UHD President Loren J. Blanchard

Dear UHD Community,

I'd like to offer congratulations … and fond farewells … to two valued members of the University Community.

Erika Harrision, Title IX & Diversity Officer, and Elisa Olsen, Assistant Vice President of University Relations, are both departing UHD for new opportunities. Please join me in wishing them all the best and thanking them for their service to our institution.

As UHD's Title IX Equity & Diversity Officer, Erika serves a very important role and certainly made an impact on its efforts to remain in compliance with state and federal laws related to sexual misconduct. She's also a key member of the Diversity Taskforce and has been an invaluable resource in the University's efforts to ensure an equitable environment for both learning and working.

As we begin seeking a new Title IX Equity & Diversity Officer, Lauri Ruiz will serve in this position on an interim basis. Lauri is currently the Senior Assistant General Counsel at the University of Houston and is already on campus to ensure a smooth transition. She can be reached at RuizLa@uhd.edu / TitleIX@uhd.edu or 713-221-5771 to address compliance issues.

Elisa has accepted the role of Chief Marketing Officer for one of UHD's community college partners, Lone Star College System. During her time here, she has successfully steered two brand launches, a redesign of the University's website and helped expand the University's visibility throughout the region.

Following Elisa's departure at the end of the month, her duties will be shared by University Relations directors Mike Emery and Laura Waits. Mike will serve as UHD's Interim Executive Director of Communications and Laura will serve as Interim Executive Director of Marketing.

I wish both Erika and Elisa well on their next endeavors and look forward to working with Lauri, Mike and Laura in the interim to continue UHD's momentum through the fall semester.

Sincerely,

Loren J. Blanchard, Ph.D.
President, University of Houston-Downtown