Brody Lorda: Raised to Put Service Above Self

Brody Lorda was set on her career path pretty early on in life.

“My parents were both public servants, and I always knew I would follow in their footsteps,” says Lorda, human resources director with the Cosumnes Community Services District in Elk Grove, Calif.

“I suppose that ‘service above self’ was instilled in me from a young age. There is something so rewarding about serving public agencies that serve the community.”

Lorda considers her lucky to have found her first HR analyst role with a large county, where she gained significant, targeted experience in classification and compensation.

That role was with Sacramento County, where she served as a personnel analyst from February 2005 to March 2013.

While a position focusing on classification and compensation is “not everyone’s cup of tea, I loved it,” says Lorda, “because it fed into my analytical strengths. When I started mentoring and training others, I knew I had found my career. Developing and helping others succeed filled my bucket.”

From there, Lorda moved on to the County of Yolo, Calif., accepting a role as a principal personnel analyst in March 2013. She earned a promotion to HR manager in May 2016, and served as the County’s assistant director of human resources from January 2020 to March 2024.

After an 18-month stint as human resources manager with the City of Citrus Heights, Lorda was named to her current position with Cosumnes Community Service District.

At each stop, “my love of HR grew, as I took on additional responsibilities and continued learning,” says Lorda, who holds both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in HR management and personnel administration from California State University, Sacramento.

“One thing about HR is that you really can’t stop learning! It’s been 22 years in public sector HR for me, and I still love it.”

Lorda has been active with PSHRA for more than 10 of those years, having joined the organization as a member in August 2016.

“Public sector HR requires specialized knowledge, and PSHRA provides that,” says Lorda, an active member of PSHRA’s Sacramento-Mother Lode chapter and a current member of the association’s executive council.

“Being part of PSHRA has been so helpful throughout my career, [enabling me] to be surrounded by people who are experiencing similar situations and challenges.”

Even more valuable than the PSHRA network of professional colleagues with whom she can share feedback, ideas and best practices are “the wonderful friendships that I made along the way,” she adds. “They are family in the best possible way, and I am so grateful for each of them!”

Ultimately, Lorda is “exactly where I want to be” in her current role, and she looks forward to leaving behind a group of HR practitioners to whom she can pass the torch when she leaves the profession.

“Mentoring those within my organization and those I have met through PSHRA is one way I do that,” she concludes. “Sharing my knowledge, experience and mistakes with others earlier in their careers brings me so much joy. That’s the legacy I hope to leave behind.”