Van Rockwell

Van Rockwell, SHRM-CP, is a Human Resources professional with experience spanning Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Policy Development, Leave Management, and multi-state Compliance. Throughout his career, he has supported small, medium, and large organizations in roles including HR Generalist, HR Specialist, Corporate Recruiter, and Talent Acquisition Partner… and is one of those rare HR professionals who genuinely enjoys the administrative side of the work.

Before transitioning into higher education, Van built his HR background across Hotel Hospitality, Travel, Healthcare, and Corporate Non-Profit Retail industries. 

A proud graduate of Arizona State University (and an especially proud alumnus of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts), Van earned his degree in Theatre Studies and Media Analysis Journalism. He currently serves as an Academic Personnel Specialist Sr. within HIDA, where he partners closely with academic leaders to oversee faculty personnel processes, ensure policy compliance, and support the full lifecycle of academic appointments, promotions, tenure, and evaluations with care, accuracy, and professionalism.

Outside of HR, Van is a lifelong music lover (named after Van Morrison, after all), an avid cinephile (with a particular appreciation for Gary Oldman and Laura Linney), devoted coffee enthusiast, trivia buff, health, fitness, and mental well-being advocate, and unapologetic connoisseur of dad jokes. He often jokes that his workdays have a soundtrack: classical music or opera while drafting emails, and punk rock when navigating conflict resolution. 

Van is also an AriZoni Award–winning stage director and sound designer, with additional nominations for acting, fight choreography, physical comedy, and theatrical design. He patiently (and optimistically) awaits the day a local theatre company lets him stage one of his undergraduate favorites: The Marriage of Figaro by Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais (abridged, of course), The Trickster of Seville by Tirso de Molina, No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre, House of Desires by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr, and The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill.

Known among friends, colleagues, and neighbors for his compassion, especially where animals are concerned; Van regularly volunteers his time and resources to rescue efforts and community education focused on pet adoption and animal welfare. He's also rarely seen without a pair of Vans sneakers and has developed something of a reputation for his growing collection of Hawaiian shirts.

Van lives by the belief that kindness, humor, and thoughtfulness belong in professional spaces, and that the best workplaces are built when people feel supported, respected, and maybe even encouraged to laugh once in a while.