Employee Profile: Tara Bethel, Human Resources Generalist

employee profile Tara BethelWorked at Louisville Water since 2022


Employees need to be able to see a continuous path forward in their jobs. In other words, they need to be able to see “how they can learn, grow, and move to the next level,” said Human Resources Generalist Tara Bethel. She strives to help Louisville Water employees see that path for themselves.


“When HR and managers can help employees see their options for learning and development, they can envision themselves with their company for the long term,” she explained.

Bethel has a background in Criminal Justice but got involved in HR shortly after moving to Louisville from Springfield, Illinois. She applied to Louisville Water’s HR department when she first moved here but didn’t get the job the first time.

“When I saw it posted again, I wanted to give it another try,” she said. “I always heard it is a good company to work for.”

Landing the position on the second try, she began “focusing on managing the organization’s most valuable asset: Its employees. I perform many human resources management functions, such as, but not limited to, recruitment and selection, employee benefits, training, and employee wellbeing.”

On her first day on the job, she learned something important about our corporate culture after she walked in with bottled water. She said Human Resources Manager Mike Simon laughed but explained to her why she would want to stick with Pure Tap.

“I realized it would be like working for Pepsi and bringing in a Coke product,” she exclaimed. “I never laughed so hard and was so embarrassed at the same time.”

Her favorite part of her job is being able to participate in continuous learning for herself, and she likes the variety of tasks and projects she gets to work on. She said she also likes being involved in a department that “manages the entire employee lifecycle, from attracting to retaining top talent.”

When she’s not working, Bethel enjoys “gatherings with my beautiful family, eating at new restaurants, and trying to sing Anita Baker songs.”