There’s more to Mary Dale than her six-page resume.

There’s a heart and soul and resiliency that the Ferris State University alumna said first blossomed in Big Rapids while pursuing her bachelor’s degree.

“I feel like Ferris really helped me find myself and better understand who I was,” said Dale, chief human resources officer for Convivial Brands in Grand Rapids. “The professors lit a fire in me that I’ve carried throughout my career.”

And quite a career it’s been.

Before joining Convivial in 2019, Dale served in several other leading human resource roles at West Michigan companies, including Metron Integrated Health System, Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan, and K-Force Professional Staffing and effected many key changes.

In recognition of her long-running professional accomplishments, the Michigan Council of the Society for Human Resource Management honored Dale in October with its 2023 Human Resources Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Honestly, I was quite surprised and shocked to win the award,” she said. “So much of what I’ve accomplished in my career was a team effort. I’ve had the most amazing HR teams who have supported me throughout my career, as well as a great husband and family.”

The youngest of five children, Dale grew up in Farmington Hills and learned early on the importance of education, good character and a strong work ethic. Her father, now 88, was her first professional boss. When it came time for college, she chose Ferris because it was a good school — and where her now-husband, Tyler, attended.

She immediately knew she’d made the right choice.

“I’d attended an all-girls college prep school near Detroit and I honestly never felt good enough,” said Dale, who graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. “Ferris felt like a fresh start to me; I really got to build my identity there and shine.”

She earned excellent grades and held roles in the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Leadership, Golden Key International, and Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership honors societies. She even created her own class, taking it upon herself to successfully revamp the annual student job fair.

Already a driven student and worker, Dale said she discovered a new resiliency her senior year when a fire damaged half of the Big Rapids-area home her then-fiancé had just purchased.

“We lost a lot in the fire — even the school papers I’d been working on,” she said.

Thanks to the generosity and support of her Ferris State professors and the Big Rapids community, they were able to eventually rebuild their home and start their careers. The experience also ignited a compassion and giving spirit that Dale still nurtures today.

“Throughout my life, the kindness we experienced has allowed me to respond to people in ways I might otherwise have not,” she said.

Dale didn’t foresee a career in human resources. But she found success in the field by living a purpose-driven life and helping others.

She now serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Ferris State West Michigan Council and the FSU Communications/Humanities Advisory Board. She also served three terms on the Ferris State Alumni Relations Board of Directors.

Other community involvement includes membership on the University of Michigan Health West Foundation Board of Directors; MISHRM State Board as membership director, treasurer and conference committee member; and as a founding member of the Grand Rapids International Network.

Aside from her board memberships, Dale was named to the “40 under 40 Class of 2018” by the Grand Rapids Business Journal, was highlighted in Profile Magazine for top HR professionals, and was awarded the HR Unite! Purpose and Inspire awards in 2021 and the HR Unite! Ambassador Award in 2023.

“To know Mary is to know phenomenal Human Resources,” said Liz Cotner, founder and CEO of The HR Ninja, a human resources consulting firm.

The Dales now live in Hudsonville with their two children, Emma and Joseph, and regularly visit their family cottage near Big Rapids.

She says she’ll always be grateful to Ferris for a great education … and for teaching her the kind of life lessons you can’t find in a textbook.

“As HR leaders, we see people every day experiencing their greatest career accomplishments as well as some of the most tragic and difficult moments in life,” Dale said. “I’m honored to help them no matter what.”