In this week's Org Chart, Dateline 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis announces a retirement, two new directors, two fellows and several announcements made by the Weill School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dateline 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis welcomes news of appointments of various kinds for faculty and staff, for publication in Org Chart (formerly titled Transitions). Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.
Biological Sciences associate dean to retire
Michele Igo, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, has been in the associate dean role since 2018. During that time, she led the reorganizing of the Biology Academic Success Center, the campus’s only comprehensive, standalone advising center; reformed course scheduling to better serve thousands of students; and helped launch the BIO123 Series, the redesigned biology curriculum for all 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis students.
Igo initially accepted a four-year appointment in 2018. Her tenure has stretched longer, in part due to her commitment to seeing so many of the college’s keystone undergraduate projects through to completion. Ebony McClain, whom Igo hired as director of the reorganized BASC, emphasized that Igo’s influence pervades every aspect of the undergraduate experience in CBS. “Students may not see it, but anything that's related to undergraduate needs runs through Michele. Her focus is on supporting our undergraduates.â€
Igo, who retires this June after 36 years at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis, will continue with study abroad and with her education research after retirement, but felt it was time to step away from administration. When June 2026 comes around, Igo will turn her primary attention to her two rescue dogs.
-Kate Washington
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Director of Services for International Students and Scholars
Global Affairs will welcome Samantha Lu as the new director of Services for International Students and Scholars on Feb. 23. Lu brings more than 20 years of experience in international education and student and scholar services to the role. She joins 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis from Columbia University, where she most recently served as the Director of International Student Services, overseeing immigration advising and compliance for a large and diverse international student and scholar population.
Lu spent many years at Columbia University in progressively senior leadership roles, including nearly a decade as director of the Office of International Services at Teachers College, where she led comprehensive services for international students and scholars. While at Teachers College, Columbia University’s education school, she expanded visiting scholar and exchange programs. Earlier in her career, she also held international student advising roles at San José State University and Purdue University.
-Ali Loge
AVANZA Faculty Fellows
Advancing Mentoring and the Professoriate, a unit of Inclusive Excellence, has announced that Professor Marcela Cuellar (School of Education) and Associate Professor Jesús M. Velázquez (College of Letters and Science) will join its office as AVANZA Faculty Fellows.
In their role, Cuellar and Velázquez will advise and support the AVANZA initiative to help develop and refine its vision and strategies, ensuring they are grounded in current research and best practices related to designated serving institutions. They will also propose and recommend capacity-building activities for faculty and staff, drawing on evidence-based models and practices, to foster a culture of inclusive excellence and support institutional goals for student success and belonging.
-Thomas O'Donnell
Executive director, One Health Institute
Woutrina Smith has been appointed as executive director of the One Health Institute effective Jan. 1 for a five-year term. As executive director, she will provide administrative leadership for the institute and will guide its professional, academic and business affairs. She replaces Michael Ziccardi, who has transitioned to interim director at the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center after Kirsten Gilardi’s retirement. Ziccardi led the institute for the past five-and-a-half years.
-Tom Hinds
Veterinary Medical Complex facilities project manager
Robert Collins will step into the role of Veterinary Medical Complex facilities project manager, effective March 1, reporting to the dean’s office.
This is a critical role as the school moves forward with several major initiatives within the Facilities Master Plan, including the Primary Care/Community Surgery Hospital, the Veterinary Education Pavilion, the Small Animal Hospital expansion, Large Animal Hospital upgrades, and future projects. In this role, Collins will work closely with school and hospital leadership and in lockstep with Design and Construction Management to help ensure projects are well planned and successfully delivered.
-Tom Hinds
Assistant professor of clinical diagnostic medicine
Yu-Yang (Jerry) Tsai has joined the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory and the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology as assistant professor of clinical diagnostic medicine effective Feb. 1.
Tsai received his DVM from the National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan. He then obtained his Ph.D. in comparative biomedical science at the University of Georgia. Tsai was a poultry production veterinarian with the Great Wall Enterprise Co, Limited in Taiwan. He has been serving as a research associate with the University of Georgia.
-Tom Hinds
Assistant professor of clinical diagnostic pathology
Mauricio Navarro has joined the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory and the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology as assistant professor of clinical diagnostic pathology effective Feb. 1.
Navarro received his DVM and his MSc in animal health from the Universidad Austral de Chile in Valdivia, Chile. He then obtained his Ph.D. in integrative pathology from 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis. Navarro completed a three-year postdoctoral scholar position and became board certified in 2021 from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. From 2021-present, Navarro has served as assistant professor of veterinary anatomic pathology at the Universidad Austral de Chile.
-Tom Hinds
Media Resources
This article was compiled by Kat Arthur, a fourth-year student intern with the Office of Strategic Communications writing for Dateline 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis. The Dateline staff can be reached by email.