Starkville aldermen are expected to formally hire Aramark Higher Education senior resources manager Navarete Ashford as the city’s new human resources director next week, marking the first time the board has reached out of its ranks and hired an external to lead a key department this term.
Aldermen authorized Mayor Parker Wiseman to negotiate a deal with Ashford, and the mayor said the city’s offer would hire Ashford for $73,000 per year with full benefits.
The board is expected to make the hire official on Oct. 18, and Ashford should go to work three days later, Wiseman said.
“Mr. Ashford has an excellent track record in the fields of administration and human resource management with his previous employers, and he delivered an outstanding interview before the board on Oct. 4,” Wiseman said. “We are excited about him joining our team.”
Ashford was chosen as the preferred candidate on Oct. 4, beating out two other applicants, including interim Personnel Director Stephanie Halbert. A fourth candidate withdrew from contention before interviews began that day.
Although Halbert was not chosen to take former Personnel Director Randy Boyd’s job on a permanent basis, aldermen gave her a $6,000 raise, boosting her annual salary to $54,000.
Ashford has worked as AHE South’s senior human resources manager since 2013, moving to the position after serving the company in a similar capacity at Mississippi State University for four years. He also previously worked as a MSU Dining Services location manager from 2006-07.
A former Starkville resident and MSU graduate, Ashford said he is excited to return to where he “basically grew up and lived for a majority of” his life and provide “forward thinking and innovation in the world of human resources.”
Improving internal training and development, he said, is one of his main goals as Starkville’s human resources manager.
“I thought the job would be a great opportunity, one in which I could make a real impact. I look forward to having a business model with employee relations and recruitment, improving the city’s hiring processes and taking a look at compensation,” Ashford said. “Performance management is one of my strong suits. You have to look at how to develop employees and make sure the right people are prepared the right way for the right job.”
Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver said Ashford’s skills will be “worth every penny to the city.”
“I spoke to some people at Aramark, and they spoke highly of his character and leadership,” Carver said. “He has very good communication skills, and those were demonstrated during his interview when he was asking pretty detailed and specific questions about codes and emerging issues in HR. He definitely possesses the leadership we were looking for.”
Since taking office in 2013, the board of aldermen has routinely tended to high-profile vacancies with internal promotions.
In 2014, aldermen promoted former City Clerk Taylor Adams to chief administrative officer, and his position was filled by then-Deputy City Clerk Lesa Hardin. That same year, the board tapped then-Capt. Frank Nichols to serve as Starkville’s police chief and promoted former City Planner Buddy Sanders to lead Starkville’s community development department.
The city planner slot, which serves under the community development leader, was filled by an external hire, Daniel Havelin.
Charles Yarbrough, who previously served as Starkville Fire Department’s training officer, was promoted to lead the city’s fire services in 2015.
The last external candidate hired to lead a Starkville department was William Snowden, who was picked in 2013 by the previous board of aldermen. He resigned his job the following year due to health issues.
In 2015, Adams accepted a job leading procurement efforts for Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Aldermen are not expected to fill the vacant CAO position this term.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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