About Our Vice President
Lori Blodorn, J.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Lori A. Blodorn was appointed Vice President of People and Culture at
California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) on January 1, 2025.
Previously, she served as CSUB’s Associate Vice President for Human
Resources. In her current role, Lori focuses on shaping people strategy and
building a culture of care, respect, and belonging for faculty and staff—
ensuring that every member of the CSUB team is empowered to serve
students to the best of their ability.
Before joining CSUB, Lori held various leadership positions in Human
Resources across K-12 and community college settings. She earned her Juris
Doctorate from Boston College Law School in 1997 and began her career
practicing law. Her passion for education and public service led her to
become an elected school board member in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin,
before transitioning into HR leadership for the district. After relocating to
Bakersfield with her family, she served as Chief Human Resources Officer at
Taft Union High School District and later as Director of Human Resources
for Kern Community College District.
Lori is deeply committed to cultivating positive, collaborative relationships
with employees, leadership, and union partners, believing that the best
solutions arise when people work together. During her tenure, CSUB
became the first and only CSU campus to earn certification as an Approved
Worksite with the Blue Zones Project and has since launched a
comprehensive employee wellbeing program to enhance work-life balance
for the universities’ 1,300 employees. She has also contributed at the
systemwide level, serving on the CSU bargaining team for negotiations with
the university’s two largest staff-side unions, the California State University
Employees Association and the Academic Professionals of California.
Outside of work, Lori is passionate about animal rescue and advocacy,
working to address Kern County’s animal crisis. She has helped transfer
more than 150 dogs to out-of-state rescues and adopters. An outdoor
enthusiast, she enjoys sailing with her husband, hiking, and backpacking.
She is also a proud mom to two adult children and four rescue dogs—
including the famous stray German Shepherd once roaming the CSUB
campus!
