Staff Assembly presented the 2013 Citations for Excellence at a ceremony last week, and should have given itself a citation for the second half of the program: the awarding of a record $15,000 in staff scholarships.

The scholarships totaled $12,000 for staff and $3,000 for staff dependents. The money comes from the Margene Orzalli Endowment, the Larry N. Vanderhoef Scholarship Fund, the Latino Staff and Faculty Association, the UC Davis Retirees Association, and Staff Assembly’s own fundraising.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi joined Staff Assembly Chair Rob Kerner in presenting the awards during a reception in the Gunrock Pub on May 23.

Citations for Excellence

Staff Assembly gave four Distinguished Citations for Excellence, in three individual categories and a team category, and five outstanding citations.

Distinguished: individual (supervision)

• Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor, Campus Community Relations — Committed to personal and professional excellence, starting with his belief in the Principles of Community, which he actualizes through his supervision and leadership. As a leader, he fosters inclusion by creating an environment where every staff member is valued for who they are as individuals as well as what they contribute toward furthering the mission of the university.

Distinguished: individual (campus service)

• Emily Whitmer, animal health technician, Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine — She has gone far above and beyond her responsibilities, developing a mechanism to efficiently inventory existing supplies, determining what level of equipment is necessary for which facility, and managing the ordering and resupplying. Each member organization involved has commented on the ease by which this process now works.

Distinguished: individual (research contributions)

• Ernie Hoftyzer, management services officer, Institute of Transportation Studies-Davis — Seven years ago, his MSO duties grew when the university established the Energy Efficiency Center, which, together with ITS-Davis, comprised one research and teaching program with eight staff members and a budget of $3 million. Since then, Hoftyzer has coordinated the organization’s growth into five programs (ITS-Davis, Energy Efficiency Center, Western Cooling Efficiency Center, Center for Water-Energy Efficiency and the Energy Institute) with 180 people and an annual budget of $15 million. He managed this explosive growth with exceptional financial acuity, deft personnel skills and a positive attitude, even in difficult budget times. Oh, and he’s also the MSO for the Policy Institute of Energy, Environment and the Economy.

Distinguished: team (campus service)

• Interdisciplinary Research Support: Alyssa Bunn, Erin Houston, Kassie Obelleiro, Regan Scott and Sherly Soucy-Lubell — This team, part of the Office of Research, plays a crucial role in enabling faculty, staff and students to realize UC Davis’ vision of research excellence, and has made an incredible contribution to the campus's success over a sustained period of several years. The team's collective wisdom, patience, attention to detail and phenomenal perseverance to perfect proposals is outstanding, and the data prove categorically that this helps UC Davis faculty compete strongly with other universities.

Outstanding: individuals

• Beth Floyd, director of Undergraduate Education and Advising, College of Letters and Science (for supervision)
• Minh Hoang, student affairs officer, Department of Chemistry (for teaching)
• Jeremy Phillips, director, IT Service Center, Division of Social Sciences (for supervision)
• Kimiora Ward, staff research associate, Department of Entomology and Nematology (for service)

Outstanding: team

• One Health Institute Diagnostic and Technology Development Laboratory: Jasmine Pante, Daniel Rejmanek and Brett Smith

Staff scholarships

For staff dependents

• Ariel Aaron “Ari” Amon — Son of Ricardo Amon (analyst, Department of Food Science and Technology) and Sharon Amon. Ari is an incoming freshman, majoring in human development. $1,000 from Staff Assembly.
• Julia Dinger — Daughter of Perla Dinger (purchasing coordinator, Shared Services Center) and Craig Dinger. Julia is a junior transfer, majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. $500 from Staff Assembly.
• Jordan Tonooka — Daughter of Karen H. Tonooka (staff research associate, Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center) and Keith Tonooka. Jordan is an incoming freshman, majoring in evolution, ecology and biodiversity. $1,500 from Staff Assembly.

For staff

• Julie Delia Agosto — Program consultant, Student Recruitment and Retention Center. Studying for a doctorate in organizational leadership, Pepperdine University. $500 from Staff Assembly.
• Kelly Marie Cole — Academic advising coordinator, Student Housing. Studying for a doctorate in educational leadership, through the CANDEL Program (Capital Area North Doctorate in Educational Leadership), offered by UC Davis in partnership with Sonoma State University. $800 from the Latino Staff and Faculty Association, and the Larry N. Vanderhoef Staff Scholarship Fund.
• Kawami Evans — Academic coordinator, Student Housing. Studying for a doctorate in educational leadership and management, Drexel University. $1,000, UC Davis Retirees Association Scholarship.
• Courtney Gardner — Animal health technician, small-animal intensive care unit, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Majoring in nursing, California State University, Chico. $300 from Staff Assembly.
• Jasmine Gideon — Medical assistant, Department of Family Practice. Majoring in environmental science, University of Phoenix. $1,000 from the Margene Orzalli Endowment.
• Letia Graening — Assistant, BFTV Administrative Cluster (serving biological and agricultural engineering, food science and technology, textiles and clothing, and viticulture and enology). Majoring in communication, Southern New Hampshire University. $1,200 from Staff Assembly.
• Esther Min — Staff research associate, Department of Nutrition. Majoring in public health, Touro University California. $300 from Staff Assembly.
• Michelle Mitchell — Library assistant, Collection Support Services, Shields Library. Studying for a master’s degree in marriage, family and child therapy, University of Phoenix. $1,500 from the Margene Orzalli Endowment.
• Maria Saldana-Seibert — Student affairs officer, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Studying for a master’s degree in Higher Education Leadership, California State University, Sacramento. $300 from Staff Assembly.
• Wendy Anne Stoltz — Development analyst, Graduate School of Management. Majoring in business, Mills College. $4,000 from the Larry N. Vanderhoef Staff Scholarship Fund.
• La Shon M. Tate — Administrative specialist, Compliance Program, UC Davis Health System. Studying for a master’s degree in marriage, family and child therapy, University of Phoenix. $1,100 from Staff Assembly.

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