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Professional Womens Association University of California Santa Barbara

Inside This Issue

2 3 Meet the Co-Presidents Community Service Projects Backpack Drive Holiday Toy Drive 4 Awards & Recognition Unsung Heroin Awards Book Scholarships 9 10 11 12 2011 Conference PWA Interest Groups Upcoming Events Membership Information Join PWA Today!

Celebrating Women. Serving our community.

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PROFESSIONAL WOMENS ASSOCIATION | SPRING 2012

Meet the 2011-2012 PWA Co-Presidents Kelly Erland

Admissions Counselor
Kelly grew-up in Oxnard, California. In her words, she has always wanted to attend UCSB. She graduated from UCSB with a degree in Sociology. After graduation, she moved to New York for a few months, but decided that Santa Barbara was where she wanted to be. Kelly returned to UCSB and worked in the Undergraduate Advising Office for the College of Engineering. There, she was asked to get involved with the Professional Womens Association. For two years, Kelly held the position of Programming Co-Chair on the PWA Steering Committee. During the 2010-2011 academic year, Kelly and Margaret McMurtrey became the Co-Vice Presidents of the PWA Steering Committee. Together, they planned the 2011 PWA Professional Development Conference. Kelly has enjoyed working with Margaret as a co-vice president and co-president. Our work styles complement each other; so somehow, we are able to get everything we need done for PWA, as well as our jobs. Kellys favorite part of being involved with PWA is meeting, and getting to know, amazing women on campus. Taking on a leadership role in PWA gave Kelly the confidence to apply for an Admissions Counselor positionshe has been working in UCSB Admissions since January 2011. Outside of work and PWA, Kelly is an avid reader (she read 72 books in 2011!), a gastronome who enjoys trying new restaurants in Santa Barbara, and a community leader who volunteers for organizations such as the SB Zoo and SB International Film Festival.

Undergraduate Advisor, French & Italian Studies

Margaret McMurtrey

Margaret McMurtrey is currently the PWA Co-President and a member of the PWA Steering Committee. She is a UCSB alumnus. In addition to a B.A. in English, she holds two Masters Degrees from UCSB, one in Educational Leadership and Organizations and the other in Confluent Education. Margaret has a long history of work experience as an employee of UCSB in a variety of positions. She returned to full time UCSB employment six years ago and is currently the Undergraduate Staff Advisor for French, Italian, Germanic, Slavic and Semitic Studies. Since her return she graduated from the Letters and Science 2007-2008 Leadership Program and served on CSAC (Chancellors Staff Advisory Council) for three years. Previously she has been a member of the Womens Center Advisory Board, a member of the Chancellors Committee on the Status of Women and Coordinator of the Womens Writing Conference at UCSB. Prior to her current position at UCSB she has been a consultant to small businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies. She is a trained facilitator, a nationally-certified trainer in nonprofit board development and she holds a Work/Life Certificate from Boston College and Certificate in Mediation and Negotiation from UCSB Extension.

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PWA Community Service 17th Annual Back Pack Drive

In August 2011, the Professional Womens Association, in collaboration with the UCSB Optimist Club and the Associated Students Community Affairs Board (CAB), set out to collect 100 backpacks for local elementary and middle school kids. The goal of the Annual Backpack Drive is to help local children start the year off right by providing school supplies to those who might not otherwise have access to much-needed supplies. This year, a total of 106 backpacks were filled with school supplies and donated to local schools, including: Isla Vista Elementary, La Cumbre Jr. High School, McKinley Elementary School, and Peoples Self Help. This year, PWA helped to organize the drop-off locations around campus, collected the backpacks, and delivered them to local schools. The Optimist Club helped fill the backpacks with supplies and CAB donated supplies and storage. Thanks to all of the UCSB community members who helped us make this a successful event!

Rochelle Rose and Carol Sauceda distributing backpacks at Peoples Self Help

17th Annual Holiday Toy Drive

On December 9, 2011, Santa Clause (known by many in the UCSB community as Vice Chancellor Michael Young) made his annual preChristmas trip from the North Pole to Isla Vista. His first stop was a surprise visit to the I.V. Elementary pre-K classroom. After the children sang Feliz Navidad and other Christmas carols, each child had the opportunity to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Santa and his helpers brought gifts, cookies, and juice for each of the 24 children in the class. Next, Santa was the guest of honor at the kindergarten holiday party. A few weeks before the party, each kindergartener at I.V. Elementary filled out a gift wish-list. PWA organized the collection and distribution of gifts for 74 kindergartners. The children, led by Ms. Looker on her acoustic guitar, sang carols for Santa and received their gifts. On December 15, 2011, Santa Clause (this time Chuck Champlin, immediate past president of the UCSB Optimist Club) delivered another round of gifts to pre-K children at Ellwood Elementary and El Camino Elementary schools. The Professional Womens Association, with the help of the UCSB Optimist Club and community volunteers, delivered approximately 150 gifts to children in our community. Thank you to all who donated their time and gifts to children! Special thanks to Michael Young and Chuck Champlin for their time and enthusiasm. Thanks to the Optimist Club at UCSB for assisting with gift collection and distribution. Thanks to the Office of International Student Services (OISS) for providing gift storage space. Thank you to Cathe Hendrick, Luz Maria Cabral, Dolly Cook, and all the other community volunteers who made this event possible. Community Service Co-Chairs, Mary Anderson and Carol Sauceda, are grateful to all PWA members and UCSB community members for their support.

Santa Clause (Vice Chancellor) Michael Young with I.V. Elementary Pre-K classroom

A special thanks to everyone who participated in the gift drive: We really want to let you all know how much our kids appreciated the special visit and all that you do for us! Thanks again, Jayne Valdez Elwood Elementary

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PROFESSIONAL WOMENS ASSOCIATION | SPRING 2012

PWA Awards & Recognition 2010-2011 Unsung Heroines

Each year, PWA solicits nominations for the women who have a positive impact on the UCSB campus by going above and beyond their call of duty contributing to their job, co-workers, the campus, or the community. Take a moment to meet the 2010-2011 Unsung Heroines

Unsung Heroine Award.

The purpose of the award is to recognize

Publications Coordinator for the Daily Nexus

Ms. Bradford was nominated for the Unsung Heroine Award for going above the call of duty in her position and offering assistance to students in the American Indian Student Association (AISA) in order to complete a new organizational publication. She lent her graphic design skills and professional experience to assist students from the AISA in creating a student resource guide for Native American Students. Keri Bradford is described one of her nominators as having generosity of spirit, integrity, selflessness, efficiency, and an infectious positive attitude. Another nominator stated that, Keri worked countless hours each day and night for months to make sure our students were able to meet their goal. Keri just got the job done with a smile. Because of Ms. Bradfords efforts, UCSB is now the second campus in the UC system to publish a Native American Resource Guide for its students. While taking on this project, Keri was also taking courses at UCLA in and working on campus as the Publications Coordinator for The Daily Nexus.

Keri Bradford

Angela Bryan

Assistant Director, Judicial Affairs and Hate Crime Incident Response Coordinator
In addition to working as the Assistant Director of Judicial Affairs, Ms. Bryan is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Masters program and a campus and community volunteer. Angela works diligently to investigate cases of academic misconduct with an open mind, looking for both the facts and the underlying circumstances in each case. She also takes time to follow up with students and, if necessary, helps them with challenges they may face with re-enrollment. Ms. Bryan takes initiative to improve communication and the dissemination of knowledge. She created a paperless database for reporting and has gone to great lengths to make information about academic conduct available online for student access. She has been proactive in raising awareness among students about academic conduct, hate crime prevention, and the prevention of violence against women. Ms. Bryan also encourages undergraduate students to get involved in student integrity and hate crime prevention programs. She created a peer education program for academic integrity and she initiated the Study Integrity Week and Speak up Against Hate Week, both of which are now run by undergraduate students. In the words of one of her nominators, Angies new frontier as a professional woman is balancing the joy of being a new Mom of 4 month old with her career, and her educational goals. Being a new Mother changes everything, and her ability to balance it all is more than noteworthy.

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Unsung Heroines Continued. Britta Dysart

Events Manager, Deans Office College of Engineering

As Events Manager, Ms. Dysart is responsible for planning and executing campus events of all types and sizes. When she started in her position, she did not have much documentation of how past events were organized. She quickly familiarized herself with university policies and resources. She fine-tuned the event planning process for the College of Engineering by reorganizing event-planning guides and introducing efficient event timelines. Ms. Dysart prepares planning timelines months in advance of events and ensures that each step is completed on time. She works hard to make sure that the University is represented in a positive manner every step of the way. She works to make events enjoyable for a wide audience including event stakeholders, faculty, and students. Ms. Dysarts events consistently meet and exceed expectations. According to one of her nominators, Britta is a truly superstar employee, well deserving of this award.

Front Desk Supervisor & Project Manager, Office of Student Life

Mia Vela

Ms. Vela goes above and beyond her call of duty at the Office of Student Life providing assistance to students who are struggling with a wide variety of personal issues. In addition to helping students with day to day issues, she also works with students who are experiencing crises significant enough to interrupt their school work. She works with students, parents, and community and campus professionals to ensure that the students she works with have support. Mia often works with students with serious mental or physical illness. One of her nominators noted that, Her work, while it may go unnoticed or unrecognized at times, truly has a positive impact on the entire trajectory of the lives of students she works with. When everything falls apart, Mia comes to these students rescue. In the words of another of her nominators, Mia manages to keep cool in the face of everyday pressures and shows kindness and respect towards everyone with whom she interacts. In her work with students, Mia demonstrates an ethic of care and genuine concern for their well beingwhether its in helping them to problem solve or save money, or in saving them a trip across campus when theyre in distress or overwhelmed.

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PROFESSIONAL WOMENS ASSOCIATION | SPRING 2012

Unsung Heroines Continued. Maria Pizano

Assistant Superintendent, Custodial Services Physical Facilities

Ms. Pizano has worked diligently and has become one of the first women hired to the position of Assistant Superintendant of Custodial Services for Facilities Management. According to one of her nominators, She is a mentor and advocate for those she works with. In addition to her career accomplishments at UCSB, Maria is also deeply involved in the community. She has participated in mediation training through UCSB and has been a liaison between her department and the community by serving as a United Way representative. According to one of her nominators, She facilitates not only the growth of her employees by informing them of opportunities that are available to them on campus, but also facilitates camaraderie by encouraging her co-workers to celebrate their life accomplishments through organizing potlucks, and department appreciation dinners. She gives of herself at these events by being someone who cooks her heart out. For me, that is a very kind expression that you really care about someone when you are willing to cook and prepare things that bring people together and they can enjoy each other and appreciate each others as co-workers and friends.

Congratulations Unsung Heroines!

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Barbara S. Uehling Book Scholarship Recipients

The Barbara S. Uehling students who face unique challenges in completing their degrees as they juggle being a student, parent, wage-earner, community volunteer, and/or participant in co-curricular activities. UC Santa Barbara defines a re-entry/non-traditional student as someone who returns to education after a period of time, and/or is married, and/or has dependent children. In choosing scholarship recipients, PWA also considers financial need.

Book Scholarship for Re-Entry and Non-Traditional students is awarded each year to five

2010-2011 Academic Year

Darlene Gomez
Darlene is a CAMP Scholar and a member of SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in the Sciences). She has volunteered for LEAPS at Santa Barbara High School. As a mother, Darlene has faced many challenges in realizing her academic goals. In her words, my educational goals have remained the same even if I have to work twice as hard to achieve them. Darlene has participated in an independent research project in the Ecology Evolution and Marine Biology department and is taking a full load of upper division science courses. She hopes to obtain a masters degree in Environmental Studies from the UCSB Bren School of Education and to eventually complete a Ph.D.

Javier Magana

Javier is a first-generation college student and a fourth year Political Science major. He has worked two jobs to help support his partner and their son while taking on a full course load and participating in a research project relating to the November 2010 elections. He has also volunteered for LEAPS, helping to introduces kids in junior high to science. He hopes to obtain Bachelors Degrees from UCSB and to attend graduate school.

Tina Taylor
Tinas career goals are to obtain a Masters Degree in Education and to become a teacher. She also hopes to someday start a non-profit organization to give back to the community she grew up in. She has worked hard to keep a high GPA while balancing the responsibilities of being a single mother with her academics. She is two quarters away from completing her Bachelors Degree with a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Black Studies.

Edward Williams
Edward enlisted in the U.S. Navy right out of high school. He is proud to have had the opportunity to serve his country and to volunteer to help enrich the lives of people in underserved communities he visited as a service member. Edward completed his undergraduate work at Tuskegee University and was active in student government and volunteered at local elementary and junior high schools. Currently, Edward is a graduate student in the Education Department at UC Santa Barbara. He is also the father of two children. In his own words, Edwards research interests are grounded in equality and access of technology resources in education.

Mayra Zendejas
Mayra is a third year senior at UCSB and a first-generation college student. She is an expectant mother who is working hard to achieve her goal of completing her undergraduate work an entire year early while double majoring in Sociology and Spanish. She is also applying to graduate schools and hopes to complete a Masters Degree in order to pursue a career as a psychotherapist or a social worker.

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PROFESSIONAL WOMENS ASSOCIATION | SPRING 2012

2011-2012 Academic Year

Nathan Alamillo
Nathan is a double major Chicana/o Studies and Sociology. In addition to balancing his responsibilities as a father, full-time student, and a wage-earner, Nathan finds the time to volunteer on campus and in the community. Nathan is a student mentor for the Educational Opportunities Program and a Health and Wellness Chair at UCSB. He also volunteers his time to the Health and Wellness program as a Sex & Relationship and Alcohol & Drug Peer Educator and is a Safer Sex Peer Advisor. After graduation, Nathan plans apply to Teach for America. His long-term goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology.

Frank Arredondo
Frank is an Anthropology Major. He is a single father and a re-entry student who has participated in local Cultural Resource Programs, served on several school boards and worked with non-profit programs. His long-term educational goal is to obtain a masters degree in Native American studies and a Ph.D. in Archeology. He hopes to work for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Darlene Gomez
Darleen is a Hydraulic Sciences major. In addition to juggling her responsibilities as a mother and a full time student, Darleen is a California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) Scholar. Darleen has worked on an undergraduate research project and presented the results of her research at a national conference. Darleens educational goal is to pursue a Masters and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering. She hopes to eventually help provide sustainable hydraulic infrastructure to third world countries.

Francine Martinez
Francine is a Business Economics major with an emphasis in Accounting. She transferred to UCSB last year. Francine is a single-parent working diligently to complete her last quarter at UCSB by taking on a heavy course load. After graduation, she plans to gain work experience in the accounting field while finishing up the unit requirements to obtain her accounting license.

Laura Zuniga Rios

Laura is a junior double-majoring in Sociology and Spanish. She is a first-generation college student and a single mother. In addition being a full-time student and working, she is involved in campus and community life. She holds a leadership positions in both a pre-law student group on campus and the Santa Barbara Teen Legal Clinic. Her educational goal is to apply for law school and her long-term career goal is to work in criminal law. In her own words, she hopes to, help make positive changes in both peoples lifes and the legal system.

Congratulations Book Scholarship recipients!

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Composing Your Life: Creativity, Community & Career

2011 PWA Professional Development Conference

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PROFESSIONAL WOMENS ASSOCIATION | SPRING 2012

PWA Interest Groups

The Professional Womens Association Book Club

For the past fifteen years, the PWA Book Club has met each month to explore a work of contemporary fiction. Susan Carty has been in the book club from the beginning. According to Susan, the book club was originally founded by employees in the General Books section of the UCSB Bookstoremost of whom have long since left the University. Although Susan retired from UCSB in 2002, she returns each month to participate in the PWA Book Club. The group chooses the reading list collaboratively and members are encouraged to make suggestions and book recommendations. Although the main theme is contemporary fiction, sometimes the club diverges into other genres. The book club occasionally delves into a memoir or biography. During winter quarter, the book club participates in the UCSB Reads program. The meetings in December and June are traditionally food-themed. The December meeting incorporates a cookie-swap. In June, the club reads a food related book and each member brings a dish from the book.

Interested in joining the PWA Book Club?

New members are welcome!

When: Where:

(The Book Club does not meet in January; schedule subject to change)

The first Thursday of each month at noon The Goleta Valley Room in the UCEN

Contact: Susan Cartysusancarty@cox.net

Upcoming Reads:

May 3: Emperor of all Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee June 7: Blood, Bones, and Butter, by Gabrielle Hamilton July 5: Paris Wife, by Paula McLain August 2: A travel book of your choice September 6: State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett October 4: The Tigers Wife, by Tea Obreht

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Upcoming Events - APRIL PWA Learn at Lunch: Probiotics 101

April 24, 2012 12-1pm Flying A Studio, UCEN Bring your lunch and join us for our next Learn at Lunch presentation: Probiotics 101 with Katie Falbo and Lynn Hartman. Learn about the health benefits of adding probiotics to your diet and try some samples.

- MAY -

PWA Professional Development Conference

Save the Date! The 2012 PWA Professional Development Conference will be held on For the most up-to-date conference information, like the PWA Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ucsbpwa Register online at: www.pwa.ucsb.edu

Tuesday, May 15th. Be sure to mark your calendars. The theme is Wellness for Life.

Staff Appreciation week: Sixth Annual Staff Social

May 16, 2012 3pm-4:30pm Rec Cen Pavilion Staff Social and Craft Bizarre presented by Staff Assembly, ABOG and PWA. Join us for refreshments, games, and prizes. Purchase unique hand-crafted items from staff artisans. More information will be sent via the staff listserv soon.

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PROFESSIONAL WOMENS ASSOCIATION | SPRING 2012

Want to get involved?

Join the Professional Womens Association Today!

What is PWA?
The Professional Womens Association was founded in January 1993. The purpose of this association is to develop awareness among faculty, staff, and other campus constituencies of the contributions of women to the mission of UCSB; to provide activities and support to other campus constituencies that contribute to the advancement of women; to serve as a networking and communications channel among women; and to provide a forum to influence decisions on campus and community issues.

Membership Benefits:
For $15, you will Receive a discount on admission to the PWA Professional Development Conference on May 15, 2012 Be invited to participate in members-only activities Be a part of an established leadership organization at UCSB Receive a free PWA mug with paid membership

www.facebook.com/ucsbpwa To receive up-to-date info, like PWA on Facebook!

Download the membership form today at: www.pwa.ucsb.edu

Want more info? Contact the membership chair at: membership@pwa.ucsb.edu