Throughout the month of February UC is celebrating Black History Month — an official recognition of the incredible and lasting impact and achievements of the Black community. To help you engage with colleagues during this month, we’ve compiled virtual events at all UC locations relating to contemporary and historic Black culture, as well as social justice.

Check out the listings at UCnet

CUCSA Black Staff Leadership Roundtable

Rejeana Mathis, Dave Miller, LaWana Richmond and Jason Valdry

The Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) in kicking off Black History Month with a Black Staff Leadership Roundtable event on Feb. 1 from 11:05 – 11:50 a.m. (PT). Register online here!

The event will honor four distinguished Black staff leaders who have made history at UC. We’ll focus on their leadership and the impact of their work, reflections on their legacy and their vision for the future of Black leadership at UC.

Featured speakers

• Rejeana Mathis, M.B.A., is the lead manager of learning and organizational development at UCLA Human Resources. She has more than 25 years of experience in leadership, program and project management, and organizational and individual needs assessment, evaluation and measurement. As an active campus leader, Rejeana served as UCLA Staff Assembly president from 2014–15. In 2015, she served as chair-elect and then chair of CUCSA. During her term as chair, CUCSA focused on the staff experience through the lenses of diversity, work-life balance, advocacy, and financial and retirement literacy. For her distinguished service, she received the Kevin McCauley Memorial Outstanding Staff Award in 2019. Rejeana continues to support staff assemblies systemwide; in October 2022, she delivered a CUCSA Chat on professional advancement via staff organizations.
• Dave Miller served as director of diversity outreach in the Office of Diversity and Faculty Development at UCLA leading up to his 2014 retirement. He was president of the UCLA Staff Assembly, as well as CUCSA chair. He was also one of two inaugural staff advisors to the UC Regents, appointed by then-UC President Robert C. Dynes in 2005. To establish the rotation of future appointees in two-year terms, he was asked to serve an additional year in the role. As staff advisor, Dave served on the Regents’ Diversity Study Group, Commission on the Future; and UC Advisory Committee to Review Senior Management Group Job Slotting Process. Dave has been honored with the UCLA Staff Assembly President’s Award, the Excellence in Service to the UCLA Campus Community Award and several other notable recognitions for his service to the university and, especially, to staff.
• LaWana Richmond, Ph.D., is an organizational development and training manager at UC San Diego. She is a certified project management professional with degrees in marketing, operations, information systems, and educational leadership. Her interests include leadership development, employee engagement, access to and persistence in education, community service and social justice. While completing her doctorate at UC San Diego, she was an inaugural recipient of the Chrispeels Doctoral Fellowship in Educational Leadership. LaWana is a member of the Advisory Board for the C. Montgomery Technology Fund, which supports community access to technology at the Malcolm X Library in southeast San Diego. She has served on the executive boards of the African American Alumni Chapter of the San Diego State University Alumni Association and the UJIMA Network; on the Advisory Board of N.U.M.E.R.A.L.S. (formerly known as the HaDassah Project); as chair of the UC San Diego Black Staff Association and the UC San Diego Staff Association; and as a CUCSA senior delegate.
• Jason Valdry, M.B.A., is the director of technology at the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Over the past 18 years, he has focused on service to his campus community and UC. In addition to serving as a CUCSA senior delegate, he has served as chair of the UC Irvine Staff Assembly. At UC Irvine, he has engaged in campus budget and strategic planning; served on the advisory committee for the construction of the Contemporary Arts Center; participated in the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Staff, as a liaison for all academic units to the Office of Information Technology (OIT); and held a role on the search committee for Chancellor Gillman. He is a proud alumnus of UC Irvine.

For questions about this event, contact Dennis.McIver@ucop.edu.

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