Conference Speakers

Elizabeth Watkins
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and Professor of History
UC Riverside

Elizabeth Watkins is Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and Professor of History at the University of California, Riverside. Prior to moving to UC Riverside in 2021, she spent 17 years at UC San Francisco as Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the History of Health Sciences (2004-2012), Dean of the Graduate Division (2012-2021), and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs (2013-2021). Watkins earned her BA degree in biology and her PhD degree in history of science, both at Harvard University. She is the author of On the Pill:  A Social History of Oral Contraceptives and The Estrogen Elixir:  A History of Hormone Replacement Therapy in America and co-editor of Medicating Modern America:  A History of Prescription Drugs; Prescribed: Writing, Filling, Using, and Abusing the Prescription in Modern America; and Therapeutic Revolutions: Pharmaceuticals and Social Change in the Twentieth Century. She has also published articles on the history of birth control, the history of male menopause and testosterone, and the history of stress. Her work has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the NIH/National Library of Medicine, the National Academy of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the University of California President’s Research Fellowship in the Humanities. 

Susi Takeuchi
Chief Human Resources Officer
UCLA Health

Susi Takeuchi joined UCLA Health in October 2015 as the Chief Human Resources Officer and a member of the executive leadership team. She has over 30 years of experience in human resources and a proven track record for excellence. Susi provides organizational leadership in the design, development and execution of HR strategies, initiatives and programs across UCLA Health, which encompasses the David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Health System (hospitals, clinics, and practice plan). She was instrumental in envisioning and executing a human resources strategic plan aligned with UCLA Health strategy and business plans to ensure that HR programs, initiatives and operations are focused on integration, efficiency and service.

Susi was previously the Chief Human Resources Officer at UCI Health. She also held key HR leadership positions at the Capital Group Companies and the Southern California Edison Company. Susi’s HR career has been successful in any economic business environment and across multiple industries – healthcare, academia, financial services, and utility.

She received the honors of: HR Professional of the Year (2023 OnCon), Top 10 HR Team of the Year (2023 OnCon), CHRO of the Year (2021 HRO Today), HR Practitioner Superstar (2021 HRO Today), 100 Trailblazing Women (2020 UCLA Health) and HR Peer of the Year (2020 Peer 150).

Susi received a bachelor`s degree in business administration from California State University, Fullerton and a MBA from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM – Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).

Susi and her husband have been married for over 30 years. They have two daughters, who are graduates of UC Berkeley and USC. Susi, her husband, and their corgi dog Cooper live part time on a boat in Marina Del Rey to ease the commute to Westwood.

Pamela Brown
Vice President for Institutional Research & Academic Planning
UCOP

Pamela Brown is vice president of Institutional Research and Academic Planning (IRAP) at UCOP. She has served UCOP for 13 years and manages a team that produces evidence-based analyses and reports for UC and Academic Senate leaders to advance strategic and academic planning, address legislative requests, support assessments and promote transparency. Prior to UCOP, Pamela worked 16 years at UC Berkeley, where she was most recently executive director of the Office of Planning and Analysis. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from UC Berkeley.

Caín Díaz
Interim Associate Vice President and
Director, Operating Budget
UCOP 

Caín Díaz (he/him) joined UCOP in 2016 and has over 17 years of higher education experience with the University of California. As Interim Associate Vice President and Director for Budget Analysis & Planning (BAP), Caín oversees the development and implementation of the University of California’s $49.5 billion budget for current operations and coordinates long-range financial planning for the UC system. His team manages budget proposals and reports provided to state agencies on behalf of the UC system. Caín is closely engaged in high-level decision-making related to the allocation of over $4.7 billion of ongoing state resources to the ten campuses. In addition, Caín oversees the management of policies and approvals related to student tuition and fees.

Steve Yu
Chief Operating & Financial Officer
UCLA South Bay

Steve currently serves as COO and CFO for the new UCLA South Bay campus. He was formerly the CFO and Assistant Dean at the UCLA Law School. He is a double Bruin with a BA and MBA from UCLA. He serves on the UCLA Alumni Board and is president-elect for UCLA Anderson Alumni. Steve was honored with the UCLA Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award in 2017.

Matthew St.Clair
Chief Sustainability Officer
UCOP

Matthew St.Clair is the first Chief Sustainability Officer for the University of California’s Office of the President and has been leading sustainability efforts across the 10-campus UC system since 2004.

Mr. St.Clair was a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Strategic Energy Innovations, an environmental nonprofit that builds leaders to accelerate climate solutions.

Mr. St.Clair has delivered lectures at numerous universities, been an invited keynote speaker at several regional and national conferences, served as a moderator at a White House forum, and has advised the U.S. House of Representatives on the formation of an Office of Sustainability for the U.S. Capitol.

Mr. St.Clair has a Masters degree in environmental policy from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley and a Bachelors degree in economics from Swarthmore College. He is a LEED Fellow and a Certified Energy Manager.

Ruby (Ruthanna) Barnett 
History of Consciousness Department Manager & Graduate Advisor, UC Santa Cruz

Ruby (Ruthanna) Barnett is the current chair of the Santa Cruz chapter of AMP.  She is the Department Manager and Graduate Program Coordinator for History of Consciousness, a unique interdisciplinary program within the Humanities. 

She began this position in the middle of the pandemic during a time when training, onboarding, work and teaching was hybrid or remote, with ever moving plans to return to in-person. Her previous experience includes a PhD in Linguistics, advocacy as a lawyer specializing in immigration and human rights, as well as personal interests in agro-ecology, permaculture and systems thinking.  She is now translating her managerial and organizational skills back into the academic space.

Elaina Boncich
Program Manager, Baskin Engineering
UC Santa Cruz

I have worked at UCSC for over three years now. First as an Undergraduate Advisor in Baskin Engineering(~2 years) and then as an Assistant Department Manager in Baskin (~1 year). I recently was promoted to Program Manager within the same Division.

I am working on this presentation proposal with my colleagues: Fiona Weigant, Program Manager for the Writing Program at UCSC and AMP Executive Board Member. As well as Ruby Barnet,
Department Manager and Graduate Program Coordinator for the Humanities Division at UCSC and AMP Chair.

Melissa Gomez
Financial and Administrative Officer, Mathematics; Statistics; Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology, Interdepartmental Graduate Programs in Biophysics, Environmental Toxicology and Neuroscience; and the CA-Teach Science Math Initiative
UC Riverside

Melissa is dynamic leader that has over 21 years of experience at UC and currently serves as the Financial and Administrative Officer for the Department of Mathematics, Department of Statistics, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology at UC Riverside. She also oversees the financial management and administrative support for three interdepartmental graduate programs and the CA-Teach Science Math Initiative. Melissa worked in private industry before joining the UCR community and has gained a broad range of experience at UCR where she began her UC career as an Administrative Assistant in the Department of Mathematics. She advanced into various leadership roles at the Department, College, and Campus levels before returning as the FAO for the Department Mathematics among other supported units in 2016.

Melissa oversees all financial and administrative operations in which she provides leadership and direction for a wide range of areas including financial management, research support, human resources, personnel, student affairs, academic scheduling, enrollment management and teaching infrastructure and support. Melissa has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of San Diego.
She is an alumna of the UC Women’s Initiative, Past Chair for UCR AMP and serves on the campus-wide Highlander Mentor Connection Steering Committee for which she currently serves as Co-Chair. Melissa is a dedicated leader and mentor who highly values investment in developing others to promote the next generation of leadership.

Tomiko Hale
Director of Personnel Services, School of Engineering
UC Merced

With over 25 years of extensive administrative and student affairs experience in higher education, Tomiko Hale serves as the Director of Personnel Services within the School of Engineering at UC Merced. In this position, she assumes a multifaceted responsibility that spans academic employees, recruitment, retention initiatives, pay administration, and employee benefits. Tomiko also plays a crucial role in shaping campus and departmental policies, practices, and procedures while ensuring strict adherence to policy guidelines in matters pertaining to academic and staff personnel management. Her areas of expertise include faculty hiring, merits and promotions, non-senate domestic and international employee recruitment, as well as visa processing.

Tomiko’s higher education journey began with her completion of a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles followed by a Master of Education degree with a specialization in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California. Her dedication to the UC Merced campus is demonstrated as she is the founding advisor for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Her commitment was also demonstrated through her prior role as the Director for Engineering Graduate Student Services, where she contributed significantly to the growth and success of the institution. With a strong commitment to students and excellence in higher education, she strives to enhance the academic and professional experience of faculty, staff, and students by fostering their growth. Leading a team responsible for academic appointments and staff services in the School of Engineering, she advocates for her staff and is passionate about removing barriers to success for all.

Michael V. Jenkins, Ph.D.
IT Risk Manager, UCLA Health Information Technology
UC Los Angeles

Michael V. Jenkins has worked with UCLA Health for over ten years and is currently the Manager of IT Risk Operations for the UCLA Health Sciences enterprise. He also holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees. Michael is a seasoned leadership consultant and a frequent speaker at regional, state, and national conferences.

Will Kellogg
Parnassus Site Supervisor, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesia
UC San Francisco

Will works at UC San Francisco, supporting the Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Care as Parnassus Site Supervisor. He has worked in workplace services, employee learning & development, and recruiting experience for companies like Salesforce, Disney, and Facebook. From building guest experience design models at Salesforce Tower in San Francisco to managing global employee experience programs at Facebook, Will has supported numerous successful operations management initiatives that have scaled to support employee needs across multiple Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, Will has built and managed several teams across workplace services and recruiting functions by instituting flexible, scalable infrastructure to maximize high-impact performance. Diversity & inclusion is also incredibly important to Will, and he actively works to build workplace communities that encourage everyone to show up as their most authentic selves.

At UCSF, Will evaluates administrative and workplace operations for improvement opportunities and oversees the change management associated with scalable process improvement across Anesthesia spaces at Parnassus Heights. This includes the management of the Admin function of Anesthesia & Perioperative Care at Parnassus, as well as oversight of workplace services and various employee experience functions for their workforce. As the department continues to grow, Will helps ensure that our administrative and workplace processes scale to meet the Anesthesia community’s needs.

Kathrina Munoz
Department Administrator, Urological Surgery
UC Irvine

Kathrina Munoz, MHA, is the Chief Administrative Officer, in the Department of Urology at the University of California Irvine. In her role, she provides strategic leadership along with the Department Chair to engender a culture of excellence in patient care, education and research. Kathrina is passionate about driving innovation and pursing growth in the delivery of healthcare and in the training of our future clinicians, researchers and leaders.

Kathrina completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at UC Irvine and her Master’s in Health Administration with a concentration in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne.

In her spare time, Kathrina enjoys spending time with her family, her husband Shane and amazing kids, Matthew and Alex and dog Beesly. She loves watching The Office and really anything that brings joy and laughs.

Crystal Petrini
Financial & Administrative Officer, English & Philosophy
UC Riverside

Crystal Petrini is the Financial and Administrative Officer for the departments of English and Philosophy at UC Riverside, where she manages financial, administrative, and personnel processes for approximately 50 faculty and 100 doctoral students. As the former President of UC Riverside’s Staff Assembly during the 2019-2020 academic year, Crystal spearheaded various initiatives, including the establishment of the first staff mentor program, and the organization of new programs for staff. Concurrently, she served as the junior and senior delegate from UCR on the Council of UC Staff Assemblies. In these roles, she played a crucial part in advocating for the implementation of the Pay for Family Care and Bonding Program and co-chaired the Fostering a Flexible Work Culture Workgroup. After serving as the senior delegate, Crystal was elected as Chair of the Council of UC Staff Assemblies for the 2021-2022 academic year, continuing her commitment to advocating for staff interests and promoting a culture of authenticity and well-being within the campus community. Crystal holds BAs in Political Science: International Relations and Spanish from UC Santa Barbara and a Master’s in Business Administration with an emphasis in Global Business from the University of Redlands.

Amy S. Ricks
Chief Administrative Officer, Materials Science and Engineering
UC Irvine

Amy has over 15 years of UC experience and currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine where she is responsible for the oversight of strategic initiatives, administrative operations, and management of department financial, personnel, student affairs, teaching, and research support infrastructure operations. Amy received her undergraduate degree in three departments (English, Comparative Literature, Psychology) at San Diego State University and more recently, her Master of Education degree with a specialization in Leadership in Higher Education. Her pre-UC industry background was focused in human resources and with her strong focus on people at the heart of every operation, she is a strong people leader and develops others to follow as such. She is proud to be an advocate, advisor, mentor, ally, analyst, and leader on her campus and is known for her integrity, ability to effectively teach and lead, facilitation and problem-solving abilities, and general operations management both large and small scale. Amy strongly believes in care, consideration, accountability, and diversity in society and the Institution. She is a mentor to multiple staff between multiple campuses and is passionate about supporting each other and process improvement. As the founding Chair of the Process Improvement Committee at UC Irvine, she has led campus stakeholders in advancing processes within her school and on main campus. No matter the challenge, you will find Amy leading and empowering others through it together, with a smile. She brings a strong force of positivity, energy, and process improvement to AMP as well as works to develop and uplift systemwide leaders (including work leaders and those aspiring to be) to channel and develop their best selves, and form collaborative relationships as we navigate through challenges together in the UC, in service of our communities, academics, staff, and each other.

Jeremy Sloan
Publications Production Specialist, CLS Marketing
UC San Francisco

Jeremy joined the UCSF team in the summer of 2023 as the Publications Production Specialist for the Marketing by Campus Life Services team. With over 15 years of extensive project management and producing experience, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his current position. In his role as project manager, Jeremy oversees the print and digital initiatives for the 12 CLS business divisions that require Marketing support.

Before joining Marketing by CLS, Jeremy had a successful career in the entertainment and gaming industry. He is a highly acclaimed interactive and immersive media producer who has led creative teams at Comcast/NBC Universal to create groundbreaking and award-winning immersive media, live events, and content for TV, rides, and state-of-the-art projection systems. If you have ever visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley, Skull Alley: Reign of Kong at Universal Studios Orlando, or Super Nintendo World, Minion Mayhem at the Universal Studios Hollywood or in Japan, then you have had the opportunity to witness Jeremy’s exceptional work firsthand. He holds a B.S. in Digital Art & Design from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

Eva Thiveos
Senior Data and Business Officer, Dean of Arts and Humanities | BI & Financial Reporting Developer
UC San Diego

Eva is a proud alumna (‘09) and began her career at UC San Diego as an events assistant. A decade later, she lead the School of Arts and Humanities through the great systems change of 2020 where she learned how to develop Oracle reports. Eva enjoys her dual role as both a reports developer and user of campus reports.

Fiona Weigant
Writing Program Department Manager
UC Santa Cruz

Fiona Weigant is a UCSC Humanities/Cowell College alum, having graduated PBK with a BA in History and a minor in Legal Studies. Fiona has a wealth of experience across multiple units and roles at UCSC, including research administration in PBSci and the Office of Research, and budget analysis with the Budget Analysis and Planning office. Fiona served in the Social Sciences Division as the Education Department Manager for eight years before joining the Humanities Division as the Writing Program Manager in August of 2022. Fiona is also a fierce advocate for our campus communities having served as Staff Advisory Board Chair twice which included being a USCC CUCSA delegate and now serves on the UCSC AMP Executive Board, the Undergraduate Academic Advising Council, and other campus-wide groups.

Natalie Wolfe
Business Officer and Data Analyst, UC San Diego’s School of Social Sciences
UC San Diego

Natalie Wolfe is a proud alumna (’06) with a major in Psychology and minor in Linguistics. She has been working on campus ever since, managing financial resources as well as supporting faculty and staff. When she’s not crunching numbers or managing budgets, Natalie loves to travel and explore new restaurants.