Director of Chancellor Events and Engagement, CU Denver
When she started her new role at CU Denver earlier this month, Laurel Harman wasn鈥檛 just saying goodbye to the place she went to school, or where she got her first full-time job.听
鈥淚 pretty much grew up on the Boulder campus,鈥� Laurel said. Her mother spent 33 years working on campus, retiring as senior associate registrar last year, and 鈥淚 spent almost every summer here. I knew this was where I wanted to be鈥攊t was the only school I applied to.鈥澨�
And when she arrived, she already had a professional path in mind, following a career exploration assignment she did as a high school junior.听
鈥淢y classmates wanted to be doctors, scientists, all STEM-based things,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose all sounded like things I would hate.鈥�
Her classmates reminded her she was an incredible event planner, whether it was soccer shindigs or her Sweet 16 party. She got an internship with Omni Hotels while still in high school that allowed her to get a taste of life as an event planner鈥攖he first work experience on a r茅sum茅 that was already getting crowded by the time she graduated from Leeds.
鈥淪omething I鈥檓 really proud of was being able to balance multiple jobs and responsibilities, taking every opportunity that was given to me and making the most out of it,鈥� Laurel said.听
Turns out, saying yes to everything is great experience for an event planner, especially when she starts her own business before going to Leeds full time. Page Turning Events鈥攁 play on her maiden name, Page鈥攐wed much of its success over five years to the school, and not only to the referral system that put several Leeds weddings on her plate.
鈥淗aving the career team to talk to was so helpful, whether it was connecting me with other people in the industry or even just the opportunity to talk to entrepreneurs about what it takes to start your own company,鈥� she said.听
鈥淭hat goes back to my education鈥攋ust learning that if you encounter a problem, you need to face it head on.鈥�
Laurel Harman (OpsMgmt鈥�15)
Laurel joined Leeds full time in 2016, eventually rising to become assistant director of event experiences in the school鈥檚 advancement department, but her greatest challenge came in early 2020, when the pandemic made the future of events highly uncertain.听
Finding ways to stay innovative
鈥淚 questioned whether I wanted to continue this, as a career, if events were going to stay virtual鈥攂ecause who knew for how long that was going to go on,鈥� she said. But she managed to stay innovative, engaging the community through events like virtual trivia at a time when students and alumni felt isolated.听
鈥淭hat goes back to my education鈥攋ust learning that if you encounter a problem, you need to take it head on,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou look at all your options but need to keep moving forward. Once you stand still, you become irrelevant.鈥澨�
At Leeds, Laurel was responsible for creating guidance and infrastructure around events, anticipating problems and ensuring excellent experiences. That鈥檚 what she鈥檚 most looking forward to at CU Denver, as well as taking on a smaller portfolio of high-visibility events, like commencement.
When she鈥檚 not planning the next big event, Laurel volunteers as a dog foster parent with RezDawg Rescue, which relocates animals in the Four Corners region. A lifelong dog lover, she got involved during the pandemic, when she felt she鈥檚 be able to give extra attention to a rescue pet.听
鈥淏eing at home in COVID, I didn鈥檛 feel like I was giving back as much through my work,鈥� Laurel said. 鈥淔inding another venue to do that was important to me.鈥�