Betsy Vandrush-Borgacz

As the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Director of Workplace Culture and Development, I bring 24 years of experience providing advocacy and strategies to embed Diversity, Pro-Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism across multiple states and modalities. After several years running my own companies, I began my career in state government at the WA State Dept. of Licensing in a field licensing office where I worked with the agency ERG, Diversity Inclusion Group (DIG) to spearhead a robust Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program with employees.  I then worked with the WA State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in their training program where I was able to provide senior level managers with DEI and Bystander Intervention Trainings and Crucial Conversations courses for all staff.  I love to work with teams on developing creative and innovative engagement opportunities while helping foster an atmosphere of belonging. 

I identify as a queer woman using she/her pronouns. I live Olympia, WA with my dogs, Valentine and Gertrude, and spouse, Matthew, and my adult son, Andrew. When not working, I enjoy camping, sitting in my back yard, drinking coffee early in the morning, gardening (even though nearly everything dies), exploring the homeopathic uses of plants, fires in the fireplace, listening to waves hitting the shore, swimming in my pool in the summers, nighttime walks, playing strategy games, and reading books (mostly fiction/fantasy). 

I oversee agency-wide programming to cultivate a diverse, equitable, inclusive work culture that fosters belonging and is modeled and championed by leaders throughout DNR. These efforts work to attract and retain a highly-skilled and diverse workforce representative of the state we serve. As a leader, I work to foster a growth mindset focused team that works to provide managers and employees with resources that create connection, increase trust and empathy, and model belonging and respect where teams can perform at their best.