Candace Shaffer earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue. Now, she’s the senior director of benefits in Human Resources, responsible for overseeing and planning the realm of benefits for Purdue employees. In this role, Shaffer manages the strategic planning and customer service of a strong benefits plan for the employees and their families. This includes medical and dental benefits, as well as retirement, leave, worker compensation, families and the systems and processes in place to help employees engage in those programs.
With her education and previous work experience being child development and family studies, her first introduction to benefits from an employer’s perspective was when she came to work at Purdue in 2014 as the worksite health and child care specialist. She was impressed to learn Purdue had developed a position within the benefits department that focused on family-friendly initiatives, such as on-site child care options, lactation support and family-friendly practices and guidelines. Once she joined the team, she got more involved in benefit projects. In mid-2016, she was offered the opportunity to serve as interim associate director, which opened more opportunities and ultimately to her position as senior director of benefits.
Awarded with Employee Benefits News ‘Benefits Leadership in Healthcare’ in 2018, Candace’s focus on overall employee wellness – physical, mental, behavioral, financial – continues to bring new opportunities to the table, not only to the employee population but also the university.