Thursday, July 27, 2023 — Cleveland — Mayor Justin M. Bibb announced today that Matthew J. Cole will be the new Director of Human Resources for the City of Cleveland.
“We are pleased to bring Matt on board and believe that his community-centered HR philosophy and more than two decades of experience in the field make him the right person for the job,” said Mayor Bibb. “I look forward to working with him to modernize our HR operations and find new and innovative ways to recruit, retain and support our employees across the city.”
Cole will assume the role from Interim Director Eduardo Romero, who has been leading the city’s HR team since March 21, 2023. His first day will be August 21.
A human resources veteran with more than 23 years of experience, Cole has spent much of his career driving strategic organization-wide initiatives in the public sector, managing and coordinating large teams and departments and leading employee and labor relations efforts. He is an established leader in building and growing high-performing teams, strategic planning and execution, collective bargaining, DE&I work, organizational development and risk management.
Cole most recently served as director of administration and human resources for the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the commission’s HR, safety services and offices services departments.
Prior to joining the commission in May 2003, he worked as a human resources manager for Cuyahoga County, where he was assigned to the Cuyahoga Support Enforcement Agency. Prior to working for Cuyahoga County and the Ohio Turnpike, he worked for the Bellefaire Jewish Community Board as a youth counselor.
Cole holds both a bachelor's degree in social work with a concentration in criminal justice and a master's degree in labor relations and human resources from Cleveland State University. He is also certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). He was selected for this role through a competitive internal search committee process.
