School Board Appoints Director of Employee Relations The Virginia Beach School Board approved the appointment of Dr. Winston O. Odom as Director of Employee Relations within the Department of Human Resources in January. Immediately prior to his employment by VBCPS, Dr. Odom worked as a teacher education specialist for the Virginia Department of Education, a position he held since 2000. Before joining the State Department of Education, Odom worked in a number of school divisions throughout Virginia. He began his 29-year career in public education as a teacher working in the Lynchburg School system (1972-79). He then served as an assistant principal at Altavista High School (1979-81) in Altavista, VA. Subsequently, he was named principal of Dunbar Middle School in 1982 and served in that position for five years. In 1987 he was promoted to the position of personnel supervisor for Lynchburg Public Schools, serving from 1987 to 1990. He then moved to the southeastern portion of the state, serving first as personnel administrator for Chesapeake Public Schools (1990-95), then as the executive director of human resources for Hampton City Schools (1995-2000). He holds a Doctor of Education and a Certificate of Advanced Study from Virginia Polytechnic and State University, a master's from The University of Virginia, and a bachelor's from North Carolina A & T State University. In his role as Director of Employee Relations, Dr. Odom will administer the customer service function of the Department of Human Resources, supervising HR's employee relations staff. He will also oversee compliance, licensure, and employee recognition and project development. For more information, please contact the Department of Human Resources at 427.4781. ###