Governor Healey Appoints Melissa Pullin as Chief Human Resources Officer

 Governor Healey Appoints Melissa Pullin as Chief Human Resources Officer

Pullin’s appointment is effective September 16, 2024

 

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey has appointed Melissa Pullin as Chief Human Resources Officer of the Human Resources Division (HRD), the agency responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining the state’s high-performing and diverse workforce.  

 

Pullin’s public service career spans over 30 years and includes her current position as HRD’s Interim Chief Human Resources Officer. In her capacity as Interim Chief, Pullin has led HRD in delivering a skills-based hiring initiative and policy, renegotiating fair and balanced collective bargaining agreements, and unveiling a successful civil service recruitment campaign aimed at attracting diverse candidates to the police workforce. 

 

“Our best-in-class state workforce is the key to the success of every one of our administration’s efforts to make Massachusetts more competitive, equitable, and affordable,” said Governor Maura Healey. “With Melissa Pullin at the helm of the Human Resources Division, we have the ideal team in place to continue delivering wins to the people of Massachusetts.” 

 

“Across our administration’s executive branch team, we rely on leaders who are accomplished in their fields and driven to better the lives of Massachusetts families and individuals,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Melissa Pullin is no exception, and we are proud to have her assume a role that she has already performed so well in an interim capacity.” 

 

“Melissa has done a fantastic job leading the Human Resources Division on an interim basis,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. “She has been a great partner to me and my colleagues across state government and has the strategic and managerial capabilities to help us make the Commonwealth an even greater place to work and serve for all current and future employees.”

 

“It is an honor to lead the talented HRD team in our work to shape, support, and energize the Healey-Driscoll administration’s workforce,” said incoming Chief Human Resources Officer Melissa Pullin. “I’m proud of the diverse, accomplished teams we have across the Commonwealth’s Executive Department, and I’m eager to continue strengthening our workforce with innovative HR tools and forward-thinking policies and practices.”    

 

Pullin’s previous leadership roles include her tenure as Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer at HRD, and Chief of Staff in the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), the agency within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services that serves one in six Massachusetts residents with food assistance (SNAP benefits) and direct economic assistance (cash benefits), as well as workforce training opportunities. She has also served as Director of the Office of Massachusetts Client Relations at Commonwealth Medicine (now ForHealth Consulting).

 

In 2018, Pullin was awarded the Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service from the Commonwealth for her contributions to the Interagency Hurricane Relief Task Force, which assisted Hurricane Maria evacuees. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Emerson College and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Public and Nonprofit Management from Boston University. 

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Department is one of the state’s largest employers, with over 45,000 employees that span eleven Secretariats and more than 70 agencies. The Commonwealth employs people in all types of roles, in a vast array of sectors including healthcare, transportation, education, public safety, and technology. 

 

The Human Resources Division (HRD) is an agency within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. HRD provides support to state agencies in all matters relating to the Commonwealth’s classification, compensation, benefits, recruitment, training and employee development, civil rights, collective bargaining, and workers compensation administration. Among HRD’s functions is delivering learning opportunities for state employees, and ensuring an inclusive, safe, and productive workplace.