Making an impact

When Stephanie Kurtzman has a question for human resources — whether simple, odd or nuanced — she knows exactly whom to call: Lorraine Goffe-Rush.

“I never get, ‘Someone on my staff could be answering these questions,’ or ‘No, you can’t do that,'” says Kurtzman, director of the Community Service Office. “Instead, it’s ‘What is your situation? What are your needs?’ While operating within the guidelines of HR, she helps make things work for departments.”

Goffe-Rush, director of human resources since 2006, works with Kurtzman and others around Washington University to ensure WUSTL’s work environment fosters productive, happy and healthy employees. After all, productive, happy and healthy employees foster productive, happy and healthy students.

“Working in human resources at Washington University allows me to support the people who are supporting the world’s future leaders,” Goffe-Rush says. “In that way, all Washington University employees have an impact on the world, so it’s important to put them in a position to be successful within the University.”

One area Goffe-Rush oversees is employee relations, helping to solve potential issues among employees or between employees and supervisors, and also organizing recognition and wellness programs to help employees feel appreciated and lead a healthy professional and personal life.

Goffe-Rush also oversees employee records, the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) and compensation, making sure employees are paid fairly and on time.

Her team of compensation specialists is responsible for instituting pay programs that attract and retain quality employees — a key factor in keeping the University’s departments and offices running smoothly and effectively.

Helping employees succeed, Goffe-Rush says — whether talking them through problems, developing programs that cultivate their abilities, or simply paying them properly — makes her job worthwhile. And she follows that philosophy both inside and outside of the Office of Human Resources.

“Lorraine goes out of her way to be available and responsive to employees, and she also makes the time for those on her team — ready to assist in problem-solving, brainstorming ideas and coaching,” says Ann Prenatt, vice chancellor for human resources. “She looks for the best possible solutions to difficult circumstances, balancing the potential impact on individuals with the impact on the organization.”

Going into business

Goffe-Rush was born in London, No. 8 of nine Goffe children. At age 14, she moved to St. Louis with her family and quickly adjusted to life as a Pattonville High School student.

For college, Goffe-Rush originally set her sights on schools in California, but her parents decided the West Coast was too far from the family for their 17-year-old daughter. Instead, Goffe-Rush joined her older sister at William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., then a women’s liberal arts school.

“Looking back, a small school — with the small classes and tight-knit community — was actually perfect for me at that time,” Goffe-Rush says. “At 17, I was a young college student. And it was good to be so close to my sister.”

With law school as her goal, Goffe-Rush took a business class. And then another. And another. She found the courses fascinating and the business faculty engaging and supportive. She declared a business administration major and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1986 from William Woods.

Rather than starting law school immediately, Goffe-Rush decided to give business a try. For the next three years, she worked at a small medical supply company in St. Louis, overseeing operations, customer service and purchasing. It was a big job for an employee fresh from college, but her supervisor was certain Goffe-Rush could handle it — sometimes even more certain than Goffe-Rush herself.

“When there were issues, we would talk through how to resolve them,” Goffe-Rush says. “Then he’d say, ‘Sounds like you have all the information to make a good decision, so I’ll leave it to your judgment.’

“Even when the choice I made wasn’t the choice he would have made, he was always supportive,” Goffe-Rush says. “That gave me so much confidence.”

Goffe-Rush discovered quickly that what she liked most about her job was the human resources aspect: supervising and developing staff, recruiting, organizing work and solving problems. Instead of a law degree, Goffe-Rush decided to pursue a career in human resources.

Learning quickly

That wasn’t the only turning point in Goffe-Rush’s life in those three years. After college, she met and married Fred Rush, who also was from St. Louis. Like his wife, Fred Rush had dreamed of moving to the warmer weather of the West Coast, and in 1989, the couple arrived in San Diego.

“We both enjoyed being outside, and San Diego had perfect weather,” Goffe-Rush says. “Beaches were close; you could drive to the desert, to the mountains. It’s a beautiful city.”

Goffe-Rush’s first human resources position was at Fornaca Family Bakery in California, developing recruitment strategies and implementing labor agreements. It was a great place for a first human resources job, Goffe-Rush says — and not just because of the free, fresh bread for employees every Friday.

“Being a small organization with limited resources, I had to be hands-on and quickly learn all aspects of HR in order to assist management and staff,” Goffe-Rush says. “The organization also encouraged professional development and supported my interest in becoming involved in professional HR organizations in San Diego.”

In 1992, Goffe-Rush earned a master’s degree in business administration from National University and joined San Diego Gas & Electric Co. — a much larger organization.

At the electric company, Goffe-Rush was quickly promoted to a supervisory role, overseeing compensation, benefits and employee relations. With the knowledge gained from her MBA and experience at Fornaca, Goffe-Rush led the redesign of the benefits program and participated in benefits negotiations with the electrical workers union — both strategic steps to keep the company competitive in terms of its compensation and costs.

Goffe-Rush and her husband moved back to St. Louis in 1998 to be closer to both of their families, and Goffe-Rush joined Barnes-Jewish Hospital as an HR consultant. Two years later, she became manager of human resources at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, overseeing compensation, benefits, recruitment and employee activities.

In 2000, a colleague mentioned to Goffe-Rush that the director of employee relations position was open at Washington University, and that she thought Goffe-Rush would be perfect for the job. Goffe-Rush applied and was hired at WUSTL, and in 2006, she was promoted to director of human resources.

Here for students

Soon after arriving on the Danforth Campus, Goffe-Rush served on the Office of Admissions’ campus interview team, talking with high-school students about their interests and goals. Goffe-Rush also became involved in the Ervin Scholars Program, which offers scholarships to deserving WUSTL students to foster a diverse campus community; and the W.E.B. DuBois Awards program, which recognizes achievements of black WUSTL students.

“At many corporations, you don’t have many chances to give back and remind yourself of the purpose of your work,” Goffe-Rush says. “At Washington University, we’re here because of the students.”

Goffe-Rush also became involved in campus-wide programs and committees. In fall 2005, she was named a founding member of the Coordinating Council for Diversity Initiatives. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton charged the council with enhancing the experiences of and environment for women and underrepresented minority faculty and staff on campus. Leah Merrifield, special assistant to the Chancellor for diversity initiatives, calls Goffe-Rush “an important and critical voice” on the council.

“She is an incredible resource for issues that impact faculty and the administration, such as environment, recruitment and retention,” Merrifield says.

Goffe-Rush also works with Kurtzman on the Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Awards, which recognize students, faculty, staff and alumni who exemplify a character of service and giving to the region. Goffe-Rush is the only committee member — besides Kurtzman — to have served since the program’s inception in 2003.

“Every year, she asks, ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to rotate off?’ But every year, I ask her back. She’s the conscience of the committee,” says Kurtzman, also associate director of the Gephardt Institute for Public Service. “Lorraine helps to ground the conversation, reminding us what these awards are about.”

Goffe-Rush also is active in the Human Resources Management Association of St. Louis, serving on its board from 2004-08. Through the association, Goffe-Rush mentored up-and-coming HR professionals in addition to the informal advising she has done throughout her career.

“I’ve had great mentors along the way that have taken the time to reach out and help me accomplish my goals,” Goffe-Rush says. “But I’ve found the benefits of mentoring aren’t one-sided. While young people can learn from the experiences of others, often we find their perspective useful for us as well.”