A Note from the Director

Happy New Year! As we begin 2023, let’s take a few minutes to close out 2022. In December, we were excited to host the DHRM Human Resource Leadership Forum: Reconnecting Human Resources, the first in-person state HR event in over four years!

Over 200 state HR leaders participated in a full-day of interaction and inspiration, beginning with a motivating welcome provided by Governor Youngkin, followed by Secretary McDermid providing a thought-provoking discussion on creating a best-in-class organization, and learning more about diversity, opportunity, and inclusion (DOI) from Chief Diversity Officer Martin Brown.

Participants also heard about three best-in-class state HR programs, and provided valuable feedback on how to strengthen and sustain our high-performing workforce. To demonstrate we listened to our colleagues, DHRM amended the Compensation Policy (3.05) to remove the ability for state agencies to provide a competitive salary offer from another state agency. Many participants shared the negative effects of competing internally, and the policy amendment was developed and implemented with an effective date of January 1, 2023. The Forum set the stage for a 2-day conference being planned for the Spring of 2023.

We look forward to an exciting 2023!

Janet L. Lawson

New Recruitment Management System (RMS) Heads into the Home Stretch!

The new system is on schedule to launch on January 24! Training is underway.

Workforce Engagement:  We welcome Justin Shreve, who has joined DHRM as the new Director of the Office of Workforce Engagement! In this role, Justin will be providing direction for engagement and DOI guidance for the state workforce. He most recently served as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Prior to serving in state government, Justin worked in the field of higher education for 11 years, specializing in strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, community and client engagement, supervision, and training and development. His career includes positions at Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Guilford College. 

Communications: Best wishes to Anne Waring, DHRM Communications and Public Relations Manager, who will be retiring at the end of this month! This is a bittersweet moment for DHRM, as our entire team has counted on her in so many ways for 24 years. Among her many accomplishments was Anne’s transformation of our communications program in 2018. She implemented a new customer-focused strategy and protocol, sharpened our focus on brand and reputation management, and procured a modern communication platform to include meaningful analytics for continuous improvements. Be it general communications, skillfully coordinating media relations and FOIA requests, drafting talking points and press releases, or organizing employee events and awards ceremonies, Anne has loyally served the needs of many, including six Governors. We wish her the very best. This long-awaited milestone will give her time to increase her cherished community service work, read more biographies, and just have fun!

Congratulations to Mecca Hall, our new Communications and Public Relations Manager! For the past year, Mecca served as an Employee Engagement Consultant in the DHRM Office of Workforce Engagement where she demonstrated strong communication and writing skills, creativity, a commitment to excellence, and diplomacy. She is well-prepared to step into this new role! Mecca has nearly 10 years of community outreach, communications, and event planning experience. This includes serving as a Special Assistant for Constituent Services and Community Engagement in the Governor’s Office; Special Assistant for Appointments in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth; and Constituent Services Representative, Junior Caseworker, and Staff Assistant for Senator Tim Kaine. She holds a MA in Psychology, and a BA in Political Science.

Information Technology: Welcome to Tivona King, new team member at the Office of the Chief Information Officer! Tivona joins us as an Associate Chief Information Officer. She has over 22 years of experience in Information Technology with 13 of those years in state government. Her most recent role was as Chief Technology Officer at the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). During her career, Tivona has worked in a variety of roles including Software Developer, Systems Analyst, Systems Architect, Project Manager, and IT Manager. 

Zac Knitter joins DHRM as a Data Analyst. In his new role, Zac will be providing data analysis and visualization expertise to DHRM offices. Zac worked as a research specialist at an education research firm. and also served as an AmeriCorps member working with the National Military Family Association (NMFA) where he analyzed survey data, completed program evaluations, and developed formal data collection processes. After his term of service ended, Zac remained a data analytics consultant and worked as a freelance Web developer. For the past four years, Zac has worked as a data analyst in the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) in the Office of Data Quality and Visualization. Welcome aboard, Tivona and Zac!

Human Resource Consulting Services:  Please extend a warm welcome to our newest DHRM team member, Jasmine Scott! Jasmine joins the HRCS team as the new Virginia Management Fellows (VMF) Program Manager. She comes to us from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, where she served as the Assistant Program Manager for Women Veterans. Jasmine is a veteran of the United States Army, where she served in multiple roles including as Department Deputy Director/Acting Department Director, Assistant Training and Operations Manager, Human Resource Manager, and Director of Maintenance. Best wishes, Jasmine, in your new role!