Spokane’s human resources director out, fourth to go in 4 years

Spokane Human Resources Director David Moss will leave the city effective Friday, Mayor Lisa Brown’s office confirmed in a Wednesday afternoon statement.

“As part of her mayoral transition process, Mayor Brown has been reviewing city departments and personnel, and has decided to move forward with a change in leadership within the Human Resources department,” city spokeswoman Erin Hut wrote in an email.

Just before Brown took office, she announced she intended to retain Moss in his current position.

“There’s been an ongoing review of the department, and it was decided that a change needed to be made,” Hut said in a brief interview.

Hut said she was not able to disclose whether the decision had been prompted by any complaints against Moss. She added that the city was determining next steps with hiring Moss’ replacement, but that “resources are being allocated to make sure things run smoothly.” Hut said that did not currently entail hiring an interim director of the Human Resources Department.

Interim City Administrator Garrett Jones informed city officials and employees of Moss’ pending departure in a Wednesday email that was provided to The Spokesman-Review. This was the first confirmation of a leadership change that had been rumored for a week, City Councilman Michael Cathcart said in an interview.

“I was very frustrated with the last four years, and I remain so now, because I believe City Council, as the city’s board of directors effectively, should be read in on these employment issues, at least once a decision has been made,” Cathcart said. “If it’s something that could in theory reach the media or the public, we need to at least have the information so we can respond.”

Former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward hired Moss in January 2023 from Smithfield Foods in Virginia, where he oversaw human resources needs for 19,000 employees in 23 states as the company’s senior director of human relations and labor relations. Before that, Moss served as deputy chief of human resources for the New Jersey Transit Authority.

“I know that David will bring to the city of Spokane so much excitement to the team, and I know that the results that he’s going to bring to this department are going to move us forward as a city organization,” Woodward told the Spokane City Council shortly before Moss was unanimously confirmed to his position.

Moss’ role at the city was primarily behind the scenes. He led the internal investigation into former City Administrator Johnnie Perkins, who was accused of violating the city’s sexual harassment policies and resigned before an investigation could be completed. Perkins has denied any wrongdoing.

Not including interim directors, Moss was the city’s fourth head of Human Resources hired in as many years by Woodward, whose administration frequently dealt with major turnover.

Woodward first tapped Thomas Bartridge to lead the department weeks after she was sworn into office in 2020. Bartridge built his career overseeing human resources for major companies in the Middle East, including Eagle Hills, a United Arab Emirates-based real estate development and private investment firm, and lead Woodward’s transition team after she won election in 2019.

Bartridge resigned two months later without explanation.

Amber Richards was hired to lead the department in January 2021 and resigned in June 2021, saying she could not continue in that role “in good faith or with good conscience,” having previously accused city leadership of chronically understaffing human resources, the Inlander reported at the time.

Kristin Smith, a West Point graduate who had most recently worked as the director of human capital for the Criminal Division within the U.S. Department of Justice, was brought on as the city’s human resources director in February 2022. She resigned five months later; city officials said at the time that she wanted to focus on her family’s winemaking business, the Inlander reported in 2023.