Matos Picked for Hispanic Leadership Program

Associate Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer Dania Matos was selected as a fellow in La Academia de Liderazgo (Leadership Academy) by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

The one-year fellowship seeks to increase the number of talented peoplewho aspire to leadership positions of current and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

Matos was one of 26 chosen for La Academia’s second cohort. Fellows will take part in leadership-development activities that will prepare them for roles in the full spectrum of higher learning institutions, including HSIs. HACU represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America and Spain, and in school districts throughout the U.S.

“Representation matters. I am honored to be selected to participate in this important fellowship to increase access and opportunity to diverse leaders and to bring this work to UC Merced,” Matos said.

Lakireddy Gift is Positively Ballroom

The first significant gift in support of the last phase of the Merced 2020 Project comes from a family whose philanthropic efforts run deep at UC Merced.

The donation from Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy will lend their names to the grand ballroom in the new Conference Center. The ballroom will host conferences, seminars and student-focused events and serve as a prime location for high-level events and speakers.

Vikram Lakireddy, a Merced cardiologist and a trustee of the UC Merced Foundation, and Priya Lakireddy, a contract administrator in the Division of Finance and Administration and past president of UC Merced Staff Assembly, are longtime supporters of and advocates for the university.

“The university is very important to us as a family — we’ve been involved in the campus since the beginning,” Vikram Lakireddy said. “We hope that others will be inspired to support UC Merced and help the campus continue to transform lives.”

Vikram’s father, Hanimireddy Lakireddy, Merced’s first cardiologist and a member of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees since 2006, was recently honored with the university’s Chancellor’s Medal. He and his family endowed the campus’ largest lecture hall, the Dr. Lakireddy Auditorium.

Leadership Transition Underway at DFA

From preparing meals for students on campus to navigating fiscal waters roiled by a pandemic, staff under the Division of Finance and Administration banner perform tasks essential to sustaining the university. That work will continue uninterrupted as DFA begins a leadership transition.

At the end of October, Interim Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Mike Riley transitioned to UC Berkeley, where he will oversee the Controller’s Office. Riley spent seven years at UC Merced, playing pivotal roles in the Merced 2020 construction project and in Alpha Financials, which will transform the university’s financial management systems. On Nov. 1, a trio of UC Merced leaders began their transitional roles of supporting DFA until a new, permanent chief financial officer is in place.

• Financial Planning & Analysis and Business & Financial Services will report to Executive Vice Chancellor/Provost for Academic Planning and Budget Kurt Schnier.
• Human Resources will be supported by Associate Chancellor and Chief of Staff to the Chancellor Luanna Putney.
• Assistant Vice Chancellor and DFA Chief of Staff Gerry Elizondo will support Auxiliary Enterprise & Fiscal Innovation.

In addition, Supply Chain & Shared Services, which includes Procurement & Contracts, Shipping & Receiving, Equipment Management, and the Center for Business Services & Solutions, will report to the Controller’s Office. Finally, the Center of Institutional Effectiveness, which encompasses Institutional Research & Decision Support and Business Architecture & Analysis, will move permanently from DFA to the Office of the Provost.

A national search for a CFO will begin soon, with the selection of new DFA leader targeted for early 2021.