Whitaker tabbed for HR Director
It is not official, but the likely successor to Russell Bearden, Anderson County’s former Human Resources manager, is Kim Jeffers-Whitaker, deputy assistant HR manager, and current interim director.
During the Anderson County Commission meeting Monday, Nov. 20, Commissioners voted—unanimously—to send a recommendation back to the county’s 12-member HR advisory committee to hire Whitaker as the new HR director.
The HR advisory committee met last month, on Oct. 20, and made a motion to forward the recommendation to the County Commission that Whitaker be named as interim director and for Commission to determine the compensation of the position and the structure of the department going forward.
The vote in the HR advisory committee was 9-3 to name Whitaker as interim director and have the Commission determine compensation of the position and structure, with Jeff Cole, Hal Cousins, Natalie Erb, Janis Wilford (proxy for Myron Iwanski), Gary Long, Tim Shelton, Paul White, Nicole Brooks (proxy for Jay Yeager), and Russell Bearden (proxy for Phil Yager) voting in favor of the motion. Voting “no” were Terry Frank, Johnny Alley and William Jones.
At the Commission meeting Monday, Dist. 8 Commissioner Phil Yager, chair of the HR advisory committee, made the motion to make Whitaker interim director, and the motion passed unanimously.
The motion was then made to determine what Whitaker’s salary would be as interim director.
According to statements made by various County Commissioners during the meeting, Bearden had been making $60,000 as HR director before he turned in his resignation last month to take a new job elsewhere in the private sector.
“There are only two people in that office [the county’s HR department] doing the job of three people right now — Whitaker and the other employee. She’s doing her job in addition to the new job. It would only be fitting that she be paid accordingly. She needs to be paid fairly,” asserted Dist. 4 Commissioner Shain Vowell.
There was confusion as to why the HR advisory committee had not already hired Whitaker as director, and why was it Commission was determining salary for an interim position when it was believed they should be determining salary for a permanent position as HR director.
“She’s got the experience. She’s worked for four attorneys, and we’ve had plenty enough time to evaluate her. Why not hire her as director already?” asked Dist. 6 Commissioner Whitey Hitchcock.
Commissioners discussed making a motion to hire Whitaker as HR director, but Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager interjected that Commission could not hire Whitaker at this time until there is at least a two-thirds vote by the HR advisory committee first to hire Whitaker in that position.
“You [Commission] need a prerequisite vote by the HR committee to put her in that position permanently,” stated Yeager.
After hearing Yeager’s recommendation, Commission then voted to send back to the HR committee a unanimous vote supporting the hiring of Whitaker and the motion passed.
Next, Commission voted unanimously to approve the two remaining motions: to make Whitaker’s salary the same as Bearden’s at $60,000, and to keep the structure of HR the same as it was under Bearden’s leadership.
Tim Shelton, Anderson County Register of Deeds and member of the HR committee, addressed Commissioners by explaining the reason why the committee had only recommended Whitaker be named interim director.
Shelton said their vote has to do with some unanswered questions the committee has about what role the committee will play since it is a relatively new committee.
“The purpose of our vote was not to say we weren’t going to bring that name [Whitaker’s] forward. We don’t want to give off the impression that we didn’t want to make a decision [on hiring a new HR director]. Don’t read too much into the actions of the committee. Your vote gives us a clear indication what we need to do. I think that was our intent, to get some clarification on what our role is, and to seek input,” said Shelton.
Shelton further indicated that the majority of members on the HR advisory committee were also in favor of seeing Whitaker as Bearden’s successor in the county’s HR department.