Cotton named assistant vice chancellor for human resources

Apryle M. Cotton has been named the new assistant vice chancellor for human resources at Washington University in St. Louis, announced Lorraine A. Goffe-Rush, vice chancellor for human resources.

Cotton, whose appointment took effect March 3, succeeds Goffe-Rush, who was promoted Dec. 31 to vice chancellor.

Previously, Cotton had been assistant director of human resources at Washington University School of Medicine. There, she oversaw all aspects of employee relations and human resources operations, including compliance, talent acquisition and faculty appointments.

“Apryle has extensive experience in various aspects of human resources, most recently with the School of Medicine. That medical school experience provides her with a perspective that will be very valuable to the Danforth HR team,” Goffe-Rush said.

Cotton became interested in working in human resources when she was a student at Saint Louis University. While there, she completed an internship with A.G. Edwards in human resources. She thought it would be a stepping stone to a career in marketing.

“I ended up just loving human resources,” Cotton recalled. “I loved the fact that it was a compliance area and that it touched every other area within the organization.”

After graduating in 1996 with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and human resource management, she became a human resources generalist at Edward Jones Investments. Three years later, she started working for BJC HealthCare as the interim health center manager and human resources and organizational development consultant.

Cotton continued working in health care, next at Missouri Baptist Medical Center and then at the medical school, where she stayed for more than 13 years. While there, she became a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the American Association for Affirmative Action. She also received the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification.

Cotton said she worked hard to cultivate a team atmosphere within the medical school HR department.

One of her proudest accomplishments was helping transform HR from a department that merely “pushed paper” to process individual and organizational decisions into an active partner and business consultant.

At the Danforth Campus, Cotton’s responsibilities will include designing innovative and cost-effective HR policies that allow the university to acquire and keep top talent. She also will test the efficacy of existing HR policies and work to ensure that the Danforth Campus complies with all federal, state and local laws and regulations.

Cotton wants members of the Danforth Campus to view her as a resource and point of contact whenever they have HR-related questions or concerns.

“Apryle has demonstrated leadership and team-building skills, which will serve us well as we continue to do the work that we need to do in support of this organization,” Goffe-Rush said.