County Manager's Office Announces New Appointments
The County Manager's Office has today announced the appointment of a new Deputy County Manager, as well as a new Director and Deputy Director of the Human Resources and Risk Management Department.
Cathryn Whalen becomes a Deputy County Manager alongside Himanshu Patel and MaryEllen Sheppard, with all three reporting to County Manager Leo Lew. Cathryn has been with the County since April 2020, when she joined as Director of Public Defense Services. In her role, she has spearheaded reforming a complex public defense system in order to manage in-house and contract services under one administration. As a result, the public defense system has increased in quality of representation, efficiency, and innovation. It is set up to effectively deliver services now and into the future as the county continues to grow.
As well as Public Defense Services, for which she will remain the Director, Cathryn will also oversee the Housing Authority, Library District, and Public Fiduciary, as well as taking responsibility for Justice System Coordination. Click here to view the revised org chart.
County Manager Leo Lew said of the appointment, "Cathy previously served in various capacities in both the public and private sectors, and has demonstrated a profound understanding of organizational dynamics, resource management, and strategic planning. This experience has positioned her to take on the multifaceted challenges that come with overseeing multiple departments throughout the county."
Meanwhile, after an extensive search, Claudia Luján, currently Assistant Director of Human Resources for the City of El Paso, Texas, has been named Director of Human Resources and Risk Management. Claudia will begin her role with the County on Monday, October 2nd. Meanwhile, Colleen Campbell becomes Deputy Director. Colleen, who has been with Pinal County since 2021, was promoted from HR Division Manager with immediate effect.
Claudia Luján Colleen Campbell
Deputy County Manager MaryEllen Sheppard, to whom the HR Department reports, said, "I am excited for the County’s future with the addition of Claudia and Colleen in these leadership roles. Claudia brings rich public sector HR experience, having served at the city, county, and state levels of government. Colleen matches Claudia’s considerable public sector HR experience by way of key HR leadership roles in the private sector. Together, with their unique backgrounds, talents, skills, knowledge, contributions, and deeply held passion for service, they make for the perfect combination to enhance the employee experience for all employees and to position the County for success."