Administration

Human Resources names senior director of labor and employee relations

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice President for Human Resources Lorraine Goffe has announced that Robert Hartman will join Penn State Human Resources as senior director of labor and employee relations. He will begin his new role on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Hartman brings to the position nearly two decades of successful labor and employee relations management with multiple law firms, West Penn Allegheny Health System, and most recently as assistant vice chancellor for employee and labor relations at the University of Pittsburgh.

In his current position, Hartman has negotiated collective bargaining agreements for all nine of the University of Pittsburgh’s bargaining units; developed and implemented the first staff employee engagement survey and created action plans to address opportunities revealed by the survey results; implemented and designed a cloud-based program to track employee and labor relations cases; applied Lean Six Sigma principles to redesign the University of Pittsburgh’s severance program; engaged with community partners and labor unions to create a community development program that provided training for positions of need; resolved numerous high-level employment-related issues; and designed and implemented a revised training program for discrimination and harassment.

Reporting to Goffe and serving on her leadership team, Hartman will lead the labor and employee relations team and serve as a key member of HR leadership. In this capacity, he will create strategic objectives, priorities and performance standards for Penn State employees, as well as formulate and implement University policy and long-range HR programs and plans.

“Robert will bring a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to this position,” Goffe said. “I look forward to his contributions to advancing Penn State’s labor and employee relations initiatives.”

Hartman’s professional background, energy and vision will be an asset to Penn State, Goffe said. As senior director of labor and employee relations, he will lead and continue to enhance HR’s partnerships with HR leadership, University partners, and labor union representatives.

“I am excited to join the dedicated and passionate team at Penn State Human Resources and am fortunate to be joining such a respected University,” Hartman said. “I look forward to getting started and continuing the University’s efforts to create a motivating and supportive environment for every Penn State employee.”

Hartman is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and the Pennsylvania State Bar. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Allegheny College and received his juris doctor degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.

Last Updated August 19, 2019