DeKalb Hires Human Resources Director

The City of DeKalb has hired a Human Resources Director. Cris Randall, who comes to the City from the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District (ALFPD) Human Resources, will begin with the City on June 20.

“Cris will bring strong leadership to the City’s Human Resources Department,” said Mayor John Rey. “Strong HR policies and practices support an environment where employees are fully engaged in their roles of serving the community.”

Randall’s experience comprises all facets of human resources, including administration of employee benefits and workers’ compensation, payroll, risk management, recruitment and retention, classification and compensation, performance evaluation management, training and development, labor relations and human resources information systems

“Cris will bring a variety of experiences to this role,” said City Manager Anne Marie Gaura. “I am looking forward to working with such a strong HR professional who will bring the expertise needed to build a high-functioning internal service framework.” Before serving ALFPD, Randall worked for the Village of Hanover Park, Illinois as the Human Resources Generalist and for the City of Lawrence, Kansas, home to the University of Kansas.

Randall will join the senior management team in DeKalb and, among other responsibilities, will lead the implementation of the City’s performance management process and pay-for- performance model. These tools will establish a consistent definition of high performance, to which City employees would be held accountable. Randall earned a Bachelor’s degree, with distinctions, in Justice Studies with emphasis in Human Resources Management from Fort Hays State University, Kansas and it is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Public Administration.

Randall earned several employee recognition awards throughout her career for her dedicated service to the public sector. Most recently she received the renowned James Baird Leadership Award from the Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association, recognizing leadership and achievement in Illinois’ public sector labor relations. Randall is also a certified Professional in Human Resources by the Human Resources Certification Institute (PHR) and Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM-CP).