Associate Provost for Faculty Employee Relations
karenmcl@illinois.edu
(217) 244 0515
Assistant:
Marita Osuorah
mchughes@illinois.edu
As Associate Provost for Faculty Employee Relations, Karen McLaughlin serves as the provost’s principal advisor on faculty employment and employee relations matters, providing oversight of complex cases involving faculty performance, conduct, and disciplinary actions. Karen works closely with academic and administrative leaders to ensure faculty employment decisions are consistent with university policies, collective bargaining agreements, and institutional standards, while helping manage risk and support fair, consistent practices across academic units.
Karen McLaughlin has nearly three decades of experience in human resources strategy, operations and leadership, including labor relations, employee relations, complex performance management matters, organizational development, and compliance. Approximately 25 years of this experience is with the University of Illinois, including over 20 years in college-level human resources.
Karen previously served as the assistant dean for human resources in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Prior to that, she served as the founding executive director of human resources with the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and served four years as a representative in the Academic Senate. Past university experience also includes as assistant director of labor and employee relations at Illinois, as well as additional college and unit-level human resources leadership.
A two-time Illinois alumna, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and holds two national human resources professional certifications, SPHR and SHRM-SCP.