Karen Andrews, the chief development officer for McKinley, likes working with people and wants to see them succeed.

That may be a big part of the reason she was recently named “Human Resources Executive of the Year” by the American Society of Employers.

She said that, as a child, watching her father’s ups and downs in his work life made an impact on her. “It became apparent to me that the quality of your work life had a lot to do with the quality of your overall life,” she said.

After studying industrial and organizational psychology in college, she worked in a variety of industries, including an auto supplier and the Henry Ford Health System. She was then hired as a vice president at the Ann Arbor-based property management firm McKinley about 9 years ago.

Andrews said that when she left Henry Ford for McKinley, her boss said she would miss the health care setting and health care workers.

“But what I came to find out was I just love employees,” she said. “Everywhere I go, I love to see people giving 150 percent doing something they love.”

At McKinley, Andrews trains, coaches and supports executives and manages the rest of the HR team. One other duty makes Andrews unusual for an HR professional, however. She gained a minor in computer science as an undergraduate, making her uniquely qualified to manage the Information Technology department at McKinley as well.

“They probably shouldn’t let me anywhere near the servers, but I understand the applications,” she said. “I know just enough to hang in conversations with techno geeks, but I always bring it back to the end user, and put myself in their shoes. Technology should serve the end user, not vice versa.”

Andrews said most people live with a job they’re good at, but which they don’t like, and that’s why there’s so much stress. She tries to help employees figure out what they’re good at and what they enjoy doing and help them spend more time doing those tasks.

“There will always be about 10 to 20 percent you’re not wild about— that’s why it’s called work,” she said. But if you can get to the point where 50 percent of your time is spent doing stuff that’s really fun for you, she said, it can make all the difference in how much you enjoy your job.

The best part of her job, Andrew said, is seeing success stories. She said that at a recent leadership retreat, a vice president singled out a community manager for praise. Andrews knew that employee had been struggling several years ago and recalled coaching that employee, helping her mature in her career.

Andrews said she enjoyed seeing that community manager go from being troubled to successful and proud of herself.

“That was a nice moment,” Andrews said. “There’s nothing better.”

Andrews also is proud of the fact that she has been able to use her connections at McKinley to benefit one of her favorite charities, Dawn Farm, an Ann Arbor alcohol and drug rehabilitation center.

When McKinley rebuilt a building in a housing community that had been lost to fire, Andrews asked if the building could be donated to Dawn Farm.

“We were able to give them an entire building to create a transitional housing program,” Andrews said. She said she one of her proudest accomplishments was making sure that when participants leave the farm, they had a safe, clean place to live. “And we cut the waiting list in half in one day,” she added.

Background

Education: Master’s of Science in Human Resources and Organizational Development (Eastern Michigan University); Bachelor’s in Organizational Psychology (University of Michigan).

Family: Husband, Tim (firefighter and county hazardous materials team leader), daughters Amanda, Katherine and Caroline.

Residence: Ann Arbor (Scio Township).

Business Insights

Best business decision: To expand my responsibilities beyond traditional human resources functions.

Worst business decision: To get too far away from traditional human resources activities.

Best way to keep a competitive edge: Be really clear on your unique abilities, and find a way to align your contributions and responsibilities with them.

Personal heroes: Jamie Buhr and James Patterson.

How do you motivate people? Listen to what is important to them.

What advice would you give to yourself in college? Find your confidence and nurture it.

Word that best describes you: Facilitator.

First Web site you check in the morning: E-mail/my inbox.

Confessions

What keeps you up at night? Searching for the right solution for a team member or leader who is struggling.

Pet peeve: A lack of openness or honesty, as evidenced by an unwillingness to share feedback that could be transformational for the recipient.

Guilty pleasure: Reading or watching true crime or crime dramas.

First job: Babysitting.

First choice for a new career: Author.

Treasures

Favorite cause: Shelter Association and Dawn Farm.

Favorite book: “The Stand” by Stephen King.

Favorite movie: “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Favorite hobby: Scuba diving.

Favorite restaurant: Thompson’s Pizzeria (Chelsea) and Real Seafood.

LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? All three.

Typical Saturday: Grocery shopping and a family outing.

What team do you root for? Wolverines, Tigers and Red Wings.

Wheels: Ford Flex.

Who would play you in a movie? My colleagues took a vote and decided it would be Julia Roberts.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to AnnArbor.com.