Tour FOA facilities with the new vice chancellor

UC Davis employees walk through mail services facitility
Mike Kuhner, UC Davis’ chief procurement officer, leads FOA Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl through the Hopkins Services Complex during her first week working at UC Davis. Colleagues Chris Honan and Mark Blankinship, both of Supply Chain Management, also shared insights on campus stores and mail services. Photos by Anjie Cook/UC Davis.
UC Davis employees look up from their desks.
From left, Ranjlyn Sharma and Francisco Carrillo Robles were among the employees welcoming Shinnerl to the Hopkins Services Complex.
Employees talk amid US Postal Service mail bins
Shinnerl listens to insights about UC Davis mail processing from Mark Blankinship, mail services supervisor with Supply Chain Management.
Shinnerl listens to mail coordinator while he works with a pile of documents
Pravin Sharma, mail coordinator, answers Shinnerl’s questions about campus sorting and delivery services during her tour.
Envelopes rolling in a machine
Mail Services processes more than 5 million pieces of mail for both Davis and Sacramento campuses.
UC Davis employee sorts through a stack of papers by hand in a warehouse.
Daniel Munoz, mail processor for UC Davis Health, works in the Hopkins Services Complex for Supply Chain Management where all mail distribution is processed for both the Davis and Sacramento campuses.
inside a warehouse space, with different colorful pushcarts loaded with packages
The Hopkins Services Complex is the designated central receiving point for most inbound campus freight deliveries, with more than 2,000 packages delivered monthly to the UC Davis campus.
Group discussion inside a storage area with racks and aisle labels for Electronics and Lab Items
From left, Clare Shinnerl, Blair Stephenson, Mike Kuhner and team also toured the Central Storehouse, which stocks lab supplies, tax-free ethyl alcohol, compressed gas cylinders, office electronics, telephones and other supplies for delivery to the Davis campus and UC Davis Health.
UC Davis Safety Services mark on the side of a van
Next stop on the tour was with UC Davis Safety Services at its Environmental Services Facility, as part of this team's support for safety in research.
tour leader walks backwards in front of small group in hallway lined with hazard tape
Pat Ruchirushkul, left, led Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl on a tour of the Environmental Services Facility, which is also the headquarters for hazardous waste management of the UC Davis campus. Other Safety Services staff members helping with the tour include, from left: Chris Wright, Becky Grunewald, Karega Paisley, Eric Kvigne and Philip Barruel.
worker in uniform with gloves and safety glasses smiles in a working laboratory
Chanda Mansfield, principal technician, shared a look inside a room where corrosive and toxic chemicals are stored and carboys for collecting liquid waste are cleaned for reuse.
"Radioactive Waste" on room label
All radioactive materials used in campus research pass through the Environmental Services Facility, first to be tested for contamination before research use — and later during waste processing and storage procedures before disposal with an outside vendor.
group peers from a hallway marked with hazard tape, with pirate flag overhead
A pirate flag hangs over the hallway in the Environmental Services Facility, where Pat Ruchirushkul shows Clare Shinnerl the various rooms for processing and storing radioactive waste.
group discussion at environmental services facility
Christ Wright (right), environmental compliance manager, discusses hazardous materials management and industrial hygiene issues with Clare Shinnerl (center) and colleague Karega Paisley (left).
Two leaders smiling for the camera
FOA Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl joined Radhika Prabhu, assistant vice chancellor of Business Transformation and Technology, for a tour with her teams in the University Services Building, on Research Park Drive.
From above, people walking down an airy stairwell with dramatic light
Shinnerl and Prabhu walk through the University Services Building, which is home to FOA’s Admin-IT and Office of Business Transformation.
Woman shakes hands with two men outside of a cubicle
Shinnerl meets with Admin-IT programmers Ramesh Chinnam and Tom Robinson (right), during her tour of the University Services Building.
Employees standing and talking near cubicle
Erica Aichwalder shared updates with Shinnerl about the Office of Business Transformation, which leads the Lean Six Sigma program and helps FOA teams with change management and improving business processes.
Group discussion in office cubicle
Shinnerl, center, listens to Admin-IT discussions in a cubicle with, from left, Jackie Velasquez, Mira Kaloper, Jonathan Keller and Radhika Prabhu.
Shinnerl listens to fire department employee next to red fire engine
Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl toured the UC Davis Fire Department’s Station 34, at the Police and Fire Building.
rack with firefighter equipment hanging in cubbies including protective coats and hats
Protective equipment for the Student Resident Firefighter program, behind the scenes at UC Davis Fire Department’s Station 34.
fabric patch on a shirt sleeve
The UC Davis Fire Department patch includes iconic images from campus including a water tower and Gunrock mustang as part of its insignia.
Behind emergency vehicles and fire trucks, fire chief and vice chancellor talk
UC Davis Fire Chief Nathan Trauernicht walked Shinnerl through campus services provided by the UC Davis Fire Department, including training programs for EMT certification and student firefighters. Photo by Anjie Cook/UC Davis

Peek behind the scenes of Shinnerl’s first month

  • by Brenda Dawson. Photos by Anjie Cook.

In her first six weeks of work at UC Davis, Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl hit the ground running with nearly 200 meetings to gain insight on current campus operations and future plans.

Included in those meetings were presentations from nearly every operating unit within the division of Finance, Operations and Administration, for a more complete introduction to the wide array of services FOA employees provide.

Many FOA leaders also gave Shinnerl a tour of their locations to see and discuss day-to-day operations.

I’m thankful for the countless hours that many in FOA spent to welcome me, and I’m having fun soaking up facts and figures, acronyms and history," Shinnerl said. "The diversity and complexity of work undertaken across FOA is impressive. I can tell we’re a high-performing division filled with experts who love what they do."

We thought you might enjoy this chance to peek behind the scenes of some FOA facilities and see our new vice chancellor in action, along with employees from Safety Services, Admin-IT, Supply Chain Management and the Fire Department. Photographer Anjie Cook with FOA Communications brought along her camera to share an insider’s perspective on Shinnerl’s first month on campus.

“I’d never seen a lot of these facilities before, so it was like a behind-the-scenes tour — especially at Bulk Mail Services where I got to meet people I’ve emailed with before and see mail get sorted,” said Cook, who’s been taking photos and supporting digital communications for FOA since 2019.

In addition to visiting FOA units, Shinnerl met with other campus leaders including the chancellor, provost and vice chancellors for Student Affairs, Office of Research, Athletics and Strategic Communications. She also had a chance to join systemwide meetings of all vice chancellors for budget and planning programs and other leaders from the Office of the President. Next up, her calendar includes meetings with leaders from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; the Academic Senate; Development and Alumni Relations; and UC Davis Health.

 

Next up: FOA All-Staff Meeting

If you missed your chance to meet our new vice chancellor at FOA's welcome reception during her first week, then you might want to pencil in the next FOA All-Staff Meeting, tentatively planned for the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 6. Invitations will be sent to all FOA staff members, once details are confirmed.

 

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