MAYOR HOUSTON NOMINATES DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND PURCHASING AGENT

for more information:
Ernie Slottag 789-2235

Mayor J. Michael Houston has nominated Melina Tomaras-Collins to be the next Director of the Department of Human Resources. She began as acting director today. Also, nominated was Jay Wavering to be the City’s Purchasing Agent. Wavering will begin his duties September 5. Both appointments require City Council approval.

“Both of these individuals bring to the City extensive backgrounds on the management level,” Mayor Houston said. “Melina has a wide range of human resources experience in the private sector that will compliment the City’s professional staff and help us move forward as we review our manpower needs. She has spent her entire professional career in personnel in the private sector.”

“Likewise, Jay’s accounting and procurement experience totals almost 30 years with the State of Illinois and will serve him well as he takes over the City’s purchasing responsibilities. We are very lucky to attract someone with his experience in governmental purchasing.”

Ms Tomaras-Collins was most recently Human Resources Manager for Midwest Financial Holdings, LLC of Springfield. Prior to that, she was Director of Human Resources at AIG American General directing the Human Resources and Learning & Development functions for the regional service center in Springfield.  Other positions held include Assistant Vice President & Director of Human Resources and Corporate Communications at Town and Country Financial Corporation.

Her education background includes M. S. course work in Labor and Industrial Relations at Loyola University of Chicago, and she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Psychology with a minor in Speech and Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Wavering has a wide financial and procurement background. He is the Warranty Administrator at Landmark Ford. He worked for the Department of Central Management Services in the State of Illinois where he was Assistant Chief Procurement Officer and as Finance Manager where he arranged and monitored third party financing of state purchase.

Prior to that Wavering served Bureau Manager for the Bureau of Support Services where he oversaw 420 employees in four divisions including the Procurement Services Division which was responsible for centralized purchases of commodities for all state agencies totaling hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

            Wavering holds a B. A. from Southern Illinois University, and a certificate of accounting from Chicago City-Wide College.