City of Lawrence Announces New Director of Human Resources

Published on April 17, 2026

The City of Lawrence is pleased to announce the hiring of Shakeva Christian as the City’s new Director of Human Resources.

Christian brings more than 30 years of experience in the human resources field, of which 26 years have been spent in the public sector. Her work at the City of Lawrence will focus on aligning human resources best practices with an emphasis on strengthening workforce systems, supporting employees, and advancing an engaged and empowered organizational culture.

“I am excited to take on this opportunity and serve the City of Lawrence as Human Resources Director,” said Christian. “As an alumna of the University of Kansas, I am very fond of the Lawrence community. It is where I developed my passion for the field of human resources and experienced both personal and professional growth. Serving the City that once served me is a full circle moment.”

Christian most recently served as Deputy Director of Human Resources for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, where she helped lead human resources operations and strategy for an organization of more than 2,300 employees. Throughout her career, Christian has led complex labor negotiations across multiple bargaining units, overseen workplace investigations and compliance efforts, and partnered closely with organizational leadership to address workforce challenges and opportunities. She has also implemented data-driven strategies to improve recruitment, retention, and employee engagement, including increasing applicant pools and enhancing performance management systems.

“Our people are the foundation of everything we do, and building an engaged and empowered team is essential to delivering excellent service to our community,” said City Manager Craig Owens. “Shakeva’s depth of experience in public sector human resources, her ability to align strategy with organizational goals, and her track record of strengthening workforce systems will be critical as we continue to invest in our employees and the culture that supports them.”

Christian earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kansas and her Master of Human Resources Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management. She is also a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Christian’s start date at the City of Lawrence is May 4, 2026.Contact: City Communications, citycommunications@lawrenceks.gov

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