Mary Lopez

Mary Lopez is a Human Resources Specialist at the Bureau of Reclamation, bringing more than 25 years of experience in human resources, management, administration, and military leadership. She began her HR career during her 26-year tenure with the Army National Guard, where she served in various personnel and operations roles and provided leadership to military organizations and HR teams. Her extensive background has shaped her strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, as well as her commitment to supporting employees.

In her current role with the Bureau of Reclamation, Mary specializes in federal HR functions, including retirement and benefits, payroll, reasonable accommodations, workers’ compensation, FMLA, paid parental leave, military service deposits, and personnel actions. Before becoming an HR Specialist, she served as a Fiscal Technician and Administrative Support Assistant with the Bureau, building broad experience in payroll, travel, purchasing, personnel actions, and administrative operations. Earlier in her career, she also spent more than 11 years with Hewlett-Packard, where she supported production and shipping operations and trained new employees.

Mary is recognized for combining professionalism and organizational expertise with compassion and a strong commitment to employee well-being. Her experience includes managing personnel records, resolving pay and employee-relations issues, supporting training and readiness, and assisting individuals through complex workplace situations. She believes effective HR leadership goes beyond policies and procedures—it requires listening, understanding people’s circumstances, and treating others with the same respect and empathy she would want to receive.