LIHU‘E — The County of Kaua‘i’s Civil Service Commission announced the selection of Annette Anderson as the new director for the county Department of Human Resources.
Civil Service Commission chair Jeff Iida says the search started a year ago and there were 35 applicants vetted by the commission.
“One truly stood out — Annette L. Anderson,” said Iida.
“As a weekend Kaua‘i resident, not only was Annette an outstanding candidate, she was also a good fit for our community.”
Anderson has been the lead negotiator for the state Department of Education for 10 years and resigned to accept the director of human resources position with the County of Kaua‘i.
“Her previous employment was in California as the director of labor relations for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, and prior to that as a practicing attorney specializing in employment law, with many years of experience. We are confident that she will take our HR department to the next level of excellence,” he said.
Former acting DHR director Janine Rapozo said the County of Kaua‘i and the staff of the Human Resources Department look forward to welcoming Anderson to the HR ‘ohana and to her leadership of the department.
“Our team will work actively and diligently with Annette to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. We would like to thank the Civil Service Commission for their hard and diligent work finding a new director. The commissioners and staff spent countless hours ensuring that the right person was selected,” said Rapozo.”
Mayor Derek Kawakami echoed Rapozo’s sentiments to the Civil Service Commission.
“Mahalo to the Civil Service Commission for its thorough selection process,” said Kawakami. “We thank Janine Rapozo for the many years of excellent service and dedication she’s given to our HR department and employees, and for assisting in the seamless transition as we welcome Annette to our team. I look forward to working together toward our department’s overall mission of supporting our county employees and their ‘ohana.”
“I am humbled and honored to be selected as the new human resources director, and am excited to begin working,” said Anderson.
“I look forward to serving Mayor Kawakami, the Civil Service Commission, the County of Kaua‘i ‘ohana and the community, and am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference.”
Anderson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in law and doctorate degree in law from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California. She had been commuting to O‘ahu and will now become a full-time resident of Kaua‘i with her husband.
