Sixteen faculty and staff leaders from across the institution recently completed the nine-month Leadership Excellence for Academic Professionals program.
LEAP graduation on Sept. 22 was marked by the eight-member teams’ presentations to a panel of senior leaders. In those, the graduates summarized findings from projects in which they expanded their leadership knowledge and practical skills that they can apply in their leadership roles at the institution.
Andrea Marks, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer, complimented the connections being made across campus by the participants and recognized the projects’ alignment with the institution’s five-year strategic plan.
See photos from the graduation event
‘Change Management: It’s not a project, it’s a journey’
Change is a relevant topic and with all the change occurring across the organization, this team evaluated various change management models and leadership behaviors for managing and leading change. The team made recommendations to adapt and enhance the adoption of change.
- Martha Chichil-Zepeda, clinic manager, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
- Jessica Gutierrez-Rodriguez, executive director, Facilities Management & Operations
- Soo Cheol Jeong, DDS, associate professor, Comprehensive Dentistry
- Wayne Laskie, director, ClinSys Tech
- Sylvia Medel, EdD, director, International Services
- Gloria Salinas, director, Institutional Research
- Annetty Soto, DMD, holder of Castella Distinguished Professorship, Comprehensive Dentistry
- Rebecca Vega, assistant director, Population Health Sciences
‘Community Engagement: The Love Language of the Community’
As a pillar of the institution’s strategic plan, community engagement activities and alignment were reviewed to make recommendations for greater visibility and engagement across the campus and in the regions the institution serves.
- Enas Bsoul, DDS, assistant professor, Comprehensive Dentistry
- Frank Cosme, architect, Facilities Management
- Megan Fredrick, specialist, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
- Joe Lopez, senior electrical engineer, Facilities Management
- Lacy Owens, associate director, Family and Community Medicine
- Ramiro Ramirez-Solis, PhD, director, Institutional Research Core Facilities
- Samantha Smith, senior manager, Human Resources
- Angela Watts, PhD, director, Academic Enhancement