People

As General Counsel for Western Oregon University, Venu is responsible for all legal matters pertaining to the University including management of external counsel litigation matters, responding to federal and state investigations of legal issues, reviewing and writing university policies and procedures, partnering with internal stakeholders to determine university policy and strategy, and working with the WOU Board of Trustees to fulfill the University’s mission and commitment to its students and community.

Venu served as Interim Chief Legal Officer and Interim Chief Privacy Officer at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Prior to his interim roles, he was Senior Associate Counsel specializing in Human Resources, Employment Discrimination, and privacy issues. Prior to working at UTSA, he was a litigator defending medical, travel, manufacturing, and social media clients.  He also worked with the District of Columbia Public Schools on collective bargaining, employee relations, and employment discrimination issues.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Alabama, a Master of Business Administration from the George Washington School of Business, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas.

Pronouns: he/him/his

Karen joined the General Counsel’s Office in April 2024 and has over 13 years of experience working in the legal field.  Karen moved to the Willamette Valley in 2013 from Truckee, California where she worked from 2000 to 2009 in the areas of public agency representation and management-side employment and labor law. From 2009 to 2013 Karen worked as a paralegal in the Office of Richard Young in Reno, Nevada. There she assisted with criminal and divorce litigation matters, from initial consultation, discovery, to document and trial preparation.

Karen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Oregon State University and a paralegal certification from the University of Nevada, Reno. Karen worked at Oregon State University for 10 years in their Dean of Students Office before joining the General Counsel’s Office at WOU.

Areas of Service: public records management, risk management, insurance, policy development.

Pronouns: she/her/hers