Jeanette Brooks Priebe facts for kids
Jeanette Brooks Priebe (born July 4, 1937) is an important American civil servant. She was the Director of the Louisville Civil Service Board in Kentucky. During the 1970s, she helped make big changes in how people were hired for public jobs in Louisville. She created the first affirmative action program for the Louisville area. She also helped integrate the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Louisville Division of Fire. This means she helped make sure people of all backgrounds could join.
Making Hiring Fair
Jeanette Priebe wanted to make sure everyone had a fair chance at public service jobs. She led her department to create a new way of hiring. Before, only a few top candidates were considered. With the new system, all applicants could be reviewed. This made sure that African Americans and women were fully considered.
New Job System
The new hiring process included a special system for job descriptions. This system took a whole year to create. Before this, job descriptions were not clear. This had caused problems, including a lawsuit. Thanks to Priebe's work, the county's Personnel Department became more organized. It also became more professional. New steps were added for finding and checking applicants. Priebe believed that finding the best people was important. She once said, "Unless you're allowed to find the most qualified people, it's a literal misuse of tax money."
After the Civil Service Board
After her time as Director of the Civil Service Board, Priebe continued her public service. She worked for Mitch McConnell, who was a judge at the time. She served as the Jefferson County Personnel and Executive Council Agency Member-At-Large. This role was for the International Personnel Management Association.
Early Life and Education
Jeanette Brooks Priebe was born in Bolivar, Tennessee. She went to Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Later, she studied at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She made history in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the first woman to be the Director of the Civil Service Board there.
