MANCHESTER, NH – Mayor Jay Ruais announced Wednesday that the city’s Director of Human Resources, Lisa Drabik, will be returning to her hometown to lead the HR department for the Town of Londonderry School District. During her tenure, Drabik was instrumental in spearheading the recent compensation study that brought city employee wages to market rates and successfully negotiated 11 new contracts with city unions.
Commenting on Director Drabik’s departure, Ruais said, “Lisa’s contribution to Manchester cannot be understated. Besides running the HR department that covers 1,200 city employees and assists hundreds of retirees, she successfully led the compensation study that brought our employees’ wages to market rates and re-negotiated 11 union contracts that were set to expire, both of which are challenging tasks. Lisa’s dedication has ensured that the city is better able to retain our seasoned employees as well as recruit new ones.”
Added Ruais, “Heading human resources is a tough job because professionals like Lisa regularly deal with difficult conversations, complex situations, and ever-changing laws and regulations, all while striving to maintain a positive and productive work environment. I’m delighted to say she succeeded in all the above. I have deeply appreciated her wisdom, strategic advice and guidance. Lisa will be truly missed.”
In her letter of resignation to the Board of Mayor and Alderman, Drabik wrote, “It has been an honor and a privilege to lead the City’s human resources function for the last few years. Soon after my arrival in 2022, we embarked upon an exhaustive City-wide Classification and Compensation Study. I am proud to say the study resulted in a newly-modernized pay plan with market-competitive pay rates designed to position the City well into the future and to enhance the retention and recruitment of the City’s most valuable assets – its people.” She added, “We also strengthened the benefit offerings for our employees, updated and streamlined several City policies and ordinances, implemented a new HRIS system (MUNIS), decreased the rate of acceleration in health care costs, and successfully negotiated 11 of 13 expiring union contracts.”
Drabik also thanked the Board of Aldermen for its support over her tenure and the city’s “stellar” group of department heads, saying, “not only are they all subject matter experts in their fields, but they are a true joy to work with and the City is fortunate to have each and every one of them.”
Drabik paid tribute to her staff in the HR Department who she noted work tirelessly and relentlessly to serve the needs of the city workforce and its retirees. She ended by thanking City employees as a whole, saying, “Their dedication to the very important work they do for the City is inspiring, and it has been a sincere pleasure to work with – and for – them.”
Mayor Ruais thanks Director Drabik for agreeing to remain in her role throughout the first week in July to ensure a successful implementation of the new wage scale which takes effect on July 1. The search for Drabik’s replacement will begin immediately. City Solicitor Emily Rice will serve as her replacement in the interim.