Lori Call, a CU Boulder alumna and longtime Boulder and Denver-area communication and business leader, will return to her alma mater this fall to join the university’s Office of Government and Community Engagement (OGCE).
Starting Aug. 23, Call will serve as CU Boulder’s assistant vice chancellor for local government and community relations, working to strengthen the university’s relationship with the city of Boulder, Boulder County and stakeholders across the region.
Lori Call
Following an external search that began in April, Call emerged as the finalist for the assistant vice chancellor position and will report to Deputy Chief Operating Officer Abby Benson, who leads the OGCE.
At CU Boulder, Call will be responsible for identifying opportunities to collaborate with the city and surrounding communities and developing longterm, positive relationships with community, business and government leaders. She will also serve as the university’s primary liaison with the Boulder City Council, the city manager’s office and Boulder County commissioners.
“Lori brings an extensive portfolio that is a unique blend of business acumen, community relations and higher education communications,” Benson said. “We are confident she will build on our previous efforts and further strengthen the university’s relationships with the city of Boulder, its citizens and its business and community leaders.”
Call brings more than 20 years of local government and business leadership experience to her new role, currently serving as senior director of policy and transportation at the Boulder Chamber. For the chamber—the second-largest community chamber in Colorado—she leads a policy team that provides strategic direction on a broad range of local, regional and national issues.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to return to my alma mater to support its strategic priorities and to strengthen its relationship with the city’s business, government and community leaders and the thousands of engaging residents who call this beautiful city home,” Call said.
Currently, Call leads the 50-member Community Affairs Council, which provides insights on key local, regional and national policy issues and informs the chamber’s policy positions, which are approved by the chamber’s board of directors. She also leads Boulder Transportation Connections, the city’s transportation management organization, which recently integrated with the Boulder Chamber and helps provide sustainable, efficient mobility solutions.
In addition, Call serves on the East Boulder Subcommunity Working Group and is a member of the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy’s national leadership council.
Call earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications and public relations from CU Boulder and a master’s in business administration and marketing from CU Denver.
Previously, she served as a director of communications and in other staff roles for the Leeds School of Business over a 10-year period and as a strategic communicator and community engagement lead for Kaiser Permanente for 15 years.
John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber, said that during Call’s time with the chamber, she has maintained “a thoughtful approach to achieving public affairs goals and always sought to represent business interests in harmony with broader values and with an eye on achieving the greatest mutual benefit.”
“I know Lori will continue taking that approach in her work for the University of Colorado, which bodes well for building on the partnership between CU and the Boulder Chamber in advancing Boulder’s economic vitality,” Tayer said. “Of course, I will miss my own daily engagement with Lori, which includes a steady diet of sharp insight, strategic direction and great humor.”
