UNON — The city of Union will begin the New Year with a new leader.

Celeste Tate, the chief financial officer at Blue Mountain Community College, has been named the city’s next administrator. Tate, who lives in Elgin, is set to begin work at her new job on Jan. 8, 2024.

“We are very happy to have her on board. She is a great addition,” said Union Mayor Susan Hawkins, who describes Tate as detail oriented and personable.

Union City Councilor Jay Blackburn said he is impressed with many things about Tate, including her strong financial background.

“She brings a lot to the table. We are excited to have her,” Blackburn said following a meeting of the Union City Council on Monday, Dec. 11.

Tate has deep Northeast Oregon roots. She was born in Heppner and grew up in Morrow County where her parents are dry wheat farmers. She is a 2000 graduate of Eastern Oregon University where she earned a degree in economics. She is also a graduate of Blue Mountain Community College and Ione High School.

“I’m excited to take the position. Union has a great group of folks to work with,” Tate said.

Tate has worked at BMCC since August 2012. Prior to joining BMCC, Tate was an asset and finance manager for the Umatilla Reservation Housing Authority of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation for almost seven years.

She lived in Pendleton for 18 years before moving to Elgin in 2020 with her husband, Paul.

Tate succeeds Doug Wiggins as Union’s city administrator. Wiggins served in that role for five years before stepping down in August to take a similar position with the city of Toledo in Lincoln County.

The selection of Tate ends a search by the Union City Council that ran for more than three months.

Tate was was one of 37 who applied for the position and one of four finalists interviewed on Sept. 29 in Union.

The city council on Oct. 2 voted to offer the city administrator position to Holly Kerns, Baker County’s planning director. Kern was set to sign a contract at a Nov. 1 meeting of the city council before declining for personal reasons.

The city council next entered into contract negotiations with Ignacio Palacios, the financial controller of a beet seed company in the Willamette Valley, but an agreement could not be reached.

The city then began contract talks with Tate, and an agreement was reached earlier this month.

Tate said she is very impressed with Union and the efforts its city council takes to make sure it hears from as many people in the community as possible.

“It is very open to ideas for making the community better,” she said.