Melanie Fata named Executive Director of Human Resources

Heartland Community College has named Melanie Fata as Executive Director of Human Resources. 

In her new position, Fata will be responsible for the strategic oversight of all human resources operations including, but not limited to, employee and labor relations, talent acquisition, recruitment, compensation management, benefits administration, talent development, performance management, and regulatory compliance. 

Fata joined Heartland in August 2022 as the Director of Human Resources. Prior to joining Heartland, she spent most of her HR career at Illinois State University before joining Illinois Central College. 

She holds a Master of Science in Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. 

Fata fills a vacancy left by the upcoming retirement of Barb Leathers. Leathers has served the college for more than 33 years. 

“We are thrilled to have Melanie in this role and look forward to benefiting from her skills and experience on the Finance & Administration Leadership Team,” said Noah Lamb, Heartland Vice President of Finance and Administration. “We also want to thank Barb for her steadfast leadership of the H.R. team and the entire Heartland family. We are doubly fortunate to have Barb working alongside Melanie as we approach Barb’s retirement date of February 28.” 

The Executive Director of Human Resources reports to the Heartland VP of Finance and Administration and is also a member of the college President’s Cabinet.