Cleveland-Marshall alumna to play important role in strategy, communications and compliance

CLEVELAND (June 28, 2022)—Cleveland State University has appointed Patty Franklin to the role of Chief of Staff to the President. Franklin, an alumna of CSU’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, worked for many years as a litigator in Cleveland after earning her degree. She joined the Provost’s Office at CSU last fall and has been in this new role since April 2022.

“Patty and I previously worked together at the University of Minnesota,” said CSU president Laura J. Bloomberg, Ph.D. “During our time together at U of M, Patty served as a senior policy advisor to the president, overseeing a university-wide strategic planning process and managing 35 task forces who assessed nearly all aspects of academic and administrative units.”

With nearly 20 years of experience in higher education, Franklin coupled her law experience with her interest in public health, serving as the director of health law at the Minnesota Medical Association, where she represented the interests of physicians before the state.

Franklin would go on to advise the president in various aspects of the university enterprise—including the university’s research operation, Academic Health enterprise, strategic communications and more.

She then served as the chief of staff and senior director of administration for the university’s central Office of Human Resources, with systemwide responsibility for the more than 26,000 faculty and staff.

Her responsibilities encompassed all areas of the human resources function and included playing an important role in strategy, communications and compliance.

Franklin previously served as associate vice president for HR Operations at Pennsylvania State University, pivoting quickly to build and implement the university’s COVID-19 response plan. Her responsibilities at Penn State included oversight of HR units covering benefits and compensation, services and support, talent acquisition and development, data analytics and technology services.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to return to my hometown and work for Cleveland State, a University that changed my life, and to join a strong team of leaders to work together in support of our students’ success at the University and in life,” said Franklin.

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About Cleveland State University

Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for Engaged Learning. With nearly 16,000 students, 10 colleges and schools and more than 175 academic programs, CSU was again chosen for 2021 as one of America’s best universities by U.S. News & World Report, including the #1 public university in Ohio for social mobility. Find more information at www.csuohio.edu.