Doña Ana County establishes Talent and Culture division to boost recruitment, training and conflict resolution

Doña Ana County has consolidated several human-resources functions into a new Talent and Culture division aimed at strengthening recruitment, internal promotion and employee development, division leaders said on a county podcast.

The division, created at the end of last year, will cover recruitment, workforce development, compensation and classification reviews, and training programs, officials said. The office plans a leadership academy and a new supervisor boot camp to give employees the managerial experience needed to be promoted internally rather than leaving county service.

Ashley Suniga, assistant director with the Talent and Culture division, said the programs are intended to "bridge that gap" between vacancies and qualified internal candidates by providing targeted training and career ladders that reflect evolving job responsibilities. Division staff emphasized a data-driven approach: a dedicated data analyst will track recruitment trends and help tailor targeted hiring strategies for specialized or hard-to-fill jobs such as engineering and public-safety positions.

Laura Cabanos Baante, conflict resolution specialist for the division, described an internal alternative dispute resolution program that uses certified mediators to provide consultation, conflict coaching, team building and executive leadership coaching. "We offer premier services, full‑realm alternative dispute resolution services," Cabanos Baante said. She added that normal coaching and mediation are confidential, but she must follow mandatory reporting requirements for criminal activity, sexual harassment or assault, physical violence, self‑harm or other matters specified by HR policy.

The division also houses a compensation-and-classification expert, Jess, who performs job-description reviews and handles reclassification requests initiated by supervisors to ensure positions are correctly classified and employees are paid appropriately. Division staff said supervisors must request reclassifications on behalf of employees.

For internal requests, staffers were told to contact the administration main line and request a transfer to Talent and Culture; the division gave extension 5881 and said it is implementing a ticketing system in Workday to handle requests. Division leaders encouraged departments to work with the training coordinator to design targeted trainings rather than rely on one-size-fits-all sessions.

The leaders framed the effort as a retention and service-quality strategy: by aligning culture, training and classification with career pathways, Doña Ana County officials said they aim to keep institutional knowledge in county service while improving public-facing operations. The division also plans internships and partnerships, including a wastewater intern program with DACC (Doña Ana Community College), to build external pipelines into county jobs.

The podcast discussion closed with an invitation to employees and community members to use the county’s recruiting channels for openings and to contact the Talent and Culture team for training or conflict-resolution assistance. The division said it will continue developing the leadership academy and supervisor boot camp and will share scheduling and enrollment details through county communications.