- Author: Deanne Meyer
This last week had its peaks and valleys. We are closely watching weather updates and predictions as more rain is heading our way.
Many heard the news that Richard (Dick) Rosenberg passed away at 92 years strong. His philanthropy will forever be remembered. For ANR, the Rosenberg International Forum serves to reduce conflict and promote cooperation in management of water resources. The endowment supporting this work began in 1996. As one article said his "attention to details, drove change and made a huge difference". The same article quoted his son Peter “He always said no matter what success you have in life, you can never enjoy it unless you're using that success to help others.” Dick's mission of making the world a better place is inspirational. I highly recommend a quick internet search to learn more about this amazing man and see similarities between all of us at ANR and his life's mission.
Tuesday was a super mentoring event for both staff and academics held in the Valley rooms. It was exciting to greet everyone and welcome them to their ANR family. We had a wonderful mix of mentors and mentees. Thank you to everyone who took part in the event. The energy in the room could have powered the building all day! The group met together and then split for more detailed information specific to staff or academics. A huge shout out to retired advisors John Karlik and Glenn McGourty for participating as mentors. As a reminder to everyone working in ANR—please remember to put you on your calendar! No matter your role in ANR, carve out time each week or month to reflect on accomplishments; what went well; and where improvements can be made. Make a habit of reflection so you see your value regularly. Set aside time for professional growth. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of work. File articles that look interesting, intriguing news pieces, a UC training, a TED talk, or any other opportunity to grow. Make time to dig in and learn at least monthly.
March 3rd was the first day for Elizabeth Moon, Director of Workplace Inclusion and Belonging. Director Moon is busy mapping out ANR. She's excited about our mission and encouraged by all the work being done within ANR surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. Please introduce yourself to Elizabeth. Her office is in Davis at 2nd Street.
Internal submissions are sought for the National Extension Awards. Three awards exist: Extension Diversity, Individual Excellence in Extension and Team Excellence in Extension. The application process isn't painful. We have incredibly strong programs in California and should have strong applicants in all three categories if people take time to complete the survey.
Welcome new hires in January: Grace Dean (Comm Specialist, Central Sierra Nevada MCP), Adolfo Limon (Financial Analyst, Resource Planning and Management) and Agron Kllogjri (General Accountant, Financial Services); students Jayla Pollard and Yasmeen Castro Guillen, Sutter/Yuba; Gema Gutierrez, Desert REC; Liam Gravvat, Human Resources; and Giovanna Bavaro, Riverside County.
The California CARET (Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching) members and the Administrative Heads Section (AHS) of the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU) meets Sunday and Monday in D.C. This year's theme is Ag is the Answer: Building Land-grant Solutions for Global Food, Agriculture, and Resource Challenges. After the meetings, our delegation will do hill visits and meet with elected officials' staff. It will be an an exciting week.
- Author: Deanne Meyer
It's that time of the year where all the hard work of cultivating and tending crops culminates with harvest. Whether it's pomegranates, sorghum, pumpkins or walnuts, crops are working their way to consumers for enjoyment. Soon nutrient management considerations for the next crop will be determined and implemented. Researchers are taking end of season plant tissue and soil samples or measuring gaseous emissions. And so, the cycles continue. From seed to crop to consumer. For those engaged in natural resources cooler weather brings promise of rains.
Pumpkin patch visit
October 15 ended our month-long celebration of Hispanic Heritage month. There have been news stories, blog posts, and presentations among others. The variety of activities provided many ways to share culture and current careers. Thank you all for taking time to participate.
One of the highlights of any day is to meet with candidates for Specialist positions. This last week it was for a position at UC Davis in Agricultural and Resource Economics on the Economics of Food Supply Chains. This is an incredibly timely position given all we've learned during Covid.
Last week zoomed by in the blink of an eye. Program Council met. One of our topics focused on onboarding and mentoring. With the hiring frenzy it's imperative that we are effective at onboarding. Did you know how well we onboard new academics is directly correlated to retention and productivity? The ANR Learning and Development website has great resources for onboarding. Since onboarding begins the minute we receive the signed offer letter, it's worth taking time to look through the materials. Supervisors, peers, co-workers and everyone else in the organization is part of the onboarding process. Thank you to our great Human Resources colleagues and Jodi Azulai who have worked to collect and prepare onboarding documentation. A big shout out to Jona Pressman who provided a convincing presentation about the importance of onboarding during the recent Vice President's council meeting. We're in this together and it takes effort from everyone to make people feel welcome.
In the category of Humbled and Happy, HUGE congratulations to Katherine Web Martinez and the work of Program Planning and Evaluation. Their work has been recognized by the National Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals with the Extension Staff Development Award. “This award recognizes individuals who use creativity, innovation, and evidence to develop and deliver staff development initiatives that strengthen the employee capacity of Cooperative Extension systems. Efforts may focus on innovative initiatives, tools, assessments, practices, and/or other products for staff development at the local, regional, state or national level.” Way to go Katherine and team. You all do amazing work!
Welcome to ANR! Three new Advisors joined ANR in September. Ashley Hooper (Urban Community Resiliency; Los Angeles), Cindy Chen (Woody Biomass and Wood Products, Central Sierra Nevada MCP, Alpine and Mariposa Counties) and Matthew Rodriguez (4-H Youth Development, Nevada, Placer, Sutter and Yuba Counties).
- Author: Deanne Meyer
Snow melts to water and flows from Yosemite.
We are UC ANR! Our role as change agents is to effect change. Every employee in the organization participates in making change happen. Do you want to feel proud about the work you do? Read our 2020-2021 Annual Report. It's incredible. The report touches on just a fraction of our collective impacts.
For those who follow this space, you realize Dr. Wendy Powers has assumed her new post as the first Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of Washington State University's College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. We are grateful for her contributions to UC ANR. I've stepped into the Interim Associate Vice President, Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives role and look forward to working with the many teams and individuals in our organization.
Also new to our organization is Dr. Daniel Obrist serving as Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Development. Daniel started August 15th and is working with the hiring team to staff search committees, complete position vacancy announcements, conduct interviews, negotiate successful searches and on-board new academics. We are grateful to all who participate in this process. Hiring new academics is much work and VERY exciting! Thank you everyone involved in the process.
Speaking of new employees we welcomed new advisors in June: Hardeep Singh, Central Sierra, local food systems (June 1); Chris Shogren, Los Angeles County, environmental horticulture (June 5); Cameron Zuber, Merced and Madera counties, orchard crops (June 6); Eric Middleton, San Diego, integrated pest management (June 6); Barb Satink Wolfson, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, fire (June 30). I can only imagine the great ideas and impacts these individuals bring to our organization.
I look forward to our future as your Interim Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives. I've been a Specialist (UC Davis) for nearly 30 years and have served in various roles within ANR. My research and extension programs enabled me to work on the North Coast, Central Valley and Southern California with Farm Advisors and clientele. I've served on Program Council for 5.5 years, and as the Sustainable Food System Strategic Initiative Leader. Through my role as a Vice Chair of my academic department, I understand recharge rate concerns and needs and the merit and promotion process. On a personal note, I am excited to serve in this role as UC ANR has provided me with a career opportunity not available anywhere else in the world. This is my way of giving back to the organization and people I believe in.
Thank you for all you do for California! Together we effect change for California, and beyond.