WENDELL, N.C. - The Town of Wendell is pleased to announce the hiring of Melanie D. Joyner as Human Resources Director.
In this new role, effective Jan. 12, 2026, Joyner will oversee the efforts of a people-first organization to serve a growing staff, which will allow for added efficiency of services provided to the greater Wendell community. As Director, she will also work towards streamlining processes and ensuring the growth of the department reflects organizational goals and priorities.
“I am thrilled to join the Town of Wendell as its first Human Resources Director. Throughout my 25 years in the profession, I have learned that our greatest impact comes from supporting employees so they can truly thrive in their work,” Joyner said of the position. “I approach my work with a service orientation coupled with a ‘yes, and’ mentality. I am honored that I get to help the Town of Wendell continue to build a workforce and workplace where our team members can be their best in service to the community.”
Joyner brings over two decades of diverse experience from across the industry to the Wendell organization. She began her professional career in human resources with the Virginia Department of Transportation, as the manager of the Engineer Development Program, responsible for recruiting new engineers to the department.
Over the course of her career, she also has had an assortment of leadership roles in higher education. Joyner previously held the roles of Assistant Vice President for Human Resources in the Office of Health Sciences, Chief HR Officer for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams and Director of Academic Human Resources, all at Michigan State University. Prior to her time in Michigan, she was the Director of Academic Human Resources for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
While in the private sector, Joyner was Vice President of People and Culture for Public Sector Consultants, a public policy consulting firm, and HR Director for C2AE, an architecture and engineering firm – both based in Michigan.
A native of Wilson, North Carolina, Joyner holds a master's degree in human resources from Western Carolina University and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification.
“I look forward to working with Melanie to build upon our people-first organizational culture at the Town of Wendell,” said Town Manager Marc Collins. “Her exceptional skill in developing systems to understand and support employee growth is a welcome addition to the leadership team.”
