After spending the past three years in CU鈥檚 Washington, D.C. office, Abby Benson is back on the CU-Boulder campus, now serving as Associate VP of Government Relations. We sat down with her to discuss the role of Government Relations at the university, and why campus programs benefit from working with her team.
Why is Government Relations important for CU-Boulder?
As the flagship campus of the University of Colorado, CU-Boulder has an obligation to serve as a steward of government resources and to participate in local and national dialogues that are important to our state and our nation. The CU Office of Government Relations (OGR) aims to help all CU campuses inform our elected officials about efforts to educate Colorado鈥檚 students, while conducting important research and outreach that contributes to the local, state, and national economy. We do this by building effective relationships and partnerships with our State and Federal elected officials government executives.
Although OGR is a System office, with a team located in both Colorado and Washington and led by CU Vice President for Government Relations Tanya Kelly-Bowry, we work closely with the leadership of each CU campus to meet its specific needs.
What is your role at the University of Colorado?
I oversee policy for OGR, and serve as the lead point of contact for CU-Boulder on both State and Federal issues. Jordan Beezley, who just joined CU-Boulder last month, serves as the campus legislative liaison to OGR. We also work very closely with CU-Boulder Strategic Relations to ensure consistent external communications. In particular, we coordinate our efforts with Kim Calomino, the Manager of Local Government and Community Relations, who is CU-Boulder鈥檚 lead point of contact for engagement with local government, chambers of commerce and industry associations.
Our collective aim is to provide feedback on proposed legislation, policy and budget proposals, and arrange visits for campus leadership, faculty, and students to meet with decision-makers throughout Colorado and in Washington, D.C. We also arrange campus visits for officials so they can see firsthand the exciting things happening at CU-Boulder.
On the national level, I also represent CU-Boulder as a member of the听Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) Council of Government Affairs and the Association of American Universities (AAU) Council on Federal Relations, two major national organizations representing their member institutions in Washington, D.C.
What should a campus unit do if we want to invite an elected official to an event, or if an elected official contacts them?
We encourage all members of the CU-Boulder community to contact us if they are engaged with an elected official or government executive. A good first step if you鈥檙e contacted by or would like to invite a State or Federal official to campus is to contact Jordan Beezley, CU-Boulder鈥檚 Legislative Liaison. If you鈥檙e interested in reaching out to the local government or a chamber of commerce or industry association, contact Kim Calomino, Manager of Local Government and Community Relations. Jordan, Kim, and I will work together to ensure you have the most effective interaction possible.
In some cases, we are also required to report this information to comply with state and federal regulations. The government relations website, , provides information about these rules and regulations, including university guidelines on inviting elected officials to campuses, campaign-related activities by members of the University community and much more. The website is also updated regularly with state and federal legislative issues that we are working on.听
What do you want the CU-Boulder community to know about you?
I first moved to Washington, D.C. while serving as an officer in the United States Coast Guard. I worked on maritime transportation policy, and then transitioned to the Coast Guard budget office where I began my work with Congress. When I left the Coast Guard, I was eager to get back to my roots in science鈥揑 have degrees in geology, transportation, and logistics鈥揳nd have grown really passionate about science policy. I think I have the best job out there, representing such an amazing institution and engaging in state and federal policy dialogues relevant to CU-Boulder. And after living by the ocean for so long, my husband and I are enjoying the change of scenery in Boulder!
Contact Abby Benson at abby.benson@cu.edu, Jordan Beezley at jordan.beezley@colorado.edu, or Kim Calomino at Kim.Calomino@colorado.edu.
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