2026 Call for UCCE Positions

UC ANR is pleased to release the 2026 Call for UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Advisor and Specialist Positions. This call builds on the almost 50 positions approved during the 2024 call and the 2022 historic release of more than 100 UCCE positions over several years.

UC ANR continues to prioritize growing its academic footprint to provide the expertise needed to improve the lives of all Californians and address emerging and future needs. We plan to release 13 to 14 new priority UCCE Advisor positions and 6 to 7 new priority UCCE Specialist positions.

Process Overview

Flowchart titled "2026 Call for UCCE Positions" with five stages: Identify Priorities, Match Priorities, Co-Develop Proposals, Program Council, and Positions Announced. Each stage, with associated tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities, shows job allocation for specialists and advisors. Colors: green, gray, blue, and yellow.

The process includes five stages: identifying priority positions, matching priorities with other groups, proposal co-creation and submission, Program Council review, and final position announcements.

View the process orientation webinar recording and presentation slides from March 4 for Program Team Leaders, Statewide Program/Institute Directors, Area/County Directors, and campus leadership.

Timeline

Stage 1: Identify priority positions by March 31

Designated groups identify and post their top priority positions and rankings to Idea Board. These groups work collaboratively across the UC ANR network and seek external stakeholder input.

Stage 2: Match priorities with other groups by April 24

Designated groups connect to identify matches and agree on positions to propose. The Idea Board/Google Sheet is updated to confirm proposals moving forward.

Stage 3: Proposal co-creation and submission by June 12

For UCCE Advisor positions:

Each of the five Leadership & Extension Advisory Directors (LEAD) regional teams will work within their teams to submit approximately six proposals identified by each UC ANR Program Team and aligned with county academic planning priorities. Program Teams should be involved in co-development. In total, approximately 33 advisor proposals will be submitted.

For UCCE Specialist positions:

UC Campus Provosts and/or Chancellors submit proposals identified by each UC ANR Program Team and aligned with campus academic planning priorities. Program Teams should be involved in co-development. In total, approximately 33 specialist proposals will be submitted.

Submission instructions

LEAD regional teams: Use the Google Folder URL emailed by Janine Woods, Executive Director of County Cooperative Extension.
UC Campus Provosts or Chancellors: Email proposals directly to Darren Haver, UC ANR Interim Associate Vice President of Research and Cooperative Extension, at dlhaver@ucanr.edu. Proposals will be added to this webpage by UC ANR.

Stage 4: Program Council reviews, July 7-8

Program Council rates proposals and recommends priorities to the Vice President.

Stage 5: Positions announced in early fall

The Vice President makes final decisions and releases positions.

Proposal Template and Resources

Proposal Template

Proposal template 2026

The proposal template is required. Please note that the template has slight changes from previous years, so be sure to follow the instructions included in the current template.

Examples from Previous Years

Additional Resources

UCCE Programmatic Footprint Maps

The UCCE Programmatic Footprint Maps help identify where UCCE Advisors and Specialists are currently located and where there may be geographic or programmatic gaps. Secondary data layers on the maps provide information that can support proposals.

Maps are updated quarterly. They will be updated by mid-March with separations as of January 31. Please contact Katherine Webb-Martinez if someone needs to be manually removed sooner.

The March 4 orientation webinar recording linked above includes an overview and demo of the maps.

Questions

For overall process questions: Contact Katherine Webb-Martinez at katherine.webb-martinez@ucop.edu or (510) 987-0029.

For questions about using the Padlet or Google Drive: Contact Kit Alviz at kit.alviz@ucop.edu.

UCCE Position Proposals

UCCE Advisors

Proposals will be linked in the table below soon!

#	Discipline/Specialty	Office location	Counties served	Submitted by
1	4-H Youth Development - STEM Career Pathways	TBD	Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside	Science Literacy and Critical Thinking PT and Region 5
2	4-H Youth Development - Urban Agriculture and Community Youth Development	Sacramento	Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo	Positive Youth Development and 4-H PT and Region 2
3	Agricultural Workforce Mobility and Economic Development	Napa	Napa, Sonoma, Solano, and Lake	2 PTs: Labor and Workforce Development and Systemic Inequities and Region 2
4	Agronomic Cropping Systems	Kings	Kings, Tulare, and Kern	Agronomic Crops PT and Region 3
5	Coastal Food Systems	Sonoma	Sonoma, Marin, and Mendocino	Aquatic Food Production Systems PT and Region 2
6	Community and Climate Resilience	TBD	San Diego and Imperial	Disaster Preparedness and Response PT and Region 5
7	Conservation Genomics and Stewardship	El Dorado	El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne	Biodiversity Conservation and Stewardship PT and Region 3
8	Environmental Horticulture	San Joaquin	San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced	Environmental Horticulture, Floriculture, Berries, Nurseries PT and Region 4
9	Fire - Resiliency and community adaptation	Los Angeles	Los Angeles and Orange	Fire Management, Policy, and Resiliency PT and Region 5
10	Forestry and Natural Resources	Fresno	Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno	Forestry and Upper Watershed PT and Region 3
11	Horticulture	Trinity	Trinity, Shasta, and Tehama	Food Systems, Food Waste, and Business Support and Region 1
12	Human-Wildlife Interactions	San Mateo/San Francisco	San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Marin, Alameda, and Contra Costa	Human-Wildlife Interactions PT and Region 4
13	Irrigation and Water Resources	Yolo	Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo	2 PTs: Water Quantity, Quality, and Security and Climate Science and Region 2
14	Livestock and Natural Resources	Lassen	Lassen	Rangeland and Grazing Systems PT and Region 1
15	Livestock and Natural Resources	Fresno	Fresno and Madera	Specialty Livestock and Poultry PT and Region 3
16	Livestock and Natural Resources	San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura	Beef Production PT and Region 5
17	Nut Crops - Almond, Pistachio, Walnut	Kings	Kings	Fruit and Nut Tree Crops PT and Region 3
18	Small Farms and Specialty Crop	Riverside	San Bernardino and Riverside	Agroecology, Organic, and Regenerative Systems PT and Region 5
19	Urban Agriculture and Food Systems	Santa Clara	Santa Clara, San Mateo/San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa	Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens PT and Region 4
20	Vegetable and Berry Crops	San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara	Vegetable Crops PT and Region 5
21	Vertebrate Pests Management - Tree, Field and Vegetable Crops	West Side REC	Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare	Entomology, Arthropod, and Vertebrate Pests PT and REC System
22	Viticulture	Monterey	Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, and Santa Cruz	Viticulture PT and Region 4
23	Woody Biomass and Forest Products	Mendocino	Mendocino, Marin, and Sonoma	Biobased Products and Bioeconomy PT and Region 2

UCCE Specialists