Karen Suzuki-Okabe, who served as executive director of the state Department of Human Resource Management under two governors, is retiring after nearly 27 years in public service.
Suzuki-Okabe was appointed to the Utah's top human resource post in the mid-1980s under Democratic Gov. Scott Matheson, and returned to the position in 1993, when Republican Gov. Mike Leavitt tapped her for the job.
Over the years, she has served as director of the Utah Labor and Anti-Discrimination Division and was the executive director of Human Resources and Administrative Services for Salt Lake City from 1987 to 1992.
Under her guidance, the state department worked to implement more equitable salaries for state employees and fostered training to build a customer friendly environment.
One of her most notable accomplishments was the development of the Human Resource Enterprise project that placed all employee records online and available to employees via the Web.
Suzuki-Okabe, who recently received a certificate in mediation from the University of Utah, said she wants to spend more time with her family and plans to keep active as a conflict resolution facilitator.