9/21/2011: Around the time Randy Geller was appointed UO General Counsel, longtime GC executive assistant Brian Whalen left to work in the president’s office. He was replaced by Deb Donning, who was given the new title of “Chief of Staff”. But last month she left for a UO risk management job. She was apparently replaced by Lauren Townsend, with the title of Executive Assistant and Operations Manager. Not a month later and Geller is looking for a replacement. Make that a replacement and a spare. From the UO jobs listing:
Executive Assistant And Operations Manager, Office Of The General Counsel
Executive Assistant, Office Of The General Counsel
And he’s still searching for an
Associate General Counsel, Office Of The General Counsel
That last search has been open since Geller was promoted, a year ago. Lots of lawyers out there these days, not many seem excited about the career prospects of serving under Mr. Geller. Meanwhile, under SB 242, as of Jan 1 2012 UO (and OUS) will no longer be able to use the Oregon DOJ for legal advice. So UO has been authorized to hire 2 more lawyers, and they’ve already sent out a RFP for firms to do additional contract work. Given that they’ve spent more than a year trying to find just one, and can’t keep staff, you have to wonder – was Randy Geller really the best replacement for his old boss Melinda Grier?
I have sat in the same room as Geller many times and I don’t wonder why he’s having trouble retaining staff. Really, good help isn’t that hard to find in Eugene…