Tony Gherardini has been appointed as the vice president and chief human resources officer for the University of Colorado (CU) system, with his term beginning on April 13, 2026.
Gherardini most recently held the position of executive director at the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration. In that role, he managed a staff of approximately 500 people and oversaw a $450 million budget. He was responsible for leading the state’s personnel system, which serves more than 30,000 employees. His oversight included areas such as human resources strategy, classification and compensation, labor relations, workforce planning, benefits administration, payroll, and employee development within Colorado’s state government.
“We are thrilled Tony is joining our team,” said CU President Todd Saliman. “He has a long track record as a public servant, deep expertise and has demonstrated that he is a thoughtful leader. And the added bonus, that he is a CU Denver alumnus, make him the perfect fit for our team in the CU system office. Tony is taking on a critical role and I have no doubt that his skill set makes him perfect for the university.”
During his tenure at the Department of Personnel & Administration, Gherardini introduced a skills-based hiring approach that resulted in an increase in such hires across state agencies. He also led efforts to update recruitment methods and broaden access to qualified job candidates.
Gherardini’s previous roles include serving as chief operations officer for the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health where he supervised administrative and operational functions. Additionally, he was director of state operations and cabinet affairs in the Governor’s Office where he managed performance metrics for Colorado’s executive branch.
Earlier in his career, Gherardini worked as an agent with the Lakewood Police Department for seven years—two years as a detective focused on crimes against children—and served from 2004 to 2017 in the Colorado Army National Guard including deployment to Afghanistan.
“Tony has spent his career serving others, from his time in the military to his service in state government,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “His leadership at the Department of Personnel & Administration will be very missed, but we wish him all the best in this next chapter. During his time at DPA, Colorado has made important progress on skills-based hiring, strengthening our state workforce, expanding our electric vehicle fleet and more.”
Gherardini holds a master’s degree in public administration from CU Denver and returns to work at CU after over two decades dedicated to public service.
“After more than 20 years in public service, returning to CU as an alumnus in this role is truly a dream come true,” Gherardini said. “The university helped shape my journey, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back. I look forward to ensuring our HR operations are strong, responsive and seamless in support of our faculty and staff.”
In his new position at CU, Gherardini will lead strategic planning for HR activities throughout the university system by working closely with campus HR teams. His duties will involve talent acquisition and retention strategies along with labor relations management; overseeing compensation plans; developing leadership programs; promoting employee engagement; and improving organizational effectiveness.
