On June 28, 2023, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rachael Nava sent the following letter to all UCOP managers. She invites all interested UCOP staff to participate in an employee resource group.

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to ask for your continued partnership, and direct support, for staff participation in affinity groups and employee resource groups (ERGs). Please join me in encouraging staff participation in these organizations, and granting reasonable release time for this activity, which supports a strong workplace culture at UCOP.

We are striving to be more intentional about developing and strengthening opportunities for greater connection — with the UC mission, with one another, and in connecting our work to President Drake’s priorities for all of UC, as well as the newly updated UCOP Strategic Framework.

You may recall that UCOP’s Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF) report included recommendations for transitioning most UCOP “affinity groups” to ERGs — to provide input to UCOP leaders regarding the impact of potential policies, practices or leadership decisions on employees. Lalitha Sankaran and Dennis McIver have worked with ERG leaders to achieve several major objectives over the last few months. I am happy to see ERGs engaging regularly and directly across UCOP leadership, including having formal executive sponsors. These interactions offer unique opportunities for professional development and networking between staff and leaders.

Having robust availability of, and staff and leadership participation in, ERGs is critical to our collective efforts to strengthen UCOP’s culture and how we function. I encourage you to personally participate with ERGs, to enrich your own experience here and to lend your expertise.

Thank you in advance for your continued support of our amazing staff. Learn more about UCOP’s ERGs here.

Sincerely,
Rachael Nava
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

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