Solving this problem is simple. All I did was to add "SelectedValuePath" to my XAML code and bind it to my model property that I want to return with the combobox.
<ComboBox SelectedValuePath="_Department"
DisplayMemberPath="_Department"
Height="23"
HorizontalAlignment="Left"
ItemsSource="{Binding}"
Margin="-58,1,0,5"
Name="_DepartmentComboBox"
VerticalAlignment="Center"
Width="268"/>