UC DAVIS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Corporate Engagement
Bio
Alexandra Eller Schwarz is the Assistant Director of Corporate Engagement, where she helps create partnerships between companies and UC Davis. She previously worked at PRIDE Industries-a nonprofit that creates employment for people with disabilities-and led their fundraising and marketing campaigns. Alexandra is also a proud UC Davis Alumna.
Job Titles:
- Prospect Research Specialist, Foundation and Corporate Engagement
Bio
Amna Haslam joined the Foundation and Corporate Engagement team as the Prospect Research Specialist in 2023. Amna is a proud UC Davis alumna and holds a B.S. in Environmental Toxicology from UC Davis, and a Master of Public Health from the University of San Francisco.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice Chancellor of Foundation and Corporate Engagement
Amy Skehan is the assistant vice chancellor of Foundation and Corporate Engagement at UC Davis. Amy most recently served as the Strategic External Partnerships and Government Contracts lead in Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford Motor Company. Prior to that role, Amy served as University Program Manager, External Alliances, R&A at Ford where she was responsible for managing the Ford/University of Michigan relationship, Ford's largest and most comprehensive university collaboration.
Bio
Amy Skehan is the assistant vice chancellor of Foundation and Corporate Engagement at UC Davis. As an experienced, collaborative leader with 20+ years of progressive experience in all areas of industry, academic and non-profit management and external strategic partnerships, she leverages her expertise in planning, research, philanthropy, recruitment, government contracts, program development and management to build and manage comprehensive, holistic relationships with foundations and corporations on behalf of the university. She brings her strengths of streamlining internal and external collaboration and communication processes, organizational analysis, productivity maximization, change management and execution to the FCE team.
Amy most recently served as the Strategic External Partnerships and Government Contracts lead in Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford Motor Company. Prior to that role, Amy served as University Program Manager, External Alliances, R&A at Ford where she was responsible for managing the Ford/University of Michigan relationship, Ford's largest and most comprehensive university collaboration. In addition, Amy served as the Global Domain Lead for mobility university research. Prior to that, Amy served as the inaugural director of the Business Engagement Center (BEC) on the University of Michigan Dearborn campus where she worked to strategically re-design and implement a new, cross-campus, university-wide corporate engagement program.
Job Titles:
- Director of Corporate Engagement at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
- Director, Corporate and Foundation Engagement / School of Veterinary Medicine
Angela Reynolds serves as Director of Corporate Engagement at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, focused on building robust and mutually rewarding industry partnerships across Vet Med and the broader university.
Job Titles:
- Managing Chief Development Officer
Cat Comley Adams is a managing chief development officer whose teams have secured more than $190 million in philanthropic revenue. Cat currently serves as the Senior Director of Development for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She holds two degrees from the University of Missouri: a master's in public affairs and PhD in leadership and policy analysis, and she earned her undergraduate degree in history from William Jewell College. Since joining the fundraising profession in 2002, she has personally raised over $98 million and led fundraising models spanning health care, education, social services, cultural arts, and zoos.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Development / School of Nursing
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Corporate Engagement
Bio
Charlie joined the FCE team in 2019. Often serving as a direct liaison between industry partners and the University, he coordinates with colleagues to match unique UC Davis assets with emerging business needs and solutions. Charlie's work involves connecting faculty, students and staff with our partners to achieve shared goals.
Prior to his current role, Charlie worked on the Advancement Services development team with colleagues in multiple units to facilitate university agreements. He first began supporting UC Davis partnerships in 2007, coordinating with faculty and attorneys to deliver customized programs in international law. In addition to conducting engagement activities in Asia, Europe, and Latin America on behalf of the University, Charlie has truly appreciated introducing people from around the globe to UC Davis.
Job Titles:
- Development Analyst, Foundation and Corporate Engagement
Bio
Hilary joined the FCE team in 2022 and provides support for various FCE projects and initiatives including support for prospect management. Hilary brings 10 years' work experience between private and non-profit sectors, with a focus in helping organizations identify and implement process improvements. Her experience in enhancing business operations spans various institutions, effectively coaching teams through training processes, encouraging employee engagement, and creating meaningful relationships between clients and stakeholders. Hilary is a UC Davis alumnus, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Sociology in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Managing Executive Director, Corporate Engagement
- Senior Director of Corporate
Bio
Building upon her academic training in the life sciences, Jamie is the senior director of corporate engagement within Development and Alumni Relations, working broadly to support industry partnerships at UC Davis. Often the first point of contact with companies wanting to engage with campus, she works to understand the needs of companies and match them with the university's authentic strengths. This often involves working closely with faculty members to discover the science relevant to both the company and the university. Jamie has been part of the central corporate relations team since 2011, and serves as our liaison to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and School of Veterinary Medicine.
Prior to joining FCE, Jamie was part of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center where she worked as a UC Discovery Fellow to develop substantial, long-term collaborations and partnerships between university researchers and the seed industry. Jamie has a Ph.D. from UC Davis in biochemistry and molecular biology and an H.B.S. in biochemistry & biophysics from Oregon State University. She is also an active member of NACRO, and served as co-president of the organization in 2019-20.
Prior to working at UC Davis, she was the Assistant Director of Foundation and Corporate Giving at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Jen has over a decade of fundraising experience and is a proud Aggie Alumna.
Job Titles:
- Director, Foundation Engagement
Jen Prahl joined the FCE team in 2022. She's been at UC Davis since 2017, working in the College of Biological Sciences and prior to that, the Office of Research. In her role, she works closely with faculty across campuses to gain a deeper understanding of their philanthropic priorities and to identify foundation partners to support students, research, and programs.
Job Titles:
- Director, Corporate Engagement
Bio
Jody joined the FCE team in 2020 and brings nearly 25 years' experience in both the corporate sector and as a fundraising professional for large regional nonprofit organizations, where she oversaw all aspects of marketing and philanthropic engagement among key community stakeholders, donors, foundation and corporate partners, government entities and professional advisors to assure a lasting source of funds for the benefit of the capital area. In her role as director of corporate engagement, Jody works to build industry partnerships at UC Davis, and serves as corporate engagement liaison for the School of Medicine, School of Nursing and interim liaison for the College of Biological Sciences. Jody is a member of NACRO and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), California Capital Chapter.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Corporate Engagement
Bio
Jose first joined the Foundation and Corporate Engagement (FCE) team in 2020 as the Research and Analytical Strategist, a new position created to support our external partnerships research and strategy before transitioning to Assistant Director of Corporate Engagement in 2022. In his role as analyst, Jose worked broadly across the team to provide highly customized and strategic information in support of comprehensive corporate and foundation engagement efforts. This included: providing leadership, campus units, and initiatives with company profiles used for strategy and partner prospecting; identifying foundation funding leads for faculty, campus initiatives and research centers; data reporting on sponsored research and philanthropic giving; and supporting department marketing/stewardship efforts through managing department social media accounts, creating impact report drafts and PowerPoint slide decks used for strategic alignment with corporate partners.
Prior to joining the FCE team, Jose was part of the UC Davis Office of Research where he focused on interdisciplinary research development broadly across campus, in addition to supporting the Microbiome Special Research Program with program development, marketing and event coordination. Jose has also worked at a private medical device manufacturer for five years where he helped lead the manufacturing department while taking night classes in order to transfer to UC Davis.
Jose is a Bay Area native, first generation college graduate and a UC Davis alumnus graduating in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, International Development for Latin America
Bio
Juan joined UC Davis and the FCE team in 2019 after more than 25 years working with corporations all over Latin America. In his role with FCE, Juan works with corporations in Latin America to understand their businesses and strategic goals to identify opportunities for collaboration research aligned with UC Davis strengths, to develop long-term partnerships. He also works closely with UC Davis' faculty members to identify relevant programs and science for Latin American corporations.
Juan has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Universidad de Los Andes and a Marketing Specialization from Universidad EAFIT, both in Colombia, South America.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Development and External Relations / Energy Efficiency Institute
- Senior Director of Development and External Relations for the Energy
Bio
Karen M. Block has been serving as the senior director of development and external relations for the Energy and Efficiency Institute (EEI) and Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) since 2016. In this role, she manages all foundation relationships for energy and transportation programs, and all industrial relationships for the EEI. She also supervises the associate director of external relations who manages a growing individual giving program for EEI and ITS. Prior to this role, Karen was director of development for the Division of Social Sciences in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science for 3 years. Karen also worked for UC Berkeley for 8 years where she held positions in corporate and foundation relations, annual giving, and reunion fundraising.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Corporate Engagement
Bio
Kimberly most recently worked as a development professional for City of Hope, a non-profit, comprehensive cancer center in Duarte CA. There, she managed various fundraising campaigns in support of cancer and diabetes research and treatment programs. Kimberly is a U.C. Berkeley alumna, class of 2008 and she earned her M.B.A. from Mills College in 2016. She relocated to Sacramento in 2022 from the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was raised. She enjoys traveling, reading a good book, running for sport, and "dance-offs" with her 10-year-old daughter and dog, Milkshake.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Corporate and Foundation Engagement / College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Bio
Melissa has spent the past 15 years of her career with the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in development and corporate engagement. She has worked closely with the external advisory boards for the Department of Food Science and Technology, the Agricultural Sustainability Institute and the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Melissa graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Biological Sciences and completed her MBA at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.
Melissa Haworth Senior Director, Corporate and Foundation Engagement College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Melissa has spent the past 15 years of her career with the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in development and corporate engagement. 530-979-1440 mdhaworth@ucdavis.edu
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Foundation Engagement
Bio
Molly joined the FCE team in 2019 after eight years as associate director of the UC Davis Humanities Institute. Molly brings experience in grant-writing, research development and building collaborative programs and partnerships to her work connecting UC Davis faculty, students and staff with foundation partners. In her role as director, she focuses especially on supporting the colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Engineering.
Prior to arriving at UC Davis, Molly spent several years teaching nineteenth-century American and women's history at Wellesley College and in the Introduction to Humanities program at Stanford University. She began her career as a newspaper journalist, earning a 1997 Pulitzer Prize in Spot News Reporting at Newsday. After receiving an undergraduate degree in history from Canisius College in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, she earned a master's in journalism from Columbia University and Ph.D. in history from Brandeis University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Foundation Engagement
Robyn joined the FCE team in 2020, where she leverages her background in the small health, advocacy, education nonprofit world to identify opportunities for partnership between smaller and mid-size companies and UC Davis faculty, students, programs, and events to achieve shared goals.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Development & External Relations for the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies
- Senior Director, Development and External Relations / Institute of Transportation Studies
Bio
Thomas Mackey serves as the Senior Director of Development & External Relations for the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) and aides in identifying and cultivating philanthropic support. Thomas works in close coordination with the research directors and program managers of ITS research centers, as well as the directors of the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy and Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST). Thomas also aids ITS-Davis faculty and program directors with funding requests to international, federal, state, and local government agencies.
Job Titles:
- Managing Executive Director, Foundation Engagement
Bio
Traci started her position at UC Davis in 2015. In addition to managing a team of two, she focuses on working with faculty in the basic and biomedical sciences (Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Veterinary Medicine) to identify and pursue funding opportunities from non-governmental entities as well as building relationships with these foundations. Prior to joining UC Davis, she worked at Northwestern University (NU) for 10 years where she originally started as post-doctoral fellow in the Lurie Cancer Center. After transitioning away from the bench, she spent three years as the associate director for an interdisciplinary graduate program in the Biological Sciences at NU. Her last position at NU before coming to UC Davis was as Senior Associate Director of Foundation Relations, which she held for two years. Galbaugh has a Ph.D. from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Molecular Pathology.