Oak Harbor hires Kristina Hines as human resources director

Oak Harbor is handing its human resources office to Kristina Hines while also rewriting the rules that govern the job, a move city leaders said would bring the position in line with other top executives and steady a department that touches hiring, labor relations and compliance across city government.

At a Tuesday council meeting, the Oak Harbor City Council confirmed Hines as the city’s next human resources director and approved an ordinance change that classifies the post as a mayoral support position subject to the mayor’s direction and supervision. The change puts the role on the same footing as other city leaders who sign employment agreements and report directly to the mayor, including the city administrator and police chief.

City Attorney Hillary Evans said the revision was a matter of parity, arguing that if Oak Harbor uses contracts for some department heads, the city should apply the same standards across the executive team. The discussion also reflected lingering tension over how some positions had been classified in the past, as council members moved to lock in a more uniform structure for city administration.

Hines replaces Emma House, who was placed on administrative leave in March and resigned in April under a separation agreement. City leaders said 21 people applied for the job, five were interviewed, and two candidates got a second interview before the council settled on Hines. Council members praised both her experience and her familiarity with Oak Harbor.

Hines will start June 29. The city said she brings more than 20 years of executive-level human resources and organizational leadership experience, most recently serving as executive director of the Economic Development Council for Island County. The EDC appointed her to that role on Aug. 22, 2024, and said she had nearly four years as a Certified Business Advisor with the Washington Small Business Development Center, where she supported 307 small businesses across Island, Skagit and San Juan counties, helped generate more than $5.7 million in capital infusion, and supported the retention or creation of more than 500 jobs.

Oak Harbor said Hines also served as a statewide senior HR subject-matter expert with the Washington SBDC and had held senior HR leadership roles during major organizational restructuring efforts. Her background includes a credential from the Society for Human Resource Management, a master’s degree in mass communications and a bachelor’s degree in international relations.

The hire lands in a department with a broad mandate. Oak Harbor’s human resources office handles strategic planning, organizational development, policy development and maintenance, recruitment and retention, compensation and classification, benefits administration, employee and labor relations, civil service program management, workforce planning and development, and the administration of federal and state employment law. The city’s Civil Service Commission was established by Ordinance 632 in 1983 in compliance with state law, underscoring how formally Oak Harbor has long structured its personnel system.