Human Resources Director for Baltimore Leaving Post

According to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the city’s Director of Human Resources will step down in January. Making a salary of $152,680, Gladys B. Gaskins, has announced through a statement from the mayor’s office that she will be pursuing new opportunities once January rolls around in two weeks, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The interim director of human resources for the city will be Deputy director of human resources S. Yvonne Moore. Moore has a salary of $82,228. Moore will be the interim director while the city searches for Gaskins’ permanent replacement.

“Director Gaskins has been an exceptional and committed public servant for the citizens of Baltimore and we are all very thankful for her many years of service,” Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. “During her time, she has been instrumental in updating and upgrading our HR policies, processes and systems to ensure that the City of Baltimore is on the cutting edge of HR best practices. Director Gaskins leaves a positive legacy with the agency and City government and we wish her the very best in all her future endeavors.”

Gaskins was in charge of an implementation for a new online recruiting system for the city’s government back in September. The mayor’s office praised the effort as an increase in the efficiency of the city’s job application process.

Gaskins’ career began back in 2004 at City Hall. It did not take her long to be appointed as the city’s Director of Human Resources, when Mayor Martin O’Malley did so in 2005. Gaskins’ job duties include the administration of the human resources department for the city of Baltimore while also managing the benefits for the city’s 17,000 employees and 22,000 retirees.

“It has been a great honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Baltimore and our city’s workforce,” Gaskins said in a statement. “Looking back, it has been a rewarding and positive experience to work with so many committed and distinguished professionals in City Government.”

Moore, the interim director of human resources when Gaskins leaves the position in January, has been serving as the deputy director of the human resources department since the year 2007.

According to sources close to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, she had summoned cabinet members back in October with the goal of possibly shaking up the city’s leadership. A spokesman for Rawlings-Blake, Ryan O’Doherty, claimed back in October that the mayor is  “constantly evaluating the leadership of all city agencies and is going to continue to demand results from everyone.”

This could be one of the first administrative changes in the City Hall to occur under the watch of Rawlings-Blake, who could remove more employees from their top-level posts before the middle of 2012 hits.