The Office of Faculty Affairs

Catherine Kleier, Ph.D.

Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs

Catherine (Cath) Kleier earned her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UCLA. Her PhD focused on convergent evolution and ecophysiology of the cushion plant growth form in California and Chile. She spent 20 years in the classroom teaching biology, ecology, and environmental science, primarily at Regis University in Denver, CO. In 2013, Dr. Kleier was awarded a National Geographic award, and in 2014, she was a Fulbright Scholar to New Zealand. In 2015, Dr. Kleier was named the Carnegie Foundation Colorado Professor of the Year. In 2023, she joined Metropolitan State University – Denver as the Associate Vice President of Faculty Affairs at where she guides faculty recruitment, development, and retention. In 2024, she represented MSU Denver in the inaugural Kazakhstan-U.S. University Consortium. In 2025, Dr. Kleier completed the WICHE Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education Academic Leadership Academy. She is also the author of two popular Great Courses on plant biology and plant identification.

[email protected] 303-605-5862

Ingrid Carter, Ph.D.

Director of Faculty Affairs

Ingrid Carter joined the MSU Denver community in 2014 as a faculty member in the School of Education’s Department of Elementary Education and Literacy. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in science education from Indiana University, Bloomington. Dr. Carter was the recipient of MSU Denver’s Excellence in Online Teaching Award in 2021, an MSU Denver Faculty Senate Teaching Excellence Award in 2019, and the 2019 Colorado Association of Science Teachers (CAST) Award for Excellence in Teaching College Science. She is a native of Oakland, CA and was a bilingual elementary teacher in the Bay Area for 4 years. Dr. Carter loves Colorado and the Denver area—she enjoys hiking, reading, running, and spending time with her husband and twin sons and with friends. She is honored to serve as the Director of Faculty Affairs and to work with the fantastic faculty and staff of MSU Denver.

[email protected] 303-615-0261

Tracey Verhasselt

Program Manager for Faculty Affairs

I am a semi-native of Colorado (moved here when I was 9), but originally born in upstate New York. Alumni of MSU (previously Metro State...or just called Metro) , where I obtained my Bachelors in Political Science and minored in Public Administration. I love studying Law and Politics.... After college, I explored other opportunities and eventually found my way into the educational arena. Spent the last 13 years working in higher education in both an online and ground campus setting. Most of my time has been working with college students, but for the last few years my career has led me into areas where I support faculty. Recently worked on Staff Senate, where I supported staff on several initiatives including professional development and an administrators/staff complaint policy. On a personal note, I recently married my best friend and fellow classmate from high school. I have three grown sons, one of which also works at MSU-Denver and is an alumni. In my spare time, I love hiking in the mountains, camping, and enjoying nature whenever possible. Spending time with my husband, and sons, and of course our dog Lucy. I’m a huge Broncos fan as well! Colorado has the best sunsets as they are almost always ORANGE!

[email protected] 303-605-7653