Few other leaders in the Archdiocese of Louisville directly work with as many employees as Andrea Colpo.
Colpo, the director of the Personnel Office, is responsible for advising and providing support to more than 3,000 employees across the Archdiocese of Louisville.
She accomplishes this with the support of two people on staff: Crystal Barr, personnel services coordinator, and Connie DuPlessis, human resources and benefits assistant. Together they provide assistance to agency, parish and school staff as they coordinate benefits and oversee personnel policies for the archdiocese.
All three staff members are new this year. Colpo succeeds Phyliss Wilkins, long-time employee of the archdiocese who held a variety of positions in her tenure. Colpo worked alongside Wilkins for about a month prior to her retirement learning various aspects of the role.
“Phyliss did an amazing job for the archdiocese for over 20 years. My goal is to take that foundation and build on that,” Colpo said.
A native of Louisville, Colpo attended St. Lawrence Church and School. Following her graduation from Holy Cross High School in 2001, she attended Spalding University for two years, where she also played volleyball. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Indiana University Southeast with a double major in business management and marketing.
Since then she has earned certification in human resources. She’s a Society for Human Resource Management-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR).
With more than a dozen years experience in human resources, she joined the archdiocese in April. She began her career in human resources in 2006 at the Frazier History Museum. Then she held positions at First Residential Mortgage, Krunchers! Inc. and Derby Supply Chain Solutions, where she worked for the last seven and a half years.
In those roles, she said, she honed skills in benefits management, open enrollment, family leave policies and navigating various
employee relations.
She sees her new role as one in service of the people who spend their careers ministering to the people of the archdiocese.
“I’m here to give advice and provide direction,” she said in an interview at the Archdiocese of Louisville Pastoral Center last week. “I’m here to answer questions or simply give advice as they encounter challenges” related to personnel administration.
Colpo brings both experience and “wonderful skills” to the personnel office, said Dr. Brian B. Reynolds, chancellor and chief administrative officer of the archdiocese.
“A key priority for the archdiocese is caring for our employees,” he said. “They are our greatest resources.”
Having good and caring people serving in the Personnel Office is an “absolute necessity,” he said.
“In the church setting, personnel work is more than administrative, it is a ministry of leadership and service,” Reynolds said.
To her delight, Colpo said she has received a warm welcome and support from her new colleagues. She said she looks forward to getting to know more about the archdiocese as she grows in her position.
“We still have a lot to learn. As we get our feet under us, I look forward to identifying areas for growth,” she said.
In the short term, she plans to continue making connections among the various agencies, parishes and schools and soliciting feedback.
“I’m learning why things work the way they do and trying to determine if there is a better way to do things,” she said. “My goal right now is to keep advancing the department.”
Reynolds also noted Wilkins’ long record of service to the archdiocese.
“Andrea will carry on that great tradition of expertise modeled by her predecessor Phyliss Wilkins,” he said. “Phyliss left a legacy of commitment to excellence that impacted the entire archdiocese.”
Colpo and her husband, Jerrod, and their five-year-old son Jackson attend St. Michael Church. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball in a local league.
