Front row from left: Tracy FitzGerald, Emma Sebastian, Carol Lake, Garen Corbett, Terry Barton, Candace Jones, Karla Wood. Back row from left: Bobby Cook, Matthew Leet. Not pictured: Bo Pitsker, Juliann Martinez

This summer, you elected seven highly motivated staff members to a two-year term on the OP Staff Assembly (OPSA) steering committee:

• Terry Barton, director, Systemwide Staff Development Programs, Systemwide HR
• Garen Corbett, director, California Health Benefits Review Program
• Candace Jones, senior applications manager, ITS
• Juliann Martinez, employee relations specialist, Systemwide Employee Relations
• Carol Lake, financial analyst, Risk Services
• Bo Pitsker, enterprise security architect, ITS
• Emma Sebastian, senior business systems analyst, ITS

They join four existing committee members who were elected last year:

• Robert Cook, VDI engineer, ITS
• Tracy FitzGerald, traffic coordinator, Marketing and Communications
• Matthew Leet, chief engineer for Franklin building, Building and Administrative Service Center
• Karla Wood, program specialist, California Health Benefits Review Program

Tracy FitzGerald will serve as chair of the committee for the coming year.

While the steering committee provides leadership, all OP staff are members of Staff Assembly and are welcome at the monthly meetings held from 12-1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month. Check the Link calendar for location, which can vary from month to month.

The committee is busy kicking off another year of ambitious initiatives, fun social events and outreach activities — all designed to build engagement, connection and quality of life within the OP community. These are the folks who bring you the Mardi Gras Mixer, Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, the Movin’ On Up brown bags, Earth Day observances, volunteer events and much more. Link asked for their thoughts as they look ahead to the coming year.

Programs subcommittee co-chair Bobby Cook is enthusiastic about “bringing back some programs that were very successful last year and excited about some of the new activities we’re planning for this year.” Beginning her first year in this role, his co-chair Terry Barton is “excited to serve on OPSA and contribute to the overall employee experience here at UCOP. I also look forward to meeting more of the UCOP staff and learning more about UC.”

The Communications subcommittee is chaired by two newly elected members who share an enthusiasm for staff engagement. Carol Lake wants to focus on “bringing staff together and breaking down walls that separate us.” Garen Corbett is “looking forward to working with great colleagues in OPSA and across OP in further enhancing our great workplace, which in turn helps support our vital mission.” He wants OP staff to know that “there’s lots of ways to get involved, so join us!”

Bo Pitsker is not only joining the OPSA committee this year but will also serve as one of UCOP’s two representatives on the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA). He’s “excited to engage with staff across OP to encourage meaningful dialogue with management, and to move our common concerns forward via CUCSA. Both OPSA and CUCSA are engaged on a variety of topics of benefit to employees, UC and our communities. Just as there’s more to getting an education than just showing up for classes, so too there is more to being fully engaged and involved than just showing up for work. I would love to see more staff participation in OPSA events, activities and initiatives, and I hope to facilitate that.”

Re-elected member Emma Sebastian also looks “forward to more folks joining us at the OPSA monthly meetings and getting involved in UCOP affairs. The collective power of everyone’s support, talent and energy can make OP a greater place to work!”

OPSA veteran Tracy FitzGerald is excited to be chairing the committee this year. “We have many new steering committee members who bring different perspectives to the table. I’m hoping that more staff will come to our meetings to bring their thoughts as well.”

You’ve heard the invitation – why not come to an OPSA steering committee meeting to see what it’s all about? You can share your thoughts or just listen in to the discussion.

If you have questions or would like to request an agenda item for an upcoming meeting, please contact OPStaffAssembly@ucop.edu.

The OP Staff Assembly is an all-volunteer staff organization dedicated to promoting the interests and welfare of all career employees at UCOP. It is affiliated with the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA), the systemwide staff group. For more information, please visit its website.

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