Belen Marquez is a results-focused leader with more than 21 years of public-sector experience in Human Resources (HR).  She started her career path in this field by pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, with an emphasis in HR Management. 

While an undergraduate student, Ms. Marquez secured an internship in the HR Department at LA Metro in March 2003.  After earning her degree, she was hired as an HR Assistant and spent her first two years as a member of the High-Volume Recruitment Team, coordinating large recruitment and selection processes for various union-represented jobs, and later, as a Project Manager where she independently managed the performance of six contracted clinics and worked with the regional and center directors of the Gateway Child Development Center to ensure operations were in compliance with the Department of Public Social Services.  

Over the next few years, Ms. Marquez was promoted to HR Analyst, and then Medical Standards & Compliance Administrator where she managed leaves of absences in accordance with FMLA, CFRA, ADA, and HIPAA, and administered the ADA Interactive Process and Workplace Accommodations.  She then returned to the Talent Acquisition Unit as a Senior HR Analyst to conduct recruitment and selection processes for non-union and union-represented jobs and was later appointed as the High-Volume Recruitment Team Manager where she led a team of eight and oversaw various full-cycle recruitment processes while partnering with WorkSource Centers and key internal stakeholders.  

Ms. Marquez continued her trajectory in this area before promoting to Principal HR Analyst where she was responsible for supervising, assigning, and reviewing the work of 12 represented employees, while overseeing the activities of four personnel service areas. She then transitioned to leading and mentoring a team of 13 seasoned recruitment analysts before being appointed interim HR Manager, where she successfully supported the Deputy Executive Officer with various mission critical projects and programs.

Ms. Marquez joined the LACDA in January 2022 as the Principal Management Analyst for the HR Unit.  She readily employed her experience and strong leadership skills to acclimate to her new role while pursuing her SHRM-CP certification.  In this role, she was responsible for functioning as a key strategic partner with executive management in support of workforce planning, policy development, classification and compensation, and employee relations.  In January 2023, she was promoted to HR Manager where she was responsible for administering all facets of HR including talent acquisition, talent development, absence management, performance management, employee benefits, employee and labor relations, classification and compensation, and HRIS.  As the new Director of HR, she continues to demonstrate her passion for advancing HR initiatives while cultivating professional relationships with diplomacy and transparency.  She is most proud of leading her team of skilled HR professionals that are dedicated to advancing the agency’s mission and goals.