A standing-room-only audience in UC Merced’s largest room gathered Monday morning to honor staff employees who have reached milestones in service to the UC system and others whose work was recognized by their peers.
The Celebrating Service and Staff Excellence event served as a kickoff to Staff Appreciation Week, a collection of fun events presented by Staff Assembly.
The event in the Lakireddy Grand Ballroom honored 143 university staff who reached UC service milestones as of the end of 2022 – five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. Those in the latter two categories – there were 15 – received special in-person recognition from their division or office leaders.
In addition, Staff Assembly presented its Staff Excellence awards, which recognize outstanding achievements and meritorious service of staff employees nominated by their peers.
In welcoming remarks, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said UC Merced staff “work harder and with more energy to provide a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment our young people than the staff at any other campus I have witnessed.
“Your efforts, your service and your selflessness — and your passion for UC Merced and our mission — do not go unnoticed or unappreciated,” Muñoz said.
Appreciation was certainly the word of the morning, with attendees providing boisterous applause as names were announced or faces appeared on the ballroom’s two giant video screens.
In addition, two awards were presented by the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies. CUCSA Chair Dennis McIver gave the Kevin McCauley Outstanding Staff Award to Gallo School Program Assistant Director Alvin Cha and the McCauley Outstanding Senior Leadership Award to Chancellor Muñoz.
Here are lists of awardees:
Service Award: 25 Years
Belinda Braunstein
Doug Zuidema
Service Award: 20 Years
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Diane Caton Jesus Cisneros Marci Gordon Enrique Guzman Min Jiang Kyler Laird |
Jose Magana Pamela Moody James Nardello Luanna Putney Joseph Ramos Van Van Vleet Sandy Yoshimi |
Service Award: 15 Years
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Adriana Signorini Alicia Bellusci Angelica Guillen Arvin Custodio Tumonong Blanca Jimenez Carla Hunt Christine Howe Daniel Basaldua Elizabeth Carlson Erin Webb Ernesto F Pasillas Gary Lowe George Gongora |
Gillian Wilson Gregg Camfield Joshua Swink Jovana Cruz Juan Carlos Lopez Juan Villegas De Santiago Karen L. Linam Karin Groth Katherine Brown Lezly Juergenson Linda Hart Maria Gonzalez Martin Reyes |
Melanie Cooper Michelle Snyder Mireille Smith Molly Stephens Patrick Hunt Petia Gueorguieva Rena Schneider Rosalva Barriga Trevor Hirst Vanessa Hauser Wayne Downing |
Service Award: 10 Years
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Allison Calistro Yazzie Amelia Bomhoff Amy Lozano-Smith April Graves Brian Chambers Bryan Spielman Cristina Flores Aguirre Cynthia Nelson-Zimmerman Daniel Lepe Jr. Danielle Armedilla Drew Shelburne Dulcemaria Garcia Eric Cannon Gustavo Galindo |
Jennifer Di Salvo Jeramiah Nord Joan Holmquist Joshua Lutz Justin McConnell Kevin Pham Kong M Moua Lauren Hogan Lorena Anderson Lori Jane Callaway Michael Knutson Michelle S Law Nidia Hartford Ramsin Tamraz |
Randolph Rogge Rebecca Mirza Robert Goodman Robert Masasso Robin Walker Rogelio Chavez Ruby Cahue Salvador Moreno Pantoja Steven Powers Tracy England Vanessa Woodruff Veronica Martinez William Hoppe |
Service Award: 5 Years
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Abhi Agarwal Adam Ferdin Albert Ortega Jr. Andrew Mitchell Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht Aurora Perez Bavneet Kaur Brandi Alves Carla Silveira LaBass Carol De Hoog Carrie Kouadio Catrina Parr Chuck Weir Danny Feitel Demitra Borrero Destinee Baker Dr. Jackson Muhirwe |
Eddie Torres Edith Ramirez Eli Vargas Eric Rahilly Erin Griffin Meyer Ernie Costello Garett Gietzen Isabel De Santiago De Los Santos Jessica Ventura John Newton Julie Jones Kim Overdyck Kristopher Greene Lauren Brackett Laurie J Grissom Maribel Lugo Marlon Spinneberg |
Marta Holtz Martha Durand Miguel Mendoza Miramontes Mohabbat Ahmadi Molly Elazier Nancy Higareda-Marquez Nicole Deleon Pedro Beltran Guzman Rafael Chávez III Ruth Salazar Soceek Tchouboukjian Steve Davis Sunni Nelson Valara Villanueva Yulia Hidalgo Zheng (Jenny) Xiang |
Staff Excellence Awards
Creativity: Angelica Guillen
Equity, Justice, and Inclusive Excellence: Charah Coleman
Organizational and Leadership Abilities: Erin Webb
Outstanding Customer Service: Jay Belhumeur
People Management: Angela Dixon
Staff Engagement: Leticia Aldama
Teamwork: Alyssa Conroy
