Paul D. Brooks of UC Berkeley and Catherine A. Brennan of UCLA have been elected staff representatives to the University of California Retirement System Advisory Board.

More than 11,000 staff cast ballots in the election, with Brooks and Brennan receiving the most votes in a field of seven candidates.

Brennan, a researcher at UCLA’s AIDS Institute and Department of Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine, joined UCLA in 2009.  Reacting to her election, she said, "I want to bring my analytical skills and sense of fairness to discussions of pension issues."

Brooks, a spectroscopist in UC Berkeley’s plant and soil biology department, has been a UC employee for 31 years and is a member of the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union.  He has both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from UC Davis.  

He was unavailable for comment, but said in his campaign statement that he will work to make the pension plan sustainable for all employees - past, present, and future.

The election, which was held over 25 days and closed June 17, was conducted with a multi-media campaign and extensive outreach efforts, with both electronic and paper balloting, Spanish translations, and an independent third-party vendor.  As a result of these efforts, participation was much higher than in the prior staff election.

The pair will join the Board July 1, becoming part of an 11-member advisory group to the President that represents a cross-section of the university community. They will both serve a four-year term on the Board.

In addition to the two seats held by elected staff representatives, the Board includes two members selected by the Academic Senate; the Chief Investment Officer, Presidential appointments, and representatives of the Council of UC Emeriti Associations and Council of UC Retiree Associations.

The Board meets a minimum of three times a year to discuss issues relating to all members, retirees and their beneficiaries for the retirement plans of the University, including:

  • University of California Retirement Plan (UCRP)
  • Tax-Deferred 403(b) Plan
  • 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan
  • Defined Contribution Plan

Learn more about the UCRS Advisory Board and the election process