Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Staff Profile: Bables Connects with Foundation Mission

August 20, 2010

By Eric Pickhartz

As assistant director of finance and operations at the Hogg Foundation, Stacie Bables finds both professional and personal rewards in working for an organization that’s doing the right things. “It’s great to be part of a foundation that gives back so much,” said Bables. “I love telling people I’m part of the Hogg Foundation and talking about the work we do to improve mental health in Texas.”

Photo of Stacie Bables Bables manages the foundation’s finances and annual budget. She also oversees the operations team, including grants management, technology, human resources, purchasing, accounts payable and office maintenance and support.

Her bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin led Bables to her current career, but it wasn’t her initial plan. “I was a biology major, and I wanted to go to medical school,” she said. A counselor suggested accounting instead because it seemed to fit more with her interests. Bables researched the field and decided it was good advice. “I discovered I like working with numbers,” she said.

Bables was drawn to the Hogg Foundation by its mission to improve mental health in Texas. “In my interview, I learned about the great group of people who work here and are really making a difference,” Bables said. “My parents were in education and always involved in the community, so I felt a strong connection with the mission.”

Before joining the foundation in 2006, Bables held several positions at the university, including as official bursar and as inventory manager of tangible goods. Before that she was an accountant for Cellular One, where she was named Nationwide Employee of the Year. She also worked at the Texas Lottery Commission and City of Austin, where she helped develop a more efficient, economical approach to budgeting.

Bables enjoys volunteering and recently served 18 months on the planning committee for the 33rd Annual Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government. Hundreds of students from universities in the Big 12 conference attended the event in Austin in February. She also is a member of the United Way Capital Area Finance Committee and sits on the board of both Mt. Sinai Christian Academy and the Texas Exes Black Alumni. In her spare time she enjoys reading and traveling. She recently returned from a trip to Italy, and plans to visit Greece next.

Bables calls her position with the Hogg Foundation rewarding and enjoyable. “I am able to give back to the community through my job in a way that isn’t often found in the accounting profession.”