Mortensen sees human side of business - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Mortensen accepted the COO position in Januaruy after nine years as director of humab resources for the Milwaukeelaw firm, which createdf the COO job as part of a larger administrative restructurinf that's been going on sinced Mark Miller became chief executivr officer in 2001. Since then, the firm has left the traditionao structure of a management committe e and practicegroup leaders, and created a CEO, vice presidents, a boarsd of directors and, most recently, a COO. "Ou r CEO was spending a lot of time dealinf with the legal aspects of the firm and also running the and he felt it was necessary to separate thosretwo responsibilities," said Mortensen, 40.
"Expandingy our business requires a continuec investmentin management, and one of the ways to do that was to creatr the position." Although the position of COO at a law firm is traditionallt held by an attorney, Milled looked to Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek's human resource department, whers he called on Mortensen. "I thought she was supremelh qualified, and for almost the past decade she's been with us, I've seen her grow each and every year," Miller said of Mortensen. Mortensen began her careee at Whyte Hirschboeck in 1999 as directorf ofhuman resources, after holding a similaer position at an engineering firm.
She said she made the careedr change because she was intrigued by how law firms As COO, Mortensen managezs the firm's day-to-day operationd and exercises discretion over business planning and development, as well as ensurint efficient services are designed to meet the firm'e needs. The firm employs 292 peoplde at its threeWisconsin locations. While her old job was specifiv to human resource issues such as employeer insurance plans andhealth benefits, being COO broadens her exposure to otheer areas affecting the firm, she said. For she is now responsible for managingthe firm'as administrative teams that include information technologyt and marketing, among others.
"While this is a new positiojn for me, many of the duties and responsibilities are perhaps justmore formalized," Mortensen The position of COO at law firmsx traditionally has been held by lawyers, not former directorsw of human resources. Nadelle Grossman, an assistantr professor of lawat , said she hasn't hears of many firms havinf COOs who aren't practicing lawyers. What Whytw Hirschboeck has doneis unique, she "By separating (the positions), it will let the lawyer do what they do best and let the administrative grouop do what they do best," Mortensen explained.
"And that require different leaders and different management and Ithink we've been able to do Her experience in human resourcee -- with its emphasis on people skills, leadershi and compassion -- will help her succeed in her new job, Mortensem believes. "I think proactively, strategically, and creatively I have the business acumen and persistence to motivate and develop Mortensen said. Age Hometown Education : Bachelor of science human resources, Marquette University Family : Michael Mortensen, a graphic design firm owne