2019 - 12.2021
Plan Administration - Senior Analyst I
Mercer
09.2018 - 07.2019
Shared Services Analyst
Mercer
04.2018 - 09.2018
Benefits Consultant
Mercer
08.2017 - 04.2018
Board of Selectmen
Town of Dighton
04.2016 - 04.2022
J.D. -
New England Law
Ph.D. - Cell & Molecular Biology
The University of Texas At Austin
Bachelor of Science - Molecular Biology
Bridgewater State University
AWARDS
Employee Performance Recognition 2024-10