ANR Employees
University of California
ANR Employees

Posts Tagged: Vanity Campbell

Names in the News

El-kereamy named Lindcove REC director

Ashraf El-kereamy

Ashraf El-kereamy will be the new director of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' Lindcove Research & Extension Center, starting on July 1, 2020. He will continue to serve as a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at UC Riverside and based at Lindcove Research & Extension Center.  

“Elizabeth Grafton-Cardwell retires this year after 13 years as director of Lindcove REC, California's premier citrus research center,” said Mark Lagrimini, UC ANR vice provost for research and extension. “We are excited to have Ashraf in place to carry on the tremendous success attributable to the research performed at Lindcove. Ashraf brings a breadth of research, extension and leadership skills.”

El-kereamy has extensive experience with several commodities with research revolving around plant hormones, fruit ripening, plant nutrition, and the responses of different plant species to abiotic stress conditions. 

Since February 2019, El-kereamy has been serving as a UC Cooperative Extension citrus specialist based at Lindcove Research and Extension Center. Prior to the specialist position, El-kereamy was a UCCE viticulture and small fruit advisor for Kern County, where he established a research and extension program serving the San Joaquin Valley table grape industry for four years. Prior to joining UC ANR, he was an assistant/associate professor in the Department of Horticulture at Ain Shams University in Egypt. 

“I am honored and very excited to be the director of Lindcove Research and Extension Center, which plays a crucial role in the California citrus industry,” El-kereamy said. “I am confident that, with the support of our industry, community and the University of California, we will build tomorrow's Lindcove REC as a center of excellence in research and extension. I am looking forward to leading Lindcove REC and providing our clientele with up-to-date technologies to cope with the challenges facing the California agriculture industry.” 

El-kereamy earned a bachelor's degree in horticulture and master's degree in pomology from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, and a doctorate in agriculture with an emphasis in grapevine physiology and molecular biology from Toulouse University in France.

Campbell named NORDP Rising Star for 2020

Vanity Campbell

The National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) has named Vanity Campbell, UC ANR proposal development coordinator, one of its three Rising Stars for 2020. 

Campbell helps UC ANR employees improve their grant applications for success in receiving funding.

“Vanity's reputation as a fierce advocate for inclusive research development, an exceptional organizer, and a passionate cheerleader for her colleagues makes her precisely the kind of person this award was designed to celebrate,” wrote her nominator. “When I think about the future of NORDP, I hope she is helping us to lead it.”

NORDP established the Rising Star Award in 2016 to recognize up to three members annually who have made outstanding volunteer contributions and show great potential for future contributions to NORDP and the research development profession. Campbell will be presented with an etched glass plaque and receive free registration for a future NORDP conference.

Communicators win global awards

Steve Elliott won a silver award for writing "IPM in Yellowstone."

Six UC ANR-affiliated communicators won writing or photography awards in a global competition hosted by the international Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences (ACE). 

Steve Elliott, communications coordinator for the Western Integrated Pest Management Center, won one silver (second-place) and two bronze (third-place) for his writing and photography; Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist for the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, two silvers for her writing and photography; and Diane Nelson, communication specialist for the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, won a bronze for her writing. 

Ricardo Vela, Miguel Sanchez and Norma de la Vega of UC ANR's News and Information Outreach in Spanish won a bronze award in diversity electronic media and audio for targeted audiences.

Elliott's entries and the categories: 

Kathy Keatley Garvey won a silver award for this candid photo of Kira meeting a stick insect.

Garvey's entries and the categories: 

  • Writing for Newspapers, silver award for “Paying It Forward,” about the successful career of award-winning academic advisor Elvira Galvan Hack
  • Picture Story, silver award for “Kira Meets a Stick Insect” (at Bohart Museum of Entomology)

Nelson's entry and category:

Vela, Sanchez and de la Vega's entry and category:

The awards were presented during ACE's virtual conference June 24. ACE is an international association of communicators, educators and information technologists who focus on communicating research-based information. The organization offers professional development and networking for individuals who extend knowledge about agriculture, natural resources, and life and human sciences.

Read more at https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=42747.

Meyer receives Bradford-Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award 

Deanne Meyer

Deanne Meyer, UC Cooperative Extension livestock waste management specialist, is this year's recipient of the Eric Bradford & Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award, given by the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) at UC Davis. 

Meyer is being honored for her leadership in substantially improving the sustainability of California's dairy industry through her research and outreach.

The Bradford-Rominger award recognizes and honors individuals who exhibit the leadership, work ethic and integrity epitomized by the late Eric Bradford, a livestock geneticist who gave 50 years of service to UC Davis, and the late Charlie Rominger, a fifth-generation Yolo County farmer and land preservationist. 

Meyer has directed the environmental stewardship efforts of the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP)—a voluntary partnership between the dairy industry, government and academia—since the program's inception in 1996. 

Meyer's dedication to build a bridge between industry and regulatory agencies has paid dividends for California's air and water quality. With Meyer's leadership, more than 700 dairy farms have completed an on-site, third-party evaluation of their facility's manure management. The program has been so successful that it received California's highest environmental honor, the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, in 2007.

Reflecting on Meyer's work, Glenda Humiston, UC vice president for agriculture and natural resources, said, “Serving as chair of California's Water Quality Task Force in the mid-1990s, I had a front row seat to the challenges Deanne faced as she organized CDQAP and brought many unlikely allies to the table. The many successes of that program is a testament to her skills as both a scientist and a diplomat.”

Beyond Meyer's work with CDQAP, her research in groundwater salinity has provided farmers, agency staff and other concerned stakeholders with unbiased information presented with an understanding of agricultural realities.

“Her efforts, leadership, and dedication are so valued by all the diverse sectors she works across,” said Anita Oberbauer, professor and dean for Agricultural Sciences at UC Davis. “By working closely with regulatory agencies and farmers, she ensures our state's livestock and dairy producers have the tools that they need to meet the environmental challenges.” 

UC ANR stands firmly by values of diversity and inclusivity

Dear Colleagues,

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the wave of emotions we are all feeling. Our nation has been shaken by the tragic death of yet another unarmed Black man, George Floyd. This brutal event, followed by protests by those who are grieving, has now led to a level of violence that has been shocking to all of us. A great many of us are experiencing pain, fear, anger and hopelessness. Let me assure you, that the leaders of UC ANR, including myself, stand firmly by our values of diversity and inclusivity and denounce all forms of bigotry. To those within our community who have suffered from such bigotry, we stand with you and with everyone who stands against racism, racial profiling, police brutality and injustice.

I strongly support the statement released by President Napolitano and Regents' Chair John Perez on behalf on the UC system. Among other points, it recognizes that silence is complicity: “No matter how difficult, we must individually and collectively reflect on the lives lost unnecessarily, and address head on the systemic problems and challenges we all face as a society.”  President Napolitano further stated that one of UC's bedrock principles is “…that all people are equal and deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully. We all deserve to live, work and go about our lives without fear."

Although we may feel hopeless and despair, we can be part of the solution. As stated in our UC ANR Principles of Community: “Members of the far-reaching UC ANR community have the right to work in an environment that promotes fairness, trust, respect, and physical and emotional safety and security.” Such principles are not just for the workplace, they need to extend to all interactions we have with others. Let's continue to take action and confront bigotry while striving to create the open and equitable society that we are all entitled to.

California's strength is its diversity; our UC ANR mission has always been to serve all segments of the state's population. I ask that everyone think proactively about how we can help our communities move forward. Whether you are helping small farmers reach new markets, preparing our youth to participate in civic engagement, helping limited-resource families access resources, or working on any of our many other wide-ranging programs, you truly make a difference in the lives of all Californians. You, the multi-talented ANR staff and academics, are responsible for that, and I deeply thank you for your work and dedication. 

There is much work yet to do. The UC ANR Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Alliance is building institutional support for all UC ANR personnel to learn and contribute to these efforts. I hope you will join as well.

We care about every one of you. Please stay safe and be sure to care for yourself and your loved ones in this difficult time. 

Best wishes and warmest regards,

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

Posted on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 5:13 PM

Show your UC ANR pride on Big Dig Day, June 5

Greetings! I'm reaching out to you in preparation for our UC ANR divisionwide, online fundraising event: Big Dig Day on June 5.

In times of crisis, and beyond, it's important to share that the work of UC ANR is critical; Big Dig Day is an opportunity to highlight our work and seek philanthropic support from the community. If you need examples of the impact ANR has, see the recently completed 2019 Annual Report, Working for the Benefit of All Californians, produced by Program Planning and Evaluation. 

I'm asking you to join me and do three things to help support this unique campaign:

  1. Save-the-Date: June 5—follow UC ANR on social media channels for updates and share what makes you proud to be part of the UC ANR team.
  2. Consider making a personal gift on June 5 to your favorite statewide program, county or REC at ucanr.edu/bigdig
  3. Invite your friends, family and network to join in supporting you and the work of UC ANR by making a gift. Donations of any size will have an immediate impact.

I've been so encouraged by the can-do spirit of our colleagues and volunteers in the face of adversity and uncertain times. The worst of circumstances often brings out the best in people. I know Big Dig Day will be another example of how together we can rise to the challenge.

Thank you,  

Glenda

P.S. – Download and print “Flat Happy McGivins,” our Big Dig Day mascot! Take Flat Happy with you to your garden, workspace, virtual club meetings, etc. and snap aselfie! Then post it on social media with a message that says, "I dig (INSERT PROGRAM NAME) because...(FILL IN THE BLANK!") #BigDigDay #DigDeep —and earn the chance to win a $50 gift card in a raffle.

Happy McGivins
Attached Files
Happy McGivens
Posted on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 11:40 AM

In memoriam: Travis Bean

Travis Bean
Dear Colleagues, 

I am sorry to share with you the sad news that Travis Bean passed away a few days ago. Travis joined UC ANR and the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at UC Riverside as a UC Cooperative Extension weed science specialist on Sept. 1, 2014. 

Patricia Springer, UC Riverside professor and chair of the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, learned from Travis' father about his passing. Unfortunately we don't have details such as the cause of his death or a memorial service. We will share additional information when it becomes available.

Travis was a respected scientist and a valued colleague who will be missed.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

Posted on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 10:59 AM

Celebrate STAR Award winners and retirees June 18

All UC ANR colleagues are invited to a special staff meeting and recognition event at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 18. We will be celebrating the careers of UC ANR colleagues who are retiring July 1, 2020, and also recognizing the 2019-2020 winners of the Staff Appreciation and Recognition (STAR) Awards.

The event will be on Zoom. To join online, click https://ucanr.zoom.us/s/95278617548.

By telephone: US +1 669-900-6833  or +1 253-215-8782  or +1 346-248-7799  or +1 301-715-8592  or +1 312-626-6799  or +1 646-558-8656. International numbers available: https://ucanr.zoom.us/u/aep8C9Dy84. Webinar ID: 952 7861 7548.

For more information about the event, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/All_Hands.

Posted on Friday, May 29, 2020 at 8:31 PM

Read more

 
E-mail
 
Webmaster Email: lforbes@ucanr.edu