20 U.S. Local Government People Leaders to Know
- Jonno White
- Aug 12
- 4 min read
Last updated: August 2026
People and culture leaders in local government work where policy becomes a daily experience. They shape how councils, counties and city departments recruit, support, develop and retain the people who keep public services moving. This list highlights 20 current US public-sector leaders whose official roles show the breadth of that work, from labour relations and workforce planning to learning, inclusion and employee experience.
Why these leaders matter
Local government is often where people feel the quality of leadership most directly. A good people function helps a public organisation serve residents well, while also giving employees a fair, clear and workable place to do important work.
What to notice in the list
The strongest pattern is range. Some leaders run large central HR departments. Others combine people work with employment law, learning, labour relations, workforce planning or the practical systems that make a public employer work.
1. Linnaea Jablonski
Human Resources Director, City of Tacoma
Appointed in late 2025 after nearly two decades in public-sector human resources. Her background includes leading a large HR team, managing a major public payroll and negotiating labour agreements.
2. Michael Arnoldus
Human Resources Director, City of Santa Barbara
Appointed in 2025, he brings more than 20 years of public-sector HR experience, including senior roles with the City of Santa Monica and Ventura County Community College District.
3. Kathy Everett-Perry
Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Employment Counsel, Durham County
She combines senior people leadership with employment-law expertise after a long career serving Durham County, including a decade as a Senior Assistant County Attorney.
4. Makda Fessahaye
Chief Human Resources Officer and Director of Employee Relations, City of Milwaukee
Appointed in 2021, she leads civil service, recruitment and retention, classification and compensation, compliance and employee relations for the city workforce.
5. Jane Cheeks
Director of Human Resources, City of Houston
With more than 25 years at the City of Houston, she has led a large HR team, helped consolidate HR services and established a central human resources function.
6. Jamie Newton
Chief Human Resources Officer, Orange County
Appointed in 2025, she brings more than 20 years across public, private and labour settings, with experience in employee and labour relations and workforce policy.
7. Nina Arias
Director of Human Resources, City of Dallas
She oversees benefits, compensation, HR systems, employee relations, policy and operations for a city workforce of more than 13,000 people.
8. Candi Jones
Director and Chief Human Resources Officer, City of Philadelphia
A 13-year city career has led to responsibility for HR across a workforce of about 30,000 people, with a focus on inclusion, engagement and public-service career pathways.
9. Alex Lawrence
Chief People Officer, City of Boston
He leads the People Operations Cabinet, covering central HR, labour relations and major workforce responsibilities, after serving in several senior City Hall roles.
10. Kimberly Loving
Human Resources Director, City of Seattle
As Seattle HR Director, she sits at the centre of citywide workforce services and a workplace agenda built around inclusion, learning, accountability and stewardship.
11. Alysha Martin
Human Resources Director, City of Columbus
Appointed in 2026, she brings more than 15 years in employee relations, training and workforce planning to a department supporting around 10,000 city employees.
12. Sharnell Jones
Human Resources Director, City of Raleigh
She leads a broad people function spanning recruitment, pay and classification, career development, benefits, safety, employee relations and wellbeing.
13. Ola Terrell
Human Resources Director, Columbus Consolidated Government
Her public-facing HR message puts people, service, integrity and teamwork at the heart of the employee experience.
14. Christina Peterson
Director of Human Resources, Fairfax County
Appointed in 2026 after serving as a senior human-capital leader at HUD, she brings experience in modernising hiring, workforce planning and employee engagement.
15. Velisha Haddox
Bureau Chief of Human Resources, Cook County
She directs a wide bureau covering talent acquisition, classification and compensation, training, personnel, labour relations, compliance, HR systems and equal employment.
16. Raimundo Delgado
Department Director, Miami-Dade County Human Resources
He leads the county HR department, supported by a senior team covering benefits, recruitment, career development, labour relations, compensation and fair employment practices.
17. Traci Anderson
Director of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer, Montgomery County
She serves as CHRO for more than 40 departments and agencies and a workforce of more than 10,000 employees, with a focus on building a resilient workforce.
18. Anthony Brew
Chief Human Resources Officer, Montgomery County
Appointed in 2025, he brings more than 20 years in employee engagement and talent management, with an emphasis on inclusive practice, development and retention.
19. Marcy Foster
Director of Human Resources, Arlington County
She leads a people function designed to attract, develop and retain a high-performing, diverse workforce across employee relations, benefits, training, recruitment and safety.
20. Lisa Garrett
Director of Personnel, Los Angeles County
She has led the county personnel function since 2010, guiding a strategic HR model, talent pipelines, learning initiatives and digital workforce services for the nation’s largest local-government workforce.
A practical takeaway
Across these public organisations, people leadership is not a side task. It is a core operating function. The useful question for any leader is simple: what would make it easier for good people to do meaningful public work here, and easier for the organisation to keep learning?
Related reading
For more context on culture, leadership and public-service work, see the related reading links in the internal link map.
About the author
Jonno White helps leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. His work is practical rather than motivational: something people can use on Monday morning, not a feeling that fades by Friday.