April 26, 2010

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT COMMUNITY

Dear Colleagues:

It is with mixed emotions that I write to tell you that Vice President Anne Broome has informed Executive Vice President Taylor and me of her plans to retire in June as Vice President of Finance after 16 years of devoted service to the University of California.  She has been a wonderful colleague and an indispensable asset to the University and the Office of the President.

Anne made history in 1998, when The Regents approved her appointment as UC’s first female Vice President.  She can look back with pride on a UC career filled with many innovations and successes, most especially in her efforts to move the University toward best practices in our financial processes.

Some of the many initiatives in which Anne has played a valuable role include the development and implementation of the Controller Initiative to require a credentialed Controller at each campus.  The objective of the initiative was to assign responsibility for controls and accountability to a primary position on the campus.  This increased awareness of financial standards and practices and made them a part of the campus culture.  Anne also established better controls over our cash management and developed a new Treasury Workstation to handle the University’s annual $18 billion of revenues.  In addition, she sponsored and developed the systemwide Strategic Sourcing function at the Office of the President.  She also sponsored the development and implementation of the systemwide travel initiative.  In the area of risk services, she oversaw the reorganization of the structure, staffing, and focus of this function and introduced cost avoidance initiatives which will result in over $100 million of lower costs for our campuses this year.  Finally, Anne assumed responsibility for external financing and, in so doing, has improved relationships with the financial community, including investors and the rating agencies.

Anne informed us last June of her intention to retire in June 2010, and over the past months has provided invaluable assistance to Chief Financial Officer Peter Taylor as he assumed his position and has assisted the University through these difficult financial times.  I hope you will join me in expressing heartfelt thanks to Anne for her many contributions to the well-being of this great University.  We will miss her, but wish her all the best as she prepares for an exciting new chapter in her life.

With best wishes, I am,

Sincerely yours,

Mark G. Yudof
President

California’s Master Plan for Higher Education was signed into law on April 27, 1960, by Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown. It creates a system that combines exceptional quality with broad access for California students. It also  designates UC at the primary academic research institution in the state. Click to see a slide show of 50 of UC’s achievements over the last 50 years.

Please join your UC colleagues in extending appreciation and warmest wishes to James (“Buck”) Koonce, who will retire June 29, 2010 after a 35-year career with the University, including time at UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Office of the President.

Buck worked at both UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory before moving to the Office of the President in 1993. His technical career included work in cell and molecular biology, indoor air quality and human-health research. He also had management responsibility for independent internal assessment, quality programs, computing and telecommunications, research engineering, institutional and site planning, environmental planning and technology transfer organizations.

At the UCOP Laboratory Management Office, Buck has held multiple senior leadership positions, most recently as deputy associate vice president for laboratory operations.  He has been extensively involved with management oversight and governance at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and had an especially critical role in the successful contract competitions and transitions for all three laboratories.

Buck made outstanding contributions to the University, to the Laboratories and to the nation, and his University colleagues wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

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