Improving Campus Support Services

Launched in June 2023, the Sustaining Teaching and Research Task Force, or START, will assess challenges, prioritize strategies and recommend specific actions to bring about substantive improvements to our education, research and service models, thereby enhancing our ability to fulfill our mission at the highest levels of achievement.

The Improving Campus Support Services Committee will consider opportunities that exist to better leverage existing technology, such as Artificial Intelligence, to identify efficiencies and streamline processes, especially related to administrative and shared support services. They will review research, teaching, and administrative staff support, and examine whether previous consolidations of services have advanced the university’s mission; identify additional opportunities for consolidation; and make recommendations where consolidation has been less effective and should be rolled back.

The committee's members are:

  • Co-Chairs
  • Radhika Prabhu, Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance, Operations and Administration
    Cheri Ross, Professor and Chair, Comparative Literature
  • Members
  • Peter Brantley, Online Strategy Director, University Library
    Michael Brown (Ex-Officio), Past Provost and Executive Vice President, UC Office of the President
    Briana Desmond, Chief Administrative Officer, College of Letters and Science
    Ryan Dickson, Director, Audit and Management Advisory Services
    Raissa D'Souza, Professor and Associate Dean of Research, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science
    Dyana Greene, Chief Administrative Officer, School of Veterinary Medicine
    Tammy Kenber, Chief Human Resources Officer
    Larisa Kure, Executive Assistant Dean, School of Medicine
    Lauren McDiarmid, Past Chair, Staff Assembly
    Brian McEligot, Executive Assistant Dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
    Jeremy Phillips, IT Director, College of Letters and Science
    Elizabeth Pontikes, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Management
    Pablo Reguerín, Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs
    Lindsay Romasanta, Chief of Staff, Student Affairs
    Kim Stephens, Project Manager, Finance, Operations and Administration (Staff)
    Blair Stephenson, Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance, Operations, and Administration

The Improving Campus Support Services Committee has formed working groups that will focus on specific topics and address the full range of questions submitted to START. The working groups, conveners, and members are:

  • Support Services Consolidations Workgroup
  • Convener: 
    Blair Stephenson, Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance, Operations, and Administration

    Members:
    Michael T. Brown, Professor Emeritus and Immediate Past Systemwide Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of California
    Briana Desmond, Chief Administrative Officer, College of Letters and Science
    Ryan Dickson, Director, Audit and Management Advisory Services
    Dyana Greene, Chief Administrative Officer, School of Veterinary Medicine
    Lauren McDiarmid, Past Chair, UC Davis Staff Assembly
    Cheri Ross, Professor and Chair, Comparative Literature
  • Support Services Process and Technology (AI) Efficiency Workgroup
  • Convener:
    Pablo Reguerín, Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

    Members:
    Peter Brantley, Online Strategy Director, University Library
    Michael T. Brown, Professor Emeritus and Immediate Past Systemwide Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of California
    Neeraj Chauhan, Associate Chief Information Officer of Enterprise Infrastructure Service, Information and Education Technology
    Raissa D'Souza, Professor and Associate Dean of Research, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science
    Tammy Kenber, Chief Human Resources Officer
    Larisa Kure, Executive Assistant Dean, School of Medicine
    Brian McEligot, Executive Assistant Dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
    Jeremy Phillips, IT Director, College of Letters and Science
    Elizabeth Pontikes, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Management
    Radhika Prabhu, Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance, Operations and Administration
  • Joint Revenue Agreements Workgroup with Increasing Our Research Excellence Committee
  • Abhijit Chaudhari, Director, Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging
    Isabelle Girard, Director, Research Core Facilities Program
    Michael Kuhner, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Procurement Officer, Supply Chain Management
    Brian McEligot, Executive Assistant Dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
    Michael Morgan, Director, Procurement and Sourcing
  • Policy Implementation Workgroup
  • Convener:
    Larisa Kure, Executive Assistant Dean, School of Medicine

    Members:
    Michael T. Brown, Professor Emeritus and Immediate Past Systemwide Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of California
    Melanie Clague, Senior Director of Finance, College of Engineering
    Tony Firpo, Associate Director, Audit and Management Advisory Services
    Isabelle Girard, Director, Research Core Facilities
    Asheley Greenlee, Financial Operations Manager, School of Veterinary Medicine
    Jenna Makus, Background Check and Policy Administrator, Human Resources
    Radhika Prabhu, Associate Vice Chancellor, Finance, Operations and Administration