Inspiration and achievement come from all levels of our organization. With great PRIDE, every year we honor Senior Vice Chancellor STAR Awardees for their contributions to the FAS True North and the Chancellor’s Goals, and for enhancing our culture by demonstrating PRIDE Values in their daily interactions.
Meet the 2024 SVC STAR Awardees
Bianca Nunez
UCSF Human Resources
HR Generalist (P3)
HR Generalist Bianca Nunez helped develop the critical training materials related to I-9 compliance to verify the identity and eligibility of potential employees. To increase I-9 compliance, Staff Shared Services increased the frequency of audits and reviews and reviewed training needs. Bianca joined the effort to increase compliance in mid-2023, assisting with audit reviews, acting as a subject matter expert for the team, and being a strong thought partner. She had clear ideas about compliance and what would be most helpful to HR Generalists, who perform most I-9 manager duties. Her supervisor said her contributions were significantly greater than normally seen from an HR Generalist and significantly greater than other workgroup members. Bianca helped produce a Tracker Training Guide and, noting some learners access materials in different formats, she implemented her fantastic idea to feature Zoom training video clips on the most impactful topics, producing nine “Zoom clips” demonstrating basic to complex scenarios. Several future topics have already been identified. Use of these tools will assist with resource management by increasing compliance and thereby minimizing fines for lack of compliance.
From the selection committee:
"The work Bianca has done with creating training materials for I-9 compliance has a huge impact on keeping the university compliant and in simplifying a process all new hires must go through. Her use of technology by creating Zoom clips and unique ideas better the on-boarding experience for many.”
Autumn Huffman
UCSF Human Resources
Talent Acquisition Partner (P3)
Throughout Talent Acquisition Partner Autumn Huffman’s short tenure, she has consistently demonstrated outstanding service, professionalism and excellence. As a high-volume recruiter, she developed close partnerships with hiring leaders to solve various obstacles with ingenuity. She frequently receives positive feedback from her customers highlighting her expertise and quick response times, receiving the second highest survey response rate (among her teammates) with an overall customer ranking of 6.83 out of 7, achieving the Rogue Hire Elite recruiter industry ranking at the top 25th percentile. What sets her apart is the integrity and respect shown not only to her customers but also to her team. Autumn demonstrates integrity and respect in tough situations, serving as a pillar of trust for her team. From the moment Autumn joined our organization, she displayed a keen commitment to diversity and inclusion. She quickly joined and led the Black/African American outreach segment. With her contribution, they conducted six UCSF-hosted events curated for the community. During her tenure on a recognition team, they organized virtual bingo, water cooler sessions, and themed cultural observation events to show respect and inclusivity for all.
From the selection committee:
“Autumn’s contributions to her specialized focus areas within the School of Medicine improved the recruitment process. It was great to hear about her application of PRIDE Values of integrity and respect and her commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
Tom Johnson
UCSF Police Department
Public Safety Ambassador Supervisor (S1)
Public Safety Ambassador Supervisor Tom Johnson is part of the UCSF Police Department security team in Fresno. His commitment to excellence is evident in his approach to customer service, where he consistently goes above and beyond to motivate his team. Tom and his team support functions and initiatives that foster a sense of unity, such as holiday toy drives and step challenges. His focus on enhancing customer experience has resulted in increased satisfaction levels among staff and other departments. His approach to communication has made a tangible impact on how customers perceive security services, providing customers with a great first impression of who we are as an organization. Security and safety personnel are often the first people our customers interact with, and it is important to make them feel welcome.
From the selection committee:
“I loved hearing more about this trailblazer at UCSF Fresno! When Police had to adjust from contracted security guards to in-house the effort must have been huge and to have a supervisor consistently lead by example is great.”
Paul Sullivan
UCSF Program Management Office (PMO)
Senior Program Manager (P5)
or the past year, PMO Senior Program Manager Paul Sullivan provided guidance, facilitation, and project management to support ODO and a wide variety of stakeholders for the successful creation and implementation of the new Police Accountability Board (PAB). He supported this effort from beginning to end, utilizing his excellent facilitation and analytical skills, as well as his ability to guide people through sensitive topics and reach agreement. The group’s work included the creation of the Police Accountability Board structure and bylaws, processes and procedures, a staffing model, communications, and an ongoing operating model. He assisted in hiring a leader for the program and guided the new incumbent through the setup and launch of the Board. This process built on work that Paul led over the past few years with colleagues at UCOP and leaders from all the UC locations to facilitate the creation of the UC system-wide Community Safety Plan. This effort stands out for its comprehensive nature, involving a year of work with stakeholders from across the university to create an important new function that helps fulfill UCOP systemwide community safety goals as well as UCSF’s Anti-Racism Initiative.
From the selection committee:
“This was not an easy task. Paul entered a politically sensitive world filled with pitfalls and navigated quite well to create something successful.”