GFOA Scholarship Spotlight: Katie Combs

Katie Combs serves as a management analyst II for Clackamas County, Oregon. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from the University of North Texas and a Master of Library Science degree from Texas Woman's University. She is currently attending Southern Oregon University to earn a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in accounting.

Q & A with Katie

Where and what are you currently studying, and why did you choose this?

I am studying at Southern Oregon University to obtain a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. I chose this topic because I have been working in government finance for the past four years but do not have any formal education on the subject. I wanted to focus my degree on business to build leadership and management skills to use later in my career. 

What government are you working in or hope to work at in the future?

I currently work for a county with a population of over 400,000 residents outside of Portland, Oregon. I plan to continue to work at the county or city level in the future.  

What are your future career goals?

I plan to stay in local government focusing on finance and analytics. I hope to become a manager at the finance level in the next few years after finishing my degree.

How will GFOA’s scholarship help you achieve those goals?

I have wished to pursue a graduate degree focused on finance for the past few years but did not want to incur any student loan debt. This scholarship will allow me to graduate debt-free and continue my journey in government leadership.