August + September 2026 UC Spotlight: Meet the staff who’ve inspired us lately
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Our UC Spotlight column recognizes and celebrates how UC staff and their teams are making a difference for Californians and the world beyond our state. Meet the people who are bringing UC’s values to life!
To jump to a section, use the links below:
- First-hand perspectives on working at UC
- Advancing our public-service mission
- Supporting students and colleagues
- Awards, milestones and publications
- Submit your achievements!
First-hand perspectives on working at UC
Within the UC employee community, there is an array of careers spanning nearly every industry. Here are some colleagues who’ve shared what they do — and how that work is meaningful.
Multiple campuses
UC Tech News profiled several colleagues about their experiences working in the UC technology space: Beena Albert, UCOP; Ramadan Barasi, UC San Diego; Tara Cook, UCOP; Adam Hills-Meyer, UC Santa Cruz; Manisha Kanodia, UC San Diego.
UC Berkeley
Liliana “Lili” Iglesias shared her journey from Berkeley undergraduate to leader of the Miller Scholars Program, along with her commitment to helping transfer students find community, explore research and recognize their potential.
UC Davis
Several Facilities Management staff members and teams shared what it’s like to work at UC Davis: Emerson David on information systems; Steven “Lance” Hamilton on fire alarms; the Sports Turf Team — Matt Drake, Justin Clarke, Jorge Romero-Crespo and Isaac Slaven; the Business Intelligence Group — Mallory Gatchalian, Eddy Johnson, Daniel Colvin, Kiernan Salmon, Nate Rodriguez and Kim Arthur; and the Customer Experience Center—Mallory Gatchalian, Megan Wilson, Brenda Harden, Kyleigh Hernandez, Fidel Cadenas Lara and John Cypress. Sam Fernandez also shared his safety-equipment project, while Justin Cunningham and the READ Facility team discussed repurposing food waste.
UC Law SF
Melissa Hooper shared how her international work defending democratic institutions and human rights will shape her new role as executive director of UC Law SF’s Center for Constitutional Democracy.
UC Los Angeles
Steve McNaughten, UCLA’s new lead campus fire marshal, shared his action-packed career journey — including several high-profile rescues and delivering six babies, his vision for his new position and a firehouse-favorite chicken enchiladas recipe.
Jeannie Meyer, a UCLA Health palliative care nurse, shared how losing her father inspired her to help unhoused people document their end-of-life wishes and receive care with dignity.
Theresa Willis Peters, performing arts education program coordinator at UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, shared how she brings artists and K–12 students together, finds joy in her work and encourages colleagues to make space for what inspires them.
UC Office of the President
UCOP Learning and Development intern Ankita Reddy, shared what she learned while working at UCOP.
UC San Diego
Marina Cortez, a trauma nurse at UC San Diego Health, was named the 2026 Exemplary Professional Practice Inpatient Nurse of the Year for her work improving patient care, including a new standard ensuring patients with mild concussions receive cognitive consultations before leaving the hospital. She recently shared her nursing journey and the importance of the Magnet with Distinction designation.
As she prepared to retire after 15 years at UC San Diego Health, senior behavioral health registered nurse Daisy Santos reflected on the small acts of personal care she provided — from haircuts to warm showers — that helped her patients regain dignity, confidence and trust.
UC San Francisco
After 30 years of participating in the San Francisco AIDS Walk, Mary Anne Hallacy, a UCSF facilities manager and research support services program manager, shared her career path and why she continues to advocate for scientific research and fight fear with facts, compassion and community.
Maga Jackson-Triche, a UCSF Health executive advisor, shared how she and her colleagues developed a conflict competence course and book to help managers build practical skills for listening, understanding and resolving workplace conflict.
UC Santa Barbara
Demis D. John, manager of the UCSB Nanofabrication Facility, helped create a Cleanroom Bootcamp that gives students, educators and professionals hands-on semiconductor training and industry-recognized credentials. The program has helped 42 participants earn certifications and created new pathways into semiconductor careers.
Advancing our public-service mission
UC staff play a critical role in UC’s public service mission — providing services that meet communities where they are and advancing knowledge and expertise nationally. Here are a few of this month’s highlights.
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley staff members Sue Harbour, Sandra Bass and Greg Cera, shared how they are among the generations of students and alumni who have been inspired to join the Peace Corps, shaping careers and communities around the world, thanks to the university’s culture of public service.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)
Berkeley Lab is playing a major role in the federal government’s Genesis Mission, a national initiative to advance artificial intelligence in order to accelerate scientific discovery and deliver solutions to challenges in science, energy, and national security.
Inder Monga — who is director of Berkeley Lab’s Scientific Networking Division, executive director of the Energy Sciences Network, principal investigator for the Quantum Application Network Testbed for Novel Entanglement Technology project and deputy project lead of the American Science Cloud — shared how lab scientists are advancing innovation by unifying data, models and high-performance computing resources to accelerate Department of Energy science. Stefan Wild, director of Berkeley Lab’s Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, shared how the lab’s ModCon team is building and deploying self-improving AI models.
UC Berkeley
Colleagues at UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab are bringing Californians’ voices into the halls of power. Their work is improving services for farmworkers, shaping statewide youth and racial equity efforts and creating new ways for communities to inform government decisions.
UC Berkeley School of Public Health is launching the Bay Area Community Health Fellows Program with the aim of building a pipeline of public health leaders who are ready to solve complex problems, including homelessness, substance use, community violence and untreated mental illness.
UC Davis
The UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing convened more than 50 nurse leaders from across the country for the seventh annual convocation of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators in Washington, D.C., where participants explored strategies for communicating research, countering misinformation and advancing health policy.
Julie Dang, Heather Leisy and Fabrizio Saraceni introduced a new UC Davis Health pilot program to advance at-home cervical cancer screening.
Charlene Green, UC Davis School of Medicine assistant dean of admissions, outreach and medical pathways, shared the impact of CMSP AvenueM — a community college-to-medical-school pathway program that reduces barriers to medical and other healthcare careers, ultimately addressing the physician shortage.
Mike Condrin, interim chief executive officer of UC Davis Health, shared how the Congressional-created 340B program allows UC Davis Medical Center to provide vital community services, including free and low-cost medications, community health screenings, children’s critical care ambulance rides and more.
Child Life Specialist Sarah von Glasenapp introduced Jerome — the UC Davis Children’s Hospital’s newest facility dog — who brings joy and reassurance to children with complex medical needs.
UC Davis’ “Team B” — Kian Nikzad, Wendy Mather, Joseph Tauzer, Matthew Hoepfinger and Samantha “Sam” Murray — support the greater Davis community through pollinator education, public outreach and hands-on learning at the UC Davis Bee Haven.
UC Merced
The UC Merced COSMOS team welcomed 161 California high school students to the inaugural four-week summer session, where students explored STEM topics through research projects, mentorship and hands-on experiences with UC faculty, researchers and industry partners.
The UC Merced Karen Merritt Writing Program partnered with the Merced College English Department and Fresno City College to co-host the Institute on Reading and Writing Pedagogy, a California course that trained 13 instructors to help students — particularly first-generation college students — develop deeper reading and writing skills in the age of artificial intelligence.
UC San Diego
In July, UC San Diego’s Indigenous Futures Institute, housed within the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, continued to strengthen partnerships with local Native communities by hosting Indigi-Con, an event that brought together Indigenous storytelling, art, cultural knowledge, public health and youth leadership.
UC San Diego hosted Southern California’s first United Nations Reboot the Earth hackathon, where students developed technology to help communities prevent, prepare for and respond to wildfires. Melissa Floca, chief innovation officer for the Societal Computing and Innovation Lab, helped ground the event in Southern California’s wildfire realities.
Colleagues from UC San Diego’s REIMAGINE CENTER and Design Lab partnered to bring together transplant experts, patients, caregivers, donors, community leaders and students for a 72-hour Design-a-thon focused on creating compassionate, human-centered solutions to the nationwide organ shortage.
UC San Francisco
UCSF Health launched UCSF Health Converge, a new accelerator developed with Kleiner Perkins and Doerr Capital to help companies build, test and scale patient-centered artificial intelligence tools in real-world care settings. The program will bring clinicians, operators and technology leaders together to create solutions that support patients and care teams.
UC Santa Barbara
Arin Abed, facility manager of UCSB’s new Protofab, helped launch a prototyping hub for packaging microchips and photonics. The facility will help researchers and companies turn microchips into working prototypes while expanding innovation and workforce opportunities.
Supporting students and colleagues
Staff create and execute programs that make our campuses better places to live, work and study. Here are some recent initiatives that are making a big local impact.
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley recently became the first UC location to host College Horizons, welcoming Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students for a five-day college access experience focused on admissions, financial aid and academic opportunities. Watch the Instagram reel!
UC Berkeley’s new Undergraduate Academic Building will give students a central hub for learning, with 25 classrooms, a 400-seat auditorium and new offices for the College of Letters and Science Undergraduate Division.
UC Berkeley’s College of Computing, Data Science, and Society welcomed students and community members to the newly opened Barbara and Gerson Bakar Gateway through orientation sessions and an open house showcasing its classrooms, lecture halls, study spaces and student services.
UC Davis
Andrea Hanson and Jordon Nakada — with cameos from Genella Cipar and Dreya Yin — shared how the UC Davis Talent and Outreach Services and Career Center teams collaborated to promote healthcare career paths amongst undergraduate students.
The UC Davis Staff Assembly (Davis and Health Campuses), UC Davis Retirees Association, UC Davis Employee Well-being, and Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (GSPD SACNAS), partnered to create the UC Davis Staff Food Access Program, which is designed to address food insecurity among UC Davis staff and retirees.
Myrene Abot provided highlights from the UC Davis Offices of the Chancellor and Provost’s week-long scavenger hunt, which encouraged staff to explore new corners on and around campus.
UC Irvine
The UC Irvine Staff Assembly hosted its annual Staff Appreciation Picnic to recognize staff for supporting the UC Irvine community! Check out social photos and video from UC Irvine’s Staff Assembly, Continuing Education, Office of Inclusive Excellence and School of Law.
The UC Irvine ZotUnity team brought 353 UC Irvine medical students together for the fourth annual ZotUnity Day, highlighting the program’s work to support all 500 M.D. students through academic tutoring, career advising, wellness activities and peer mentorship.
UC Merced
UC Merced welcomed its largest incoming class in university history at the Scholars Bridge Crossing, an annual tradition that brings new first-year and transfer students together to mark the start of their academic journeys.
UC Riverside
The UC Riverside School of Medicine welcomed 101 new medical and biomedical sciences students during Orientation Week, which featured community partner visits, student wellness activities, an information and resource fair and a White Coat Ceremony, with support from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education, SOM Facilities, SOM IT, Development and the Office of Strategic Initiatives.
UC Riverside Staff Assembly welcomed more than 300 attendees and 51 vendors to its annual Community Partner Fair, which showcased campus services, health and wellness resources and products from outside vendors and opened to the public for the first time.
UC San Diego
UC San Diego Health colleagues celebrated Pride by raising flags across medical centers and displaying panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Owen Clinic. This annual recognition honors the LGBTQ+ community and its contributions while reaffirming UC San Diego Health’s commitment to inclusive, equitable care.
The UC San Diego Athletics, Alumni Relations and Division of Extended Studies teams launched the Earl W. Edwards Lectureship on Athletics and Society. Named in honor of the former director of athletics who led UC San Diego for 25 years, the lectureship explores how athletics can foster leadership, resilience, lifelong learning and community.
UC San Francisco
UCSF’s Housing and Facilities teams expanded smart-locker capacity at Mission Bay Housing, making package pickup more secure and convenient. Laura Eisenberg, Henry Holmes, Mario Quijano, Jeimy Loyola and Edward To helped complete the installation, while Holmes placed more than 6,000 packages in lockers over the past year.
Awards, milestones and publications
Within and beyond the university, staff efforts are being recognized daily. Here are some of the many recent awards and recognitions.
UC Agriculture & Natural Resources
UC ANR employees and partners received several 2026 Association for Communication Excellence awards for work highlighting agricultural research, wildfire preparedness and online education. Gold Award winners included Jutta Burger, Caroline Champlin, Thomas Getts, Petr Kosina, Tunyalee Martin, Christopher McDonald, Scott Oneto, Amy Quinton, Cheryl Reynolds and Constance Taylor. The awards recognized an audio program on the impact of bird flu on competitive poultry showing and a self-paced course on calibrating herbicide applications. Doralicia Garay received a Silver Award for a social media campaign on wildfire resources, while Mike Hsu and Ethan Ireland received Bronze Awards for a video helping foresters reduce wildfire risk through prescribed burns.
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley received a national #CelebrateFirstGen grant to support this year’s First-Generation College Celebration. The funding will help the campus recognize first-generation students and strengthen community as Berkeley’s Educational Opportunity Program marks its 60th anniversary.
UC Davis
UC Davis’ Arboretum and Public Garden marked 90 years of innovation in horticulture, climate resilience, community engagement, and student leadership, shaping the campus and influencing gardens and institutions far beyond UC Davis.
UC Davis was recognized by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression for the largest year-over-year improvement in its College Free Speech Rankings, rising from 252nd to 24th among 261 universities. The recognition reflected the university’s commitment to free expression and progress in strengthening its speech policies and practices.
UC Davis Staff Assembly recognized staff members and scholarship recipients through its 2026 Citations of Excellence and Scholarship programs: Belen Alcantar, Will Arcement-Angel, Des Beach, Rachel Bingham, Lian Boos, Natalie Bold, Stacey Brezing, Arial Collatz, Monica Fischer, Malina Gilles-Doherty, Anya Gibson, Jaritza Granillo, Gayle Guest-Brown, Matthew Hoepfinger, Brianne Holden, Kandis Kaltenbach, Erin Kent, Derrek Kelly, Leslie Kemp, Paul Kim, Kimiko Kojima, Kate Marusina, Syn Mateo, Wendy Mather, Katie McHenry, Kian Nikzad, BreAnda Northcutt, Casey Raubach, Jose Roa, Angelica Rolon, Martin Serrano, Arra Jane Soriano, Joseph Tauzer, Martin Tellez, Miles Thorne, Chandra Travis, Tyara Walker, Christine Yung and Vanessa Zumstein.
UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) recognized eight staff members with VMTH Staff Excellence Awards for their leadership, patient care, technical expertise, supervision, administrative support and commitment to colleagues. Congratulations to Jennifer LaSance, Tina Souza, Jessica Behar, Michelle Solorio, Megan Loscar, Alex Beech and Diana Taylor.
The UC Davis Health video team won a Northern California Emmy for “Saving Viggo,” a documentary about a kitten whose groundbreaking neurosurgery could help advance treatment for babies with hydrocephalus.
UC Los Angeles
Suzanne Seplow, UCLA’s associate vice chancellor for student development and health, was honored with the Distinguished Career Award for her dedicated service, institutional knowledge and contributions to the campus community.
Olena Svetlov, a UCLA Health clinical nurse specialist who specializes in cardiology care, was named to a three-year term on the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Board of Directors.
The UCLA Stein Eye Institute welcomed its first all-women ophthalmology residency class, marking a milestone for the 60-year-old program and highlighting the importance of diverse perspectives in patient care and the future of the field.
UC Merced
Chef Mitch Vanagten, UC Merced’s executive chef for Lakeside Catering, received the inaugural Paul Fairbrook Spirit of Service Award for his leadership, mentorship and community impact in collegiate dining. The national honor recognizes Vanagten’s more than two decades of service to UC Merced and the Central Valley.
UC Riverside
The UC Riverside Staff Assembly honored Deejay Brown, Laura Cantrell, Noah Jones, Jeff Girod, Laurie Graham, Bart Kats, Daniel Lopez Salas, Leticia Mojica, Krista Norwood, Kara Oswood and Charlie Scruggs with Outstanding Staff Awards, recognizing their outstanding service, leadership, commitment to diversity, support for colleagues and contributions to the university community.
Deisy Vaca, assistant director of student success at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy, was elected vice chair of the University of California Academic Advising Council, where she will help guide systemwide efforts to strengthen academic advising and student success across UC’s nine undergraduate campuses.
UC Riverside Dining Services received a silver award and two bronze awards from the National Association of College & University Food Services, recognizing its Breaking Bread outreach event, a South Asian food and culture celebration and the Den dining market.
UC Riverside Recreation received Praesidium’s highest accreditation for abuse prevention, recognizing its commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment through strong policies, training, screening, supervision and incident-response practices.
UC San Diego
The UC San Diego Black Staff Association honored members of the campus and broader community at its sixth annual Juneteenth celebration. The Nguzo Saba Awards recognized Angela Booker, Dennis Childs, Anthony Davis, Jasmine Henderson, Frank Johnson, Lamar Perry and Christiana Russell for embodying Kwanzaa principles through their leadership, service and contributions to UC San Diego. The I Am Black Excellence Awards honored Ahliyah Chambers, Ivan Evans, Leticia Harrison, John Martin, Chris Walters and Veronica Wilson for their achievements and contributions to the university community. The Hollis Gentry III Award was presented to Monica Montgomery-Steppe for her legacy, service and lasting community impact.
Edward Abeyta, associate dean at UC San Diego’s Division of Extended Studies, introduced the new Earl W. Edwards Lectureship on Athletics and Society, explaining that the lectureship — which celebrates the legacy of former director of athletics Earl W. Edwards — “reflects the university’s commitment to exploring the powerful role athletics plays in shaping leadership, education and community.”
UC San Diego opened the Triton Health and Wellness Building, bringing physical and mental health services together in one central location and expanding access to care for students, faculty, staff and the broader community.
UC San Francisco
UCSF Facilities received the 2026 Association of Educational Facilities Professionals Sustainability Innovation Award for its Furniture Reuse Program, which has redistributed more than 2,200 pieces of furniture and diverted over 173,000 pounds of material from disposal.
Rebecca Silvers, founding director of the UCSF Center for Global Nursing, will join the American Academy of Nursing’s 2026 Class of Fellows alongside seven other members of the UCSF School of Nursing community. The fellows are being recognized for their contributions to improving health locally and around the world.
The UCSF Department of Medicine recognized Yumiko Abe-Jones, Melissa Akers, Brian Aldana, Tiffany Barber, Adriann Begay, Andrea Bordallo, Deepalika Chakravarty, Michael Chang, Sherry Chen, Jade Christey, Robin Craig, Sam Dilworth, Solomon Emmanuel, Robin Fatch, Dana Fong, Kim Gorcyca, Gato Gourley, Sally Guthrie, Vera Hsu, Grace Israelit, Scarlett Jin, Kris Jong, Gayle Kojimoto-Hume, Christine Lam, Nancy Li, Raeni Miller, Danielle Mizuiri, Kelly Musoke, Tri Nguyen, James Nolan, Martha Ockenfels-Martinez, Ilona Paredes, Kenny Perez, Alejandra Perez Tello, Neonila Pytel, Alicia Ramirez, Mitch Rassner, Cherie Ros, Samantha Santiago, Aaron Tabacco, Tiffany Tam, Kristina Toma, Victoria Toussaint, Nancy Tran, Paige Welikson, Pat Wirattigowit, Anna Yau and Rosemary Yau with 2026 UCSF STAR Achievement Awards for their sustained outstanding performance and meaningful contributions to the university’s mission.
The UCSF School of Pharmacy recognized Christina Chen, Lisa Duca, Emma Gunderson, Sahru Keiser, Wan-Yu Lai, Alyssa Lam, Maggie Lam, Karen Lau, Kristina Leung, Peter Lu, Rachel Lynch, Laura Moy, Yvonne Munchua, Kiyomi Noguchi, Joslyn Polzien, Alyscia Richards, Jon Rey, Jimmy Sit and Tara Wong with SPOT or Achievement Awards for their exceptional contributions during the first half of 2026.
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara was named a winner of the 2026 AWS Champions Program, sponsored by the Center for Digital Government and Education, for setting new benchmarks in innovation and real-world impact through cloud technology. The recognition highlighted the work of UCSB’s IT team, which moved more than 800 servers to the cloud, reduced costs and freed campus space.
Submit your achievements!
UC Spotlight honors workplaces, teams and individual staff members that make UC a great place to work. To submit a recognition or achievement for consideration, please send a URL, along with photos or additional information, to the UCnetwork editorial team.
Please note that UC Spotlight is intended to reflect staff-specific achievements; to that end, we do not accept recognitions that are student, faculty or alumni-focused. Submissions are chosen for publication at the editor’s discretion. Funding and promotion/hiring announcements are not appropriate for this feature.