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California JPIA Recognizes Five-Year Anniversary of Nikki Salas

The California JPIA celebrates the five-year anniversary of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Nikki Salas this February. Since joining the Authority in 2021, Salas has played a significant role in driving organizational progress by assisting with the modernization of human resource (HR) programs, identifying opportunities to enhance internal systems, and helping to guide the California JPIA through significant growth and change.

Since 2020, the Authority has evolved as an organization. Alongside leadership transitions and numerous retirements, over one-third of the current staff have been hired since 2021. “We’ve had department growth and retirements across the board, including in our executive management team,” she said. “With that change in staff comes an evolution of the organization. However, through these changes, we’ve been able to hold on tight to our core values and what it really means to exceed our members’ expectations.”

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CEO Alex Smith reflected, “Five years ago, we gained not just a talented executive, but a leader who makes everyone around her better. Nikki’s integrity, creative problem-solving, and collaborative spirit have made our organization stronger and more resilient. She is also results-oriented—the kind of person who turns ideas into action.”

Salas joined the California JPIA as a human resources manager, bringing extensive experience from her nine years at the Town of Apple Valley, where she collaborated closely with the Authority as Assistant Town Manager.

“I had the benefit of working for a member agency—that’s how I got to know the Authority,” Salas said. “I was Authority-adjacent for years before I ever started working here.”

That member perspective has proven valuable in her current role, where she oversees human resources, fleet management, agency clerk, administration, training, and communications. “As we prepare to introduce new initiatives to members, I make it a priority to consider the experience from the end users’ perspective,” she said. “I strive to anticipate their needs so we can proactively address them and ensure a seamless rollout.”

Salas has worked on many projects during her tenure, but is especially proud to have spearheaded the Authority-wide implementation of Paylocity, an HR and payroll platform that debuted in April 2024. The system consolidated previously disjointed timesheet, payroll, and HR processes into a single, streamlined platform with easy employee access.

Another project that stands out is working with Kelly Trainer Policky, Ryan Thomas, and Alex Mellor to overhaul HR resource and training offerings. She’s been a key team member in helping to develop HR resources specific to public sector professionals—the team has created model personnel rules, overhauled the annual HR Academy with fresh content and new speakers, and launched an HR training series that combines online and in-person components.

“There’s a lot of HR training out there, but there aren’t many quality resources for public sector human resources,” Salas said. “Our content is robust and connects all of these professionals to a full HR network that they can discuss current trends and similar workplace issues.”

In 2024, Salas was promoted to the CAO role, where she’s had the opportunity to make a greater impact across the Authority. She describes her leadership style as a quiet champion. “I help everybody succeed,” she said. “My role is not very visible outside of the organization, but I like being a behind-the-scenes supporter, because I can focus on helping out and supporting a lot of departments organization-wide.”

What she finds most rewarding is the variety her role offers. “I’ve got a big team, so I get to be involved in a training project one day, and a facility issue the next,” she said.

As she reflects on her five years at the Authority, Salas sees the bigger picture of the work. “Everything that the Authority does impacts 126 California public agencies,” she said. “It’s a great feeling going to work every day and seeing the impact of what we do on public agencies.”

Congratulations, Nikki, on five years of dedication to the California JPIA and its members!

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