On May 16, 2023, Catherine Rigby submitted an employment application to the City of Newport for the position of Grant Manager. In that application, she certified the accuracy of the information she provided.
Publicly available documents raise substantial questions about the accuracy of Rigby’s claimed educational credentials on that application.
The Application Certification
The application includes a certification section stating that the applicant affirms the information provided is “true and complete.” It also states that false information or significant omissions may result in disqualification or dismissal from employment.
That matters here because the application includes a specific representation that she had graduated.
What Rigby Listed on the Application
In the education section of the May 2023 application, Rigby listed:
- School: University of Utah
- Degree: Master’s
- Major: Public Policy
- Did You Graduate?: Yes
- Units Completed: 29 semester units
The application therefore reflects a clear representation that she had already graduated and held a master’s degree.
The 29-Unit Discrepancy
The same application also lists 29 semester units completed.
University of Utah Graduate School materials state that a minimum of 30 credit hours is required for a master’s degree. Based on the face of the application, that creates an apparent inconsistency: Rigby represented that she had graduated while also listing fewer units than the published minimum ordinarily required for a master’s degree.
That discrepancy does not explain itself. At a minimum, it raises an obvious factual question about whether the degree claim on the application was accurate when made.
University Requirement: University of Utah materials state that at least 30 credit hours are required for a master’s degree.
Application Entry: Rigby listed 29 semester units completed.
What the University Said in 2026
On May 7, 2026, we received correspondence from University of Utah spokesperson Heather King concerning Rigby’s status.
According to that correspondence:
- Rigby contacted the University of Utah Graduate School on April 20, 2026, to confirm her status in the program.
- After that review, she was advised to apply for Spring 2026 graduation.
- As of May 7, 2026, the university was still completing the reviews necessary to determine her eligibility for graduation.
Those facts are significant because they indicate Rigby’s graduation status was still unresolved in spring 2026, nearly three years after the May 2023 job application.
At minimum, that later university correspondence appears difficult to reconcile with a 2023 application stating that she had already graduated.
University Correspondence: In May 2026, the University of Utah indicated Rigby had been advised in April 2026 to apply for Spring 2026 graduation, and that her eligibility review was still being completed.
Why the Hiring Process Matters
Public hiring is supposed to be fair, accurate, and based on verifiable information. When an applicant for a public position represents that she graduated and holds a master’s degree, that is the kind of credential a public employer would reasonably expect to be accurate.
If that representation was inaccurate or went unverified, the issue is larger than one line on one application. It raises questions about whether the hiring process treated all applicants fairly and whether material qualifications for a public job were adequately checked.
This page does not claim to know what weight the City of Newport gave Rigby’s claimed degree, or what other applicants may have listed. But it is reasonable for the public to ask whether a claimed academic credential on a government job application was verified and whether the hiring process operated on an even playing field for all applicants.
That is a legitimate public-interest question, especially when the applicant now seeks public office.
Why This Matters
Public confidence in local government depends on accurate information in official records, fair hiring processes, and transparency when questions arise. Those concerns are especially important when the person who made the representation is now seeking public office.
Conclusion
The available records appear to show a significant inconsistency between Rigby’s claimed degree status on her May 2023 City of Newport job application and later information from the University of Utah about her graduation status.
Readers can review the documents themselves and decide whether the degree claim on that application was accurate and whether the hiring process adequately verified a material credential.
Review the Source Documents
We believe the public should be able to inspect the underlying records directly.
Primary Document: Newport Employment Application (Page 1)
University Correspondence
Records Transmission Email
