Placed Leaders

Lorraine Goffe

Vice President for Human Resources

Northwestern University

Lorraine Goffe headshot

Koya | Diversified Search Group partnered with Northwestern University on the appointment of Lorraine Goffe as Vice President for Human Resources.

Northwestern is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research, as well as the personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.

Lorraine Goffe is a human resources leader with more than 20 years of experience in higher education. In her new role, Goffe will lead all aspects of Northwestern’s central human resources functions and will be a key partner in identifying and implementing practices that contribute to employee wellness, recruitment and retention, and will advance the University’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Goffe joins Northwestern from Pennsylvania State University where she served as Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Goffe helped guide Penn State’s policies related to remote work and return-to-work strategies – emphasizing programs that meet the varied needs of the community. She also led efforts to recruit, engage, develop and retain a diverse workforce, including creating Penn State’s first position for a senior-level Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging leader in Human Resources.

Goffe has more than two decades of experience in higher education, having served as Vice President for Human Resources at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and as Vice Chancellor for Human Resources at Washington University in St. Louis.

She is the past board chair of the Northeast Human Resources Association and current board member of the American Research Universities HR Institute.

Goffe holds an MBA from National University in San Diego and a BA in business administration from William Woods University in Missouri.

We invite you to read the press release: Lorraine Goffe named Vice President for Human Resources.