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Community and Government Relations is a unit within Strategic Communications and University Relations and reports to Vice Chancellor Barbara J. French Paul TakayamaExecutive Director, Community & Government Relations Paul oversees the Community and Government Relations department, which is responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with campus neighbors as well as elected officials at the local, state, and federal level, on behalf of UCSF and UCSF Medical Center. CGR also coordinates the University’s response to a wide range of political and policy issues, and advises administrators and faculty on strategies to facilitate dialogue with government and community leaders. Paul also serves as a liaison between UCSF and members of Congress, their staff, and executive branch agencies to promote research, education, and clinical and patient care activities, in an effort to increase federal support for UCSF and to expand awareness of UCSF in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining UCSF, Paul worked in various roles for the California State Legislature and served as Assistant Director of Government Relations at UCLA. Paul is a graduate of UC–Berkeley. |
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Bonz OtsukiOffice Manager Bonz Otsuki has been the Office Manager of Community and Government Relations since August of 2008. She provides event coordination and administrative support for the department. Bonz enjoys the variety of working with staff, community, and government offices. She has been a part of the UCSF team since 1995. Previously, she was the Conference Center Manager for the Millberry Union Event & Meeting Center, where she was responsible for facility operations. Prior to working at Millberry Union, Bonz worked for Arts & Events for over 10 years in various positions. She is happily married and boasts that her three children all graduated from UC campuses. |
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Community RelationsBarbara Bagot-LópezDirector, Community Relations Barbara Bagot-López has been working in Community Relations for UCSF since 1990 and now heads up the Community Relations team. Her experience as a community activist has enabled her to become an effective liaison with neighbors surrounding UCSF campus sites. Hailing originally from the East Coast, Barbara earned her B.A. in Sociology from Boston College, where she was active in the feminist and peace movements of the '70s. She escaped the snowy environs of the East Coast for San Francisco's sunny Bernal Heights neighborhood and helped to lead the successful community organizing campaign that established the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, where she was a founding Board member and served for 10 years. An avid baseball fan, Barbara led the citywide grassroots movement in the '80s and early '90s to keep the Giants major league baseball team in San Francisco. (Go Giants!) Combining her love of baseball with her commitment to peace, she worked with nonprofit groups including Athletes United for Peace to strengthen ties with the people of war-ravaged Nicaragua through “sports diplomacy” tours and exchange programs. For the past several years, she has focused her volunteer time on her teenage daughter Adela’s school and sports activities. They live in Bernal Heights (of course) with their two cats and two goldfish. |
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Michele DavisAssistant Director, Community Relations Michele Davis joined the UCSF community relations team in 2012. Her area of responsibility is to address UCSF project issues in the eastern side of town, especially the neighborhoods around Mission Bay campus, as well as San Francisco General Hospital. She works to ensure diverse public participation in planning for projects at these campus sites. Michele comes to UCSF after a twenty-two year career with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, where her work focused on the establishment of the Bayview Hunters Point Project Survey Area as Assistant Project Manager and, more recently, in the Western Addition and other parts of the city as a Housing Development Specialist. Michele has worked extensively with diverse communities to address concerns regarding potential impacts of redevelopment projects in and around various neighborhoods. She is excited to bring her undergraduate background in biology and Masters’ degrees in public health and city planning to the fold at UCSF |
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Karen Knowles-PearceCommunity Relations Representative Karen Knowles-Pearce has lived in the Mission Dolores neighborhood for 28 of the 32 years she has lived in San Francisco. She is currently the main community relations liaison between UCSF and Parnassus campus neighbors. Born and reared in Maine, Karen spent the first part of her life as a dedicated dancer, and — after studying Theatre & English at the University of Maine — moved to New York City where she was a professional dancer. Subsequently, she returned to Maine for a short time then, never intending to remain there, drove to northern California. Once here, Karen worked at various television & radio stations, and an advertising agency. After a number of years in electronic media, Karen found a new opportunity in the Community Relations & Development field when, in 1997, she began working for a small non-profit company which ultimately formed a public/private partnership with UCSF. The company conducted a world-wide competition for the selection of architects for Master Plan design of the Mission Bay Campus, and helped to kick-start Phase One of the Mission Bay construction. Karen has served on a number of “oversight development” boards, including 13 years as Chair of the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Citizens’ Advisory Board, overseeing the development of both Treasure & Yerba Buena Islands. She is also a current member of the Mission Dolores Neighborhood Association Board. Karen was Vice Chair of the new Transbay Transit Center development, Chair of the Capitol Campaign Fund for the Mission Bay Library branch which opened in 2007, and a 10-year member of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s Mission Bay Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Karen is a long-time and avid San Francisco Giants fan and was involved with some of the efforts to keep team here in San Francisco (where they belong). Karen is also a sailor and sailboat owner (moored in South Beach), and was actively involved in testifying before various city Boards to promote sailing on the Bay, with regards to bringing the 34th America’s Cup to San Francisco in 2013. |
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Damon LewAssistant Director, Community Relations Damon Lew joined UCSF in the fall of 2007 as the Workforce Development Coordinator, working to reconvene the Community Outreach Internship Program (COIP) and various capacity-building workshops that help UCSF partner more closely with San Francisco’s workforce development agencies. Damon’s current role involves managing community relations for the Parnassus Heights, Laurel Heights, and Mount Zion campuses, as well as continuing to coordinate workforce development efforts throughout the campus. Damon currently serves on both the University Community Partnerships Council and the Mayor’s Youth Council of the Workforce Investment San Francisco Board. Prior to joining UCSF, Damon spent four years working with a San Francisco based nonprofit that provided job-training and job-placement services to San Francisco residents with mental health disabilities. Damon’s prior working experience also includes time spent as a business analyst for Visa International and as an investment associate for Bailard, Inc. |
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Government Relations |
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Melissa WhiteAssociate Director, State and Local Government Relations Prior to coming to UCSF, Melissa worked at Barnes Mosher Whitehurst Lauter and Partners, as Director of Public Affairs. She has worked in all aspects of political campaigns, public affairs, and lobbying, including strategic grassroots organizing, fundraising, issues analysis, and media relations. Melissa has an extensive fundraising, legislative, and political background. She previously served as Director of the San Francisco office of Donald A. Lee Executive Search, where she worked with venture-funded private companies and publicly traded high-technology companies placing executive-level candidates. She began her political career in Portland, where she served as Assistant Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Oregon. She returned to California to serve as the Finance Director for California Congressional candidate Bill Peacock. White also served as an intern for U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, D-OR. Melissa earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Oregon, with course concentrations in local and congressional political organizations. |
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Jennifer WickreAssociate Director of Government Relations Jennifer Wickre joined UCSF in November 2012 and serves as the primary liaison for UCSF to the Administration, Members of Congress, federal agencies, departmental representatives, boards and commissions. Jennifer is responsible for planning and implementing the federal government relations program and advocacy effort for UCSF. Jennifer maintains an office in the University of California’s Washington Center, a multi-campus residential, instructional and research center for over 270 UC students in downtown Washington DC. Prior to joining UCSF, Jennifer spent 10 years as a senior legislative assistant to Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-California), Chairman Emeritus of the House Appropriations Committee. While with Chairman Lewis, Jennifer managed legislative issues including health, justice and crime, social security, welfare and acted as Congressman Lewis’ liaison to the Appropriations Committee staff. A native of Oregon, Jennifer earned her BA in government from Claremont McKenna College, in Claremont, California and a Master’s degree from the United States Naval War College in Washington, D.C. |
