Chief Human Resources Officer Traci Nordberg and Vice President for Communications Diana Pearson have announced their departures from the College. Nordberg has left to lead the human resources department at Vanderbilt University and Medical Center, while Pearson is leaving the College for both "personal and professional reasons," according to an e-mail announcing their departures earlier this month.
When Nordberg leaves the College on Sept. 10, Deborah Grant, director of human resources and people services, and Lynn Baker, executive director of human resources, will lead the human resources department, according to Kadish's e-mail. The College will also begin a "formal search process" while Grant and Baker serve as the heads of the department, according to the e-mail.
"[Baker] and [Grant] are terrific human resource professionals who will provide steady leadership through this transition," the e-mail said.
At Vanderbilt, Nordberg will serve as associate vice chancellor and chief human resource officer. She will oversee the employment of 20,000 employees, according to a Vanderbilt press release, while Dartmouth contracts approximately 5,000 employees.
During her five-year tenure as chief human resources officer, Nordberg instituted a new College employee satisfaction survey system, according to the e-mail announcing Nordberg's departure, which was sent by Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Steven Kadish.
"We appreciate the significant efforts she and her staff have made over these years to give employees a voice in the decisions that affect them, to provide venues for professional development, and to support those affected by budget reductions," Kadish said in the e-mail.
Throughout this year's budget reduction process, Nordberg helped the department navigate staff layoffs and develop retirement incentive plans. The new initiatives also included a "staff option" that allowed employees who were ineligible for the retirement program to apply for a layoff package, The Dartmouth previously reported.
After the reorganization of the College's administration in April, Nordberg assumed a new role, directly reporting to both Kadish and College President Jim Yong Kim. In addition to her responsibilities as chief human resources officer, Nordberg also was in charge of the Dartmouth College Child Care Center and oversaw job placement in the Student Employment Office, according to Kim's announcement of the new administrative structure.
Before she assumed her role at the College in 2005, Nordberg directed human resources at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to the press release.
Pearson, who arrived at the College in March 2008, will be moving back to New York next month, according the announcement of her departure sent by Carolyn Pelzel, senior vice president for advancement.
While at the College, Pearson oversaw public relations during the announcement of Kim's appointment and his transition to presidency. She also managed the public affairs department throughout the strategic budget reduction and investment process in which the College reduced its budgets by $100 million over two years.
In the announcement, Pelzel praised Pearson for her work developing the Dartmouth Communicators Group, as well as several social media outlets, including the College's YouTube channel and the "Dartmouth Now" news source.
According to Pelzel's announcement, the public affairs office will be organized in an "interim structure" in September, followed by a later search for Pearson's permanent replacement.
Pearson declined to comment for this article and Nordberg could not be reached for comment by press time.
