2022-2023 Staff Assembly Council Elections

Lou Gill
Senior Director, Undergraduate Housing Residential Life
Housing Administrative Services

Candidate Statement:
Greetings. I am excited to be nominated for the office of Vice Chair of the UCI Staff Assembly. I recently finished a 3-year term as a UCI CUCSA Delegate (Council of University of California Staff Assemblies) where I represented UCI staff at the UC system wide level. In my time as a CUCSA delegate, I co-chaired two work groups focusing on flexible work arrangements and the new hybrid/remote work environment. I am proud of the work we did on behalf of our staff on these issues and the recommendations from those workgroups informed decisions that were made by the UC locations.

My CUCSA term allowed me to interact and learn from delegates from all of the UC locations. I came away with a much stronger understanding of how different locations support, recognize and advocate for staff. I learned in depth information about issues affecting staff such as retention and career ladders, the impact of COVID on employee mental health, the need for training and support for supervisors, the struggles with remote work, hybrid work and employee engagement and office culture. CUCSA also tackled issues around staff basic needs, diversity, equity and inclusion, pay increases and the struggles with staff turnover and shortages.

On our campus, I served a two-year term on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Staff (CACS) which also gave me a variety of perspectives on the staff experience at UCI.

I have been a staff member at UCI for 22 years now. In 1999, I moved here from Pennsylvania to take a job as an entry level staff member in Student Housing and now serve as the Senior Director of Undergraduate Housing and Residential Life. I have the privilege of working directly with about 30 career staff and indirectly with about 250 other career staff in our department. So, I get a wide variety of viewpoints on successes and challenges faced by staff,

My career has always been about giving back to the organization I work for and wanting to make any place I work at better. I feel that, in the role as Vice Chair, I can continue to give back to UCI and also make UCI a better place for staff through advocacy, recognition and career development. It would be an honor to serve you, the staff, in making UCI an employer of first choice!!

Ephie Baku
Department Administrator
Public Health

Candidate Statement:
I have been with University of California, Irvine for over five years in both financial and administrative roles. I currently serve as the Department Administrator for the Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention in the Program of Public Health. Prior to this position, I served as a Senior Contract and Grant Analyst for the Samueli School of Engineering. As financial chair, I will bring years of experience working with financial management and financial stewardship within the UC system. I am heavily involved with budget preparation and oversight, along with financial reporting both internally to UCI and externally to various sponsors. I have first-hand experience in reviewing and approving reimbursements as well as payments to vendors. These experiences have shaped my knowledge base that is directly applicable to the Finance Chair Elect position. As a member of the Staff Assembly, I will also serve as an advocate for the staff, and I plan to work to ensure all voices are represented and heard within UCI. Being a delegate will allow me to communicate issues and address events that affect the staff, while facilitating staff participation in the university community. I am honored to be nominated and considered for this position and look forward to the possibility of contributing to Staff Assembly, an organization that has such a large impact on the staff at this campus. Thank you for your consideration.

Mayu McKenzie
Senior Finance Analyst
School of Humanities

Candidate Statement:
I truly appreciate all the work and effort Staff Assembly has put into supporting staff. UCI has been wonderful to me, and I would like to give back to the community. I currently work as a senior finance analyst and hope to share my experience in this position. Also, it sounds exciting to be a committee member which will give me a chance to make more contacts across the entire campus! I am honored to be nominated for this role.

Clare Cheung
Management Services Officer
Mathematics

Candidate Statement:
I hold a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with specializations in Marketing, Communication and Advertising. I have been working at UCI for 9 years and appreciate this working environment and community year after year. I would like to harness my extensive background in communication and advertising as well as my passion for event planning and organization to serve and give back the community and promote Staff Assembly.

Kaleigh Hayakawa
Violence Prevention Coordinator
Campus Assault Resources & Education

Candidate Statement:
As an alum who has found myself lucky enough to rejoin the UCI community in a new capacity, this campus and those who work and live on it hold a special place in my heart. In my role as Violence Prevention Coordinator, I work specifically with staff and faculty to support the cultivation of spaces and communities that promote wellness and engagement in addition to actively combatting harm and violence. Through this role, I have been fortunate enough to connect and collaborate with incredibly dedicated staff who share a vision of an equitable and supportive community and campus that values and honors the diversity of those who are a part of it.

Having had the privilege to serve as Staff Assembly’s Council Communications & Special Programs Chair – Elect throughout the 2021-2022 fiscal year, I have utilized my extensive experience with project management and collaborative program development to implement and support programs aimed at fostering community and connection among our staff and administrators. In this coming year, I hope to contribute more of my energy and spirit to the staff of UCI in the role of CUCSA First Year Delegate. I have been involved in community advocacy since my undergraduate days at UCI, learning how systems of higher education operate, what approaches are more effective for fostering meaningful change, and what the staff experience is truly like with both the highs and lows that accompany it. The culmination of my experience allows me to offer my advocacy and community-building skills to uplift the unique perspectives, needs, and strengths of UCI’s staff to the systemwide level.

I am absolutely honored to be nominated for this role, excited for the possibilities that exist on the horizon, and hopeful that Staff Assembly and CUCSA’s diligent work and dedication brings the support, representation, and resources needed by the staff community to cultivate a strong and healthy environment for staff and students alike. Thank you very much for your consideration!

Amanda Walsh
Community Relations Manager
Strategic Communications & Public Affairs

Candidate Statement:
Hi, everyone! My name is Amanda Walsh and I serve as the campus’ Community Relations Manager and am responsible for raising community awareness of UCI and overseeing partnerships between the university and various local entities. In particular, I works to foster trusting relationships with the region’s nonprofits, businesses and non-governmental organizations.

I believe I am I am a great choice for the CUCSA First Year Delegate position because I am passionate about advocating for all things UC Irvine. I am action-oriented, have a collaborative mind-set, and love serving the UCI community.

I want to represent UCI on CUCSA not only to learn more about UCI and the UC system but to learn what other UCs are doing and what we can do better, as well as, show the other UCs why UCI is among the best employers and universities in the nation. I would love to have your support as your First Year CUCSA representative.