Prior to joining UMass Lowell in 2011, Turner spent 30 years at Mount Holyoke College, starting as a receptionist in the Office of Personnel Services and working to become Director of Human Resources / Affirmative Action Officer. While in Mount Holyoke, she completed her BA in Human Resources at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, followed by her MA in Psychology at Mount Holyoke College. There she began the teaching aspect of her career, which continued when she joined UMass Lowell, where she developed and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in human resources, leadership, diversity and inclusion. of the workforce, fostering a learning organization, as well as leadership, law and politics.

Turner received his PhD in Leadership and Organizational Studies from the Robert J. Manning School of Business at UMass Lowell in 2018. His thesis, Leader of cultural intelligence and transformational leadership as a background to the practice of organizational diversity management, aligns with its teaching and continuing research orientation. His most recent publications have explored why there aren’t more HR managers who are champions of diversity, how cultural intelligence influences diversity management practices and restores trust in a workplace. #MeToo.

Turner has been an active member and contributor of the Collegiate and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) for over 35 years. She has held several volunteer roles within CUPA-HR, serving on its Board of Directors and as Chair of its Board in 2011, during which time she provided leadership in the development of the DCI framework for CUPA. -HR which continues to inform the work of human resources practitioners in associations and higher education. Recognizing the breadth and depth of her service to CUPA-HR and the Human Resources Professional, she received the Donald E. Dickason Award from CUPA-HR in 2014. Turner is also an active member of the Eastern Academy of Management (EAM) and the National Academy of Management (AOM), communities of college and university educators and academics dedicated to helping the world run better. Turner is a three-time recipient of EAM’s Outstanding Reviewer award and was nominated for Best Paper in 2015. She is a prolific reviewer of peer-reviewed publications including Human Resource Management, Global IGI, and Organizational management journal. Turner is a frequent presenter on human resources and organizational effectiveness topics at regional and national conferences including CUPA-HR, EAM, AOM, the National Association of College & University Business Officers, and is a Fellow of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Academy of Management (AOM).