Two UC staff elected to the University of California Retirement System (UCRS) Advisory Board
Ruth Zolayavar from the UC San Diego Medical Center and Tiffany Wilson from UC Office of the President have been elected to the University of California Retirement System (UCRS) Advisory Board.
More than 7,000 staff members cast ballots in the recent election, with Zolayvar and Wilson receiving the most votes in a field of three candidates.
Zolayvar, a Pharmacy Technician, has worked at UC San Diego Medical Center for thirteen years and is a member of AFSCME local 3299 and serves on AFSCME’s Executive Board and bargaining team. In her candidate statement, she explains that she chose to run because “I am deeply committed to the health of the UC retirement system, and in particular, to preserving the defined benefit (DB) pension.”
Wilson has worked at UCOP for nearly six years; for four and a half years as a paralegal in the Office of General Counsel and currently as an Academic Personnel policy analyst. In her candidate statement, she explains, “I want to represent staff on the UCRS Advisory Board because I know that our retirement plan is important to our future financial security.”
The election, which was held from May 20 through June 17, 2019, was conducted by an independent third-party vendor. The election included both electronic and paper balloting, with Spanish translations available for all election materials.
Here are the official election results:
|
Candidate |
Votes |
|
Ruth Zolayvar (UC San Diego Medical Center) |
4,445 |
|
Tiffany Wilson (UC Office of the President) |
4,062 |
|
Lucy Whyte (UC Davis) |
3,749 |
Zolayvar and Wilson will join the Board July 1, 2019, becoming part of the 11-member advisory group that represents a cross-section of the university community. They will both serve a four-year term on the UCRS Advisory 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 chairs 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 and share its opinions with UC leadership relating to all members, retirees and their beneficiaries for the following plans:
- 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.