At FOA, we recognize that investing in our staff is crucial to achieving our mission of operational excellence. 

Supporting career development not only strengthens individual employees but also enhances our entire organization’s ability to deliver outstanding service and solutions. We know that the heart of our success lies in our people, and we proudly support leadership development opportunities that help our staff achieve their full potential.

The UC-Coro Systemwide Leadership Collaborative exemplifies this dedication by offering staff a unique opportunity to enhance their skills, expand their networks, and collaborate on systemwide challenges faced by UC campuses and health systems. This year, we are proud to celebrate that three of the 10 UC Davis and UC Davis Health participants selected for this prestigious program are leaders from FOA. 

These individuals were nominated by their direct managers and sponsors and selected through a competitive process for their expertise, dedication, and ability to drive progress across the UC system. Their selection reflects the exceptional talent within FOA and the high standards we set in serving UC Davis.

Being selected for the UC-Coro Leadership Collaborative is a significant achievement, and I am proud of these outstanding FOA leaders. Their dedication to collaboration, excellence, and innovative leadership reflects the values of UC Davis. I look forward to seeing how their participation will benefit them professionally and advance both our campus and the broader UC community. - Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl

Meet the 2025 UC Davis FOA Participants

From February 2025 to February 2026, these leaders will embark on an extraordinary journey. Over the course of 11 sessions – including a mix of in-person and virtual workshops hosted at different UC campuses – they will sharpen their leadership skills, tackle a capstone group project addressing a systemwide challenge, and present their innovative recommendations to UC senior leaders. Their year of growth will culminate in a graduation ceremony celebrating their achievements and contributions.

Congratulations to these leaders for this well-deserved recognition!

Christina Blackman

Director of Support Services, Facilities Management

Christina Blackman has led a diverse team in Support Services since 2018, overseeing key operations including safety, training, communications and data management. Her leadership style focuses on collaboration, empowerment and removing barriers to success, helping staff achieve individual and collective goals.

Christina is committed to succession planning and has launched initiatives to identify and develop future leaders within her organization, such as the Future Leaders Program and targeted learning opportunities, ensuring staff are prepared for future vacancies and challenges. “I strive to remove barriers, provide clear guidance, and offer ongoing support to foster success,” she explains. Christina’s efforts also include recognition initiatives and engaging in a Green Belt cohort within Facilities to improve operational efficiencies within Facilities. Christina recognizes that effective leadership requires vulnerability and a commitment to work-life balance, lessons she integrates into her team’s culture.

Before joining Facilities Management, Christina worked in the financial services industry and with nonprofit organizations. Transitioning to Facilities Management offered her an exciting opportunity to expand her skill set and collaborate with tradespeople, engineers and industry professionals to support the university’s mission.

Christina is enthusiastic to participate in the UC-Coro Leadership Collaborative. She says it represents an exciting opportunity to further enhance her self-awareness and leadership skills, expand her professional network and gain insights that will enhance her contributions. “I believe this experience will strengthen my emotional intelligence and help me become a better leader,” she says. Through the UC-Coro Leadership Collaborative, she looks forward to applying new tools and strategies to support her team and strengthen the organization’s success.

Raised in Davis, Christina and her husband, Kevin, are strongly connected to the UC Davis community. Together, they raised their three children—Jessica, Elizabeth, and Mason—and now enjoy golfing, traveling, and spending time with their two dogs, Archie and Daisy.

Michelle K. Simmer

Director of Fleet Services, Safety Services

With over 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, retired Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michelle K. Simmer brings over two decades of experience in fleet operations, logistics, and leadership to her role. During her military career, she developed resilience, adaptability and a “service before self” mindset, which continue to guide her leadership style and decision-making today.

After transitioning from military service, Michelle sought a role that emphasized teamwork, problem-solving and achieving organizational goals. UC Davis stood out to her for its emphasis on innovation, sustainability and commitment to community. Since joining UC Davis in January 2023, Michelle has overseen the Fleet budget, policy and long-term plans, with a focus on operational efficiency and team empowerment. Her leadership approach emphasizes humility, accountability and a focus on building trust and collaboration.

Michelle’s military career included deployments in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, where she developed her skills in team management, strategic planning, and operational oversight. Her exemplary service earned her honors such as the Army Commendation Medal and the Purple Heart. Beyond her military accolades, Michelle completed extensive training in resilience, logistics, and human resources. After transitioning from military service, Michelle worked as a Fleet Supervisor for a California utility, overseeing operations across Sacramento-area garages and ensuring DOT compliance. These experiences have solidified her reputation as a proactive leader.

Through the UC-Coro Leadership Collaborative, Michelle looks forward to refining her leadership approach, gaining new strategies that challenge her perspective, and bringing back tools to enhance team cohesion and adaptability, promote personal and professional growth, and drive collective success. “The chance to exchange experiences with others in the program is invaluable for broadening my understanding of leadership across different organizational environments,” she says.

Outside of her professional role, Michelle is an active member of the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity that offers services and events for wounded veterans. Passionate about empowering others to achieve their full potential, she is dedicated to contributing to the development of fellow service members.

Jackie Velásquez

Aggie Enterprise Service Delivery Director, Admin IT

Jackie Velásquez oversees service delivery for Oracle Cloud Financials and Enterprise Performance Management systems, known as Aggie Enterprise. She also manages the Campus Finance IT Portfolio, which includes systems and integrations for Payroll, Contracts & Grants Accounting, Tax Compliance & Controls, and Student Accounting.

Her leadership helped drive and implement Aggie Enterprise, a large-scale cloud ERP project that transformed campus financial processes. Reflecting on the experience, Jackie described the initiative as both the most challenging and rewarding project of her career. “To be given an opportunity to manage a large-scale cloud ERP project was something I could not pass up and it showed me that leadership and my manager, Radhika Prabhu, trusted in my abilities to lead a very complex transformation initiative. I am very proud of our team and accomplishments.” To Jackie, leadership has come to mean achieving an agreed understanding and outcomes with other teams.

Jackie’s career spans many industries, including finance, healthcare, telecommunications, education, and law enforcement, providing her with a broad perspective and adaptability in IT service management. She is also a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute. Stepping into her current role while still managing Aggie Enterprise, Jackie built a new team from the ground up, focusing on collaboration and shared outcomes to support the university's financial transformation.

Through the UC-Coro Leadership Collaborative, Jackie is eager to develop skills that will enhance collaboration and communication. She shared, “I hope to learn of insights, tools, and other tips from other participants that will help improve inclusive decision-making as well as anything that will allow my team and I to enhance our services and collaboration within UC Davis and other UC campuses.”

When not focusing on her professional endeavors, Jackie proudly works towards her “low vacation accrual goals.” She has attended "TTITD" (known as Burning Man) for 17 of the past 18 years and strives to take at least one international vacation per year. And when it comes to financial systems, Jackie reminds everyone: “My General Ledger is not your Sub-Ledger.”

Learn about all 10 participants from UC Davis and UC Davis Health here.