Petersen Joins Nebraska State College System Office
(Lincoln, Neb.) Chancellor Stan Carpenter announced that Kristin Petersen of Lincoln will join the staff in the Nebraska State College System (NSCS) Office. She will begin her duties as general counsel and vice chancellor for employee relations August 20.
Pe
tersen
will be in charge of legal and employee relations for the Nebraska State
College System and serve as the chief spokesperson during collective
bargaining. She will also oversee the employee benefits plans and advise
personnel on the interpretation and application of relevant federal and
state laws and regulations.
“We were pleased to find such a well qualified candidate as Kristin to join the Nebraska State College System staff. Her experience with collective bargaining and personnel issues, combined with her knowledge of education law, will be of great benefit as we move forward,” Carpenter said.
As legal counsel for the Nebraska Department of Education since 1995, Petersen conducted contract negotiations, developed personnel policies and advised management in employment law matters. She also handled employee grievances and complaints, and conducted internal investigations to assist the litigation needs.
Prior to that, Petersen was an attorney at Cohen, Redman and Long Law Offices in Lincoln, where she represented clients in domestic, civil and criminal litigation, and served as a clerk to the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wichita State University and received her juris doctorate from Washburn University School of Law.
“I strongly believe in public service and the value of education. Nebraska's state colleges offer exciting educational opportunities for students and meet important needs in our state. I wanted to join the Nebraska State College System in order to be a part of serving those students and the state of Nebraska,” Petersen said.
The Nebraska State College System serves close to 8,000 students from Nebraska and the surrounding states through three geographically diverse institutions: Chadron State College, Peru State College, and Wayne State College. Combined, the three colleges offer more than 200 degree, certificate, and pre-professional programs that are accessible on the three campuses, via the Internet, and in several satellite locations throughout the state. With more than 250 credentialed faculty members and 50,000 successful graduates, the Nebraska State College System provides significant human and intellectual capital that contributes to the current and future economic strength of the State of Nebraska.