Celebrating Our Sheroes: Libby Barg Bakke

Last year Murraysmith had the great fortune of partnering with Barney & Worth, an award-winning strategic planning and communications firm led by Libby Barg Bakke. Libby’s team, which adds strategic planning and communications to Murraysmith’s suite of services, is expanding her team’s presence into the Puget Sound and across the Pacific Northwest—we’ll have more on that soon! In the meantime, we’re excited to share a little bit about Libby’s career story with you.

How did you find yourself on this career path? I love infrastructure and helping build great communities. After being drawn to science and earning a degree in fisheries and wildlife biology, followed by a master’s in environmental planning, I ended up working for a watershed council and a water utility. At these jobs, I discovered I have a knack for planning and communicating with the public about clean water and infrastructure.

What is the most rewarding part of what you do? The most rewarding part of my work is helping communities fund and build the infrastructure needed to have clean water, functioning transportation systems, and great communities. From facilitating visioning and planning on projects like the Tualatin River Watershed Council Action Plan and helping agencies secure financing through WIFIA, to leading community outreach on transportation projects and developing and implementing communications programs for large public works projects like the Willamette Water Supply program, I’m always inspired to collaborate with my team and clients to improve our communities.

What is something you’ve done in your career that you’re proud of? When a water treatment plant gets built, a new road constructed, a community’s strategic plan is achieved, and I feel honored to be part of a team of dedicated people who made it happen. A recent example is working with Lakewood Water District to develop a customer communications strategy to share the story of how the District is keeping their water supply safe from PFAS.

Curious about where Barney & Worth fits into Murraysmith? Learn more about our partnership.