March is our time to recognize Women’s History Month, and we’re definitely in the spirit at UC Davis. All across the university, from our athletic courts and research labs to our health system and leadership positions, women are empowering UC Davis and shaping a bold future.

I showed up to campus one recent morning with a much different set of work tools than usual. In this case, I was equipped with a pair of pruning shears. My mission? To get a hands-on learning experience about the people who make UC Davis shine.

I met with the Arboretum and Public Grounds team, a hard-working crew dedicated to not only keeping our campus beautiful, but upholding our principles of sustainability. They’d been given a heads-up that a new member was going to join their team for the day. However, they didn’t know it was going to be me.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and you’re feeling ready to take on 2020.

‏I’m looking forward to another great year after such a productive 2019. We’re going to build on the momentum we started last year between UC Davis, the city of Davis and Yolo County on mutual issues such as housing and transportation. I’m eager for another year of empowering students and making UC Davis the best neighbor it can be.

Here at UC Davis, we’re building on a foundation of upward momentum with our community. The power of UC Davis is more than what we accomplish; it is about the people who make it excellent. I’d like to showcase some of those people and the work they do in my new series, “That May Be the Chancellor.” I hope you’ll join me in learning about those who help make this university such a special institution.

Welcome to the season of lists, that time of endless to-dos before gift-giving and hosting family feasts. But I have another list in mind as we approach the holidays in Davis.