I have known about Staff Assembly as far back as 2007 while working at Hotel Angeleno and UCLA was my client.  I knew that the Staff Assembly hosted several events such as Casino Night and the All Staff Picnic.  Even though I was not directly working for UCLA, I knew how important these events were to the staff.  The VP of Development position was not in existence at that time.  However, someone on the board took on this responsibility and would reach out to me for donations.  I understood that this was not an easy task, so there was no hesitation on my part to support Staff Assembly by donating hotel stays, dinner/lunches as prizes for their events.

In addition, my experiences have put me in roles such as Chair, Co-Chair, Board Member, Founding Member, Member, Mentor of organizations like Emerging Professionals Entrepreneurs Council, Travel & Tourism Marketing Association, MPISCC, SITE Young Leaders Program, etc.  In my roles, I was tasked to do the outreach for donations for prizes and silent auctions for our events.

As Senior Sales Manager at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center, I recently donated gift certificates for dinners at Plateia to the Staff Assembly to use for prizes for the Virtual 5K event.  My experiences have put me in the role of both donor and solicitor. This allows me to see the entire picture and makes me a strong candidate for the position of VP of Development

Prior to becoming a UCLA staff member, UCLA was my client since 2007.  As a client of mine, I wanted to learn about the campus and understand its culture. Therefore, I immersed myself in the campus and visited different departments as much as 3 times per week.  During my visits, I had the pleasure of meeting staff in development roles.  As I met and spoke with development staff, I became aware of how important this role was to the campus.  I also came to the realization that development is my passion!  To be able to raise funds and obtain donations that sustain events, research, host conferences and support charitable causes is very rewarding to me.

Fast forward to 2016, I was fortunate enough to be hired as a Senior Sales Manager at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center.  My passion for a development role is stronger than ever and becoming a staff member is one of my first steps.  I am thankful for being chosen to join the UCLA community.  Therefore, I want to find a way to give back.  I immediately looked for ways to get involved with the UCLA Staff Assembly.  Through my involvement in the past 1 ½ years, I’ve learned a great deal about the VP of Development board position and knew this is where I wanted to invest my time.  When the position became available this year, there was no question that now was the time to apply.

As Vice President, Development, my goals are:

Since joining UCLA, I attended many events hosted by Staff Assembly.  My goal for this position is to continue to sustain and enhance these events. Through the connections that I’ve made throughout the years with companies and organizations, I can leverage those relationships, to not only receive further support for UCLA, but to also continue to build relationships between UCLA and the community.  I believe that continued development of staff is vital to retaining employees long term.  I plan to increase the scholarships we are able to provide for professional development.  With over a decade of experience managing staff, I plan to create a strong development committee to increase solicitation efforts.  I am excited for the opportunity to collaborate with fellow board members and use my resources for the its over-all success.