Staff Assembly closed out the 2016-17 academic year with the organization’s annual awards ceremony, presenting Citations of Excellence and Staff and Staff Dependent scholarships worth $44,000 in a ceremony on the Moss Patio behind the Buehler Alumni Center.

Ken Burtis gave remarks and offered congratulations in his capacity as interim provost and executive vice chancellor; he has since moved back to his post as faculty advisor to the chancellor and provost.

The Citations of Excellence program is for all UC Davis staff members on the Davis and Sacramento campuses and beyond, and, likewise, all staff (and their dependents) are eligible for Staff and Staff Dependent scholarships. More information is available online.

Staff Assembly acknowledged generous support from the Office of the Chancellor in the presentation of $15,000 to 12 individual staff members and four teams in the Citations of Excellence program.

Scholarships totaled $29,000: Larry N. Vanderhoef Scholarship, Kathleen Moore Scholarships, Margene E. Orzalli Scholarships, UC Davis Retirees Association Career Enhancement Award, and the Latino Staff and Faculty Association Scholarship, as well as Staff Assembly Scholarships funded by the TGFS Vendor Showcase.

Citations of Excellence: Individuals

• Innovation — Robert Davis, associate director, Financial Aid and Scholarships. Honorable mentions: Elizabeth Coté, director, LGBTQIA Resource Center; and Eli Richmond, lead programmer, Graduate Studies
• Service — Tabatha Yang, program representative II, Department of Entomology and Nematology. Honorable mentions: Alissa Magorian, executive assistant, Enrollment Management; and Sara Reed, executive director, Shared Services Center
• Research — Brant Allen, staff research assistant IV, Department of Environmental Science and Policy; and Janelle Kohl, assistant IV, Department of Nutrition. Honorable mention: Scott Hackley, staff research associate III, supervisor, Department of Environmental Science and Policy
• Supervision — Carol Hunter, director, Student Academic Success Center; and Lynn Rabena, academic scheduling and classroom manager, Office of the University Registrar
• Teaching — Lisa Nash Holmes, teaching coordinator, Department of Animal Science

Team Citation of Excellence for Community Contributions

• Theatre and Dance Team — Jonathan de Leon, master technician; and Michael Hennessy, scene shop foreman
• Honorable mention: Budget and Institutional Analysis Team — Govind Acharya, Erika Jackson and Jason Stewart
• Honorable mention: Division of Social Sciences IT Service Center Team — Jeremy Phillips, Christopher Thielen and Lloyd Wheeler
• Honorable mention: Advancement Services Team — Joseph Belford, Kelly Best, Danielle Burgess, Lisa Carranza, Jeanne Cassady, Ralph Castaneda, Cal Doval, Becky Ferguson, Patrick Garvey, Amanda Garvin-Adicoff, Adam Getchell, Candace Harrington Michelle Hicks, Stephen High, Tawny High, Melissa Ivanusich, Scott Kirkland, John Knoll, Debee Lamont, Zachary Miller, Meg Padovani, Renuka Srinivasan, Jason Sylvestre and Ken Taylor

Staff Scholarships

Staff Assembly Scholarships

• Rachel de los Reyes, academic advisor, Mathematics and Physical Sciences
• Holly Fox, program coordinator, Campus Recreation and Unions
• Lyndon Huling, student activities coordinator, Center for Student Involvement
• Nicholas Kory, lead business systems analyst, Advancement Services
• Greg Ortiz, ASUCD advisor to athletics and administrative advisory committees, Student Affairs
• Brenna Rizan, licensed clinical social worker, Clinical Social Services
• Lourdes Schallock, toddler lead teacher, Human Ecology
• Lauren Worrell, graduate program coordinator, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Samantha Wright, admissions and financial aid assistant, School of Law

Latino Staff and Faculty Association Scholarship

• Mansoor Shafqat, optician, Student Health and Counseling Services

Kathleen Moore Scholarship

• Tamara Bennett, custodian, Custodial Services
• Pramil Prasad, custodian, Custodial Services
• Melanie Gentles, campus arborist, Grounds and Landscape Division

Margene E. Orzalli Scholarships

• Leslie Quant, administrative assistant, Internal Medicine
• Mansoor Shafqat, optician, Student Health and Counseling Services

UC Davis Retirees Association Career Enhancement Award

• Jenna Wilkerson, pharmacy technician III supervisor, Inpatient Pharmacy

Larry N. Vanderhoef Scholarship

• Daniel Colvin, data analyst, Facilities Management

Staff Dependent Scholarships

For dependents who are enrolled at UC Davis, 2017-18:

• Eliseo “Chéo” Vazquez, a junior studying biological sciences, son of Laurie and Ruben Vazquez. Laurie is a certified family nurse practitioner who works as an analyst in Health Information Management.
• Cameron Alexander, a freshman studying global disease biology/animal science, son of Paula Yant and Duane Alexander. Paula is a staff research associate II (bacteriology), California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab (San Bernardino).
• Sergio Castillo, a freshman studying biochemistry, son of Marcela Damian, medical office service coordinator III, Pediatrics.
• Maria Zumkeller, a senior studying plant science, daughter of Nancy and David Zumkeller. Nancy is a community education specialist (Fresno and Madera counties) with UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program, administered by UC Cooperative Extension through UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Award committees

• Citations of Excellence — Stacey Brezing, director, Staff and Faculty Health and Well-Being Program, Occupational Health Services; Gwendolyn Caramanica, financial analyst, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Paul Cody, assistant director, Center for Student Involvement; Lyndon Huling, student affairs officer III, Center for Student Involvement; Rich Shintaku, director, Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs; Lauren Thomas, program assistant, Blue administrative cluster, Institute for Social Sciences; and Brian Wadell, director, Repro Graphics
• Staff and Staff Dependent Scholarships — Emily Francis, customer support center representative, Facilities Management; Dianne Gregory, analyst IV, Health Information Management; Sylvia Hillyer, student affairs officer II, College of Biological Sciences; Mayra Llamas, director of operations, Student Recruitment and Retention Center; Kristi Lusso, HR analyst, Department of Public Health Sciences; Jennifer Moylan, program coordinator and advisor, International Center; Carol Nickles, executive assistant, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics; Terry Ramirez, administrative assistant III, Internship and Career Center; and Eleanor Sandoval, UC Davis Retirees Association

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