The City of Napa is pleased to announce that Heather Ruiz will be the City’s next director of human resources, effective March 8, 2021. Ruiz brings more than 20 years of public sector human resources experience to the City.
“We are excited to welcome Heather as a key member of the City’s leadership during this challenging year,” said City of Napa City Manager Steve Potter. “With her substantial experience and diverse background, we are confident she will help facilitate positive change for Napa.”
Most recently, Ruiz served as the director of human resources with the City of Vallejo 2018-2021. There, she managed a staff of 17 employees while providing services to all City departments and 600 employees in the areas of recruitment, classification and compensation, benefits, risk management and employee and labor relations. Ruiz also served in an acting assignment in the Vallejo City Manager’s Office supervising the Housing Division, Public Information Office and Administrative Staff, among other programs.
Previously, Ruiz worked for Napa County for eight years, beginning her time as the deputy director of employment and compensation and ending it as director of human resources. She has also worked as the deputy director of human resources for the City of San Jose and the director of human resources at the San Mateo Medical Center.
“I am thrilled to be able to bring my knowledge and skills to the City of Napa’s Human Resources department and serve the City Council, City leadership and the Napa community,” Ruiz said. “I am looking forward to working closely with the City to further improve services and accomplish our administrative goals.”
Over the course of her career, Ruiz has emphasized the importance of process improvement and establishing strong collaborative relationships across all departments. Ruiz’s extensive experience and her unique background in both the public and private sector allows her to bring well-rounded perspectives and insights to the City of Napa.
Ruiz earned a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in public management from California State University, East Bay, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in psychology/business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.