After almost 15 years working for the County of Humboldt, longtime Economic Development Coordinator Jacqueline Debets is resigning to take a job in Auburn.

Debets described her new gig as “a great job” in “the fastest-growing county in California.” Placer County, which extends from the Sacramento suburbs into the Sierra Nevada mountains to the shore of Lake Tahoe, has a population of more than 367,000 and an unemployment rate below five percent. 

“They have great management,” said Debets, who will be working on land-use projects with the county’s Community Development Resource Agency. “There’s lots of opportunity. They’re making real advances in economic development.”

But as a fifth-generation local, Debets said Humboldt County will always be home. “In the long run I think we’ll probably come home,” she said, referring to herself and her husband. “But we’re ready for an adventure.

Debets said the county likely won’t replace her immediately, and maybe not for some time. “The recession really shut down economic development funding,” she said. “Budget-wise, I’m helping out by leaving.”

During her tenure with the county, Debets led some high-concept efforts to revitalize the county’s economy. In particular she has encouraged focus on employment sectors that have shown growth over many years — dubbed “Targets of Opportunity” by the Workforce Investment Board.

She also worked to promote “Humboldt” as a brand through an ambitious multi-media campaign that included social media, logo designs and a series of “short films” on YouTube.

“Humboldt’s been very good to me,” Debets said.

Her last day with the county will be August 14.