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May 13, 2026
Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer Lorraine Goffe will step down from her role at Northwestern on June 30, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Amanda Distel announced.
Senior Associate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Priya Harjani will serve as interim vice president for Human Resources beginning July 1 until a new department leader is selected. Harjani has held this interim leadership role twice before during previous leadership transitions and is not interested in being a candidate in the search. Harjani will return full time to the Office of General Counsel when a new leader begins their appointment.
Goffe, who joined Northwestern in 2022, oversees all aspects of Northwestern’s central human resources functions, including hiring, compensation and benefits for faculty and staff. She implemented practices that contribute to employee wellness, recruitment and retention.
“Although I am leaving Northwestern, I am immensely proud of the work the Human Resources team has done over the past four years,” Goffe said. “It has been an honor to be part of the Northwestern community, and to work with an incredibly talented and dedicated HR team that is focused on making this institution better for our employees and their families.”
Under Goffe’s leadership, Northwestern implemented advanced workplace strategies, enhanced recruitment and employer branding, strengthened onboarding and performance management, expanded employee development and learning programs, modernized compensation practices, improved compliance and risk management practices, and elevated HR communications and engagement across the University.
She also led initiatives related to improving systems and processes, leveraging technology, developing a two-year HR AI roadmap, and supporting leaders through a period of significant workforce and labor change.
“I am grateful for Lorraine’s transformational leadership and her partnership,” Distel said. “During her time at Northwestern, she has worked hard to improve HR engagement across our campuses and has put the University in position to continue our upward trajectory under new administrative leadership.”
Before coming to Northwestern, Goffe served as vice president and chief human resources officer at The Pennsylvania State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She also was vice chancellor for human resources at Washington University in St. Louis.
Northwestern will announce plans for a search at a later date.
