CU photo by Glenn Asakawa.
Katherine Erwin has worn many hats during her CU Boulder career.
A University of Colorado Law School graduate, Erwin has served in several roles on campus: library instructor, legal counsel, Title IX officer, and most recently chief human resources officer and senior associate vice chancellor.
After 27 years of service to CU, she will be taking off her CU Boulder hat when she retires from the university on June 30.
“A former dean once told me I was like a Swiss army knife because I kept reinventing myself,” Erwin said. “Through each transition I have really gotten to know the university and have seen it through many different lenses.”
It all began in her late 20s when Erwin moved to Boulder from Boston, where she was a librarian at MIT, and began working as a Norlin Library instructor in 1991. In 1999, she graduated from Colorado Law, the university’s law school, and served as a legal associate in the Office of University Counsel until 2003. Soon after, she returned to the Boulder campus as an investigator and then director and Title IX officer of the Office of Discrimination and Harassment, the precursor to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC). In 2016, she accepted the role as chief human resources officer, and in the past year became a member of the chancellor’s cabinet.
It has been a personal goal of hers to expand HR services to support not only staff but also faculty and student employees.
In her principle role leading HR, she is most proud of instilling a culture in the department built on compassionate leadership. Erwin stressed that this is not a synonym for gendered leadership nor is it the antithesis of strong leadership.
“It means staying true to our values and pushing back at times when it would be easier to go along,” she said. “This also means fighting for equity and against racism in our systems, community and ourselves.”
Erwin has focused her five years as chief human resource officer striving to build this type of organization.
“It’s about creating an environment where everyone feels they can thrive,” Erwin said, “which contributes significantly to the success of the organization. When everyone feels like they’re part of the community and no one feels marginalized, then the wheels turn, everything clicks. The HR team today is exceeding my every expectation. The team is solid, their thinking is creative and innovative and the culture is a community of care.”
Reflecting on her CU career, she said, “I’ve had a lifelong relationship with this campus that has helped to form who I am. I have had a unique opportunity to see up close the amazing talent and passion embodied in our staff. From my perspective, they represent the soul of this university. They care for our students and they give to this university with pride.”
Erwin also said she is especially gratified by the partnerships HR has created and strong friendships she has formed with many across the university.
Her plans are to spend more time with her family and friends and to focus on outdoor activities. She has a long list.
“I’m really looking forward to being outdoors,” she said. “Getting my hands in the dirt in my garden, hiking, biking, running, paddling. Outdoors is where you’ll find me.”
Although Erwin will be trading her CU hat for a gardening hat and a bike helmet, her many professional accomplishments at the university should continue to bear fruit for years to come.