Celebrate Michael's Contributions to UVA

Michael Latsko has served UVA Human Resources for the past decade in various roles, and the next part of his life journey will have him lead the HR organization at Arizona State University. As we bid him farewell, we asked him to reflect on his time at UVA, and hope you might enjoy getting to know this extraordinary man.

Please tell us about yourself.

Until the end of this month, I am an Assistant Vice President in HR and Chief of Staff to VP & Chief HR Officer John Kosky. In that capacity, I have responsibility for Business Operations (John Mastrandea and team), Communications (Karen Barnes and team), Continuous Improvement & Project Management (Julie Bird and team), HR Strategy, and Learning/Multimedia Consulting (Trevor Williams). In addition, for over a year now I’ve overseen the portfolio of the vacant AVP of Talent Development which includes Talent Engagement, Management and Planning (Carolyn Cullen and team) and Employee Relations, Policy, Risk Management and Compliance (Leslie Pierce and team).

My personal values are gratitude, abundance (that is, the glass is half full -- the opposite of scarcity), and curiosity while living in peace and harmony and never taking your health for granted.

Why HR? I love the statement in our UVA HR Principles booklet under the Mission-Driven Pillar: “Our work serves the people and teams that shape young minds, make breakthrough discoveries, and restore people to health.” If you’re ever having a down day, think about how you’re helping to deliver on our incredibly worthwhile missions.

(Photo: UVA HR senior leadership (from left to right:) Adam Weikel, AVP; Fredrick Martin, Sr. Director Change Management; John Kosky, VP & CHRO; Michael Latsko, AVP)

Why should people care about what I do? First of all, my HR teammates should care because I control the HR budget (EVIL LAUGH). But seriously, I hope that people see my work as supporting our all-important missions and supporting their own career growth and development. I’m all about helping people push past their limits to do better, take on more, expand their perspective, add to their knowledge, etc.

Is there one project you’ve been working on that you’re most proud of that directly benefited the UVA community?

I’ve had the great fortune to work on a number of exciting and worthwhile projects over the years – the creation of the UVA HR organization, the selection and implementation of new HR technology, developing our first ever UVA HR annual report, etc. Most recently, I’m incredibly proud of the recommendations made by Pipelines & Pathways, a high-profile working group of which I was a member, to champion university-community relations and increased employment for our community's most vulnerable members. Another great project has been collaborating with my colleague Adam Weikel to provide oversight for implementing artificial intelligence to improve the experience for candidates and new hires.

How does your work align with HR’s values or principles?

I’ve already mentioned how important it is to connect what I do with the University’s missions of education, research, public service, and heath care. Ask anybody who reports to me – I’m all about the value of “getting creative” by being curious, questioning the way things have always been done, and taking risks and experimenting. I also model acting courageously by lavishing coaching and feedback on others (!) and always challenging myself and others to move outside of their comfort zones.

You can (and should) control your own career and professional destiny. Don’t wait and don’t rely on others. Explore, experiment, investigate, ask questions… get a mentor, take classes, read and/or listen to podcasts. Take care of yourself. Embrace all aspects of your life. As a dear HR colleague reminded me: 'We all have so much to be grateful for – life, to begin with. Connection. Health. Abundance. Love.' Michael Latsko

What is the most challenging part of your job?

Staying focused – there’s always a lot going on-- and connecting across the multiple stakeholders. The old saying, “a vote of 99 to one in higher education is a tie” is so true. And add to that the complexities and demands of healthcare.

What about the most rewarding part?

Interacting with so many different people and having an endless supply (bottomless pit?) of challenges/opportunities. I love when a plan comes together and when I learn something I didn’t know before or see things from a new perspective.

What are some of the challenges you’ve come up against this year, and how have you been addressing them?

Welcoming new leaders – helping to assimilate them into the complex world we inhabit-- and helping orient them to our model/values, etc. Not to mention the daily/weekly/monthly fires that seem to blaze up. I had a personal health crisis in 2020 but continue to get the “all clear” from my doctors, and my 86-year old father battled esophageal cancer all summer with courses of chemo and radiation. We got the great news on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week that his PT scan, endoscopy and biopsy showed no more traces of cancer. These aren’t “work” challenges, of course, but they impact every aspect of our lives and affect our energy.

What are some takeaways you would love your UVA colleagues to know about the work you do?

You can (and should) control your own career and professional destiny. Don’t wait and don’t rely on others. Explore, experiment, investigate, ask…get a mentor, take classes, read and/or listen to podcasts. Take care of yourself. Embrace all aspects of your life. As a dear HR colleague reminded me: “we all have so much to be grateful for – life, to begin with. Connection. Health. Abundance. Love.”

Years ago when facing a fork in my career road, I happened upon an old-fashioned bookstore with this book right in the window: “Do what you love, the money will follow.” I’ve followed that advice ever since -- have interests, hobbies, etc. outside of your work life.

I cherish my years as a student at UVA and will cherish my decade of working here. I’m so grateful for the friendships and associations that I have made. And now, following Horace Greely’s sage advice, I “go west, young man!” Although not so ‘young’ chronologically anymore, I hope always to be young in spirit!

In honor of my departure, a double limerick:

I started 10 years ago; we all had a dream:
Build a powerful and unified HR service team.
Did we achieve it?
Fulfill our remit?
“Doing great work” -- our mantra and unifying theme.

The journey was arduous; the path not so straight,
Serving UVA’s vision to be good and great.
Take a look around you.
The dream’s coming true.
Teamwork is paying off; there is much to celebrate.

Michael Latsko and his partner Cesar ziplining over the Grand Canyon

(My husband Cesar and I ziplined over the Grand Canyon last summer. It's important to know that I'm terrified of heights outside a building, as I was while on the Skywalk bridge, pictured above. Once we pushed off the zipline platform, however, I felt extremely calm and peaceful despite what should have been, for me, terrifying and scary. I truly felt “at one” with my surroundings – the vastness and beauty of nature. The zip ride ended all too quickly – I could have done it all day!")