Virginia Beach City Manager Appoints Two to Newly Designed Top Human Resources Leadership Positions

​Following a national search, Virginia Beach City Manager Patrick Duhaney has appointed existing City Human Resources experts to two new department director roles instead of one. Stacy Hawks will serve as director of Human Resources, Employee and Labor Relations, and Monica Kopin will serve as director of Human Resources, Talent Acquisition and Workforce Development for this municipal organization supporting more than 7,500 employees.

"During a time when human management is rapidly evolving to support employee recruitment and retention and workplace culture, the decision to appoint two directors in one department is undoubtedly unique but purposeful," said City Manager Patrick Duhaney. "Each focus area demands a unique skillset, and I was fortunate to find the qualifications needed in our interim co-directors who were already performing these functions at an exceptional level."

About Stacy Hawks

Director of Human Resources – Employee and Labor Relations

Hawks has over 20 years of human resources experience and has led the Employee Relations Division of Human Resources since 2020. Following May 31, 2019, she successfully centralized the employee relations function for 70% of the City. Over the course of her career with the City of Virginia Beach, Hawks has successfully implemented ADA and employee complaint case management processes resulting in reducing time to address concerns. She has developed, maintained and adjusted numerous policies, procedures and plans to best reflect the evolving needs of the organization.

Additionally, Hawks has served in leadership roles at local and state level for the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and is currently adjunct faculty at Old Dominion University. She holds a Master of Business Administration and bachelor's degree in Human Resource Administration from St. Leo University. She is designated as a Senior Certified Professional from SHRM. Since December 2022, she served as co-interim director of Human Resources overseeing employee relations, occupational health, and employee recognition. Hawks will continue to oversee these divisions in her role as Director of Human Resources – Employee and Labor Relations.

About Monica Kopin

Director of Human Resources – Talent Acquisition and Workforce Development

Over the past 25 years, Kopin has held various roles in talent acquisition, classification and compensation. She served as co-interim director of Human Resources overseeing staffing, compensation, safety, HR information technology and learning and development.

Kopin led post-pandemic efforts to reduce vacancies and staff the City's workforce during a national workforce shortage. Efforts to attract talent via hiring bonuses, shorter recruitment periods, increased marketing and social media presence, and the creation of a talent acquisition team facilitated a pre-pandemic vacancy rating. Under her leadership, Human Resources staff successfully implemented a new compensation plan across the workforce, an effort requiring communication and collaboration with City leadership, employee groups, and other City department stakeholders.

Kopin has a bachelor's degree in professional writing from Old Dominion University and a master's in Human Resource Management from Troy State University. She is a Certified Compensation Professional and holds office on the executive board for the Public Sector Human Resource Association (PSHRA).

Their new roles as co-directors are effective July 1.