Byrd takes over after nine-month search
The vice president for Human Resources at USC has been selected, after a national search that began in June.
Chris Byrd, the current director of Budgets and Human Resources for USC’s Division of Information Technology, will be appointed to the position on Feb. 16.
The purpose of the Human Resources division is to manage USC’s 6,000 permanent faculty and staff members and 2,500 temporary employees. According to a press release, Byrd’s new role as vice president will include “directing a division charged with daily operations and long-range planning for recruitment and employment, faculty and staff benefits, professional development, employee relations” and many other purposes.
“One of my goals will be building and strengthening relationships with the colleges and schools throughout the USC system, so I can understand what their priorities are and better learn how we can support them through the HR function,” Byrd said.
USC President Harris Pastides announced Byrd’s position at the board of trustees meeting on Friday.
“Chris Byrd brings a wealth of leadership experience and knowledge of best practices in human resources to this role,” Pastides said. “Our Human Resources division is the equivalent of mission control because their decisions and actions impact every employee throughout our eight-campus system. I am confident that Chris will provide outstanding leadership for this very important unit.”
Byrd is looking forward to taking the position.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity,” Byrd said. “I’ve been at the university for about three and a half years now. I’m excited about joining Dr. Pastides and his team.”
Before Byrd came to USC in 2007, he worked as the assistant director of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board’s Office of Human Resources.
“I’ve been working in human resources for about 28 years now. Some of that is in higher education, and some of that in state government,” Byrd said. “This will just give me the opportunity to build on the currently strong HR offices there and continue to work with the departments all across the university and the university system to help them with all their human resource matters.”