Carol Isen

The Department of Human Resources provides human resource services to over 60 City departments, with a total workforce of over 35,000 employees. Under the City Charter, the Human Resources Director is selected by the Mayor from candidates nominated by the Civil Service Commission and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors. The Human Resources Director promotes effective and efficient management through personnel programs and establishes a system of job classification. The Human Resources Director also reviews and resolves allegations of discrimination, nepotism, and favoritism against employees or applicants; investigates all employee complaints concerning job-related conduct of City and County employees; and provides a procedure for resolution of employee disputes.

Carol Isen, the current Human Resources Director, previously served as the City’s Employee Relations Director, from 2017 until she was appointed by Mayor London Breed. Prior to her most recent service with San Francisco, Ms. Isen was the Chief Labor Relations Officer for SF Bay Area Rapid Transit and the Director of Labor Relations and Community Programs for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. From 1984 to 2003, Ms. Isen was an organizer, negotiator, and Associate Director for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), Local 21. In that capacity, she served on the Alameda and San Francisco Labor Council as executive board member and delegate and as Vice President of the IFPTE.

Ms. Isen received her BA degree from the University of Michigan, Residential College, and her MA Degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Department of City and Regional Planning. She is a native of Buffalo, New York, and has lived in the East Bay since 1984.