Roberta Hoffman of Millersburg, senior vice president and director of human resources for Mid Penn Bank, was honored recently as a Woman of Excellence, by the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg.

Hoffman has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry and human resources field. She was one of 23 women honored by the YWCA this year. She had been nominated for consideration by Amy Mountain, vice president and marketing director for Mid Penn Bank.

"There were hundreds of people at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, and Alicia Richards" (of ABC-TV channel 27) spoke. A plaque was presented to each woman who was named a Woman of Excellence, Hoffman said recently.

"It was very humbling  to be honored with these women who have accomplished so much.  It was just so wonderful  a fabulous event! What I did was minor compared to their contributions. But I really was honored," she said.

"When you love what you do, you don't feel the need to be rewarded, and I love what I do," she added.

Mountain said she nominated Hoffman because, "It struck me that Roberta is exactly like those women who were awarded in the past. She has the same qualities  The 'Y' has been doing this for some time, and I attended those events in the past."

"I think one of the things about Roberta is, she is selfless in her job. She always asks - regardless of what she is doing - how she can help someone, or, are other people included?

"Her emphasis is that someone other than Roberta will benefit from what she is doing," Mountain said.

"I thought, 'I want to be like her.' She shows that kind of benevolent leadership that should be recognized and rewarded and perpetuated. As you can tell, I really admire her," Mountain said.

Pamela Rhoads, vice president of Resource Development at the YWCA, told the Sentinel that the common denominator of the Women of Excellence honorees is "their commitment to the community, above and beyond their job  demonstrating a real commitment to their community by being active with one or more groups.

"We are a women's organization and feel that there are lots of women going above and beyond, who deserve recognition," she said.

"They are mothers, wives, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, educators, government and not-for-profit professionals, and community volunteers; and are giving back to their community.

"They serve their communities with distinction in many roles. In whatever role they have chosen, Women of Excellence have taken on the challenge of leadership, excelled in their efforts and encouraged and inspired others in their communities," Rhoads said.

The title of Woman of Excellence is bestowed upon women who participate actively in the community as mentors, role models and volunteers; actively serve on the boards or committees of various non-profits and organizations; demonstrate integrity, strength of character and leadership; raise and donate money to important causes and embrace and support the vision and mission of the YWCA, a statement said.

"When I learned of the programs and things that the YWCA does to help women, and for them to get back in the workplace, I was just so inspired. And I do want to become involved with (the 'Y')," Hoffman said.

"The facilities that they have  when they took us on a tour. Women that have been in abusive situations - they (the YWCA) are preparing them to get back in the work place and are partnering with the Dress for Success organization to get them back in the work place; and (the 'Y') has a day care center with classrooms for children. (The tour) did bring tears to my eyes," she said.

Sadly, a lot of people still are unclear of what the YWCA offers. "We try very hard to make people aware of the range of programs and services that are offered at the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg. Unfortunately, there still is a perception that we are a 'gym'  or an agency that only serves victims of domestic violence,"  Rhoads said.

"When I take people on a tour of the building, they are amazed at how comprehensive the services are. We have a fully licensed day care center, employment services, counseling, monitored visitation, legal services, a veterans' outreach program and more," she said.

"We (the YWCA) also partner with other community organizations to offer a computer lab, a library, and the Center for Employment, Education and Entrepreneurial Development.

"The Women of Excellence recipients are women in the community who work hard and are very successful, the kind of woman that we want our clients to see as role models. We encourage all past recipients to get involved with the YWCA as volunteers," Rhoads said.

"This was our 20th anniversary of the Tribute to Women of Excellence event. Over the years we have recognized the contributions of well over 350 women. Some of the honorees have joined the board and/or have found ways to support our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women," Rhoads said.

In 2007 the YWCA began the Future Women of Excellence Award to recognize the efforts of women ages 18 to 25 on behalf of the community, particularly with regard to mentoring younger girls.

Hoffman's background. Hoffman has been with Mid Penn Bank  since she joined as a teller in 1976. 

Her current responsibilities at Mid Penn Bank include recruiting, performance reviews, salary and benefit administration, human resources compliance, and all areas of employee relations.

She also serves as a member of the bank's Strategic Planning Committee.

 Her professional education includes studies at the American Institute of Banking where she earned top honors. She has completed several courses in banking at the  Pennsylvania Bankers Association; Central Atlantic Advanced School of Banking  in Bucknell University; the American Bankers Association National School of Human Resources Management at Indiana University; the graduate school of banking at the Human Resource Management School of the University of Wisconsin; and earned her Professional Human Resource certificate through the Management Program at Villanova University.

She is a member of the National Society for Human Resource Management; the Pennsylvania Financial Industry Human Resource Association; and the Human Resource Conference Steering Committee of the Pennsylvania Association of Bankers.

Hoffman is a treasurer of the Millersburg Area Working Together organization, and has been involved with its community dance, annual Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, the Cherry Blossom Festival, and the Tour de Millersburg bicycle races.

She is a volunteer and human resource consultant at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art; a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Women's Auxiliary; a coordinator for the United Way; and a participant in the Relay for Life.