Katherine Erwin, who has led hallmark employee initiatives since 2016 as a member of the chancellor鈥檚 cabinet, will retire effective June 30 after 27 years of service to CU Boulder.听
A University of Colorado Law School graduate, Erwin has served in capacities on campus ranging from library instructor to legal counsel, Title IX Officer and senior associate vice chancellor and chief human resources officer.听
The work she and her HR colleagues have engaged in to support the university鈥檚 employees and its academic and research missions听is a听point听of pride for Erwin.听
鈥淚t has been an honor to serve on this beautiful campus and to work with so many wonderful colleagues throughout the years. It has been exciting to see how the collaboration between the academic and the administrative leadership has grown over the past year. I feel fortunate to have worked with such an outstanding leadership team over the years and especially this past year as we successfully took on the challenge of COVID-19,鈥� Erwin said.听
鈥淚 am proud of the organization HR has become鈥攁 community genuinely committed to a diverse and inclusive environment for everyone at CU Boulder. It is hard to step away from this campus and the friends and colleagues I have cherished all these years. This campus has shaped who I am in significant and meaningful ways and my gratitude runs deep. It is now time for me to focus on family, travel, community service and the great outdoors,鈥� she said.听
Among other achievements, Erwin and her staff established an HR Service Center; centralized the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); created a dedicated diversity, equity and inclusion unit with funding from the chancellor; established a compensation program to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; promoted performance planning through values-based competencies and Cornerstone; centralized the employee onboarding program; administered a Faculty and Staff Engagement Survey; and supported faculty and executive-level recruitment.听
A search for Erwin鈥檚 successor will begin immediately, and Chief Operating Officer Patrick O鈥橰ourke expects to announce the next chief human resources officer sometime this summer or early fall. Starting July 1, Merna Jacobsen, associate vice chancellor and deputy chief human resources officer, will serve as interim chief human resources officer.听
In acknowledging Erwin鈥檚 many contributions over the course of her CU career, O鈥橰ourke noted that she had established programs and initiatives that will continue to support employees for years to come and initiated others that will lay the groundwork for the future.听
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful that we鈥檝e had Katherine serving as a member of our senior leadership team. During her tenure, CU Boulder鈥檚 HR team has evolved to meet the needs of a changing campus and a changing society. CU Boulder must be a place that recruits, supports, and retains a diverse and engaged workforce, and Katherine has focused her career on helping us become a better campus,鈥� O鈥橰ourke said.听
O鈥橰ourke added, 鈥淥ur work will continue, and we will continue to learn how to better serve our employees as we move forward, but I hope that all of you will join me in thanking Katherine for her service to our community and for enabling us to build on her achievements. Katherine is a kind and compassionate leader whom I learned from every day.鈥澨�
Erwin began her CU Boulder career in 1991 as a Norlin Library instructor. In 1999, she graduated from the CU Law School and served as a legal associate in the Office of University Counsel until 2003. Later, she became an employee relations specialist and investigator and听then director of the听former听Office of Discrimination and Harassment and the Office of Labor Relations, a precursor to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC).听
In 2015, Erwin was named deputy chief human resources officer and was selected for the鈥� chief human resources officer role in 2016. In addition to her听Juris听Doctorate degree from CU Boulder, Erwin earned a听Bachelor of听Arts degree and a听Master of听Science degree in library science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.听
