Names in the News

Johnson named director of facilities planning and management 

Felicia Johnson joined UC ANR as director of facilities planning and management on Oct. 25. Johnson will work with ANR units such as the research extension centers and other ANR-owned and leased facilities across the state to plan and execute maintenance and capital renewal work.

Johnson has over 15 years of experience in facilities management and design and construction management. Her experience includes managing multiple properties in multiple counties, wildlife preserves, historical landmark maintenance, compliance and restoration, budget management of projects and facilities design and construction, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Most recently, Johnson was director of facilities at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena, and Rio Hondo College in Whittier. She has created and implemented sustainability projects, including LEED-certified projects, in each facilities position she has held.

She earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering at UCLA, completed graduate coursework in project management at UC Irvine and is a Certified Educational Facilities Professional.

Johnson is based at the ANR building in Davis and can be reached at (530) 750-1292.

Goradia to lead UC ANR Aggie Enterprise project 

Raghuvir (Raghu) Goradia has joined UC ANR as project manager for the UC ANR Aggie Enterprise project and the UC Systemwide Common Chart of Accounts project. 

Goradia will be responsible for leading and coordinating UC ANR's implementation in the upcoming UC Davis Oracle Enterprise system – Aggie Enterprise. The Aggie Enterprise system will replace several existing financial and reporting systems with one modern integrated solution to support the university and UC ANR's financial, reporting and business operations needs. 

For the last nine years, he worked on UCPath project implementation. 

He holds a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering from University of Pune and an MBA fromPrin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai, India, and brings to UC ANR more than 18 years ofenterprise resource planning implementation and project management experience.

Goradia is based at the UC ANR building in Davis and can be reached at rjgoradia@ucanr.edu.

Horan named financial/budget analyst 

Maria Horan joined the Business Operations Center team as a financial/budget analyst in October. Horan is working on UC Cooperative Extension fiscal and budgetary actions and various BOC financial matters.

She comes to UC ANR from the UC Davis School of Medicine, where she was a research contracts and grants analyst in the Department of Dermatology for three years and, prior to that, an executive analyst in the Department of Pharmacology for more than six years. Horan has worked with principal investigators on pre-award submissions and post-award management and financial reporting.

She earned a B.A. in interdisciplinary field studies from UC Berkeley. 

Horan is located at the UC ANR Building in Davis and can be reached at mhoran@ucanr.edu, or (530) 792-8258.

Zalom elected ESA honorary member

Frank Zalom, UC Davis distinguished professor and UC Cooperative Extension integrated pest management specialist, has been elected an Honorary Member of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), an honor bestowed for his “long-term dedication and extraordinary contributions” to the 7000-member global organization.

“Honorary membership acknowledges those who have served ESA for at least 20 years through significant involvement in the affairs of the society that has reached an extraordinary level,” an ESA spokesperson said. “Candidates for this honor are selected by the ESA Governing Board and then voted on by the ESA membership.”

“Dr. Zalom is phenomenal for his sustained service of leadership, research, teaching and mentoring, and in my opinion, he is one of the world's most influential, accomplished and inspirational entomologists,” wrote nominator James R. Carey, a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology and an ESA Fellow. 

A 47-year member of ESA, Zalom is an emeritus professor with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and currently a recall professor, continuing his work on IPM of tree, vine and fruiting vegetable crops through several major USDA and CDFA research grants he has received since retiring. 

Zalom directed the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program for 16 years (1986-2002). “Frank elevated it to 'the gold standard' of the world's IPM programs, emphasizing ecologically based pest management programs for agriculture, urban settings and natural resources,” Carey wrote. 

He served as the 2014 ESA president, 2015 Entomological Foundation president, and the 2002 Pacific Branch president. He has been editor-in-chief of the Journal of Economic Entomology since 2018. He also was the first editorial board chair (2008-09) of the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, serving on the board until 2012.   

Zalom will be honored at theESA's annual meeting Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Denver. – Kathy Keatley Garvey

Read more at https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=50675.

 

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