Andrea Cordova, Chief of Staff, has announced that she will be retiring on January 31, 2025 after 28 years at UCCS.
“I wish to extend my most heartfelt congratulations to Andrea Cordova on the announcement of her retirement,” said Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet. “I want to acknowledge all that Andrea has accomplished over her career and express my sincere gratitude for all that she has done for not only the Chancellor’s Office, but also for our incredibly special campus community and the CU system.”
Cordova has been with UCCS since August 1993, when she enrolled as a traditional first-year student. At that time, the furthest building west on main campus was the Engineering and Applied Science Building, and the Chancellor’s Office was still located in Cragmor Hall.
At the coaxing of fellow student (and future full-time UCCS employee) Kathleen King, who was already a student employee working on campus, Andrea applied for and was hired as a student employee in the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Office in summer 1994. That decision to take an office job was a leap from the role she had held at an ice cream store at a local mall, and it started the course of a career with UCCS.
The following summer, Andrea shifted her student employment to the Chancellor’s Office. She was then hired as a full-time classified staff member in January 1997, just before she began her final semester to graduation, earning double bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology. She worked up through the classified ranks to a Program Assistant II, and then shifted to a university staff position as Special Assistant to the Chancellor in 2005, followed by roles as Deputy Chief of Staff, Professional Assistant to the Chancellor, Office Manager, and ending with the current role of Chief of Staff, which she has served as since 2015.
Andrea’s first employee ID, 1997 
Carrie Paxton Lamke, Kathleen King, and Andrea Hamand at graduation celebration for Kathleen King, May 1998 
Anthony Cordova and Andrea Hamand marry at the Upper Lodge, September 22, 2001 
Surprise Announcement to Kathy Griffith on receiving the Outstanding Staff Award – Charmaine Brown, Andreanna Romero, Kathy Griffith and Andrea Cordova, April 15, 2008 
Chancellor’s Office Staff – Andrea Cordova, Kelly Mattingly (2011-2013), and Carla Quarrles (2011-2014), May 17, 2012 
Reunion of Chancellor’s Office Staff – Andea Cordova, Adam Saffer (2009-2011), Susan Szpyrka (2008-2011), July 17, 2014 
Chancellor’s Office Staff – Brenda Bonn (2013-2020), Shawn Hood (2015-2018), and Andrea Cordova, January 25, 2018 
Chancellor’s Office – Racquel Paywa, Elizabeth Wyatt, and Andrea Cordova, June 7, 2022
“It has been a privilege to be part of the UCCS community and to contribute to its success over the last three decades,” Andrea said. “Given we often spend more time with our colleagues than with our family members, relationships and collaborations have been key to my work satisfaction and success. I am grateful for all the remarkable staff, faculty and administrators – past and present – I have had the opportunity to work with over the years, especially so many amazing, strong women who have supported me directly over the years.”
Andrea said that it has been “a great honor” to work with so many incredible staff in the Chancellor’s Office, including Kathy Griffith, Carrie Paxton Lamke, Margot Massari, Andreanna Romero, Susan Szpyrka, Adam Saffer, Kelly Mattingly, Carla Quarrles, Brenda Bonn, Shawn Hood, Racquel Paywa, and Elizabeth Wyatt, as well as Chancellors Bunnell, Shockley-Zalabak, Reddy and Sobanet.
“It was important to me that the great work continue in the Chancellor’s Office and across campus and that there was plenty of time to work on a successful transition and what that means for UCCS going forward, so I shared my plan with Chancellor Sobanet last December,” said Andrea. “I care too deeply about everything at UCCS to not think about the future, but it has been difficult to decide when to share my news with the greater campus. I know this will come as a surprise to a lot of people, but please know this was not a sudden decision, but rather one that my husband and I have been working toward for a few years.”
Andrea met fellow student and future husband Anthony Cordova on the UCCS campus in 1996 after they were each talked into running for student government positions and were elected. They married on campus in September 2001 in a ceremony on the Upper Lodge Plaza, with mostly campus colleagues in attendance.
Although Andrea has made countless memories during her tenure at UCCS, her proudest accomplishments are the commencement ceremonies she organized and was a part of.
“In addition to celebrating our students’ success in persisting to graduation, it was the relationships that were fostered among the staff and faculty who worked and participated in the events every year and shared memories that will never be forgotten,” she said. “It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about everyone on campus who supported the efforts to pull off virtual ceremonies, as well as Picture on the Plaza, during COVID. It is hard to believe that by the time I leave, I will have worked 56 ceremonies.”
Another contribution that Andrea is proud of is being the campus liaison to the Excellence in Leadership Program (ELP) for 17 years.
“What a pleasure to get to know the cohort members from campus – some of whom I don’t think I would have ever met otherwise,” she said. “It was also wonderful to help expose other CU campus ELP participants to UCCS over the years, as most had never had a reason to visit us before and quickly learned what a special place we are within the greater CU System.”
Outside of commencements and ELP, Andrea has been involved a wide variety of projects across campus.
“I have been involved with so many people across campus on countless initiatives, efforts and celebrations to showcase the great work of our campus and paving a way for even more future success, including but not limited to Campus Awards Ceremonies, the Blue Ribbon Commission Report, Strategic Plans, HLC accreditation visits, groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings, legislative campus visits, UCCS-hosted Board of Regents Meetings, City for Champions, the UCCS 50th Anniversary, and recovery from COVID-19,” she added.
Following her retirement, Cordova said she will enjoy spending more quality time with her husband, Anthony, who retired from UCCS three years ago and who has been waiting patiently for her to retire. After taking a month off, Andrea will return in a short-term part-time role in March to help with transitional Chancellor’s Office needs and to complete a few remaining office projects.
“It has been an honor to serve this remarkable institution, to benefit from the friendship, mentorship, support and care of others, and reciprocate along the way,” Andrea said. “I see incredible things happening in the future for UCCS and look forward to watching it happen both in my newly retired role and as a UCCS alumna. I carry with me so many fond memories and deep appreciation for the experiences I have had at UCCS.”
“Andrea’s work has been exceptional, and our campus will dearly miss her. I’m personally grateful for all she has taught me about the rich history of this university, which grounds my own thinking about our path forward,” shared Chancellor Sobanet. “As we work to build the UCCS of the future, I want to take this opportunity to consider how this position can best support the strategic work ahead. A search for a replacement will begin soon.”
As Andrea’s retirement date nears, the Chancellor’s Office will share ways in which the campus community can join in to celebrate her.