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Kathy Barton of UC Riverside named 2012-14 staff advisor-designate

Kathy Barton of UC Riverside has been selected as the 2012-2014 staff advisor-designate to the University of California Regents, UC President Mark G. Yudof announced last week.

Barton, executive director of strategic initiatives at UC Riverside School of Medicine, joins Kevin Smith of UCLA, 2011-2013 staff advisor, after a months-long, systemwide search.

“Kathy’s work during her long career at UC Riverside and her engagement and involvement with staff organizations give her a good grasp of the challenges facing the university and its employees,” Yudof said. “As an experienced and skilled communicator, she will be an able advocate for both staff and UC. I look forward to working with her over the next two years.”

Yudof, in consultation with Chair of the Regents Sherry Lansing, selected Barton from finalists recommended by a selection committee that included current and former staff advisors and other OP staff. Barton replaces Penny Herbert of UC Davis Medical Center, whose two-year appointment ends June 30.

“I feel really honored, humbled and excited about this opportunity,” Barton said. “Bringing the staff perspective to the Regents will require a great deal of engagement with employees from across the system, and I look forward to that.

“I want to convey the staff’s enthusiasm for and commitment to UC,” she added. “I see this every day in my work at UC Riverside and with staff around the system.”

Barton brings vast experience working with staff organizations to her new position. She is a former president of the Riverside Staff Assembly and served for two years as a delegate to the systemwide Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA). As executive director of strategic initiatives in the School of Medicine, Barton is part of the team planning the launch of UC Riverside’s medical school. Throughout her 27-year career at UCR, she has held several communications, grant-writing and government relations positions.

“These continue to be challenging times for UC, and I hope to use my background in communications to help the Regents and UC tell our story and its importance to California,” she said.

As staff advisor-designate, Barton will bring the voice and perspective of staff and non-Senate academic employees to Board of Regents deliberations. She will participate as a non-voting advisor on several Regents’ committees.

A California native, Barton lives in Loma Linda with her husband, Mark Watkins, a high school teacher. A former kart racer, she now enjoys bicycling in her spare time.

>>UC Staff Advisors to the Regents website


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