Student affairs officer, dean’s office, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences — Dozens of people signed the nomination form for his STAR award, which was presented posthumously. “Joey cherished our community’s rich diversity,” his nominators said. “Because Joey knew what mattered. Joey knew that YOU mattered .... He was the embodiment of our Principles of Community.” Testimonials spoke of him as an excellent advisor who provided an enthusiastic welcome to all dean’s office visitors and helped to calm students, putting them at ease. He was an excellent mentor, and he was enthusiastic about participating in student outreach; he worked diligently as a member of the campus’s 2015 advising conference planning committee. “Joey was an amazing advocate for higher education and volunteered his time and services to bring this message to the community.”

Student affairs officer, Department of Human Ecology — Technically, she’s the coordinator of the Community Development and Geography graduate groups, but the members who nominated her suggested these job titles instead: “brain, heart and brawn,” “most vital part,” “backbone,” “surrogate mother,” “sounding board and shoulder to lean on,” and “heart and core.” The nominators noted the value of the orientation that she organizes, and said she follows that up by graciously helping students adapt to the culture of graduate school. “She genuinely wants every student to achieve their goals and does her best to facilitate this by talking through course schedules, funding opportunities, and personal and educational goals."

Production manager, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts — As if leading the crews that mount, run and strike more than 300 Mondavi Center performances and other events annually was not enough, Flor also sets the stage for young people interested in the technical side of theatre — and has become a leader in outreach and education for the Mondavi Center and the university. She’s worked with high school, middle school and elementary school students, served as a mentor for young women, and coordinated with Friends of the Mondavi Center for educational tours, talks, and teacher demonstrations and education. She’s also organized behind-the-scenes observations for UC Davis and other college theatre students from around the region.

Manager, Office of Student Development, Office of Medical Education, School of Medicine — Nominated by the student body, which described Green as “a constant source of support and compassion.” The students wrote: “She is consistently available and able to point us in the right direction; she specializes in results and puts us into contact with the people who can help us if she can’t help directly.” She provides students with support in creating events, establishing new programs, helping to prioritize personal tasks, and is an unending source of encouragement. “Always a source of cheerfulness, she keeps us grounded when we feel lost on our bad days. She’s always there in the foreground supporting things that we do and cheering us on to strive to do better in the future.”

Assistant dean, Office of Medical Education, School of Medicine — The student body came together to nominate Rai, saying: “He is a source of support and is willing to go beyond the extra mile to help us with not only our school issues, but also help make student visions into tangible reality.” In an individual testimonial, a student said: “He is so personable and so caring to all the students, and a wonderful resource! He also understands that it’s hard being a medical student” — and cares about you beyond academics. Said another student: “He always takes the time to talk to every student and make connections with everyone he meets. He is one of the kindest souls UC Davis has to offer, and he is super smart and humble, too!"

Programmer, Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine — Nominated for “going above and beyond in support of various important research activities and the core values of our campus.” He has been the key player in the Data Coordinating Center for the government-funded Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation, or EARLI. “Vien has been fostering a bold and innovative spirit in supporting the important research for advancing our knowledge of autism and developmental delay in general,” his nominator said. Nguyen has been responsible, responsive, motivated, proactive, diligent and courteous, always using innovative ways to improve the performance of the system and providing services to the network users exceeding their expectations.

Director, Shared Services Center — “Sara’s leadership (since July 1, 2014) has proven transformational for the SSC,” her nominator said. In the first six months, Reed successfully hired a leadership team, and in the second six months she initiated a client feedback process, and embedded process improvement and metrics into the fabric of the SSC. “She has successfully improved morale for the employees of the SSC, but, even more impressive, she has earned the trust and respect of the clients” who turned to the SSC for more than 70,000 transactions in payroll, human resources and finance in 2014-15 alone. Her nominator also cited Reed’s service as chair of the Administrative Management Group and her role in gaining official recognition of veterans as a campus constituency group.

Undergraduate academic program coordinator, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering — “There are few staff members on this campus whose advising experience is so deeply ingrained, whose knowledge is so extensive and whose devotion to student development is so strong,” her nominator said. Smarkel is a member of the Academic Advising Assessment Task Force, co-teaches a staff development course (“Nuts and Bolts: Resources for Advisors”) and has taken a leadership role within the College of Engineering in training advisors from other departments. She also plays a key role in curriculum, assisting in a recent college audit and in the development of a new major in environmental engineering.

Enrollment coordinator and advisor, Study Abroad — She served as Study Abroad’s point person for a pilot program in collaboration with the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center to support the applications of students to study abroad under the federal government’s new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, guidelines. Her nominator commended Uhlinger for her abiding commitment to respect and diversity, enabling three students to study abroad in 2015 under the DACA guidelines “and throwing open the doors to many who will follow.” Uhlinger puts students first, and she listens to their narratives, seeing each student as an individual requiring personalized advising, prioritizing the student’s choices, growth and development.

Associate chief diversity officer, Office of Campus Community Relations — With his well-conceived courses and training, and personal demeanor, he’s in high demand — reaching some 2,000 faculty and staff in fall 2015 alone — as he endeavors to create a more welcoming and inclusive institution. Besides his role in developing what his nominators described as the most robust diversity education program in the UC system and likely the nation, he’s also the “go-to” person for resolving sensitive issues. On other fronts, he coordinates the Campus Community Book Project, expanding it year after year in programs and faculty participation. And he has been instrumental in the success of the Police Accountability Board, a two-year pilot to improve police relations with the campus community.

Training program manager, Staff Development and Professional Services — Led the team’s work, bringing her expertise in working with the UC Learning Management System and several other compliance initiatives, and deep knowledge of the training function. She oversaw customer service and support for the cybersecurity training rollout. She also served as the liaison with the UC Office of the President.

Chief compliance officer, Offices of the Chancellor and Provost — With Lynette Temple, assistant compliance officer, provided input throughout the planning stages for the rollout, and coordinated communications and approvals through the provost.

Information security associate, Information and Educational Technology — Researched and responded to the provost’s inquiry about the possibility of restricting access to the network as a consequence of noncompliance. Kramer looked into the history and the potential technology consequences in order to respond effectively.

Assistant vice provost, Academic Affairs — Communicated with the Academic Senate and Academic Affairs to ensure awareness of the cybersecurity training rollout. She kept the Academic Affairs office informed throughout the process.

Assistant chief compliance officer, Offices of the Chancellor and Provost — With Wendi Delmendo, chief compliance officer, provided input throughout the planning stages for the rollout, and coordinated communications and approvals through the provost.

Analyst, Center for Professional Practice of Nursing, UC Davis Health System) — Coordinated communications about the rollout at the UC Davis Health System. He worked with UCDHS informational technology experts to document and mitigate technology issues specific to UCDHS computer configurations.

Chief information security officer, UC Davis — Provided input on the audience for the cybersecurity training rollout. She kept the chief information officer-vice provost of Information and Educational Technology apprised throughout the process.