By Greta Carl-Halle, CUCSA
Founded in 1974, the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) is a systemwide employee resource group that maintains and enhances communication within the university community on matters of interest to staff employees in accordance with California laws and Regent policies.
CUCSA is composed of 26 two staff representatives — two from each of the ten academic campuses, the Office of the President, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources — and is led by a five-person Executive Board. The Board is elected annually and composed of experienced staff leaders and advocates from throughout the UC system.
Meet the 2024-25 Executive Board
On July 1, 2024, CUCSA delegates elected and installed the 2024-25 Executive Board, which includes:
- Chair: Jen Bowser, sustainability procurement program manager and supplier diversity officer, Procurement, UC Santa Barbara
- Chair-Elect: Desiree Hennon, payroll and records analyst, Human Resources, UC San Diego
- Operations officer: Jeremy Thacker, assistant director, Educational and Student Success Technologies, Office of Information Technology, UC Irvine (re-elected)
- Immediate past chair: John Bodenschatz, director of finance, School of Humanities, UC Irvine
- Communications officer: Greta Carl-Halle, UC Santa Barbara, business officer, Computer Science Department, UC Santa Barbara (pilot role)
Collectively, this year’s Board members have 90 years of UC service and have spent decades serving in staff leadership roles at their respective campuses.
“As I step down from my role as chair, I am proud of the foundational work our delegation accomplished last year,” says John. “Our efforts have fortified the organization, making CUCSA a stronger group and better-informed UC staff advocates. Over the coming year, I am confident that Jen and the rest of her team will build on this foundation, create new, innovative, findings and recommendations, and guide us to even greater heights. Thank you all for your unwavering support and dedication to CUCSA and UC staff.”
“Staff’s dedication and tireless efforts are the backbone of UC. It’s the work behind the scenes that ensures our success,” says Jen. “Whether supporting students, maintaining our facilities or managing operations, staff contributions are invaluable. The role of CUCSA in advocating on behalf of all staff members at the university cannot be overstated. We serve as a vital voice, ensuring that the needs, concerns and aspirations of our dedicated staff are heard and addressed. By promoting open communication and collaboration, CUCSA bridges the gap between staff and administration, ensuring that staff members are valued and empowered to achieve their fullest potential.”
Looking ahead to the 2024-25 CUCSA year
This year marks CUCSA’s 50th anniversary championing policy-covered UC staff. Its many accomplishments have included successfully advocating for benefits for non-traditional families, paid family leave, and pay increases before the Board of Regents. CUCSA developed and advocated for the staff advisor to the UC Regents position, which was unanimously adopted by the Regents in 2007. In 2012, CUCSA established the first Systemwide Engagement Survey to provide an opportunity for all employees to share their experiences of working at UC. Explore a timeline of CUCSA’s accomplishments.
In the months to come, Jen and Desiree will attend all UC Board of Regents meetings. The full Executive Board will meet quarterly with UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., and other Office of the President leadership. The full CUCSA delegation will come together at four in-person meetings to share best practices and discuss staff issues. In 2024-25, quarterly meetings will be held at UC Santa Cruz in September, UCLA in December, UC Davis in March, and UC Berkeley in June. Outside of these meetings, the delegation will form and meet in workgroups to research and address specific issues impacting staff.
More about the 2024-25 CUCSA Executive Board
Executive Board Chair Jen Bowser has nine years of UC service and is currently the sustainability procurement program manager and supplier diversity officer at UC Santa Barbara. Prior to UC Santa Barbara, she managed sustainability engagement efforts for students, researchers and staff at UC San Diego. Jen is skilled in financial services — she began her UC San Diego career as a senior accountant and previously worked in financial services at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she revitalized and co-chaired the EcoOpportunity sustainability team. When Jen began working at UC San Diego in 2014, she served on the Staff Sustainability Network Executive Board. She then joined the UC San Diego Staff Association Executive Board and was nominated chair-elect in 2020. After her term as chair, she was elected CUCSA operations officer; in 2023, she became CUCSA chair-elect. Jen values community and sees her role within CUCSA as fostering a workplace that is supportive, safe and rewarding for all staff.
Executive Board Chair-Elect Desiree Hennon has 11 years of UC service and is currently a Human Resources payroll and records analyst. Since joining UC San Diego in 2012, she has specialized in payroll and human resources — experiences that have positioned her at the forefront of customer connection and experience throughout the UC San Diego community. Prior to joining the CUCSA Executive Board as chair-elect, Desiree served two years as chair of the UC San Diego Staff Association. She looks forward to working on behalf of UC staff systemwide, recognizing colleagues’ vital work while advocating for their well-being. Desiree is a San Diego native with deep community roots. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her eight nephews and nieces and volunteering at the San Diego Humane Society, where she has donated more than 800 hours over 13+ years.
Executive Board Operations Officer Jeremy Thacker has 12 years of UC service and is the assistant director for educational and student success technologies in the Office of Information Technology at UC Irvine. Jeremy has been a UC Irvine Staff Assembly volunteer for 10 years, including serving as chair. Other UC Irvine campus involvements have included the Strategic Plan Workgroup and Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Staff. Jeremy is entering his fifth year as a CUCSA volunteer. As operations officer, he strives to magnify the impact of CUCSA and its delegates by creating an environment that fosters creativity, collaboration and productivity. In his downtime, he can be found playing video games, exercising or dining out with friends. An Orange County native, Jeffrey graduated from UC Irvine in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in information and computer science. He returned in 2012 as a software engineer.
Executive Board Communications Officer Greta Carl-Halle has 30 years of UC service and is the business officer in the UC Santa Barbara Computer Science Department. She has served on the UC Santa Barbara Staff Assembly for more than 20 years and has served on CUCSA three times, including as chair of the Board in 2015-16. Greta is a member of UC Santa Barbara’s Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women, the Gaucho Mentor Connection and a founding member of the Staff Engagement Workgroup. She is a UC Santa Barbara alumna; since moving from Pennsylvania for her bachelor’s degree, Greta has held a variety of campus staff positions and has worked her way up from a student worker to her current managerial position. She is an avid sewer, gardener and traveler.
Executive Board Past Chair John Bodenschatz has 28 years of UC service, serving in areas ranging from financial services to the School of Law to neurobiology, before serving as director of finance for the UC Irvine School of Humanities. John is interested in improving workspaces through teambuilding and the application of technology to update status quo practices to best achieve positive outcomes for individual employees, workplace teams, academic units and the university. John has highly valued his time as an assessor for the UC Management Skills Assessment Program; he greatly appreciated the opportunity to help develop a video series highlighting staff and their career paths at UC Irvine. Outside of work, John enjoys woodworking and making jewelry; serving on a community garden repair and maintenance committee; and hosting charitable events in his University Hills neighborhood, including co-organizing the 2021 Fresh Food Fair.
More information about CUCSA, the delegation and this year’s workgroups can be found on the Council of UC Staff Assemblies website.