Kimberly Slavsky has served as the operational data lead in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for over five years. Her position was created to help modernize processes and improve tracking metrics within the department.
“I had been in my current role for 10 years and I was looking to transition into something different,” Slavsky said. “My (director of finance and administration) wanted to modernize processes and have better tracking metrics. That was something I had enjoyed doing, especially after working on my master of science in organizational leadership, so I was very fortunate to have a position created for me.”
Slavsky’s main responsibilities include developing, implementing, and improving departmental processes using a program called Smartsheet. She also manages the department’s intranet and distribution lists.
“It’s a great program with lots of helpful features,” she said. “I also manage the department’s intranet and distribution lists.”
In addition to her work at CU Anschutz, Slavsky is co-chair of the University of Colorado Staff Council (UCSC), which represents employees from all four campuses as well as system administration. The council acts as a shared governance group within the university system.
She became involved with staff councils after learning about them from a departing colleague in 2019. “I started serving on my campus council in December of 2019. I tell people that I worked at CU for over eight years before I even knew what Staff Council was. A colleague of mine who was leaving mentioned it in a meeting, so I asked her about it afterwards. Once I heard about it, I knew I wanted to participate,” Slavsky said.
“My first meeting was a Q-and-A session for a previous president search, which I thought was amazing. Ever since that day, I was hooked. I was given the opportunity to serve on UCSC starting in August of 2020, and it has been one of the best experiences that I have ever had professionally.”
Slavsky explained her motivation for participating in shared governance: “I participate in shared governance to ensure staff perspectives are heard in decisions that affect policies, resources and workplace culture. It’s about advocating for fairness and inclusivity for staff.
Shared governance also strengthens transparency and trust. We’re helping to create policies that align with both staff needs and organizational goals. I believe it fosters a sense of belonging and shared responsibility. We are a part of shaping a positive environment for faculty, staff and students.”
As co-chair alongside JáNet Hurt, Slavsky divides duties evenly: “We split the duties evenly, taking turns at presentations for the Board of Regent meetings, attending meetings of the campus councils, and we attend meetings together as much as possible. We discuss what the best path forward would be.
My main goal is to work with Ja’Net, my co-chair, in building stronger relationships and being the voice of the staff – for all matters that come to our attention – to the best of our abilities.”
Regarding priorities for UCSC this year amid broader budget challenges at state and federal levels—which have increased pressures such as cost-of-living—Slavsky emphasized supporting university staff: “There has been a significant amount of unrest with the federal transitions, state and federal budget shortfalls, the increased cost of living, etc. There sadly isn’t much we can do with that. However, all of this can have a detrimental effect on staff. So, I feel that our most important priorities are to show staff that we exist, that we are here for them and we want to help.
We are incredibly lucky at CU to have supportive leadership, and they are willing to help where they can. I think that is also important, that we help staff to see that they are more than a warm body and that people at all levels are working for them.”
When asked about her favorite aspects of working at CU Anschutz Medical Campus—a center known internationally for its medical research—Slavsky cited both impact on patient care worldwide through training healthcare professionals https://www.cuanschutz.edu/offices/staff-council , as well as collegiality: “I have two favorite things, the first one being the fact that I work on a campus that is making medical breakthroughs for patients not only locally but internationally. We are training future doctors, dentists, nurses and a whole host of other providers and scientists to change the world, all through what they learned here. It’s pretty cool.
The other one, and I know it sounds cliché, but it’s the people. From my colleagues in the Department of Psychiatry, to other staff and faculty members, and all the way through to our senior leadership team—we all have a similar goal—and we strive to work toward it.”
For more information about getting involved with Staff Councils across University of Colorado campuses—including CU Boulder, UCCS, CU Denver, or CU Anschutz—resources are available online.
