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Mayor Weinberger Appoints Deanna Paluba as New Director to Lead the City's Human Resources Department

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 20, 2019

Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia

                   (802) 734-0617

 

Mayor Weinberger Appoints Deanna Paluba as New Director to Lead the City’s Human Resources Department

 

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Deanna Paluba as the new Director of the City’s Department of Human Resources (HR). Deanna brings over 20 years of experience to the position, including three years as the Director of Employee Relations at Gilead Sciences and 12 years in Human Resources at IBM. Mayor Weinberger has asked the City Council to confirm Deanna’s appointment at its meeting on Monday, March 25.

 

“One of Burlington’s great strengths is the talent and commitment of the people who work for our City, and I am confident that Deanna’s experience and abilities will help us continue to recruit and retain an outstanding City team,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “Following City Council’s consideration of this appointment, I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Deanna to make the City’s workforce even stronger and to make the City an even better employer. As we welcome Deanna, I also want to thank Stephanie Reid for her skilled service as Acting HR Director, and thank our HR team for their hard work throughout this transition period. I am excited about the future of our HR Department.”

 

“I am truly honored and excited to have the opportunity to join the City of Burlington team and accept the role of Director of Human Resources,” said Deanna Paluba. “I look forward to continuing the City’s commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, and to ensuring that the City of Burlington is a great place to work.”

 

“In meeting with Deanna, I was impressed by her energy and commitment,” said Karen Paul, City Councilor for Ward 6 and Chair of the City Council’s Institutions/Human Resources Committee. “I look forward to working with Deanna to strengthen the City’s workforce, grow our cultural diversity, and cultivate the City as an outstanding and fair workplace for employees.”

 

Background

During Deanna’s 20-year tenure at IBM she held a variety of roles, including HR Business Partner, Business Manager, and Employee Relations. Most recently, Deanna held the position of the Director of Employee Relations at Gilead Sciences, a biotech company based in San Francisco. In that capacity, Deanna led the establishment of the Employee Relations team and the expansion of the organization as it grew from 4,000 to 10,000 employees.

 

Deanna has championed many employee engagement programs throughout her career, including creating mentoring programs to promote career development, leading employee engagement teams, and establishing employee resource groups in order to create a more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Under her leadership, Gilead was recognized by Forbes as a “Best Employer for Diversity.” Deanna has extensive experience and expertise in developing HR policy and conducting workplace investigations, and Deanna’s references confirmed that she is known for being a collaborative leader who is committed to creating an inclusive culture and a great place to work.

 

Deanna’s family moved to Colchester in 1979, and she currently lives in the same home she grew up in. Deanna has been married to her husband, Wayne, for 32 years, and they have three adult children, one of whom lives locally in Colchester. She attended Colchester public schools and attended Champlain College for her undergraduate degree, as well as for a Master’s Certificate in Mediation. Deanna will soon be completing a graduate program at Champlain College for Human Relations and Organizational Development.

 

Search Process and Next Steps

The national search for the new HR Director was conducted by a committee that reviewed dozens of applications from across the country in January and February, and ultimately recommended three finalists out of more than 50 candidates to the Mayor at the end of February. If confirmed by the Council on March 25, Deanna will begin her service to the City immediately.

 

Please see the below documents for more information:

 

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Press Release Date: 
03/20/2019
City Department: 
Mayor's Office