IN THIS COLUMN
- Joshua Stern, School of Veterinary Medicine
- Jane Sykes, School of Veterinary Medicine
- Catherine Brinkley, Center for Regional Change
- Jonathan London, Center for Regional Change
- Tim Annis, Fire Prevention Services
- Jim Patterson, Fire Prevention Services
- Emily Scivoletto, School of Law
- Raquel Aldana, School of Law
- Staff Assembly, executive committee
- Cecilia V. Estolano, Board of Regents
- John A. Pérez, Board of Regents
- Richard Leib, Board of Regents
Interim Dean John Pascoe of the School of Veterinary Medicine announced his selection of Professor Joshua Stern to serve a five-year term as associate dean for Veterinary Medical Center operations and chief veterinary medical officer, effective July 1.
In a statement posted Tuesday (July 6), Pascoe said he had recommended Stern’s appointment with an effective starting date of July 1.
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Stern, a small animal cardiologist in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, succeeds Jane Sykes, who stepped down at the end of a five-year term June 30. She remains a professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology.
Sykes served as chief veterinary medical officer and associate dean under Dean Michael Lairmore, who commented before he himself stepped down June 30: “The school is deeply indebted to Dr. Sykes for her hospital leadership. We congratulate her on the many accomplishments achieved at the hospital over the past five years.”
He said Sykes had contributed greatly to advancing the Veterinary Medical Center project, laying the groundwork for that campaign’s success going forward.
Read about Sykes’ tenure as chief veterinary medical officer.
During the pandemic, Stern served as faculty assistant to the associate dean for professional education, facilitating efforts in support of clinical training in a hybrid format as well as increasing educational access to clinical training within the constraints of public health guidelines/
The position of associate dean and chief veterinary medical officer is responsible for the professional, academic and ethical affairs, financial health, and operational efficiency of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, or VMTH. The position ensures that the VMTH meets its mission to provide state of the art clinical care and to serve as the primary clinical teaching experience for veterinary students and postgraduate veterinarians in advanced clinical training programs.
Stern previously served as interim director of the VMTH’s Small Animal Clinic and as a member of the hospital’s Strategic Planning Committee.
Interim Dean Pascoe, in a statement, described Stern as “a dedicated and passionate educator with a commitment to mentoring” veterinary students, residents and doctoral candidates. He is a former director of the VMTH Residency Program, chair of the Graduate Clinical Education Committee and chair of the Curriculum Committee.
Stern has expertise in the genetics of cardiac disease, development of novel therapeutics for inherited heart disease, and identifying and establishing translational models of human cardiac disease. He is the immediate past chair of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine’s of Cardiology Research Committee.
The Center for Regional Change has a new faculty director: Catherine Brinkley, associate professor, community and regional development, Department of Human Ecology. She succeeds Jonathan London, associate professor of community and regional development, who stepped down July 1 after 13 years as director.
Brinkley’s training in urban planning and public health will be particularly helpful in her new position. “The Center for Regional Change is often the gateway for community groups seeking research expertise in public health, environmental land use and planning policy,” she said. “The CRC has been instrumental in moving environmental justice policy forward, developing mapping tools for impacted communities and creating a nationally recognized training program for youth engagement.”
Read more in this announcement from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Tim Annis has been named the Davis campus fire marshal, in charge of Fire Prevention Services, after having served as deputy fire marshal since 2017.
He succeeds Jim Patterson, who retired in June after nearly 14 years in fire prevention at UC Davis. He started as a captain in the campus Fire Department when it had responsibility for fire prevention, then became assistant fire marshal when the fire prevention unit moved to Safety Services. He moved up to fire marshal in December 2016, first on an interim basis and then, in March 2017, on a permanent basis.
Annis worked as a division chief in the Davis Fire Department before joining UC Davis. He also served in a shared position as the Davis and Woodland fire marshal, and, in another shared position, he reviewed fire protection plans for Yolo County Fire Protection Districts.
“Tim’s prior experience as fire marshal for the city of Davis, combined with the relationships already built at UCD, will ensure a smooth transition and uninterrupted fire prevention services for UCD,” said Eric Kvigne, associate vice chancellor for Safety Services. He said he and the hiring committee also were impressed by the care Annis demonstrates for the campus community.
Annis has a staff of four: Greg Van Akin, plans examiner and construction inspector; Audrey Sulkanen, hazardous materials specialist, who started in May; Rocci Twitchell, fire extinguisher technician; and deputy fire marshal (to be filled, now that Annis has moved up).
In 2019, Fire Prevention Services received Fire Prevention and Life Safety Department accreditation from the International Accreditation Service. Annis, deputy fire marshal at the time, played a key role in the project, which involved an assessment of the unit’s goals, policies and procedures for code administration, plan review and inspection.
“It was important that we stretched as a department to earn that accreditation, which no other university has,” Annis said. “By developing as professionals and as a team, we can make better use of our different perspectives and backgrounds to do what’s best for the campus.”
Annis said he appreciates the critical role his department plays in outreach to the UC Davis community — which includes employees, visitors and full-time residents. In addition to redoubling efforts at community education in partnership with the UC Davis Fire Department, Annis wants to start conversations with campus partners.
He is active in state fire marshal training cadres for company officers and fire marshal certification, developing fire prevention curriculum for both.
Annis served on the executive board of the Northern Division Fire Prevention Officers Section, California Fire Chiefs Association, for eight years, including a one-year as president in 2014.
UC Davis’ Emily Scivoletto moved up to president of the National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals during its annual meeting June 22-24, held virtually.
Scivoletto, senior assistant dean for student affairs at the School of Law, was among the association’s founders in 2016 and has served on the board of directors in other roles since then.
The association comprises more than 700 individual members — staff and faculty who support law students — and more than 110 law schools as institutional members.
As president, Scivoletto said, “I will focus on implementing the diversity, equity and inclusion recommendations approved by last year’s board, and continue to strengthen support for communication and collaboration amongst law school professionals.”
She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Pacific McGeorge School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of California. She received her undergraduate degree from UC Irvine and a Master of Arts in higher education leadership from California State University, Sacramento.
She previously served as associate dean for academic and student affairs at UCLA School of Law and dean of students at the University of San Diego Law School, as well as the director of academic success at the UC Davis and McGeorge law schools.
Law professor Raquel Aldana has been reappointed as the chair of the American Bar Association’s Latin America and Caribbean Law Initiative Council. The one-year term also comes with an appointment to the ABA’s Rule of Law Initiative Board.
Staff Assembly announced its executive committee for 2021-22:
- Chair — Jennifer Jackson, Dean’s Office, College of Agricultural and Environmental Science
- Chair-elect — Lauren McDiarmid, School of Education
- Communications chair — Ruby Bal, Dean’s Office, College of Agricultural and Environmental Scienc
- Events chair — Zoe Bolesta-Reynolds, Development and Alumni Relations
- Finance chair — Roger Moy, Student Affairs Divisional Resources
- Outreach and marketing co-chairs — Jennifer Larr, Social Sciences Orange Cluster; and Christina Blackman, Facilities Management
- Member engagement chair — Kyle Urban, Retiree Center
- Secretary — Lisa Feldmann, Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Past chair — Molly Bechtel, Dean’s Office, College of Engineering
Cecilia V. Estolano is the new chair of the UC Board of Regents, succeeding John A. Pérez after he had served the maximum two consecutive one-year terms.
Estolano, previously the board’s vice chair, is the CEO and founder of Estolano Advisors, an urban planning and public policy firm, and the CEO of Better World Group, an environmental policy and advocacy group. “It is a profound honor to help steer UC during this moment of unparalleled opportunity,” she said in a news release. “I look forward to addressing how more Californians from every corner of the state can earn degrees from UC and elevating UC’s leadership in climate research.”
Then-Gov. Jerry brown appointed Estolano to the Board of Regents in 2018. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges, a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA and a law degree from UC Berkeley.
Regent Richard Leib is the new vice chair of the Board of Regents. Appointed by Gov. Brown in 2018, Leib is president and CEO of Dunleer Strategies, a San Diego-based consulting firm that works with emerging companies.
More information is available online: new officers and committee leaders for 2021-22 and regents’ biographies.
Media Resources
Dateline Staff: Dave Jones, editor, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu; Cody Kitaura, News and Media Relations specialist, 530-752-1932, kitaura@ucdavis.edu.