Names in the News

Martinez joins 4-H in Imperial County

Anita Martinez

Anita Martinez has joined UCCE as a new 4-H program representative overseeing the 4-H Youth Development Program in Imperial County.

She started her role on Jan 2, 2020, focusing on outreach to underserved populations in Imperial County and on working with the business community for partnership opportunities.

Before joining UCCE, Martinez was employed as the chief executive officer at the Holtville Chamber of Commerce, where she successfully redesigned and organized the 2018 and 2019 Carrot Festival.

During her career, she has served in various roles, such as marketing supervisor for a casino, marketing director for an agriculture company and off-road race team, and marketing director for two major credit unions.

Martinez is a life-long Imperial Valley resident with roots in Heber, where she attended grade school before graduating from Southwest High School in El Centro. As a former 4-H member, she remained a strong advocate of the 4-H Youth Development Program and was a project volunteer until she decided to start a new club in her hometown of Heber. Dogwood 4-H Club, named after the road that links most major Imperial Valley cities, was proudly founded in 2013 with only 12 members. Since then, it has grown to over 18 families, serving as many as 34 members.   

As the new 4-H representative, Martinez is excited to share her knowledge and help expand the program to new families and members who can enjoy the benefits of the program. She is looking forward to helping 4-H leaders expand on youth/adult partnerships and opportunities and to attract new adult leadership to the program. 

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business management with an emphasis in marketing at University of Phoenix.

Martinez is based in Holtville and can be reached at (442) 265-7711 and ammart@ucanr.edu.

Ritz joins ANR as disability management services coordinator

David Ritz

David Ritz joined UC ANR in November 2019 as the disability management services coordinator.  This new position in ANR's Human Resources is funded by UC Office of the President. An experienced, certified rehabilitation counselor, Ritz served in a similar role on the UC Davis campus since 2007. As disability management services coordinator, he provides technical consultation, counseling and training to managers, supervisors, academics and staff on the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, California Labor Code, Americans with Disability Act, UC Policy and Collective Bargaining Agreements related to the interactive process, reasonable accommodation and medical separations. 

He will also assist in developing and expanding wellness programs and activities for UC ANR employees, and increasing accessibility for the disabled at UC ANR events and programs. Prior to joining UC Davis, he spent 27 years in private practice as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, creating rehabilitation and career development plans, providing early intervention counseling for Department of Corrections employees, and developing reasonable accommodations and job modifications for disabled workers.

Ritz has a Master of Arts in education and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counseling.

Ritz is based at the ANR building in Davis and can be reached at (530) 750-1317 and daritz@ucanr.edu.

Urrea joins Human Resources

Angela Urrea joined UC ANR in January 2020 as a Human Resource generalist. In this role, she will provide assistance with staff employment efforts, including classification, compensation and recruitment.

Urrea is an experienced HR professional with a background in recruitment, leaves of absence, workers compensation, disability, payroll and safety. Her most recent role was with UC Davis where she provided human resources assistance and support to our fellow university faculty members.

She is based in the ANR building in Davis and can be reached at aurrea@ucanr.edu.

Reiter wins award for best Twitter feed

Maggie Reiter, UC Cooperative Extension turfgrass and weeds advisor for Fresno County, won a 2020 Super Social Media Award for “Best Twitter Feed” from Golf Course Industry magazine. Winners for each category were chosen from industry people on social media nominated by Golf Course Industry readers, followers and listeners.  

Follow @maggie_reiter on Twitter to see photos and descriptions of her research.

Super Social Media Award winners will be honored during #GCITweetUp20 inOrlando on Jan. 29.

Maggie Reiter uses her Twitter feed to inform the public of the research she is conducting.

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