After 33 years at Colorado Law, Business Services Manager Kari Robinson retired on Jan. 1, 2022.
Robinson joined Colorado Law in March 1989 as an administrative clerk, where she worked under the leadership of Dean Gene Nichol. She鈥檚 held various titles, including administrative clerk, administrative assistant, program assistant, and, most recently, business services manager.
鈥淚t was my honor and privilege to work at Colorado Law for 33 years and I will miss everything about it,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淚 have stayed in touch with numerous alumni over the years and will be forever grateful for their friendship and support during my law school career.鈥�
In addition to being the first point of contact for many entering the Dean鈥檚 Suite, Robinson has guided countless students, faculty, staff, and visitors to the law school through delicate situations and even emergencies. Colleagues noted how Robinson met each person with respect and compassion鈥攅ven in the face of challenging situations.
This compassion extended into Robinson鈥檚 relationship with her colleagues, who said they could count on her to provide a sympathetic ear, and then to follow up to see if their problem had been resolved. She recounts her favorite memory as serving on the building committee for the construction of the Wolf Law Building, which was completed in 2006.
鈥淎s one of the staff representatives, I appreciated having input on what would be the future home of our faculty, staff, and students. I also was heavily involved in the physical move from Fleming Law to Wolf Law and the many details that came with that transition,鈥� she said.
Robinson took seriously her role as the steward of the building, which to her meant showing up every day, whatever the weather, and attending to the many unseen tasks that go into keeping a building like Wolf Law functional and effective.
鈥淚t is easy to think that doors just unlock when they should, rooms restock themselves with masks, tissues, and sanitizer, and moveable furniture finds its own way back to where it belongs,鈥� Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss said. 鈥淲hen things just seemed to work, that鈥檚 because Kari was always here, putting them right and anticipating needs before they became problems. I am sure Kari has saved us many thousands of dollars this way. More than that, she has provided our students and all of us with the peace of mind that comes from comfortable, operable, and
sparkling surroundings.鈥�
Robinson has been recognized with numerous awards over the years. In 1996, she was one of 10 CU Boulder classified staff selected to attend a reception honoring state classified employees at the executive residence of Gov. Roy Romer (鈥�52). She is a four-time recipient of the law school鈥檚 Excellence in Service Award (2011, 2014, 2015, and 2017) and received the Humanitarian Award from the Class of 1996. In 2008, CU Boulder鈥檚 Facilities Management awarded her the building Proctor of the Year Award for her 鈥渆ffectiveness as a proctor, her cooperation with our department, and all her efforts related to the move into the new Wolf Law Building.鈥�
Former Director of Operations and Financial Management Dennis Russell said at the time, 鈥淜ari is really the pillar of operations for the law school.鈥�
鈥淭his institution is only as venerable as we make it, and Kari faithfully did her part,鈥� Inniss said. 鈥淪he applied a quiet but relentless standard of excellence to everything she did here, and it shows. We will undoubtedly be circling back to her often as we try to carry forward her legacy. We are so grateful for the career she spent with us.鈥�