The way she tells it, Connie Spruill very much fell into the human resources profession.
“I actually stumbled in from the rain into a very fulfilling HR career,” says Spruill, who is currently a human resources business section manager with Gwinnett County Government in Duluth, Ga.
“The rain was pouring as I applied for a temporary clerk position at one of Georgia’s mental health hospitals.”
Spruill interviewed for two positions at Georgia Mental Health Institute in February 1990; one in an inpatient unit and another in the superintendent’s office.
She ultimately accepted an offer to become a principal clerk within the Institute’s HR office. On her first day on the job, Spruill was “surprised to learn that I would be working in HR. Nonetheless, she says, she “jumped in with both feet.”
She read about HR as she filed, and she asked plenty of questions about the role and about the HR function. But, most importantly, she says, she learned what being a leader looked like.
“My first example of real leadership involved a leader whose primary purpose was to see others grow. Because she gave so much of herself, our team was always willing to go above and beyond. We benefited from her personal power, rather than her position power.”
Looking back now, “I am so grateful for those early years, which prepared me to lead my own teams, and for that very first HR manager, who would one day recommend me to succeed her as HR director at another agency.”
Indeed, Spruill eventually succeeded that first manager as human resources director at DeKalb Community Service Board in 1999. And, throughout a 30-plus year career in HR that has also included roles with the Georgia Juvenile Department of Justice and the City of Atlanta, Spruill’s approach to her work has remained consistent.
“My philosophy then, as it is now, has always been about remembering that, behind every email, every phone call and every visit to HR is a real person with a real need,” says Spruill, who holds a bachelor’s degree in English, with a concentration in writing, from American Public University.
“Even if they can’t understand what the need is, we are there to help figure it out. Thirty-five years later, I have the same mindset, not only in relation to those we serve, but also in relation to those with whom we serve as well.”
Spruill brought the same determination and the same sense of connectedness to PSHRA when she joined as a member in July 2025.
“My organization believes in the importance of PSHRA, and I immediately immersed myself,” she says. “As a lifelong learner, I have always learned from others. HR can, at times, be a truly thankless job, and it helps tremendously to know that you are not alone.”
She’s found significant value in connecting with like-minded learners throughout the PSHRA network.
“When you are open to learning from anything and anyone, reading about others who have solved problems or overcome challenges can give you just enough energy to get through another day,” says Spruill. “Looking at things from other perspectives has and always will be what I believe is a superpower that helps tremendously to minimize friction.”
Spruill looks forward to sharing that superpower with the next generation of public sector HR leaders.
“At this stage in my career, I consider myself a bit of a historian, and my role would lend itself more toward mentoring those who are coming behind me,” she says.
“In my career, I have seen knowledge walk out the door; knowledge that can be useful, especially when people are remote and tools are impersonal, and there is still a need to look someone in the eye to correct, discipline, teach, support and encourage.”
18 June 2026
Category
Stories of Impact
