Fairhaven Hires Cam Durant as Town HR Director
Fairhaven Town Administrator Angie Lopes Ellison has hired a well-known and well-respected resident of Fairhaven for the position of Human Resources Director.
Cam Durant, an elected official on the Board of Public Works Commissioners and twice candidate for selectman, will begin the role of Human Resources Director August 1 after his hire was formally ratified by the Fairhaven Select Board on Monday.
The Human Resources Director is the head of the Town's Human Resources Department which is responsible for personnel administration for the Town’s general government, including personnel policies, collective bargaining agreements, health insurance benefits, worker’s compensation, unemployment, Employee Assistance Program, training, and police/fire injured on duty. The position is a direct report to the Town Administrator.
The 33 year-old Durant, a New Bedford native, moved to Fairhaven with his wife in 2013. They have had three children together in the time since.
In 2017, Durant won a competitive open seat write-in election for Board of Public Works Commissioner, defeating former Commissioner and Selectman Geoff Haworth. He was reelected in 2020 and holds the position of clerk on the board. Durant will vacate his BPW seat on August 1 when he formally assumes the post as HR Director. The Select Board will appoint someone to fill the seat until the next town election in 2023.
Durant, a Providence College graduate, previously worked as an operations manager for major corporations such as Lyft and Amazon. He is SHRM-CP certified by the Society of Human Resource Management and is currently enrolled at Fitchburg State University to earn his MBA in Human Resource Management.
"We are excited to have him on board," Ellison said. "I think he’s got the breadth of knowledge and education. This will give him the practical experience to put all of that knowledge and skill to actual effect and he’ll be a great member of our team. He’s got the demeanor, he’s got the personality and will apply it in his leadership of the HR Department."
The position of HR Director had been vacant for two years. Filling that position with someone qualified was a key tenet of Durant's platform during his two unsuccessful bids for Select Board. Now, having fallen short of the opportunity to be on the Select Board, Durant is able to fulfill that campaign promise himself.
'Being on the Select Board wasn't meant to be, and now I know why," Durant said. "People are my passion and the town deserves a robust HR department. When employees feel supported and work within a positive culture, the benefits trickle down to the residents. I am truly excited to remove barriers and create policies that support our employees in their goal of serving all Fairhaven."
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