New employee to being work late this month
Mike McNichols has been named Sarasota County Government’s new director of human resources and chief human resources officer (CHRO), county staff announced on Feb. 18.
He is “expected to assume the role in late February,” a news release says. McNichols will be joining the team ahead of Human Resources Director Chris Louria’s retirement in April, “to ensure a smooth transition,” the release adds.
Louria began his employment with the county in August 2016. Prior to his hiring, a news release said at that time, Louria had spent the previous 20 years as chief human resources officer for Sysco, a major distributor of food products throughout the United States.
“We are confident Mike’s expertise and leadership will make him a tremendous asset to our organization,” said County Administrator Jonathan Lewis of McNichols in the Feb. 18 news release. “We look forward to his contributions as we continue working toward our goals.”
“McNichols has more than 12 years of human resources leadership experience,” the release points out. Additionally, it says, “he has experience in workforce planning, employee relations, benefits, risk management, and data management.”
“McNichols is poised to bring innovative strategies and a passion for employment engagement to Sarasota County’s workforce,” Lewis added in the news release.
McNichols most recently served as vice president for human resources at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, the release points out. Among his earlier roles at the college, the news release says, he was assistant vice president for human resources and executive director of human resources.
On its website, Ivy Tech says it is “the largest singly-accredited community college in the country.” Founded in 1963, it has more than 6,500 employees, the website notes.
Ivy Tech operates at 45 locations in Indiana and provides more than 500 online classes, the website also points out. The number of students it served in 2022-23 was 177,115, the website adds.
At Ivy Tech, McNichols led a statewide team of human resources professionals, supporting more than 6,400 employees and overseeing important areas such as talent acquisition, legal compliance, compensation, benefits, employee relations and training, the release notes.
“I am excited to join a high-performing and dedicated team committed to making Sarasota County a leading community to live, work and play,” said McNichols in the release. “Human resources demonstrates an organization’s investment in employee growth and development and continually enhances policies and programs to support employee success in work and life,” he added.
McNichols holds a Master of Science in sport sdministration and a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunications from Indiana University, the release says. “He also earned the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification,” it points out.
He and his family live in Lakewood Ranch, the release adds.
McNichols’ salary will be $164,808.80, the county Human Resources staff told The Sarasota News Leader in response to an inquiry. Louria’s salary is $180,252.80, the staff said.