According to Cal/OSHA Reporter, Katie Hagen has resigned from her position as Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), effective July 2025. Hagen will be departing for the private sector to assume the role of CEO at CPS HR Consulting, a Sacramento-based firm that serves public agencies and nonprofit organizations nationwide. 

Hagen’s departure marks the end of a five-year term that began in March 2020 under Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her time at DIR has been described by internal sources as marked by operational challenges, including long-standing issues with hiring and staffing. According to Cal/OSHA Reporter, managers cited the state’s complicated hiring processes as a barrier to fulfilling DIR’s mission, particularly in key enforcement agencies like Cal/OSHA.