Marin County Hires New Human Resources Director

The following was submitted for publication by the County of Marin:

Mary Hao, a labor relations professional who has worked in several key roles for the City and County of San Francisco for the past 16 years, is the County of Marin’s choice as its new Director of Human Resources.

County Administrator Matthew Hymel made the announcement of Hao’s hiring during the January 5 meeting of the Marin County Board of Supervisors. Hao’s first day on the job will be February 16. Angela Nicholson, Assistant County Administrator, has been Marin’s interim Director of Human Resources since Joanne Peterson took a top personnel position with LA Metro in May 2015.

“After a nationwide search, we are thrilled to hire someone with Mary’s skills and ability to lead our Human Resources team,” Hymel said. “She will play a key role in achieving our organizational vision to create an inclusive workplace that develops our employees so we can better serve our residents.”

Hao has served as Human Resources Director for San Francisco’s Juvenile Probation Department since September 2013, working closely with the city and county’s Human Resources Department. Previously she held titles of Employee Relations Manager, Grievance/Discipline Manager, Managing Employee Relations Representative, all within San Francisco’s Human Resources Department.

Hao said she was particularly attracted to the Marin position after hearing about the 5-Year Business Plan that was adopted by the Supervisors in October 2015.

“That excited me because I want to think strategically about the organization and how it ultimately serves the residents,” she said. “The plan asked and addressed big questions about service delivery. I could tell that much thought and discussion when into it. I have worked a long time in public service now and I believe the success we have in local government depends on how well services are delivered. It has to be a team effort.”

She started with the city and county in 1999 as a senior personnel analyst following two years working as an analyst with the University of California main office in Oakland.

Hao grew up on the southern edge of San Francisco’s Noe Valley as well as South San Francisco, and she now lives in the city. She has a bachelor’s degree in history with specialization in Asian American studies from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Hao’s annual salary is $173,805. Her benefits will be consistent with those received by other department heads.