A new Human Resources Analyst was introduced to the Riverbank City Council at its April 23 meeting.

Cheryl Stefani was presented by City Manager Sean Scully, representing an internal promotion for city staff.

She’ll be overseeing recruitment and hiring of staff, as well as keeping track of employee pay and benefits.

Stefani is not new to the staff, having worked here for more than a decade, in a variety of roles.

“I started at the Corp. Yard (Corporation Yard, Public Works, on High Street) in 2006,” she said, “as an Administrative Clerk, just getting back into the work force after being out for 13 years, staying home with the kids.”

Before that, she worked in Alameda, where she grew up and married her high school sweetheart.

In 2005, Stefani and her husband moved to the valley and bought a home in Oakdale. After getting the kids acclimated to their new town and school, she said she started looking for a job.

“I applied to both the City of Modesto and the City of Riverbank. I went with Riverbank, and it was the best choice I’ve ever made. I would have made more money in Modesto, but I liked the fact that I was 10 minutes from home, so if the kids had an event, a field trip or an emergency, I was close,” she said.

After starting out as an administrative clerk, she was promoted to Administrative Assistant in Development Services, under J.D. Hightower, the city’s Development Director at the time.

“Then, in 2016, just before Jill (former City Manager Jill Anderson) left, she made some organizational changes, and plucked me from Development Services and put me in as Admin. Confidential. Before that, I had never worked with the Mayor or Council or worked under the City Manager.”

Stefani pointed to that as “the best change that could ever have happened” to her in her time with Riverbank.

“She took me out of my element, I learned more, and finally made use of my business degree,” Stefani explained. “I like working with people. I’m really enjoying this. The City of Riverbank has been really good to me.”

She’s worked for the city through the tenures of a number of councils and mayors during her time here.

Stefani said her family came to the meeting where she was recognized by the council. She had asked her husband to come to the meeting, noting that he recently got a new job and is now commuting to Stockton.

“I asked him to put it on his calendar, knowing I was being introduced to the council,” she said. “So he rallied all the kids to show up. I didn’t say anything to them because they’ve all got their lives going on. My daughter lives in Alameda, and she was there. The boys were there and my daughter-in-law. I was really touched.”

What she wasn’t able to tell them was when it would happen during the meeting. She was introduced to the council by City Manager Sean Scully during staff comments, toward the end of the agenda.