Staff Assembly Council Elections
Elections are now being conducted for the 2016 – 2017 Staff Assembly Council
Polling opens: Tuesday, May 31st, 2016 at 7:00am
Polling closes: Monday, June 6th, 2016 at 9:00pm
Vote online through EEE Survey.
Our goal is to provide expanded opportunities for your involvement in Staff Assembly and to build an organization that has a positive influence on the future of UCI in a rapidly changing workplace.
If you would like to participate in a non-elected position with Staff Assembly, email Vice Chair Jeremy Thacker (thackerj@uci.edu) or contact any committee chair. Committee descriptions and contacts are available on the Council Committees page.
Positions and Candidates
Statements have been provided by each of the candidates and are included below. Detailed information about the positions is available at Elected Administrative Officers
Finance Chair Elect
Finance Chair
CUCSA Junior Delegate
Vice Chair
Candidate Statements
Finance Chair Elect
Jake Vo
SOM – Finance Administration
Finance Analyst
3 years of service
Candidate Statement:
My name is Jake Vo and I currently working in the School of Medicine Dean Office’s Finance Administration Department where I am responsible to process the vendors’ invoices and some of its recharges and oversee their exceptional KFS transactions. I have a rested interest in the public sector, as before I worked for the University of California, Irvine, when I interned for the City of Fullerton, where, I wanted to do something that would impact a public organisation’s financially and uphold the public’s trust to its utmost, with integrity and accuracy.
Please consider voting for me. Please rest assured, I will serve the Finance Chair Elect to the best of my ability.
Lauren Shim
Dean’s Office, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science
Senior Contracts & Grants Analyst
4 years of service
Candidate Statement:
As a UCI employee, I have enjoyed many great events provided by UCI Staff Assembly. Now I am thrilled to have an opportunity to be part of this great and important organization within UCI. As the Finance Chair Elect, I will strive to understand the SA funding and its business practices as quickly as possible, and provide assistance to the Finance Chair.
Paul Carrillo
University Advancement
Assistant Finance Analyst
2 years of service
Candidate Statement:
First, thank you for taking time at out of your busy day to read my statement. I am thrilled to have been nominated for the position of Finance Chair Elect. If chosen, it would be a true privilege to contribute to the Staff Assembly. In reviewing the duties and responsibilities of this position, I have the talent and expertise to excel and become an impactful member of the Staff Assembly team. However, not only do I have the financial acumen but I enjoy volunteering and giving back. Again, thank you for your time and consideration.
Robert Escalante
Department of English
Composition Program Manager
6.5 years of service
Candidate Statement:
I’ve been searching for a way to get more involved with the UCI campus and this would be a great way to do just that. I am a motivated and ambitious individual that would have a lot to offer this position given the opportunity to serve in this role. It would be a welcomed honor to serve the campus staff and meet new people all while taking part in such a rewarding campus committee. Thank you.
Finance Chair
(Cathy) Thy Nguyen Yates
Dean’s Office, School of Social Sciences
Senior Finance Analyst
9 years of service
Candidate Statement:
I am a proud Anteater alumna, graduating from the School of Humanities – Film and Media Studies. I served as the Assistant Finance Analyst in the Dean’s Office in School of Humanities and then the Contract and Grants Analyst in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in School of Biological Sciences. In my current position as Senior Finance Analyst in the School of Social Sciences, I manage various funds for my assigned departments. I compiled various types of financial reports and provide the customer service/guidance to staff and faculty on how to correctly spend their funds. With my extensive financial experience and current position as FY15-16 Interim Finance Chair Elect, I hope to continue and serve my colleagues to the best of my abilities. I am honored to be have been nominated and excited to be part of Staff Assembly again.
CUCSA First Year Delegate
Diane Sagey
The Paul Merage School of Business
Assistant Dean of Operations
8 years of service
Candidate Statement:
Thank you for taking the time to vote, and for considering me for the Staff Assembly CUCSA First Year Delegate role. With 20+ years’ experience specializing in employee communications, I have always worked hard to advocate on behalf of staff at all levels to ensure management has an accurate and actionable view of staff challenges and opportunities. My current job is to remove obstacles for others so they can do their jobs more easily; I would love to be able to do that at the UC level, too. My commitment is to UCI and making this the best place to both work and learn for all of us. I have served on the steering committee for Academic and Professional Women of UCI, and am co-Chair of the Mike Puritz Staff Assembly Career Enhancement Scholarship Program. I look forward to doing more in the future and welcome your support.
Dziyana Aydin
SOM – Financial Administration
Senior Contract & Grant Analyst
3 years of service
Candidate Statement:
I believe that through continued engagement and collaboration with UCI leaders, as well as organizations, and departments, we can find solutions that contribute to institutional efficacy while promoting a safe and welcoming culture and climate at UCI for all. I previously served on Personal and Professional Development Staff Council Committee at the University of Vermont for almost a year and found the experience priceless, thus would like get involved with UCI Staff Assembly as the CUCSA First Year Delegate and help with issues affecting staff at a UC campus.
Jessie Reeves
Student Services, UC Irvine Extension
International Student Affairs Specialist, DSO
2 years of service
Candidate Statement:
During my short time at UC Irvine, I have become dedicated to the UCI campus and community, particularly through my involvement as a UCI Staff Assembly Community Relations committee member. As a committee member, I have participated in planning volunteer events for UC Irvine staff, and have conducted outreach to local charities, such as Make-A-Wish and the Illuminations Foundation, to promote UCI’s community involvement. I am a hard-working, enthusiastic, and detail-orientated UCI employee, and am eager to become more engaged with other UC campuses and staff. I would be honored to represent UC Irvine staff as a CUCSA First Year Delegate, and promise to be fulfill all duties and obligations this role entails.
Kathy Eiler
Community & Government Relations
Director of Federal Relations
19 years of service
Candidate Statement:
Working at UC Irvine for 19 years has been a privilege and has changed my life in many ways.
I would be honored for the opportunity to serve my colleagues in the capacity of the Council of University and California Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) as a First Year Delegate. As UCI employees, our daily lives are consumed with meeting deadlines, keeping promises and delivering a superior product. Our hard work and contributions deserve to be lauded and supported by our colleagues.
CUCSA is the very organization that seeks to enhance the staff experience across the UC system. It serves as a platform to acknowledge staff contributions, establish support mechanisms and facilitate unfettered dialogue between staff and UC leadership to ensure that our employees receive the support required to perform our duties at the highest level.
My current role as Director of Federal Government Relations has provided me with an opportunity to meet many of you and to learn about what matters to you and how your daily contributions to this institution does make a difference, both locally in Irvine and Washington, DC. As a CUCSA representative my goal will be to represent your interests and to create a work environment that supports diversity, continued academic achievement, and work-life balance. Perhaps most importantly, my role will be to make sure the perspective of UCI staff is well-represented at the highest levels of decision-making at the University of California.
I am asking for your support to represent you as the UC Irvine Junior CUCSA delegate. Thank you for your consideration.
Vice Chair
(Kasey) Kai-Fei Ning
Program in Nursing Science
Manager, Financial Services
11 years of service
Candidate Statement:
I am honored to accept the nomination to run for the office of Vice Chair in Staff Assembly. A proud UCI alumnus, I have worked on campus for over 11 years. I am the Manager of Financial Services at the Program in Nursing Science, with prior experience as the Department Manager for three departments in the School of Humanities. In these past two years, I have had the privilege to serve as the Finance Chair Elect and Finance Chair in Staff Assembly, and would love the opportunity to continue to contribute and serve the campus community. Thank you for your consideration.
Nicole Bourbon
University Advancement
Project Coordinator & Executive Assistant to the AVC of Advancement Operations
2+ years of service
Candidate Statement:
As the co-chair of the Education and Enrichment Committee for Staff Assembly, I’ve committed myself to designing programming for professional and personal development and in response to staff feedback. Over the past two years we have gathered to hear coffee talks from the university’s leadership, toured athletic facilities on campus, attended professional development workshops by campus partners such as Working Wardrobes, and visited our community friends at Eureka! to enjoy some summer beer tasting on the patio. Our offerings include forums aimed to promote diversity and inclusive environments where staff can network, share resources, obtain tools to develop professionally, and learn about offices and initiatives working to enhance the culture here at UCI. This position has allowed me to gain a better sense of the pulse on campus, identify areas of opportunity for enrichment and apply approaches to dialogue learned from my graduate studies in multiculturalism, social justice and higher education. Being part of the Staff Assembly Council has afforded me the opportunity to meet a special group of advocates from a variety of areas on campus who share a zeal for volunteerism and UCIs vision of being the best place to work in Orange County. As a proud alumna of the School of Social Sciences, nothing excites me more than giving back to the university that grounded my passion in international studies and education, and prepared me for this opportunity in collaborative leadership.
If elected as Vice Chair, I will continue to seek ways in which we can promote campus engagement, elevate the visibility of staff efforts across campus, support the needs of staff, and foster an environment that will encompass our diverse perspectives and narratives. I look forward to an exciting time of growth and innovation here at UCI!
Pramod Kunju
Office of Information Technology
Data Warehouse Specialist
9 months of service
Candidate Statement:
It’ll be an honor and a privilege to serve the UCI Staff community as your Vice Chair on the Council. My goal as Vice Chair will be to actively represent the interests of all UCI Staff. My focus will be on getting inputs from Staff members, making sure they are communicated to and acted upon by the Administration. I would like to establish a feedback system where UCI Staff can easily report issues, and make sure the Administration responds to all issues in a timely manner. In a nutshell, if elected, I will strive to make UCI an even better place for all its Staff.