Angela Alvarez Riggs: Public Sector HR Becomes Much More than a Profession

Angela Alvarez-Riggs may have started her career in private sector HR and accounting, but she has always felt a pull toward public service.

“Public service appealed to me because it offered the opportunity to connect my professional skills with a larger purpose,” says Alvarez-Riggs. “I believed HR could help institutions live their values through fairness, equity and service.”

Alvarez-Riggs has served as the assistant superintendent/vice president of human resources at Southwestern Community College District (SWCCD) in Chula Vista, Calif. since June 2022. She was previously the organization’s director of human resources, a role she held for two years.

Her public sector roots date back to 2006, when she took a position as records assistant with the UC San Diego Health System, before ultimately transitioning to a principal compensation analyst role in 2010.

She departed for San Diego State University in October 2013, when Alvarez-Riggs was appointed manager of employment and classification at the institution.

That same year, a family tragedy served to deepen her belief in the value of public service.

“In 2013, my husband and I lost our son, Leo, to sudden infant death syndrome. He was our third child and our only son,” says Alvarez-Riggs.

“That loss changed how I saw the world and, ultimately, how I approached HR. I returned to work understanding more deeply that every policy, process and decision affects real people with lives, families and stories we may never fully know.”

In the 13 years since, public sector HR “has become more than a profession for me,” she says. “It is an opportunity to serve people during some of the most important and vulnerable moments of their careers.”

A member of PSHRA with SWCCD since 2026, Alvarez-Riggs’ involvement with the organization has helped her find a community of public sector HR professionals with the same level of commitment to serving their communities.

“I joined PSHRA because I believe public sector HR presents unique opportunities and challenges that deserve a dedicated professional community,” says Alvarez-Riggs, who holds a master’s degree in human resources management and a bachelor’s degree in global studies from National University.

“Public service requires leaders to balance accountability, stewardship, compliance, equity and human impact every day.”

In the days ahead, Alvarez-Riggs hopes to continue helping organizations “strengthen both their systems and their humanity,” she says.

“Throughout my career, I have led organizational change, labor relations, compliance efforts, HR transformation and strategic initiatives. While that work is important, what motivates me most is helping leaders create environments where trust, dignity, accountability and results can coexist.”

She also hopes that sharing her personal experiences can help emerging HR professionals and leaders find their purpose.

“The hardest loss of my life taught me the most important lesson of my career,” she says. “People are carrying stories we cannot see, and leadership must make room for that truth. I want to help future leaders build organizations where people can thrive while institutions achieve meaningful results.”