The Division of University Operations is taking what it calls a “key step” to contribute to the collective efforts on campus to improve the work life of employees and bring about impactful change. The division is moving Diana Prieto into an expanded role as Associate Vice President for Human Capital, effective July 1, 2017, and the division will conduct a national search for a director of Human Resources.
Prieto currently serves as executive director of Human Resources and director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, and she oversees the Office of Training and Organizational Development. In addition, in 2016-17 Prieto served as chair of the Salary Equity Committee, composed of internal and external experts, which was charged with analyzing potential equity issues among tenure and tenure-track faculty as part of CSU’s exploration of salary equity.
New role part of broader objective
Lynn Johnson, Vice President for University Operations, says Prieto has played a critical leadership role in Human Relations, and her contributions have gone above what would be expected given her current title. Johnson says the title change to associate vice president more accurately reflects Prieto’s responsibilities and expertise.
“Diana has consistently shown great leadership and commitment, and her contributions have been substantial,” said Johnson. “In her role as associate vice president, she will continue to bring to CSU a congruent focus on the processes, systems and practices that impact faculty and staff in their daily lives by joining the reporting structures of the various offices that work directly with and for employees.”
Johnson said the new role also is part of a broader objective and work by many individuals at CSU to improve the lives of employees through several campus-wide initiatives: salary equity, gender equity, employee diversity, the AP framework, supervisory training, campus climate, the status of non-tenure track faculty, living wage, shared governance, rising health care costs and affordable housing.
“We have made some progress, but acknowledge there is much left to do as we seek to address the needs of a diverse employee population amid the complexity of a large institution like our own,” said Johnson. “We believe Diana’s new role in University Operations will help us continue to shift our trajectory and make CSU a better place to live, work and learn.”
Salary Equity Committee releases findings, recommendations
The CSU Salary Equity Committee has concluded its 2017 analysis of tenure/tenure-track faculty salaries, and is releasing two reports with its findings and recommendations to the administration for moving forward. Read more.
Priorities moving forward
Prieto will continue to provide leadership for Human Resources, the Office of Equal Opportunity and the Office of Training and Organization Development, and says her priorities moving forward will retain a sustained focus on many of the university’s current initiatives.
“Those projects include salary equity studies for non-tenure-track faculty and administrative professional and state classified employees; the creation of a compensation structure and performance management systems for APs; and development of implementation of a supervisory development training program,” said Prieto. “In the long term, my work remains to create efficiencies and gain effectiveness in the operations of systems that impact employees, and to assist CSU in attracting and retaining talented faculty and staff.”
Johnson said CSU aspires to build a national reputation as an employer of choice in higher education, just as it has earned a national reputation for excellence for student success initiatives, access, research, clean energy innovation, sustainability and a host of other attributes the community proudly points to as foundational pillars.
“The administration believes creating the position of Associate Vice President for Human Capital, and having Diana lead it, will help the university toward achieving that goal,” she added. “Given the numerous fronts we are trying to advance on, this is another step in the right direction.”
