Debra Driskill, shown riding high in Alaska, retired from UC ANR in January.

Debra Driskill, business officer for the Research and Extension Center System and office manager at ANR Desert Research and Extension Center, retired in January after more than 30 years of service to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in psychology from National University, Driskill first served as the assistant director of financial aid at University of San Diego Law School for three years before joining UCANR as a business officer and office manager in September 1991

Driskill was first hired on at UC ANR Imperial Valley Ag Center, now known as the Desert Research and Extension Center. Later in her career, she went on to work with all research center directors and business officers on implementing a statewide recharge process and increase cost recovery for the Research and Extension Center System.

“Debbie played a key role in developing the framework for our center's recharge rates. She also provided guidance to other centers to develop their own recharge rate structure,” said Jairo Diaz, director for the Desert Research and Extension Center. “Having a new recharge rate was a team effort, with continuous ups and downs, but certainly having Debbie's business operation expertise on our side made things achievable.”

Among the numerous highlights of her career at UC ANR, Driskill worked on the UCPath systemwide payroll transition as part of the ANR Steering Committee and also served as an active member of the National Planning Committee for the National Extension and Research Administrative Officer Conference Retirement Plans in 2014- 2016. In 2015, Driskill was the acting co-chair of the NERAOC meeting in 2015.

“We are so fortunate to have had Debbie during this time and her contributions are very much appreciated,” Diaz said. “It was a pleasure to work with her and we wish her the best in her new journeys!”

In her free time, Driskill plans to spend her retirement enjoying CrossFit, yoga, gardening, spending time with her family and traveling. She has plans to hike the Grand Canyon, the Incline in Colorado, and travel throughout Ireland, Scotland and Japan.