Taleia Becton Nelson

Taleia Becton Nelson is the Associate Director of Human Resources for the Harris School of Public Policy, where she leverages a rich background in HR to oversee the full employee lifecycle—from recruitment to retention. She began her career at the University of Chicago as a pioneer in the Shared Service Office, a department dedicated to human resources, payroll, and procurement services, setting the stage for her expertise in streamlining HR processes. 

Throughout her career, Taleia has taken on diverse responsibilities, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, and compliance. She excels in developing and executing talent acquisition frameworks, creating a positive candidate experience, and leading the full recruitment cycle. Her innovative approach to HR processes—especially through systems like Workday—ensures smooth onboarding and operational accuracy, while her collaboration with the Finance team supports accurate payroll processing. 

Taleia is also instrumental in fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture that promotes employee engagement. She leads annual employee surveys, manages engagement and rewards programs, and supports diversity and inclusion initiatives at Harris and University-wide. In addition, Taleia drives professional development, guides staff hiring processes, and acts as a strategic advisor on HR issues, using data analysis to inform decision-making. 

Her academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and a master’s in management specializing in human resources from Purdue University Global.