Kori Vogt: Public Sector HR as a Natural Career Progression

For Kori Vogt, the HR department has always been intertwined with finance and administrative functions.

The current division director of human resources and risk management with Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Vogt’s HR (and public sector) experience dates back to the late 1990s.

She took the position of human resource and finance director with the Town of Saco, Mont. in 1998, serving in that role until 2007.

That year, Vogt transitioned to the City of Miles City, Mont., becoming the agency’s human resource, finance and administrative director. The multi-faceted position “was a natural progression” in her career; one that combined three functions where she was experienced and had excelled in the past.

With the City of Miles City, Vogt was responsible for recruiting, hiring, onboarding, benefits administration and billing operations, operating with financial guardrails set by city officials. She also helped fully customize the City’s recruiting strategy to improve job performance, retention and other employment-related decisions.

Vogt, who holds an MBA in human resource management from John F. Kennedy University, served in that role until 2011. Before joining Lake Havasu City in June 2024, she held HR leadership positions in private sector companies as well as medical and healthcare organizations.

For example, she became Pondera Medical’s human resources director in February 2020. With the Conrad, Mont.-based organization, Vogt served as a primary driving force behind building the company’s HR strategy in response to the COVID-19 crisis to include restructuring policies, processes, procedures and technologies for 180 employees.

She made her way to Arizona the following year, accepting the HR director position with Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital in Scottsdale. There, Vogt spearheaded the expansion of HR programs from an operational perspective to improve the 170-plus employee company’s ability to attract, retain and develop top-performing talent.

Vogt departed the organization in April 2022, working in HR leadership roles until she moved to Lake Havasu City to be closer to family and provide her parents with occasional help as they enjoyed their retirement years.

Vogt joined PSHRA in November 2024, shortly after starting as HR director with the City of Lake Havasu.

“PSHRA is a natural alignment with my career, and has expanded my network and provided opportunities for involvement that fit with my career,” says Vogt, who earned a bachelor’s degree in human sciences and management from the University of Providence.

Looking ahead, Vogt hopes to travel an executive management career path, and to continue advancing public sector HR with her peers in PSHRA.

“Between enjoying the research committee, publishing in Public Eye and speaking at a session at the national conference in Portland, I enjoy participating, collaborating and networking with fellow professionals.”