Katie Babits, a 2012 alumna, returned home to Oregon to join the ranks of local government professionals in the Pacific Northwest. Babits worked first for the City of Veneta, Oregon and then moved on to the City of Eugene, Oregon. Her graduate internship with the City of Springfield, Missouri in human resources continues to guide her career path.

At the City of Eugene, Babits began as a human resources generalist and she then ventured into the world of diversity, equity and inclusion as a Human Rights and Equity Analyst. Developing a close relationship with the Eugene Police Department and community organizations supporting underrepresented communities, she helped Eugene became the leading example nationwide of successful hate and bias crime reporting.

Babits gained experience in professional development programming, leading classes for city staff and speaking at a number of conferences on leadership, the multi-generational workforce, and diversity, equity and inclusion. It is with this experience that she joins Strategic Government Resources (SGR), an executive search firm for local government, which also facilitates professional development programs, executive coaching, and council retreats.

In her new role as the Diversity and Partner Collaboration Manager for SGR, Babits will build and deliver workshops on inclusiveness and civility, work with organizational partners to maximize benefits of their membership, and work with recruiters to bring in candidates for executive recruitment.