Agenda
Thursday, December 10, 2026
8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Cafecito y Charla (con desayuno)
Join colleagues for coffee/breakfast and conversation
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Welcome Remarks & Land Acknowledgement
Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Chancellor, UC Merced
Delia Saenz, Vice Chancellor & Chief Diversity Officer, UC Merced
Rudy Ortiz, Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology, UC Merced
10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Plenary: A Look at the Data Overview of Latinx Leadership in the UC
10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Break
11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Working Session: Reactions to the Data Overview of Latinx Leadership in the UC
11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Break
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch & Keynote: Institutional Leadership & Agents of Change
1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Break
1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions (Block 1)
Staff Panel
Presenters:
Moderators:
Judith Estrada
Karla Barron
Navigating Leadership Pathways in Academia
Victor Ferreira, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Success and Engagement & Professor of Psychology, UC San Diego
Moving into academic leadership is tricky. Academic culture portrays itself as eschewing hierarchy, and aspiring to leadership can be seen as a search for power. In this session, I will convene a discussion on navigating these dynamics. This discussion will be informed in part by my own professional experiences, but will also consider broader ideas and participatory conversation.
3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Break
3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions (Block 2)
Staff Panel
Presenters:
Moderators:
Orquidea Larga
Faculty Panel
Presenters:
Moderators:
Gina Garcia
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Awards and Closing Remarks
5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Reception & Entertainment
Friday, December 11, 2026
8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Cafecito y Charla (con desayuno)
Join colleagues for coffee/breakfast and conversation
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
UC Regents Panel
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Campus Working Groups
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Box Lunch