Mayor Kasim Reed Thanks Commissioner Yvonne Cowser Yancy for Her Service to the City of Atlanta
Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO
Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
Mayor Kasim Reed thanked Human Resources Commissioner Yvonne Cowser Yancy for her service to the City of Atlanta. After more than six years of leading the Department of Human Resources, Commissioner Yancy will join The Fresh Market, Inc., as the company’s senior vice president and chief human resources officer.
“I want to thank Yvonne Cowser Yancy for her tireless service to the City of Atlanta,” said Mayor Reed. “Over the past six years, Commissioner Yancy has been an advisor, a friend and a fierce advocate for City of Atlanta employees. Her leadership has transformed the Department, and has made the City of Atlanta a healthier, more progressive and more rewarding place to build a career. Commissioner Yancy’s vision brought us the new, state-of-the-art Health and Wellness Center, one of her most impressive accomplishments. I wish Yvonne well as she enters this next, exciting phase of her career.”
During her tenure as Commissioner, Yancy has served as a trusted advisor to Mayor Reed and the senior leadership team. As Commissioner, she managed an annual budget of $13 million, and transformed the Human Resources Department into a streamlined, modern and strategic contributor to the City’s operations.
Responsible for the third-largest healthcare plan in the State, Yancy led the design and implementation of the Mayor’s “A Healthier You” initiative, a comprehensive wellness program that has limited healthcare increases to zero to two percent annually with actual premium savings of more than $15 million. Yancy led the effort to open the City of Atlanta Health and Wellness Center for employees earlier this year. The state of the art center includes a 5,000-square foot fitness facility and juice bar, and a health clinic with nurses and physicians on call.
Additionally, she has focused on maintaining the City’s competitive position as an employer of choice by leading compensation work that has aligned City pay to the market, sponsoring a gender equity in pay study to ensure equal pay for equal work, and successfully advocating for the addition of paid parental leave to the City’s Benefits portfolio. Yancy has also represented the Mayor and provides expertise and leadership on the City’s three pension boards: General Employees’, Fire and Police.
“It has been my great honor to serve Mayor Reed, City of Atlanta employees and our residents as the Commissioner of Human Resources,” said Yancy. “I am proud to have stood alongside Mayor Reed as we advanced some of the most progressive and meaningful policies for our employees in the city’s history, including paid family leave, an increased minimum wage and pension reform that protects employees and the City. I thank Mayor Reed for the opportunity to serve this great City, our employees for their professionalism and hard work, and my colleagues for their support and partnership over the years.”
A native of Atlanta, Yancy earned a BA degree in Economics from Northwestern University and an MBA in Personnel Employee Relations from Georgia State University. Yancy holds the Senior Professional Human Resources certification. She serves on the Boards of Directors for WonderRoot, an arts organization devoted to inspiring positive social change and Central Outreach & Advocacy Center, a resource organization for homeless and near-homeless individuals and families.
Yancy is a former Board member of the Junior Achievement of Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia Police Athletic League, the Lincoln Financial Group Foundation Board, the Atlanta Housing Authority, and the SHRM Atlanta Board of Directors. Additionally, Ms. Yancy is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2013 and continues to be active in several organizations including The Links; Inc. Ms. Yancy enjoys serving as a mentor to young professionals seeking careers in Human Resources.
Commissioner Yancy’s final day with the City of Atlanta is December 31, 2017.