Steering Committee

Chair
Jeanne Durrant
UCSF
Administrative Director
Ambulatory Affiliated Programs at UCSF Health

Jeanne Durrant is a dynamic professional who currently serves as an Administrative Director at UCSF Health’s Affiliate Network. With her exceptional leadership skills and extensive experience, she plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of UCSF Health’s administrative functions. With her dedication to UCSFs mission of advancing health worldwide, Jeanne plays an important role in ensuring the university’s administrative infrastructure supports its cutting edge research, exceptional patient care, and transformational education. Her strategic mindset, leadership acumen, and commitment to fostering collaboration maker her an invaluable member of the UCSF community.

Chair-Elect
Yvette Obando
UCSD
Chief Administrative Officer
Structural Engineering Department
Yvette is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Structural Engineering at UC San Diego. With 22 years of experience working at UCSD, Yvette brings a plenitude of knowledge in finance, contract and grants with a focus on academic administration and departmental management. Yvette has been collaborating with UC AMP for 6 years as Treasurer and enjoys being part of a UC System-Wide committee.  Yvette graduated from UC, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology, and recently earned her MA in Organizational Management from the University of Arizona.

Secretary
Ceci Ozkan
UCSD
Chief Administrative Officer
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Ceci is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego. 

Ceci has worked at UC San Diego for over 18 years, in various departments ranging from the Department of Psychiatry, Biological Sciences, Music, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO), in the Dean’s office and more recently, Ethnic Studies. She is a UC San Diego alumni earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Minor in Spanish Literature and a Master of Business Administration, from National University. Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Ceci was honored at UC San Diego in August 2023 with the “Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year” award for her exceptional work in the Department of Ethnic Studies. 

Historian 
Angie Marinello 
UCSF
Operations Manager
Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Angela Chang
UCB
Director of Finance
School of Information

Angela has worked in product development and marketing in Silicon Valley after graduating from UC Berkeley. She has worked at UC Berkeley for the past 19 years and is currently the Director of Finance at the School of Information. 

Sandra Richmond
UCB
Director of Administration, AGES
Social Science Cluster

Sandy Benjamin Richmond is the Director of Administration in the departments of African American Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies, and Ethnic Studies  at UC Berkeley. 

Latara S. Harris
UCB
Business Operations Manager
BRS Professional Schools Region

Latara Harris, a Cal alum, has over 17 years of UC experience and currently serves as Manager for the Professional Schools Region of the Berkeley Regional Services. She oversees financial, administrative, and the work authorization teams for ProS. In her spare time, she volunteers at an after school program teaching high school students public health concepts.

Jamie Brannan
UCD
Chief Administrative Officer
Earth & Planetary Sciences

Katrina Spridgen
UCD
Chief Administrative Officer
Center for Neuroscience

Over 14 years with UC Davis, Katrina has worked in multiple units on campus from auxiliary services such as TAPS, Mondavi, and Student Affairs, to supporting Academic departments, (Bio Ag Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Textiles and Clothing and Viticulture and Enology), and now currently the CAO at the (multi-disciplinary research) Center for Neuroscience. She has over 14 years in research administrative support, 25 years in finance and 30 years in customer service.  Currently, she is also the Chair of ADMAN and serving as a board representative with Staff Development and Staff Experience & Change Administrative Group to stay active in campus leadership and steward change where she’s able. Katrina is also a busy mom (4 bio and 3 step kids), and loves to garden, spend time near any body of water, and travel with her husband and family!

Chair Emeritus
Amy Ruth
UCI
Director of Finance
School of Nursing

Amy Ruth is a highly accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience in academic administration and financial management. Currently serving as the Systemwide Chair of Administrative Management Professionals (AMP), she demonstrates expertise and dedication to the advancement of administrative staff and practices in higher education. Amy’s leadership at UC Irvine is defined by exceptional leadership, financial acumen, and a commitment to excellence. In her current role as the Director of Finance at the UCI School of Nursing, she oversees financial operations and strategies while ensuring efficient resource allocation and financial stability where she has made a significant impact using her extensive experience in managing budgets and implementing efficient financial systems. Amy enjoys active participation in working groups and committees and advocating for and empowering her colleagues at UCI and across the University of California system. Her dedication to professional development and passion for fostering collaboration make her an invaluable asset to the AMP organization and the broader administrative management community.

Amy Ricks
UCI
Chief Administrative Officer
Materials Science and Engineering

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 from Northcentral University. 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 looks forward to bringing a strong force of positivity, energy, and process improvement to AMP as well as working to help empower 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.

Bessy Varela
UCI
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MB&B)
Department Administrator

Bessy J. Varela is the Department Manager for Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, in the School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine.  Bessy has been a UC employee for over 25 years.  She received her Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara, and it was there that she also started her UC career as an Administrative Assistant. She has been at UC Irvine since 1999 and has worked in various administrative roles. 

Mark Lucas
UCLA
Chief Administrative Officer for the Departments of Neurobiology and of Computational Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Mark has been with the University for 30 years in a variety of administrative and management capacities. He has a background in business from both USC and UCLA Anderson. His professional interests include mentoring, training, research administration, and general management theory.

Hannah Pingelton
UCLA

Hannah currently serves as a Senior Program Manager for Student Life at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in their Full-Time MBA Student Affairs office. Previously, she was a member of New York University’s Faculty of Arts and Science, where she served as the Assistant Director for Student Affairs at Liberal Studies. Hannah earned her MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and her BA in Archaeology and Creative Writing from NYU’s College of Arts and Science. A born and raised Midwesterner, she has an affinity for the Missouri Tigers and Olive Garden breadsticks; in her personal time, Hannah practices TaeKwon-Do and boxing, and is working her way through an ever-increasing “to read” list. Hannah practices a professional philosophy rooted in student and community development through empowerment, advocacy, and leadership, and enjoys partnering with the greater University community to ensure our shared success.

Chris Cabrera Thompson– UC AMP Technical Administrator
UCLA

Chris Cabrera Thompson currently serves as the IT Manager at the UCLA Department of English. In this role, Chris leads technology support initiatives catering to the diverse needs of faculty, staff, and students within the Department of English and Writing Programs. With a keen focus on enhancing operational efficiency and fostering technological advancement, Chris plays a pivotal role in ensuring seamless integration of cutting-edge solutions to facilitate academic excellence and innovation within the department.

Juana Dumagan-Garcia
UCM
Management Services Officer
Office of Undergraduate Education

Tomiko Hale
UCM

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.

Grace C. Caslavka
UCR
Financial & Administrative Officer
Computer Science & Engineering

Grace Caslavka has 19 years of UC experience. She was a student and then employee at UC Santa Cruz before transferring to UC San Francisco, where she climbed the ladder in the Department of Surgery for 10 years. She has been the Financial and Administrative Officer for Computer Science and Engineering at UC Riverside since 2020 and has no intention of working at a fourth campus any time soon.

Melissa Gomez
UCR
Financial and Administrative Officer
Department of Mathematics, Department of Statistics, and the
Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology

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. 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.

Jeanne Durrant
UCSF
Administrative Director
Ambulatory Affiliated Programs at UCSF Health

Jeanne Durrant is a dynamic professional who currently serves as an Administrative Director at UCSF Health’s Affiliate Network. With her exceptional leadership skills and extensive experience, she plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of UCSF Health’s administrative functions. With her dedication to UCSFs mission of advancing health worldwide, Jeanne plays an important role in ensuring the university’s administrative infrastructure supports its cutting edge research, exceptional patient care, and transformational education. Her strategic mindset, leadership acumen, and commitment to fostering collaboration maker her an invaluable member of the UCSF community.

Angie Marinello 
UCSF
Operations ManagerOffice of the Chief Financial Officer

Janet Curiel
UCSF

Janet currently is an Administrative Director at UCSF Health for Specialty Clinics at the Berkeley Outpatient Center, where she oversees the daily operations for all their Specialty Care  Clinics.  She has a well-rounded background in healthcare with over 13 years’ experience, which includes leadership of multiple healthcare specialties within both UCSF and external entities. She also completed her Master’s of Science in Healthcare Administration and Management with a focus in Interprofessional Leadership at UCSF. Janet takes pride in helping her community and coaching teams to excel within their unique talents . During her free time Janet enjoys traveling and mentoring first generation teens. 

Lisa Blanco
UCSB
Business Officer
Sociology Department

Lisa Blanco is the Business Officer of the Sociology Department at UC Santa Barbara. Lisa has been a UCSB employee for over 23 years, and her prior experience includes the East Asian Language Department, History, Classics, and Religious Studies. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara in Cultural Anthropology. Lisa is also a member of  the Staff Assembly and enjoys collaborating with other campus staff leaders.

Michael Coopersmith
UCSB
Department Administrator 
Graduate School of Education

Michael is the Department Administrator for the Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara.  Michael has over 5 years of experience in Academic Administration and Financial Management in Higher Education. He brings with him experience in project management and policy analysis. He enjoys participating in various working groups as part of his commitment to professional development.

He graduated from SUNY Albany with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Masters in Public Administration

  

Chair-Elect
Yvette Obando
UCSD
Chief Administrative Officer
Structural Engineering Department

Yvette is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Structural Engineering at UC San Diego. With 22 years of experience working at UCSD, Yvette brings a plenitude of knowledge in finance, contract and grants with a focus on academic administration and departmental management. Yvette has been collaborating with UC AMP for 6 years as Treasurer and enjoys being part of a UC System-Wide committee.  Yvette graduated from UC, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology, and recently earned her MA in Organizational Management from the University of Arizona.

Ceci Ozkan
UCSD
Chief Administrative Officer
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Ceci is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego. 

Ceci has worked at UC San Diego for over 18 years, in various departments ranging from the Department of Psychiatry, Biological Sciences, Music, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO), in the Dean’s office and more recently, Ethnic Studies. She is a UC San Diego alumni earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Minor in Spanish Literature and a Master of Business Administration, from National University. Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Ceci was honored at UC San Diego in August 2023 with the “Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year” award for her exceptional work in the Department of Ethnic Studies. 

Evin Knight
UCSC
Director of Operations
Institute for Social Transformation 
Social Sciences Division 

Evin Knight is the Director of Operations at the Institute for Social Transformation at UC Santa Cruz. She has worked for the University of California for nearly 15 years, working at both UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, supporting research centers and institutes focused on social impact and social justice work. 

Labris Willendorf
UCSC

Labris Willendorf is the Academic Personnel Coordinator for the Genomics Institute and Biomolecular Engineering support for Baskin Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. She has worked at UCSC for five years and is an Alumni of Kresge College, UCSC. She is in her first year on the AMP Executive Board at UC Santa Cruz.