IN THIS COLUMN

• Joanna Regulska, Office of Global Affairs
• Zachary Frieders, Office of Global Affairs
• Kirsten Stevenson, Office of Campus Counsel

Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs, has been voted in as a vice president of NAFSA: Association of International Educators; and Zachary Frieders, executive director of the Global Learning Hub, has been named chair of one of the association’s knowledge communities.

Regulska won election to a three-year term as vice president for public policy and practice, after having been appointed to fill the position when it became vacant last January. She had been elected to the NAFSA board the year before and recently took on the added responsibility of chairing the search committee for the association’s next executive director and CEO.

“I am excited to continue my journey with NAFSA,” Regulska said. “NAFSA plays a critical role in advancing international education, collaborations and exchanges, and I look forward to working with the board to advance its mission and impact.”

Come Jan. 1, Frieders will begin a three-year term at the helm of the Teaching, Learning and Scholarship Knowledge Community. Its mission is to disseminate resources and skills NAFSA members and other educators can use to infuse their work with international and intercultural perspectives.

“I am thrilled to be stepping into this role and look forward to advancing quality products, programs and services that serve the international education community,” Frieders said. “This role nicely complements my work at the UC Davis Global Learning Hub, and I am excited to facilitate and share best practices and lessons learned with the NAFSA community.”

Kirsten Stevenson of the Office of the Campus Counsel, who is serving now as interim chief human resources officer, is departing UC Davis for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she will serve as senior employment counsel.

Campus Counsel Mike Sweeney described Stevenson as “an exceptional lawyer and wonderful colleague.”

“She handled some of the most complex legal matters at UC Davis and developed close relationships with many people across all of our colleges and professional schools,” Sweeney said. “We will miss her very much.”

Clare Shinnerl, vice chancellor of Finance, Operations and Administration, described as “bittersweet” the news of Stevenson’s departure, which Shinnerl disclosed in her Oct. 27 announcement of Tammy Kenber’s appointment as chief human resources officer.

“Kirsten’s willingness to step in and lead HR is greatly admired and appreciated,” Shinnerl said.

Stevenson has held temporary leadership posts in HR since July, first as deputy chief human resources officer and then as chief human resources officer. She will continue in that role through the end of November, and Kenber will step in Dec. 5.

Prior to Stevenson’s most recent stint in HR, she had a six-month assignment as deputy chief human resources officer at UC Davis Health in 2019-20.

She joined the Office of the Campus Counsel in 2014. “During her time at UC Davis, Kirsten has established herself as the lead counsel and expert for all academic and staff labor and employment legal matters,” Shinnerl said. “As principal campus counsel she was also a key legal advisor in campus contract and construction matters.”

Shinnerl listed some of Stevenson’s notable accomplishments:

• Davis-Yolo-UC Davis cooperation — Working with the city of Davis and Yolo County to draft a memorandum of understanding and having it adopted as a legally binding document in 2018, to improve collaboration and partnership among the city, county and UC Davis.
• The Green at West Village — Providing legal support leading to construction of the student housing project in 2019.
• Aggie Square — Serving as a key member of the legal team that helped resolve environmental litigation, allowing the project to move to construction in 2021.

Most recently she served as the lead counsel for Healthy Davis Together.

“She leaves UC Davis with significant accomplishments,” Shinnerl said.

Dateline UC 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.