This week, Dateline presents news on Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan’s chief of staff, the university’s interim director of sustainability, a new director for the Robert Mondavi Institute, and the executive associate dean for the College of Engineering.

Dateline UC Davis welcomes news of appointments of various kinds for faculty and staff, for publication in Org Chart (formerly titled Transitions). Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.

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Assistant executive vice chancellor

Jason Stewart has been selected as the assistant executive vice chancellor and chief of staff to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan. Stewart, who has held the role in an interim capacity since November 2022, was selected through a competitive hiring process.

Stewart has served with UC Davis for 14 years, most recently as assistant director of the Office of Budget and Institutional Analysis.

“Jason has been an incredible asset to the campus for more than a decade and we are very fortunate to have him join our team,” Croughan said. “He has worked hard to build collaborative relationships across the campus and with the UC Office of the President, and he has moved forward numerous high-impact initiatives. He will continue to inform and elevate the work we do so that our campus can best serve faculty, staff, students, and the public.”

Read more about Stewart’s appointment.

— Cindy Brown

Interim director of sustainability

Carla Fresquez took over as interim director of sustainability Monday (Aug. 7).

Fresquez has served as engagement program manager in that office since 2021, and previously worked as academic program coordinator for First-Year Seminars in the Office of Undergraduate Education.

She succeeds Camille Kirk, who worked at UC Davis for 18 years and will now serve as the first head of sustainability of The J. Paul Getty Trust. Read a tribute to Kirk’s time at UC Davis.

UC Davis Sustainability leads campuswide sustainability efforts, like the Climate Action Plan, which is a roadmap toward a university that emits fewer greenhouse gases. The office also oversees rankings, like UC Davis’ recent gold rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System.

RMI director

Edward “Ned” Spang has been named director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Spang, an associate professor with the Department of Food Science and Technology, began his new position on Aug. 1. He succeeds wine chemist Andrew Waterhouse, professor emeritus with the Department of Viticulture and Enology, who retired in June after five years as director of the institute.

The Robert Mondavi Institute is home to the university’s winemaking, brewing and food science programs, and their facilities. Through public education events and lectures, the institute provides the departments of Viticulture and Enology, and Food Science and Technology a prestigious forum for collaboration and outreach, built around the central mission of enhancing public understanding of wine, brewing and food sciences.

Read more about Spang’s appointment.

— Tiffany Dobbyn

Executive associate dean of engineering

Ralph Aldredge has been appointed the next executive associate dean and associate dean for facilities and capital planning for the College of Engineering, Dean Richard Corsi announced last month.

Aldredge is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and associate dean for Undergraduate Studies in the college. He succeeds Roland Faller, who departed after a 21-year career with the college to become the next dean of the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering at Texas Tech University. Aldredge will continue to serve in his role as associate dean for undergraduate studies.

In his new positions, Aldredge will serve as the primary executive officer and representative of the college to UC Davis and the public when Dean Richard L. Corsi is absent and oversee the streamlining of renovations and new construction. He will also manage the budget of the Diane Bryant Engineering Student Design Center, or ESDC, and all training, compliance and professional development for ESDC staff. 

Read more about Aldredge’s appointment.

—  Matt Murphy