Barry A. Withers
Special Assistant to the Mayor, Employee Services
Special Assistant Barry A. Withers oversees the activities of the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Personnel and Human Resources. Withers’ history of service with the City of Cleveland began with a National Urban League Fellowship in 1983. After that he worked his way up the ranks as Project Manager for the Department of Public Safety, Assistant Director of Public Safety, and Director of Personnel and Human Resources. He then served eight years as a Senior Advisor to Mayor Michael R. White and returned to the City of Cleveland in 2004 as an Administrative Manager in the Distribution & Maintenance section of the Cleveland Division of Water.
At the Division of Water, Withers assisted with the day-to-day management of the maintenance facility with personnel matters as part of his focus. He drafted policies, helped to prepare the budget, implemented new program initiatives and helped managers with their administrative functions.
Prior to returning to the City of Cleveland, Withers served as Manager, Project Development and Foreign Trade for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. There, he monitored financial transactions, including the collection of financial documents, the recording of bank statements, and the coordinating of financial statement closings.
Showing an early interest in public service, Withers began his career in Broward County Florida in the Division of Youth Services, eventually becoming a Project Manager for the Juvenile Restitution Program, which provided an alternative to criminal adjudication for youth arrested for committing nonviolent property crimes.
Also active in the community, Withers is a coach for the Golden Knights Baseball League and an advisory board member for Fatima Community Service Center.
