Tabatha Mills

This is a story of a reporter you may know.
Her stories she tells through video.
She was born and raised in Bakersfield.
On the streets of Oildale her future revealed.
Always passionate about helping her community
She saw an opportunity
To spread smiles and cheer
Promote the people and community she held dear.
So she set out to share
The stories of the people she knew there.
From Standard to North High
She worked hard to get by
Then on to Cal Poly
It wasn’t easy – Oh golly.
Next stop the East Coast
A gracious host
Then to the Midwest
She continued her quest.
‘Til finally she made it back
She had found her knack
People of the Golden Empire
Telling stories about the people she admires.

Tabatha Mills was born and raised in Oildale.

As a former Standard Warrior and North High Star, she is thankful and proud of her roots.

A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Tabatha holds a degree in Agribussiness with a concentration in Marketing and a Minor in AgCommunications.

She was recruited from college by Major League Baseball then continued to craft her storytelling abilities in Tennessee and Kansas before returning home.

A 10-year veteran of the industry, Tabatha has been recognized for her work by some of the most prestigious journalistic organizations in the country, winning several Edward R. Murrow Awards, Golden Mic Awards and Emmys.

In 2018 she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on People of the Golden Empire, a franchise dedicated to the stories about people in the community she was raised. She considers the nomination the greatest of her career. It shares her passion and love for the people of Kern County with others across the nation.

Outside of the newsroom, Tabatha can often be found volunteering with organizations focused on helping special needs children and adults, veterans, at-risk children and animals. She loves good food and good people.

Don’t be alarmed if you see her ordering everything on a restaurant menu to share with a random stranger she met waiting for a table.

Family is number one to Tabatha and she makes sure to tell her family she loves them every time she sees them, even if it was 30 minutes after the last time she saw them and shared the love.

Tabatha also teaches a Video Production class at North High School and enjoys the opportunity to mentor young people. Tabatha feels her success is truly a testament to the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Many wonderful family members, friends, teachers and coaches helped her along her way and she hopes to help future generations of children in Kern County in the same way.