UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer Lorraine Goffe has announced that Patricia Franklin will join Penn State Human Resources (HR) as the next associate vice president for HR Operations beginning March 1.
Reporting to Goffe and serving on her leadership team, Franklin will assume responsibility for driving strategic initiatives forward to assure HR achieves its goals for the Penn State community.
Franklin brings nearly a decade of successful human resources strategic planning experience in the higher education field and over 15 years of successful experience with project management, system planning, process engineering and implementation in human resources.
“Patty’s extensive human resources background will help develop and strengthen our partnerships within the University,” Goffe said. “I am confident her superb knowledge and experience will be great assets to the work of our HR teams.”
Franklin states, “I am thrilled to join Penn State and the Human Resources team. I am excited to get started and to help Vice President Goffe and the entire HR community further the work to transform HR at Penn State, and in setting new standards of excellence.”
During her time at University of Minnesota, Franklin served most recently as the chief of staff to the vice president of human resources, where she led the implementation of key strategic initiatives for the Office of Human Resources (OHR), including the office’s strategic planning process, a human resources management system upgrade, an OHR call center, a redesigned communication function and a pilot for the Work+ space design and utilization program.
Prior to her HR chief of staff role, Franklin served as a senior policy advisor to President Emeritus Robert Bruininks, where she also had responsibility for the coordination of a University-wide strategic planning effort and supported the president in the areas of research, health sciences and communications. Prior to her time at the University of Minnesota, Franklin served at the Agape Home for Babies and Children with HIV/AIDS in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she established essential human resources functions such as a payroll system, professional development and an employee assistance fund. She supported significant fund-raising projects and gained great knowledge of Thai language and culture.
Franklin’s career also includes extensive experience in health law, including serving as the director for the Minnesota Medical Association and as associate general counsel for the University of Minnesota, representing its hospital and clinics. In her early career as a practicing attorney, Franklin gained experience in matters of employment, compliance, and corporate civil litigation.
Franklin holds a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland John Marshall College of Law, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.