Conference Speakers

Caín Díaz
Associate Vice President, Budget
UCOP 

UC Budget Update

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.

Won Ha
Vice Chancellor, Communications
UCSF

Won Ha was appointed UCSF’s Vice Chancellor of Communications in August 2019. He oversees the development and implementation of multichannel communications programs to champion UCSF’s mission of advancing health worldwide. Ha is a member of the chancellor’s executive team and cabinet, serving as lead counsel on internal and external communications, including issues and crisis management. He also is counsel to the UCSF Board of Directors. 

Ha oversees the Office of Communications’ integrated strategies across all media and channels to increase awareness and support of UCSF’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities among its diverse internal and external constituencies. The Office of Communications serves as the official voice of UCSF and UCSF Health to regional, state, national, and international news media. 

Prior to joining UCSF, Ha served as vice president of Strategic Communications at the Energy Foundation, which programmed one out of every three climate philanthropy dollars in the United States. He served as a senior advisor to the foundation’s advocacy allies, grantees, donors and philanthropic partners, including the Hewlett Foundation, Packard Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and Tempest Advisors. During his tenure, he established the first-ever preemptive issues management program in climate change and clean energy advocacy, and a regional communications network that integrated the strategic communications work of advocacy organizations across 20 states.

Ha previously served as executive director of Issues and Brand Management at Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health plan and hospital systems. In that role, he advised C-suite executives and their leadership teams on issues and crisis management strategies spanning health care reform, government relations, and business operations, including clinical and labor issues.  

Ha also has held communications roles at Wells Fargo, Gap Inc., and Genentech. He previously worked as a news producer in radio journalism.

Ha attended U.C. Berkeley where he earned an M.A. in History and a B.A. in Rhetoric.

LaMisha Hill Weller, PhD
Vice Chair for Equity, Inclusion and Structural Change
UCSF ObGyn

Dr. LaMisha Hill Weller is a Licensed Counseling Psychologist originally from the
Chicagoland area. She completed her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the
University of Oregon, Pre-Doctoral Internship at UC Riverside, and Post-Doctoral
Fellowship at UC Berkeley. LaMisha began her professional career at the University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 2013 with the Office of Diversity and Outreach. In
2022, LaMisha joined UCSF’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive
Sciences (OBGYN-RS) as Associate Professor and the inaugural Vice Chair for Equity,
Inclusion, and Structural Change. Within her professional scope of work, she also serves
as the Diversity Advisor to the Birth Center (UCSF Health) and leads various initiatives to
support belonging and health equity. Anchored in the Spirt of Service, LaMisha works
collaboratively to help individuals and organizations move towards their values of
inclusion. Her skillset includes strategic planning, education and training, individual
coaching, facilitating, and keynote speaking.

Karen James
UCSF

The Five Pillars of Sustainable Leadership Success

Karen has over 20 years of experience developing and facilitating training sessions for all levels of an organization. She is a well-respected business partner and highly skilled facilitator who leads interactive sessions that create dialogue and uncover opportunities for self-discovery.

Karen James has several coaching and leadership development certifications, including Clifton Strengths Finder, Emotional Intelligence, and Crucial Conversations. She has provided coaching and consulting services to individuals and teams of leading organizations, including the University of California, Starbucks, Avnet, and Farmers Insurance.

Karen focuses her knowledge and experience to assist individuals and teams create sustainable, high performing work environments that lift and respect all voices. She is particularly proud of her current work, in which she leverages Emotional Intelligence and Clifton Strengths Finders with individuals and teams to improve communication and engagement.
In her spare time, she enjoys listening to podcasts, traveling, exploring California, and learning about wine.
Originally from California, she has lived in various parts of the U.S., including Louisiana, Texas, and Arizona.

Bob Martin
Senior Director for Performance Excellence
UCI

Bob Martin is an organizational psychologist and a seasoned expert in organizational development, change management, and process improvement. With more than 25 years of experience at institutions such as UCI, UCLA Health, and Boeing, he brings a deep understanding of how to drive sustainable transformation. Currently, he serves as the Senior Director of Performance Excellence at UCI, where he leads Lean Six Sigma certification programs, strategic initiatives, executive coaching, and enterprise-wide process improvement efforts.

Ida Sim
Chief Research Informatics Officer
UCSF

Ida Sim, MD, PhD is Professor of Medicine and Computational Precision Health, Co-Director of the UCSF UC Berkeley Joint Program in Computational Precision Health, UCSF’s first Chief Research Informatics Officer, and a primary care physician. Dr. Sim’s research focuses on technology and policies for large-scale data sharing of health data. She is Co-founder of Open mHealth, a nonprofit organization that defines an IEEE global open standard for patient-generated health data interoperability, and also Co-Founder of Vivli, the world’s largest data sharing platform for participant-level clinical trial data. Dr. Sim is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, and a recipient of the United States Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

Joshua Viers
UCM

Farms-Food-Future: Solving the Productivity Paradox through Bioregenerative Intelligence

Dr. Joshua Viers is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at UC Merced. He serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives in the UC Merced Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED) and the Executive Associate Dean for the Agricultural Experiment Station. He has previously held positions as the Associate Dean for Research for the School of Engineering and campus Director of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), and prior to that he was the Executive Associate Director at the Center for Watershed Sciences. Josh has led UC Merced’s efforts to build an Experimental Smart Farm, develop a joint industry-university consortium on ag-food-tech research, and convene several universities in developing water accounting methods to secure a climate-resilient water future. With two degrees from UC Davis and over 30 years of service to the University of California, he has held a number of student, staff, research, and faculty appointments.

The Farms-Food-Future Innovation initiative seeks to address the pressing challenges of building climate resilient food systems by tackling the productivity paradox—the persistent tension between food production while reducing impacts to our communities and ecosystems especially in the San Joaquin Valley of California. At the heart of our F3 initiative is the concept of inclusive innovation, which recognizes that solutions must be co-created with all stakeholders, from farmers and farmworkers to researchers and technologists. This approach fosters collaboration across sectors to develop climate-smart agricultural practices that enhance productivity, reduce resource consumption, and promote equity. F3 Innovate integrates cutting-edge technologies such as precision agriculture, soil health monitoring, and agrivoltaics to optimize resource use while maintaining environmental integrity. However, the real innovation lies in democratizing these advancements, ensuring that small-scale farmers and underserved communities are not left behind. The initiative partners with the agricultural industry, local organizations, and academic institutions to provide accessible, scalable solutions that support food production in the face of climate change.

Monica Cardenas
UCR

Fostering partnerships between financial professionals and non-financial leaders.

Monica Cardenas is currently the Financial Projects Manager for the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) Dean’s Office at UC Riverside, with 2 years and 7 months of service at the university. Prior to joining UC Riverside, Monica gained 3 years of experience in corporate accounting and brings a total of 4 years of general ledger expertise to their role.

With a strong passion for accurate financial reporting and the ability to tell compelling stories through data, Monica plays a key role in bridging the gap between CNAS departments and the Dean’s Office. Their work focuses on advancing backlogged financial projects and supporting departments through operational transitions and planning.

Currently pursuing an MBA in Business Analytics, Monica is expanding their skillset in strategic planning, data-driven communication, and developing tailored solutions for departmental financial and operational needs.

Frank Figueroa
UCR

Fostering partnerships between financial professionals and non-financial leaders.

Frank Figueroa holds a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts Global, a Master of Public Administration from California Baptist University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies and Political Science from the University of California, Riverside.

He currently serves as Academic Resource Manager in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside, where he leads financial and administrative operations supporting student-focused academic services and graduate programs. In addition to his higher education leadership, Frank is a Councilmember for the City of Coachella, where he helps oversee a $38 million city budget and advocates for community-driven policies and infrastructure improvements. He brings over a decade of experience in university administration, fiscal management, and public service leadership.

Jodie Lam
UCB

Revolutionizing Managerial Excellence: Harnessing ChatGPT and Retrieval-Augmented Generation with the Berkeley AMP Toolkit to Advance UC Berkeley’s AI Vision

Jolie Lam is a dynamic Program Director at CITRIS Health, UC Berkeley, with over a decade of international experience in strategic project leadership, stakeholder engagement, and contract negotiation. She has successfully secured $12M+ in sponsorships and led large-scale initiatives such as the Pacific Rim Conference in Health Innovation, engaging 10,000+ global participants. 

Multilingual in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, Jolie is known for her cross-cultural collaboration and dedication to inclusive leadership. Her portfolio spans AI in medicine, robotic surgery, and global partnerships, notably with Sun Yat-sen University and Davis Health. Jolie currently serves in leadership roles across UC Berkeley networks, focusing on professional development, work-life policy, and AI innovation. 

Jolie is a multi-time SPOT Award recipient and has presented at UC-wide conferences. A champion of  innovation and asset-based development, she brings a unique blend of business acumen, cultural intelligence, and systems thinking to every project she leads.

Will Kellogg
Parnassus Site Supervisor, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesia
UCSF

Well-being 360: How Your Personal and Emotional Well-being Supports Your Professional Success

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.

Jay Melashenko
UCR

“Yes and…”, Utilizing Creativity and an Open Mindset to Manage. Leveraging Bureaucracy to Move Forward Rather Than as a Tool to Block Progress

Thomas Nykiel
UCLA

Negotiation Skills For Managers: Using Time, Information, Power

Tom Nykiel has served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at UCLA for ten years.  IPAM is supported by the National Science Foundation, Simons Foundation, and other donors.  Tom passed the Uniform Certified Public Accouting Examination and earned his MBA and Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  He has worked as a senior auditor for the international accounting firm of KPMG, was the accounting manager at Cigna Healthplan of Illinois, and served as the CFO at IPC, Inc, which is a trade association for the printed circuit industry.

Tom will speak on Negotiating Skills – how to use Time, Information, and Power to negotiate effectively and ethically.  The goal of the presentation is for UC staff learn tools that help them in their jobs immediately.  

Ursula Nayeli Rendon
UCSC

Strategies for making the most of what you have!

Ursula Nayeli Rendon is a Monterey Bay native and proud UC Davis alumna, currently serving as the Business & Systems Manager for UCSC Summer Session. After returning to her hometown five years ago, she worked at Monterey Peninsula College, where she discovered her passion for student services. She then joined the Summer Session team at UCSC, bringing with her prior experience as a Leaves Specialist at the UC Davis Shared Services Organization. In her current role, she leads the scheduling of the summer curriculum, oversees Student Experience of Teaching Surveys, supports budgetary processes, and assists students with course enrollment. This role has provided her with valuable opportunities for professional growth, allowing her to expand her skills in both administrative operations and student-centered support skills.

Rebecca Sablo

Assistant Dean of Administration & Finance, L&S Undergraduate Studies Division
Chief of Staff to the L&S Executive Dean

With more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education, Rebecca Sablo brings a broad range of experience to her current role in the College of Letters and Sciences Division of Undergraduate Studies where she serves as Assistant Dean of Administration & Finance and Chief of Staff to the Executive Dean. Rebecca strategically orchestrates decanal priorities and initiatives while managing operations and finances for a division that serves nearly two-thirds of the campus undergraduate population. Rebecca enjoys working on projects that bring together diverse stakeholders and result in large-scale change.