New HR Manager Appointed at City of Encinitas

The following is a release from the City of Encinitas:

Courtney Barrett has been appointed Human Resources (HR) Manager for the City of Encinitas. She replaces Tom Beckord, who recently retired after serving the City for 18 years. Barrett oversees a $900,000 budget and five employees. She reports to City Manager Gus Vina and is a member of the City’s Cabinet Team.

Barrett supervises all aspects of the HR division, including staff recruitment and training, employee/labor relations, benefits administration, compensation and related activities. She ensures that the City complies with City Council policy, state and federal laws, union agreements, sound professional practices and strong ethical standards. She also will be responsible for a classification and compensation study as well as a new employee development program.

Barrett says, “As head of an internal ‘customer service’ team, my job is to provide support for City departments so they can successfully accomplish their strategic goals.” 

Gus Vina states, “The City takes pride in the people who serve the organization and the Encinitas community. By hiring and training quality employees, we keep Encinitas a good place to work and thus are able to sustain delivery of excellent public services. We are confident that Courtney Barrett has the ability to focus on continuous improvement and adherence to best practices.” 

Barrett, who holds a BA and MBA, has worked in the HR field for ten years. She served the County of San Diego from 2002-2011, progressing from HR Analyst to Labor Relations Officer. As the latter, she represented the County in negotiation of labor relations for 25 bargaining units and eight unions. 

From 2011-2013, Barrett was HR Manager for the City of Coronado. Among her diverse responsibilities, she oversaw recruitment, selection, classification, compensation, workers compensation, employee benefits, employee relations and training. 

Barrett says she can view her job from two perspectives: as a staff member and as a resident. She recently moved to Leucadia. “I love the area,” Barrett reports. “As a kid, I camped at San Elijo. Now I can enjoy an early morning walk to the beach and I plan to resurrect my longboard.”