Senior Executive Director, Finance and Administration
UC Merced

Roseanna Barrón is the Chief of Staff and Executive Director of Finance and Administration in the School of Engineering at the University of California, Merced. Prior to working at UCM, she worked at the University of California, Riverside for more than 25 years where she held positions in management and organizational leadership overseeing a wide variety of units from student services to a thriving research cooperative. She led multiple academic departments within the Colleges of Engineering, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and the School of Education. Roseanna is a native of Southern California. She studied history at Loyola Marymount University. She has a wonderful loving family. Her daughter covers Congress for The Huffington Post in Washington, D.C., and her husband is a firearms and ballistics expert. Her success would not have been possible without their support, and that of her parents.

Human Resources Director
UC Office of the President

Bryna Bock has over 25 years of human resources management and senior administrative experience with mature (55 to 125+ year), California-based institutions that have international reach, across the private, non-profit and public/higher education sectors, including the international law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. She was also a university and college instructor of courses in interpersonal communication, public speaking, and small group communication, at California State University, Long Beach and Long Beach City College. She is currently Director of Human Resources for staff and academic personnel with the University of California Education Abroad Program. UCEAP is the University of California’s system wide study abroad program with a mission of inspiring students, through international academic experiences, to explore and transform their lives, UC and the world. UCEAP has over 150 staff, faculty, and affiliates worldwide, and offers abroad programs in over 40 countries at over 120 universities and institutions across the globe. UCEAP annually serves over 5,600 students from all 10 UC campuses and hosts almost 1,500 hundred reciprocal exchange students from 30 countries. In her current role, she provides leadership for organizational development, fiscal and strategic planning, staffing, talent management, compliance and employment risk management, with oversight for operations and administrative services. As a member of UCEAP’s Advisory Council, she has been actively involved in strategic planning for the organization, including participation in the development of the UCOP-UCSB administrative partnership agreement for UCEAP in 2011. Ms. Bock holds an MA in Communication Studies, Human Information Systems, with an emphasis on intercultural communication, and a BA in Communication Studies, Rhetorical Studies, from California State University, Long Beach. She holds several UC certifications—Business Officers Institute, Management Development Program, Gaucho Mentorship Program, Crucial Conversations, UCSB HR Academy—along with a Mental Health First Aid USA certificate from NCBH, and the professional credentials of SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resources), GPHR (Global Professional Human Resources), SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Human Resources Professional).

Executive Director of Business & Finance
UC Davis

A highly motivated Business & Financial leader with over 25 years of professional experience working with large, complex organizations both in the corporate and university environments. My collaborative leadership style coupled with extensive knowledge of both university accounting and business operations is a unique blend ideally aligned with the key success factors, goals, initiatives, and the vision of the University. As a native of California, I am a graduate of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley where I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Finance. Upon completion of my undergraduate studies, I was recruited by Australia’s largest company at the time, BHP Minerals International, Incorporated. During my tenure with BHP Minerals, I held a host of progressively responsible management positions and acquired extensive knowledge in the areas of budget and forecasting, accounting & financial management, strategic planning, and organizational management. My tenure with BHP Minerals included a three (3) year out-of-state assignment to New Mexico where I obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA)– International Business. In March 2000, I joined UC Davis as Division Manager – Accounting & Financial Services where I have served the UC Davis community and its various stakeholders for over sixteen (16) years. Currently, I serve as the Executive Director of Business & Finance for the Office of Research at UC Davis. In my current role, I am responsible for the financial management and strategic oversight for the Office of Research as a whole. This includes financial oversight of approximately 20 Organized Research Units, Core Facilities, and Special Research Projects with an annual operating budget of ~$110 Million. It also includes the day-to-day management and financial oversight for approximately 17 Vice Chancellor Administrative Units with an annual operating budget of approximately $25 Million including Sponsored Programs, Innovation Access, and IT Services. In addition, I am responsible for the financial management of the campus-wide Animal and Use Program for UC Davis. As an inspiring leader, I have been honored by the nominations to attend various, prestigious leadership programs over my career. Such leadership program includes the Global Leadership Conference in Melbourne, Australia and the UC Executive Leadership and Management Institute at Stanford University. In addition to my professional services, I enjoy volunteering and assisting in underrepresented communities addressing various social-economic issues such as poverty, education, and homelessness. In my leisure time, I enjoy travel, church, and family.

Vice Dean, Administration and Finance
UC San Francisco

Maye Chrisman is vice dean for administration and finance for the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Reporting to the Dean, Maye directs the financial, administrative and clinical business affairs of the School, which comprises 28 departments, eight organized research units, and five interdisciplinary research centers. She oversees the School’s business operations, personnel management and strategic planning with an annual operating budget of approximately $2.1 billion. From 2003 to 2015, Maye served as chief financial officer, and later, associate chair for finance and administration, for the UCSF Department of Medicine. During this time, the Department consistently ranked in the top three for NIH funding and saw its annual operating budget grow from $170 million to $450 million. Maye received the Chancellor Award for Exceptional University Service in 2014. Prior to joining UCSF, Chrisman was vice president of operations at Project ACHIEVE in San Francisco and worked in corporate and strategy consulting positions in Taiwan and Boston, including four years at LEK Consulting. She earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude with an AB in economics from Harvard College.

Director of Energy Services
Energy and Sustainability Unit
UC Office of the President

Eric Eberhardt is the Director of Energy Services in the Energy and Sustainability Unit at the UC Office of the President. His responsibilities include energy efficiency program administration, utility liaison, energy data management, and articulating the University of California’s position on energy related regulatory and legislative activities. Mr. Eberhardt has worked in a variety of engineering, business development, and management positions in the energy and technology industries, including engineering product design for Sun Microsystems and energy efficiency program design and implementation for Quantum Energy Services and Technologies. Most recently Mr. Eberhardt worked with Pacific Gas and Electric Company as a Strategic Account Manager for the Healthcare and Hospitality Segments on the Corporate Accounts Team, and as a Principal Account Manager and Supervisor for California’s first active Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) implementation. Mr. Eberhardt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Certificate in Construction Management from the University of California Extension, Berkeley. He holds two U.S. patents and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Executive Director, Human Resources
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

John Fox has served as Executive Director of Human Resources for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources since October 2015. John has over twenty years of progressive leadership and human resources experience with the University of California. He served as the Executive Director for Human Resources for the Office of the President from December 2010 to September 2015. Prior to that time, John held a number of leadership and project management positions in University-wide Human Resources, including Director of HR Policy, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, Human Resources, and trainer/writer in Benefits Communications. John holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.

Director, Faculty Equity and Welfare
UC Berkeley

Karie Frasch, Ph.D., is the Director of Faculty Equity & Welfare under the Vice Provost for the Faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. As Director since 2010, Frasch oversees recruitment for all academic appointees, promotes inclusive hiring practices, proposes and develops policies and programs to support faculty welfare, and conducts research on faculty equity and career life issues. She also serves on or co-chairs Berkeley campus-level and University of California system-wide committees, workgroups, and governance and advisory boards. Prior to her current position, Dr. Frasch worked as a researcher at Berkeley on a series of nationally recognized Alfred P. Sloan Foundation-funded projects, which analyzed the effects of family formation on academic careers, created faculty career flexibility initiatives, evaluated the joint role of the federal granting agencies and institutions of higher education on the academic pipeline, and considered late-career and retirement issues among UC faculty. She is co-author of several publications from these projects, including “Why Graduate Students Reject the Fast Track,” and “Staying Competitive: Patching America’s Leaky Pipeline in the Sciences,” which led to new family responsive policies at federal granting agencies, including the National Science Foundation. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Psychology from Mills College.

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
UC Davis

Philip Kass is the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of California, Davis. He holds DVM, MS (Statistics), and PhD (Epidemiology) degrees, and holds appointments as Professor of Analytic Epidemiology in the School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine. As Vice Provost, Phil is responsible for strategic planning, implementation, and innovation for matters, policies, and issues affecting all academic personnel at UC Davis. Formerly the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Equity and Inclusion, Phil's responsibilities included research into determinants of rates of advancement, oversight of faculty hiring and promoting effective practices with respect to enhancing diversity in the tenure-track ranks, and annually performing analyses of faculty salaries across the university leading to unique individual-level equity adjustments.

Director, California Breast Cancer Research Program
UC Office of the President

Dr. Kavanaugh-Lynch has served as Director of the California Breast Cancer Research Program since 1995. In that role, she guides California’s research investment designed to bring an end to breast cancer. She has managed the awarding and monitoring of nearly $270 million in research funds. Her accomplishments include championing the role of advocates in the research enterprise, developing a successful model for funding community-based participatory research, developing rigorous evaluations of the Program and developing research strategies to explore the role of environmental contaminants in breast cancer, disparities in breast cancer, and prevention of the disease. Dr. Kavanaugh-Lynch earned her B.A. at Bryn Mawr College, an M.D. and M.S. in pharmacology at New York University and an M.P.H. in epidemiology at University of Washington. Her career includes basic science research in developmental biology, clinical practice in internal medicine and medical oncology, clinical research on bone marrow transplantation for the treatment of breast cancer, and public health research in women's health, breast cancer, and community-based participatory research. Dr. Kavanaugh-Lynch has served on peer review and advisory panels for the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Maternal and Child Health), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health. Cal-EPA and others. She is the recipient of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Susan Love Foundation’s Excellence in Philanthropy Award, Zero Breast Cancer’s Community Research Award, a University of California Innovation and Impact Award, and the National Cancer Survivorship Coalitions Catherine Logan Award. Dr. Kavanaugh-Lynch lives in El Cerrito with her wife of 22 years, her two teen-aged children and several pets.

Associate Vice Chancellor
Safety Services, UC Davis

Eric Kvigne serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Safety Services at UC Davis. He leads a team of experts supporting students, faculty, and staff providing best in class safety know-how for our teaching, research and community service mission. This includes fire prevention, risk management, emergency management, occupational medicine, information technology, environmental compliance, and all laboratory/field safety hazards. Mr. Kvigne began his University service in 2011 as the Campus Risk Manager. Prior to that, he led the western division United States domestic operations for a third party claims administrator. Beginning as a claims adjuster and working through increasing levels of leadership responsibility; he is well versed in problem solving and organizational excellence. He is committed to team collaboration in support of dependable service delivery and always ready to learn more from the exceptional professionals around him. Mr. Kvigne holds a bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He met his wife on the rowing team there. As a team, they are now raising two determined young ladies who provide new challenges daily and solid hope for the future.

Director of Communications
UC Davis

BreAnda Northcutt joined UC Davis in 2015 to lead communication strategies for approximately 20 units within the Division of Finance, Operations and Administration, which provide stewardship of university resources. Prior to joining UC Davis, BreAnda was Senior Vice President at Cater Communications where she led the firm’s work on California’s clean energy policies, and helped expand the firm’s state clean energy work in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Before joining Cater Communications, BreAnda was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to head Communications and External Affairs at the California Environmental Protection Agency. BreAnda spearheaded the Schwarzenegger Administration’s media campaign for California’s landmark climate solutions law, served as media director for the California delegation to multiple United Nations Climate Conferences, and managed communications for the world’s largest subnational climate summit, working with more than 30 of the world’s leading Governors. BreAnda has 15 years of experience, serving in a number of consulting roles in the public and nonprofit sectors. BreAnda was a senior member of a campaign team who helped to elect Hawaii’s first female governor in 2002. And she successfully managed emergency public relations for the American Red Cross during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. BreAnda has a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Cal State Sacramento, and an English degree from Simpson University. She lives in West Sacramento and is a foster-adopt mom to four amazing kids ages five, four, two and one. She believes her greatest contribution is not something she will do, but somebody she helps raise.

Division Deputy, Operations Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics Division
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Asmita Patel is the Division Deputy, Operations in Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She manages a multifunctional team that provides the business and support functions — including finance, proposals, administrative operations, EH&S, HR and intramural and strategic communications — for a complex set of R&D units (http://atap.lbl.gov) that is growing and seeking new customers and areas of endeavor. She is also developing strategic plans, including communications, and infrastructure for the Physical Sciences Area. Her area-level responsibilities include finance and EH&S projects for the Physical Sciences Area, that encompasses three research divisions—the ATAP, Physics, and Nuclear Science Divisions—as well as the Engineering Division. In her LBNL career, she served in a number of key organizational roles, including facilitating strategic initiatives for the Associate Laboratory Director for Physical Sciences; the Lab-wide Next Generation Light Source initiative; and managing extensive proposal/grant efforts for the Life Sciences Division. Her LBNL roles have all incorporated the major themes of her career: strategic planning, business management, and communications in a scientific environment, all while looking toward the future and considering the big-picture perspectives of the Laboratory, partner institutions, and funding agencies. Asmita earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology from UC Riverside, conducted postdoctoral research at UC Santa Barbara, and has an executive MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. Before coming to LBNL, she worked over 16 years in private-sector biotechnology, healthcare, and diagnostics companies, with increasing responsibility leading to positions that included Director of Marketing and Director of Strategy and Business Development.

Assistant Dean for Academic Personnel
UC Davis

Brent Seifert is the Assistant Dean for the Office of Academic Personnel at the University of California Davis, School of Medicine in Davis, CA. He is responsible for overseeing the academic advancement process and human resource management strategies which enables the School of Medicine to recruit, develop and retain highly qualified academic scientists and clinicians. Mr. Seifert also serves as an advisor to leadership on employment and labor relations matters and conflict resolution management. Mr. Seifert has extensive experience in human resources and employment and labor law, both as a practicing attorney and human resources professional in the public and private sector. He is an accomplished speaker on best employment practices in healthcare and academic medicine. Mr. Seifert served as the Chair of the University of California Davis Human Resources Advisory Committee and as a member of both the Compensation Advisory Committee and the Committee on Under-represented Groups in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Faculty Affairs for the UC Davis School of Medicine. He was awarded the 2015 Vice Chancellor’s Staff Mentor Award at the UC Davis School of Medicine. He is a member of the California Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Faculty Affairs, and Diversity and Inclusion. He earned is JD from John F. Kennedy University, School of Law and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Human Resources Management from Indiana Institute of Technology. He is also certified as a mediator and executive coach.

Strategic Initiatives Manager
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Melissa Summers, PhD is the Strategic Initiatives Manager for the Energy Sciences Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The Energy Sciences Area encompasses LBNL’s Chemical and Materials Sciences research divisions, and the Molecular Foundry and Advanced Light Source National User Facilities. Prior to joining the Energy Sciences Area office, Melissa managed LBNL’s Carbon Cycle 2.0 campaign, an initiative aimed at connecting LBNL researchers working to understand and develop technologies for a clean energy future. From 2007-2009, Melissa was a Science and Technology Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at the National Science Foundation’s Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, where she communicated the outcomes of NSF-funded research to Congress and the public and led the publication of a comprehensive report on NSF’s climate change research portfolio. Her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University focused on understanding the photophysical properties and dynamics of organic photovoltaic materials and devices. She has a PhD in chemistry from UC Santa Barbara and a BA in chemistry from the Colorado College.

Director, Legislative Analysis
UC Office of the President

Frank Thomson has been a director in IMPAC since February 2009. Frank has worked at UCOP since 2005, and in his prior position at UCOP focused on legislative analysis in Academic Affairs' Educational Relations department. Before coming to UC, Frank worked for five years as an international trade analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC.He has a B.S. in International Business from Georgetown University and a master's degree inPublic Affairs from the University of Texas-Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs.