June + July 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.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
Fam Lee, a UC ANR Small Farms community educator, shared her compelling personal and career journey — from fleeing Laos due to political persecution to managing a strawberry farm to her current work with Iu Mien farmers. “What makes my heart sing the most is when I visit the growers and I see them happy,” she says.
UC Davis
UC Davis retirees Felicia Smith, Andrew Hargadon, Neelima Sinha and Alison Van Eenennaam shared their experiences of the university’s impact on their careers.
UC Davis Information Systems Manager Emerson David shared how his role has evolved alongside the campus’s technology needs.
Steven “Lance” Hamilton shared how his career has evolved over 13+ years with UC Davis Facilities Management.
UCLA
Leading up to his participation in TEDxUCLA, senior custodian Daniel Estrada, who has worked at UCLA for 15 years, shared his candid philosophy about personal responsibility, work ethic and the importance of taking ownership of even the smallest tasks.
Twenty-seven-year employee Jason Amoros, associate director of store operations and services at the UCLA Store in Ackerman Union, shared why he’s passionate about graduation regalia.
Tom Poveromo, UCLA Transportation fleet acquisition specialist, shared how he uses his expertise to ensure that every team has the perfect ride, from mobile stroke and eye clinics to UCLA Health Head Start’s new “preschool on wheels” — the first of its kind in the nation.
UC Office of the President
Bill Freire, assistant director of technology delivery at UCPath, shared highlights of his 23-year UC career and the emerging tech he finds most exciting.
UCSF
Department of Surgery Clerkship Coordinator Amber Cobbett shared why she created the UCSF skateboard club and how a visit to campus changed her career path.
Kyle Nash, project policy analyst at UCSF, sat down with UC Tech News to talk about emerging tech, his leadership strategy and what he’s been reading lately.
In advance of his retirement, Retail Vendor Specialist Robert Kirkbride shared how he made his way to UCSF — including his background in film, what he’s found most rewarding and his future plans.
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.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley Lab is partnering with industry and across the quantum research ecosystem to create and test devices, develop software and algorithms, and build prototypes. This work plays a key role in the new state initiative, Quantum California, which coordinates our leadership in quantum technology, workforce development and economic growth. “Berkeley Lab’s expertise and capabilities are a vital component of the nation’s quantum ecosystem and help ensure that breakthroughs can move from experimental stages to practical applications,” said Bert de Jong, Quantum Systems Accelerator Director and Berkeley Lab scientist.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
The result of a cross-sector partnership initiated by UC ANR’s Nutrition Policy Institute, Harvest of the Month — the only program of its kind in the U.S. — is a “farm to corrections” initiative that brings California-grown produce to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities.
UC Berkeley
Staff at the Jepson Herbarium at UC Berkeley have been creating informative videos to help Californians better understand native plants in their surroundings. Their newest release is about chlorogalum, aka soap plant.
UC Davis
Deepthi Busayavalasa, hematologist and medical oncologist, and Jennifer Aldred, nurse practitioner in hematology and medical oncology, of UC Davis Health, are expanding rural access to oncology treatment at Marshall Cancer Center.
UC Davis Health is partnering with the Sacramento VA Medical Center to transform access to liver transplants for veterans in Northern California — dramatically increasing the number of patients able to receive this life-saving care.
UC Irvine
UC Irvine Health Regional Burn Center physicians, nurses and staff held their 19th annual summer picnic, which welcomed more than 100 burn survivors and their loved ones — reuniting patients with their care teams and facilitating peer connections. This follows a May art workshop at which burn survivors created artwork using their scars.
UC Irvine Health also gathered colleagues, Orange County elected officials and community organizations to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day to raise awareness about the growing number of gun violence-related injuries and deaths.
The UC Irvine School of Law’s Community and Economic Development Clinic helped Salinas residents purchase their mobile home park — housing that is crucial for Spanish-speaking residents, including many farmworkers.
In partnership with UC Irvine Health colleagues, community members and local artists, President and CEO Chad Lefteris led an initiative to display 300 commissioned art pieces and 1,300 reproductions, primarily by local artists, throughout the three new buildings on the UCI Health — Irvine campus. Ellen Khoudari, senior project manager in UCI Health Planning, Design & Construction, managed the selection and installation.
UC Irvine’s Noel Drury, M.D. Institute for Translational Depression Discoveries is the first institute in the nation to formally unite multiple academic schools in a coordinated effort to address depression.
UC Law SF
UC Law SF Dean of Enrollment Management June Sakamoto shared how the law school is partnering with local government agencies and offering tuition discounts to expand access to legal education for public-sector employees, helping workers sharpen their skills and better serve their communities.
UCLA
The UCLA Health Center for Nursing Excellence and UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing hosted a conference for more than 250 health care leaders to explore how nursing research, leadership and new technologies are improving patient care.
UC Merced
Vice Chancellor of Research and Economic Development Gillian Wilson, Assistant Vice Chancellor Charity Follett and their teams helped spotlight UC Merced innovations at Merced 2 Market, where researchers pitched ideas and projects for solving real-world problems to business leaders, investors and community partners.
UC Merced is opening doors to college through a new partnership between CalTeach and Bakersfield’s Migrant Education Program, bringing sixth-graders from migrant families to campus for a bilingual, hands-on STEM academy.
UC San Diego
UC San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center and Office of Innovation & Commercialization launched a new 10-week program to help local clinicians, scientists, engineers and trainees bring promising cancer discoveries closer to patients.
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara and United Way of Santa Barbara County’s 30th annual United for Education campaign raised over $102,000, with more than 500 UCSB community members participating through volunteerism, events, and donations. Funds are used for local programs that help K-12 students succeed in and out of the classroom.
The UC Santa Barbara Library’s Thoreau Edition, founded in 1966 with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, published the third and final edition of Henry David Thoreau’s letters, which reveal many new insights into Thoreau’s mindset near the end of his life.
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 Davis
Christina DeMartini Reyes, campus landscape architect, and Mayton Xu, associate campus landscape architect, shared how UC Davis is shaping its physical sciences district.
Justin Cunningham, facility operator at the Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester, shared how the facility quietly supports some of UC Davis’s most ambitious sustainability goals by transforming waste into food.
The UC Davis Customer Experience Center, led by Supervisor Mallory Gatchalian, works behind the scenes to coordinate responses and guide requests from initial report to final resolution.
Staff at the UC Davis Business Intelligence Group — Mallory Gatchalian, Eddy Johnson, Daniel Colvin, Kiernan Salmon, Nate Rodriguez and Kim Arthur — are transforming how Facilities Management uses data to support decision-making, improve operations and solve complex organizational challenges.
The UC Davis Grounds and Landscape Services Sports Turf Team creates and maintains the campus’s high-performance athletic fields — a science and an art.
UCLA
The UCLA Office of Campus and Community Safety has launched a central hub where students, faculty and staff can sign up their offices and departments for safety trainings from the UCLA Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management.
UC Office of the President
The UCOP Asian Pacific Islander Staff Association hosted two joyful celebrations of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures, traditions and community for local colleagues — a Cherry Blossom Celebration and Rice Is Life event.
Members of UCOP Pride welcomed all UCOP colleagues to celebrate Pride Month with their annual ice cream social. President Milliken attended and shared remarks.
UC San Diego
The UCSD Computer Science and Engineering Department opened a new Computer Science and Engineering Data Center — a state-of-the-art 2,900-square-foot center designed to provide a central hub for studying, problem-solving and collaboration.
UC Santa Cruz
UC Santa Cruz police officers and dispatchers were honored for saving the lives of two people in two incidents. Thank you to Sargents W. Clayton and J. Watson; Officers A. Heebner and S. Mercado; trainee Officer J. Venzon; and Dispatchers H. Faulk, J. Lindblad and Cheryl Seldon for protecting the community!
UC Santa Cruz Dining staff partnered with nutritional psychology instructor Andrea Cook to provide an opportunity for students to have a hands-on culinary learning experience.
The UC Santa Cruz Division of Social Sciences hosted its annual student awards luncheon at the Cowell Ranch Historic Hay Barn to honor and recognize changemakers making a difference through their academic and research excellence.
UC Santa Cruz Employee Housing opened the waitlist for the UC Shared Appreciation Pilot Program, a first-of-its-kind workforce housing initiative to expand affordable homeownership opportunities and support the long-term financial stability of the campus community.
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.
Multi-campus efforts
Colleagues from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA, UCOP, UC San Diego, UCSF and UC Santa Barbara won 28 Circle of Excellence Awards — including 10 Golds and one Grand Gold — from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Berkeley Lab
Incoming Berkeley Lab Director Kathy Yelick was awarded the AI Honors Public Science Award from the Washington AI Network in recognition of her pioneering work in high-performance computing and machine learning, which has powered scientific discovery. “[It was] such a privilege to be among the honorees, past and present, and meet the impressive AI leaders in the government, education, and the private sector,” shared Cathy.
A Berkeley Lab Molecular Foundry research team, led by Staff Scientist Carolin Sutter-Fella published their recent study — a data-driven approach to accelerating the path toward spin-based optoelectronic technologies — in the journal “Matter.”
UC Davis
UC Davis Children’s Hospital was named one of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals by Newsweek magazine and Statista, a global market research and consumer data firm.
Rachel Teagle, founding director of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis, shared how the museum will celebrate its 10th anniversary through a yearlong series of special exhibitions featuring new works, events and initiatives that look to the museum’s future and engage both visitors and the university community.
UC Irvine
UC Irvine Health celebrated its 50th anniversary! An unwavering commitment to its mission — Discover. Teach. Heal. — has spurred its transformation from a single hospital into one of California’s largest academic health systems.
Colleagues at the UC Irvine Staff Assembly and UC Irvine HR presented the 15th annual Staff Assembly Excellence in Leadership Awards, celebrating Alisa Rubalcaba, Jennifer Gerson, Jennifer Nelson Martinez, Jill Halvaks, Teresa Martinez Gonzalez and Mary Gillis as supervisors and managers whose leadership transforms the experiences of employees across both campus and UC Irvine Health operations.
UC Irvine School of Social Ecology colleagues Mimi Ko Cruz and Matt Coker were recognized with Excellence in Journalism Awards by the Orange County Press Club.
Upon her end-of-June retirement, UC Irvine Chief of Police Liz Griffin was recognized for advanced transparency, fostered community engagement and earned national recognition for her team.
UC Riverside
Inside UCR honored several retiring staff and faculty members with mini profiles. Congratulations to KA Aguilar, Shou-Wei Ding, Kathleen Eiler, Claire Federici, Michael Fugate, Gloria Gonzalez-Rivera, Jang-Ting Guo, Sampurna Hariputra, Susan Hollobaugh, Deborah Huston, Margene Mastin-Schepps, Linda Sanada, Maria Simani, Nicole Sparks, Susan Straight, Cliff Trafzer and Crissy Ward.
UC San Diego
Women’s Basketball Coach Heidi VanDerveer was recognized with the Excellence in Coaching Award at the 2026 Triton Awards.
The UC San Diego iTable Basic Needs Program received the Association of International Education Administrators’ 2026 Innovative Excellence in Internationalization Award for providing meaningful improvements in students’ well-being, focus, and academic performance.
For the fifth consecutive year, UC San Diego Health received multiple awards from Practice Greenhealth, a national environmental solutions company. The Jacobs Medical Center and Hillcrest Medical Center were named Greenhealth Leaders, with Hillcrest also recognized in the Top 10 in the Country , and by a Circle of Excellence Award in Climate. The East Campus Medical Center was named a Greenhealth Champion, its first recognition since its acquisition.
Several staff members and teams were honored in the fourth annual UC San Diego Health Improvement Excellence Awards and Showcase, including the GI outreach project team, community doula program team, OB triage charge capture project team, medical supply donation program team, Health Human Resources Masterclass team, patient rest and experience guidelines team, and standardized postpartum hypertension protocol team.
UCSF
UCSF’s 2026 Chancellor Distinguished Service Awards recognized several staff members for outstanding impact! Chancellor Award for Public Service: Carina Marquez and Robert W. Williams III. Chancellor Award for Exceptional University Management: Maria Novelero, D’Anne Duncan and Paul Landry. Chancellor Award for Exceptional University Service: Robert Mansfield, Xin-Hua Chen and Michael Jones. Distinguished Nurse Award: Audrey Basic.
UC Santa Barbara
Led by the Information Technology team, UC Santa Barbara was named the first-ever university recipient of the 2026 Zero Trust Champion Award at the Zscaler Public Sector Summit. The award recognizes organizations that are fundamentally redefining cybersecurity in the public and educational spheres.
UC Santa Cruz
UC Santa Cruz marked the 40th anniversary of the campus’s iconic Banana Slug mascot, which has topped the lists of unusual collegiate mascots, made a cameo in “Pulp Fiction,” and continues to bring smiles to students, faculty and staff.
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.