Grateful for things both big and small

Amidst the meetings and phone calls, and errands, and everyday life interruptions, this is the week we reflect on those things for which we are thankful.

Nobody ever said life was always easy. All around us are challenging circumstances, whether it be in the office or with the greater organization, or at home. I gave a presentation at the Davis ANR staff meeting several months back and shared that I have led a charmed life. It's true. I've never known real hunger. I've always had a roof over my head and a window to look out from. I've never lived with war right outside my window. I don't suffer from any debilitating or life-threatening disease. So I don't really know what ‘hard' is. If things at work are crazy hectic, it is largely of my own choosing.

UC ANR truly is amazing. In a meeting just yesterday, we learned from Kathy Eftekari, a facilitator from UCOP who lead us through the development of our strategic plan and is now leading us through an annual review of it, that other units in UCOP really like our big goal: UC ANR will be recognized by every Californian for having made a positive difference in their lives. At first, it appears to be, perhaps, lofty and focused on getting credit for what we do. However, the impetus behind the wording is that we have such a positive impact that people take notice and seek us out. What's not to like about that? What makes UC ANR amazing isn't that we have the goal but that we can achieve it because of the people all across the state doing all kinds of things from research, to program delivery, to program development, to administration and support of the programs and people. UC ANR is the umbrella for UCCE, AES and the RECs and it is that composite of entities that sets us apart from other state and provides the platform to reach our goal. I see it in the work around the state and I hear it in the conversations, even those tackling tough topics about practices and processes. The people of UC ANR are great thinkers and exceptional achievers.

I'm thankful:

• For the amazing experiences I have had at UC ANR
• My immediate family is now here in California
• For the hospitality shown by the offices and facilities I have visited over the last year
• That UC ANR is full of outstanding talent in every aspect of the Division and that talent is committed to the mission and vision
• That the Pepsi machine in the ANR Davis building also vends Diet Coke (a nice collaboration)
• For the opportunity to work with people I like and live with people I love
• For 2 weeks without significant travel
• That we all have a few days of R&R, knowing that, more likely than not, we will all be back on Monday

Enjoy your time away from work and with family and friends. We have so much for which to be grateful.

My mind is full. The result of taking on some additional responsibilities while we try to fill some vacancies is that my calendar is running me. Last week was packed. From arriving in DC on Saturday and all-day meetings Sunday and Monday, to flying back on Tuesday just in time for a few brief minutes at the New Administrator Orientation followed by a 3+-hour meeting with R&E Council that was idea-rich, to the night drive to Visalia so I could meet with the REC directors, business officers, and superintendents all day Thursday into the evening then half-day Friday before driving back, I didn't have a chance to sort thoughts and even now haven't fully processed things.

In between there have been conversations about moving forward with the Public Value Statements now that Condition Changes are complete, and reviewing documents to prepare for both Strategic Plan updates and accountability against our goals as well as documents and talking points to prepare for a deep dive on UC ANR's budget.

All of these things position us for continued success, as success rarely just happens. However, I could use a timeout to provide some quiet time so that I can process everything. I'm sure most of us have taken a Myers-Briggs Type Instrument assessment. Surprisingly, and following an expanded version of the assessment tool, I learned that I land close to the middle in all categories but one. But because the intent is to type each participant, I am typed as an INTJ. {For reference, it is the “T” (vs “F”) where I am clearly a “T”.} Perhaps the commute this upcoming week will give me some time to work through what I heard, saw, and learned last week.

Buddha's hand from the Lindcove REC

UC ANR welcomes a number of new faces, including Mary Bonaparte- Saller who is a Youth Development Advisor in Orange County. Mary started October 9^th and I have had the opportunity to meet her at the New Employee Orientation last month. I haven't had a chance to meet either of the 2 Advisors who joined UC ANR most recently. Please welcome Kari Arnold, Advisor in Area Orchard and Vineyard Systems, based in Modesto with programmatic responsibilities in Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties and Michael Rethwisch, Advisor in Crop Production and Entomology, headquartered in Blythe (Palo Verde Valley), with programmatic responsibilities in Riverside County. Michael has returned to UC ANR, to the same office where he was located previously. We are pleased to have Mary, Kari and Michael on board!

New faces are exciting for UC ANR! At a time when there are many changes going on, welcoming new colleagues/friends/peers is one of perhaps few ‘changes' that is always welcome. There seems to be no shortage of change going on, from policies, to reports and training needs, to budget accommodations, and insufficient hands on deck, change is challenging and a source for stress. I think many could use a time out right now. Fortunately we have a bit of a break coming up – time to renew and refresh our outlook.

I'm anxious to hear how the RCAS tour went that was hosted this year in California. It wraps up today. Lisa Fischer chaired the tour planning committee that included a number of Advisors, Specialists, and REC Directors. One of the tour stops was the Kearney REC. It looked to be a great tour, but one I unfortunately couldn't participate in. I did have a chance to meet the group on Sunday for their business meeting. As the group went around the room and talked about some of the challenges they have in their respective states there were some common themes, most of which are not altogether unfamiliar to CA. The real benefit of having such a group from around the country is the opportunity to share potential solutions and experiences and clearly this group is solutions oriented and not stuck on just discussing the problems.

I spent yesterday at the annual meeting for the UCOP Global Food Initiative. Both NPI and SAREP have ongoing projects with GFI. Peggy Lemaux's CLEAR program was one of the projects discussed in detail. Peggy commented to me how pleased she was to hear many of the GFI participants from around the UC campuses refer to UC ANR. I couldn't agree more. Given the topic is food, it only makes sense that UC ANR is an integral part of the GFI. I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with Jeff Couture's daughter who is a researcher at UCSB where she studies marine food sources. She is quite an impressive young lady; no doubt he is quite proud of her. I don't know Jeff very well but every morning that I head to Davis I hope he has arrived ahead of me so that I don't have to remember my alarm PIN. Fortunately he's pretty regular with his early arrival.

Today we had a UC ANR Strategic Plan Goal Owners meeting to share updates on each of the strategic plan goals and take a reflective look at the feasibility of all that is in the plan. Now that we've had 6 months or so to work on the goals, it is much easier to be realistic about the workload and investments involved in accomplishing the plan, not to mention the benchmarks and metrics to evaluate our progress. Now that's not to say that there isn't a strong commitment to achieving everything in the plan, but it's all about ensuring that we are realistic about how best to accomplish the goals. Time has also led to a new perspective on the 15 goals and how intertwined they are. That's a bit scary if you think of it in terms of potential to fail. On the other hand, that interconnection lends itself to a sense that all of the goal owners are headed in a common direction – an essential factor for success. During the meeting Gabe Youtsey talked about a grant submission to the U.S. Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program only to discover while we were meeting that is was funded! Congratulations to Gabe Youtsey, Glenda and their team for a successful submission!

In other exciting news, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors will be recognizing the 10^th Anniversary of our Master Gardener Program this coming Tuesday, September 26^th.  The BOS will also recognize the few Master Gardeners that have contributed more than 1,000 hours of volunteer time each. Congratulations to my home county! San Joaquin County has and is a tremendous partner with UC ANR. The county provides strong financial support to fund and support Marcy Sousa, the Master Gardener Coordinator, Marcy Sousa, and the Environmental Horticulture Advisor position, held by Karrie Reid. As a result, San Joaquin County is home to 200 certified Master Gardeners. Way to go Marcy, Karrie, Brent and team! It is this type of partnership that makes UC ANR's work so effective and broad-reaching.

I can only guess what the rest of the week holds!

Tomorrow I celebrate completing my first year at UC ANR. I'm not sure of the appropriate means of celebrating such an event but I decided to kick back with my customary beverage of choice and reflect on what we (the very big ‘we') have accomplished. It's quite a list and certainly explains why time went by so fast, which is a bit of a relief because I feared it was aging that made time fly. I can take little credit for the accomplishments but after all, UC ANR isn't about one or even several people; it's about that collective ‘we'.

Just under a month from start date, UC ANR had its first annual review with President Napolitano (July 18, 2016 – I don't even have to check a calendar to confirm). Out of that meeting came the charge to develop a 5-year strategic plan, by December no less. That suited me just fine because it would help connect the dots under a single framework.

The strategic plan validated things already agreed upon as needed but not yet completed, such as staff and advisor equity increases, fund development plans with targets established, and a concerted effort to enhance volunteer management skills. Other items underway include training opportunities for effective delivery of information in a virtual world and managing combined administrative and academic responsibilities. We are also taking a hard look at the needs of new academics and how we can better help them settle into UC ANR and set a path for a long, successful and rewarding career. The presence of the strategic plan has motivated many to make things happen that otherwise might not, despite good intentions. I suspect that's what makes such planning and commitment of the plan to writing a good business practice.

Over the year, UC ANR has looked for ways to improve administrative efficiencies in order to shift more dollars towards programming. There's much more to be done. At the same time, there is a commitment to connecting individuals, programmatic units, and the strategic initiatives and enhancing interaction amongst all of these; Mark Bell is the right person to do this and with the position, the time needed to achieve is carved out. Similarly, we need to continue to integrate administrative units so that we are all headed in the same direction and working together.

We have built partnerships, including identification of new partners that will translate to more people aware of the UC ANR brand and promise and more boots on the ground (the academic footprint) while at the same time strengthening partnerships that are core to who we are.

I've been part of many discussions about resiliency and how to shield the important work we do from future uncertainties. Hence, steps identified above have been taken coupled by other efforts to foster creativity and entrepreneurial activity while at the same time positioning ourselves to be ahead when new issues emerge. Ultimately, the goal is to never have to know what a crisis actually ‘cost' because we were able to just continue on our path.

I think it was fitting that I was able to end my first year reviewing the merit and promotion packages last week. I commented to a couple of people earlier today and will repeat here, that the week highlighted for me the caliber of people in UC ANR. The bar is certainly higher here than anywhere else I have been and I continue to be amazed at how far above the bar people are able to go. If any organization can impact, positively, the lives of 40 million Californians, it is UC ANR.

I look back in order to better see forward. But with all there is to do, there's not much time for reflection. So it's back to work to prepare for whatever tomorrow brings. I hope that by the time my second anniversary rolls around I have at least finished unpacking. But time does fly.