Director's Biography
Cathy Bless has been an advocate for employees of the City of Portland for 25 years, offering extensive expertise, advice and counsel to organizational leaders, stakeholders and established partners. In her previous roll as the Health & Financial Benefits Manager, Cathy directed the implementation of online benefit election systems, multiple consultant and vendor partner contracts, built relationships with other public and private sector peers and worked to create a culture of well-being within the workforce. She has strived to balance cost and programs within the health plan with a focus and value to ease the burden of chronic disease and respect the dignity of each individual. Cathy has modeled collaboration within all aspects of Human Resources, especially in her work with collective bargaining, the Labor Management Benefits Committee (LMBC) and the Preventive Care and Mental Health Initiatives. As Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer, she worked to support the functions of the BHR, building relationships and constructive communication within other Bureaus to ensure equitable, diverse and inclusive programs and services.