Latoya Peterson admits that public service wasn’t always part of her career plan.
Peterson has served as HR benefits division manager with Iredell County, N.C. since October 2025. This is actually her second stint with Iredell County, having previously worked with the County as a benefits specialist from April 2018 to July 2020.
In the time between, Peterson was an HR analyst – benefits and leaves with the City of Concord, N.C. for more than five years. So, she now boasts close to a decade’s worth of experience as a public servant. But she got her professional start in the private sector.
Coming out of college, Peterson worked in various HR and benefits-related roles for companies including Volvo, Goodyear and the Dana Corp.
“My journey into public sector HR was honestly unexpected,” says Peterson, who earned an MBA in business administration in human resource management from the University of Phoenix, along with a bachelor’s degree in business administration/business management from Winston-Salem State University.
“I had been working in private sector HR … and realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t right for me.”
In July 2017, Peterson left her HR-related role with department store chain Belk. She was eight weeks pregnant, and decided take some time away from the workplace until after her baby was born.
“About a month before I delivered, I started my job search again, and came across an HR position with Iredell County,” says Peterson.
While the pay was less than what she had been making in the private sector, the role had other positives.
“At the time I thought, ‘it’s still HR, it’s close to home and I have a newborn. It felt like the practical decision.”
Peterson had nearly 20 years of HR experience on her resume at that point. But stepping into the public sector HR department “was still a huge learning curve,” she says.
“So much of what I knew about HR had to be looked at through a different lens. But I embraced the challenge, and I grew to genuinely love serving public sector employees.”
What started as a “practical decision” turned into a passion, says Peterson now.
“I found purpose in supporting the employees who serve our communities, and I realized that public sector HR was where I wanted to build the next chapter of my career.”
Peterson’s introduction to PSHRA was unexpected as well.
“When I started working for the City of Concord, my HR director asked if anyone would be interesting in attending the [PSHRA] North Carolina Chapter conference,” she recalls, admitting that she “had no idea” what PSHRA was or what the organization actually did.
Still, she decided to pack her bags for the North Carolina chapter meeting. That turned out to be another sound decision that reaped more dividends that she anticipated.
“I attended my first conference in May 2022, in Asheville, and I immediately fell in love with the people, the atmosphere and the sense of community,” she says.
“I remember thinking, ‘I belong here,’” Peterson continues. “There was something special about being surrounded by people who understood the unique world of public sector HR and were genuinely willing to share, support and learn from one another.”
Peterson soon joined PSHRA as a member, in June 2022.
“What started as a simply volunteering to attend a conference turned into so much more. I could never have imagined that one ‘Hey, why not?’ decision would introduce me to such a welcoming and supportive professional community, or that I would eventually become so deeply involved in the organization.”
Indeed, Peterson has gone on to earn her PSHRA-CP certification, is still active with the North Carolina Chapter, and has taken advantage of all that the Association has to offer.
“PSHRA has given me opportunities to grow professionally, build meaningful relationships, serve alongside other public sector HR professionals and give back to a profession that I have grown to love,” she says. “I joined because I was curious, but I stayed because I found community, purpose and a place where I felt I belonged.”
08 October 2026
Category
Stories of Impact
