Desiree Tabares

Desiree Tabares is the Human Resources Director for Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR). She’s worked for the City of Seattle for over 20 years. She is committed to uplifting and supporting all employees in their career journey and is passionate about creating inclusive access to resources and care. In her time at SPR, she has served in the Recreation Division, working to create holistic approaches to youth around their academic success and engaging them around their cultural connections. She transitioned to HR where she led Race and Social Justice (RSJ) focused education, programming and learning and led the creation of the HR Care Team. She has served on many committees, which include co-leading the Race and Social Change team, as well as participating in the city-wide RSJ Core team and has served on interdepartmental teams that focused on upskilling leaders, career growth and workforce equity. She is a Leadership Tomorrow alumnus and is currently on the board of Emergency Assistance for Seattle Employee’s non-profit. Desiree identifies as a Latina and is a proud mother of two, Viola and Victor, and spouse to John.