Malena Murray: Finding a Sense of Structure and Community in Public Sector HR

Malena Murray has worked in private sector HR. But public sector HR is her career. And it was always destined to be, she says.

“I’ve always been drawn to government, and my father was a lifelong public sector employee,” says Murray, whose dad worked for the federal government for 40 years as a civil servant with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce and Federal Aviation Administration.

“I enjoy structure and community, and that’s what public sector HR is all about.”

The Virginia native’s corporate experience includes stints in HR roles with organizations, such as Kelly Services, TD Ameritrade, and Luxottica, where she served as the eyewear retailer’s HR plant manager in Salt Lake City.

Murray, who holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and theater arts and dance from Old Dominion University, was also the Utah Symphony’s director of human resources from October 2007 to October 2009.

But it was always kind of inevitable that she would make her way to the public sector, where she’s spent the better part of the last decade proudly serving agency employees and the communities in which she worked.

Her interest in public sector began in Washington, D.C., when she worked as a site HR manager for Management & Training Corp., a government contractor for the Department of Labor (DOL) from December 1998 to March 2000.

She was promoted to corporate HR manager, moving to Utah in April 2000, supporting the company’s Eastern region’s DOL Education & Training Division contracts until 2005.

Murray, who went on to earn a master’s degree in human resources management and development from National Louis University in 2000, is currently an HR facilitator with Rasmussen University.

Her passion for higher education arose from her commitment to continuing education, says Murray, adding that she strongly believes in blending real-world scenarios with academic study to prepare others for a career in human resources.

“The field is evolving and closely tied to self-education.”

Murray has also served as human resources director with Draper City, Utah. Murray held that position from February 2022 to July 2025, when she departed for Rasmussen. Previously, she was the director of human resources and risk management with Utah’s City of West Jordan, from May 2018 to December 2021.

Murray says she has always enjoyed interacting with her peers in HR, which led her to join PSHRA as a member in June 2021 and earn her PSHRA-SCP certification that same year.

“Becoming a member of PSHRA made it even more special to communicate best practices and share opportunities that could benefit all of us in the public sector HR forum,” she says.

Since becoming a member five years ago, Murray says she has increased her HR knowledge and expanded her HR-related interests “from the local to the national level.”

She hopes to continue that career growth at a higher level of government, or possibly in an academic environment. Whatever direction she takes, Murray plans to continue serving her community.

“I am interested in continuing my public sector career, shifting to the federal government or higher education as a people leader,” she says, “where I can advance the profession and maintain community involvement.”