CAO Nora Orozco Honored for Outstanding Supervision

Nora Orozco, chief administrative officer for the Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) and the Department of Plant Pathology (PLP),  drew widespread applause and congratulations at the UC Davis Staff Assembly's annual awards ceremony honoring "Citation for Excellence" recipients.

Orozco received a highly competitive Citation for Excellence for outstanding supervision.

The ceremony took place in the courtyard of the residence of Chancellor Gary May, who congratulated all the winners. 

The team that nominated Orozco (nominations are confidential) included administrators, faculty,  the Phoenix Cluster advising team, and the ENT awards committee.

They described her as "a 22-year UC Davis employee who has created an incredible culture of high productivity, teamwork, innovation, integrity, compassion and morale, exemplifying our university’s mission, vision and values."

Orozco was nominated by the trio of Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist and member of the department's awards committee, and Phoenix Cluster advising team members Theresa Garcia, ENT and PLP graduate student advisor,  and Michelle Mallari, ENT and PLP undergraduate program coordinator. The nominating team also included Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of ENT;  Steve Nadler, professor and former chair of ENT; UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock, chair of the department's awards committee; and Phoenix Cluster members Elvira Hack, student academic advisor, Animal Biology and Entomology majors,  and Grace Rebecca Gomez, academic advisor, Global Disease Biology.

"Nora is very effective in communicating our vision of the cluster, thus everyone works more effectively," Chiu wrote in the nomination packet.  "Since taking over as chair, I have had a ‘front row seat’ to see her in action, watching her gracefully lead the Phoenix Cluster through one challenge after another.” 

Wrote Nadler: “Truly exceptional and professional mastery of all aspects of the position, from managing personnel to understanding complex budget issues.

Prepares Staff Well

The nominators praised Orozco for preparing her staff well "for any changes that could negatively impact workflow, such as the early transition to Aggie Enterprise." She "encourages professional development, a work-life balance, and at meetings, builds morale and camaraderie by having teams invite guest speakers to share their areas of specialization."

Other comments  included: 

• "Our departments are successful because she makes you feel heard, appreciated and respected."
• "Leads by example...has an exemplary work ethic, inspires staff with creativity, enthusiasm and empathy, and has a wonderful, compassionate, kind and professional demeanor that facilitates a safe, fun, inspiring and healthy work environment." 
• "Provides tailored, insightful and thoughtful feedback and shows commitment to the teams and each individual staff member’s success and personal and professional growth."
• "Truly an amazing leader"
• "Sincere and honest"
• "Cares on a personal level"

UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock, a 50-year University of California faculty member, related on the nomination form that she "always finds a way to get things done and done well."  He praised her for being "positive, optimistic, hard-working. and a pleasant solver of problems.”

Among those receiving awards (see full list of winners in the Staff Assembly report) were 

• Innovation: Brian McEligot, executive assistant dean for administration, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• Teaching/Coaching: Shannon Tanguay, budget director, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Outstanding Achievements

The annual Citations for Excellence awards program recognizes individual staff and staff teams "who have demonstrated outstanding achievements that go above and beyond the requirements outlined in their position descriptions." Thanks to generous support from the Office of the Chancellor and Human Resources, Staff Assembly awarded a total of $20,580 to the recipients this year.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is ranked third among  “The Best Entomology Colleges in the United States for 2024" by universities.com.