Congratulations to the 2026 Chancellor's Award for Inclusive Excellence
UC Davis Inclusive Excellence would like to extend a huge congratulations to the recipients of the 2026 Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Inclusive Excellence, recognized for their outstanding service, mentorship and leadership across the University of California, Davis community. These awards honor individuals whose work advances the campus’s Principles of Community through exemplary service, meaningful mentorship, scholarship with broad community impact, outreach in partnership with local communities, and sustained efforts that promote inclusion, understanding and opportunity for all.
Congratulations to our 2026 Awardees!
Amrita Julka | Undergraduate Awardee
Amrita Julka is a third-year double major in Political Science and Human Biology. Amrita is currently serving as the 115th ASUCD President this year, and is passionate about public service. She hope to go into the field of public health and pursue a JD/MPH degree after my time at UC Davis.
Maria Calderon Leon | Graduate Awardee
Maria Calderon Leon is a 3rd year doctoral student in Psychology, working with Dr. Kristin Lagattuta. Her research takes a lifespan approach from childhood to emerging adulthood to examine how individuals shape, and are shaped by, their emotions and their close relationships.
As a Latine, first-generation student, Maria is committed to empowering individuals in higher education. As a member of the Psychology Community and Inclusive Excellence Committee, Maria has fostered a welcoming environment and advocated for departmental transparency. Maria independently secured a grant to host community-building events within the department. Her community cultivation events have enhanced graduate students’ sense of belonging by offering opportunities to interact with peers outside their cohort and unwind with crafts. As the lead Psychology Graduate Student Association representative, Maria has attended monthly meetings and relayed information to all Psychology graduate students, encouraging others to engage with the campus community. As a member of the AVANZA Committee, she developed strategies to recruit and retain underrepresented scholars. She also proposed high-impact recruitment strategies and emphasized the need for campus-wide guidelines to ensure equitable practices. During her time on the Chancellor's Graduate & Professional Student Advisory Board, Maria elevated student concerns directly to the Chancellor and developed programming advancing inclusive excellence. Beyond these formal roles, Maria demystifies higher education by speaking on panels about Ph.D. student life and has led workshops on graduate school preparation. She mentors undergraduates through internal and external mentorship programs, as well as through her role as a teaching assistant. Maria strives to break down barriers for students in higher education, both through direct student support and institutional policy.
Dreya Yin & Jordon Nakada | Staff Awardee
Dreya Yin is a Strategic Talent Acquisition Analyst with the Talent and Outreach team supporting both the UC Davis and UC Davis Health campuses. Dreya co-leads workforce outreach and inclusive recruitment initiatives that expand access to career opportunities for local community members as well as internal employees seeking career advancement. Her work focuses on developing targeted outreach strategies, partnering with hiring departments and talent acquisition partners, and supporting candidates through engagement opportunities such as career chats, job talks, and community workforce development initiatives. Dreya is passionate about creating opportunities that help candidates feel seen, prepared, and empowered to navigate the employment application process at UC Davis and UC Davis Health. Outside of work, Dreya enjoys creative expression, dancing and movement, and spending time in nature with her family.
Jordon Nakada,SHRM-CP is a Strategic Talent Acquisition Analyst on the Talent and Outreach team at UC Davis Health, where he partners with hiring leaders to support strategic recruitment initiatives and expand outreach to diverse talent pipelines. His work focuses on recruitment consultation, targeted outreach, and building community partnerships that connect qualified candidates with career opportunities at UC Davis/UC Davis Health. Jordon is passionate about creating accessible pathways into healthcare & higher education careers and strengthening the workforce through collaborative recruitment strategies.
Monica Torreiro-Casal | Academic Federation Awardee
Mónica Torreiro-Casal comes from Spain and holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Northeastern University in Boston and a M.A. and a M.F.T. from Santa Clara University in California. She is a trained psychologist who has worked with immigrant and diverse populations in the Netherlands and the USA. She teaches and conducts research in the Chicano/a studies at the University of California, Davis.
Leah Hibel | Academic Senate Awardee
Leah Hibel is the Robert M. and Natalie Reid Dorn Endowed Chair on Infancy in the Department of Human Ecology. She holds a PhD in Biobehavioral Health from Penn State. Dr. Hibel's leadership in service has advanced UC Davis's Principles of Community through sustained engagement addressing educational equity, combating bias, and building the infrastructure for an inclusive campus climate. For example, concerned about demonizing, exclusionary rhetoric on campus, Dr. Hibel identified drivers of students' cross-difference dialogue engagement and trained undergraduate facilitators to conduct evidence-based activities in the freshman dorms. This work generated clear recommendations to campus leadership, which led to ongoing collaborations with Inclusive Excellence for campuswide strategic initiatives. In another example, as the Chair of the Advisory Council on Jewish Life, Dr. Hibel advocates for equal policy enforcement, encourages condemnation of violence, and proposes civil discourse initiatives to ensure all students are able to participate in campus life. Dr. Hibel has shown a sustained commitment to building an inclusive campus climate with rigorous civil and intellectual exchange.
SEA Change | Leadership Award
On February 13, 2019, UC Davis became one of three universities to receive the scientific society’s Bronze Award certification in the new STEM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change initiative. On May 24, 2022, the entire University of California system joins SEA Change. As announced on February 7, 2025, UC Davis becomes the first university in the United States to receive the scientific society's Silver Award certification.
As part of SEA Change, UC Davis has continued its intentional efforts to remove barriers to participation in STEMM through an in-depth data collection and self-assessment process to strength our work through the diversity of thought, experiences, inspiration, courage, and determination of our faculty, academics, staff, and students. Through these findings, UC Davis has established a clear five-year action plan with measurable goals and metrics. Team members include:
Binnie Singh: Supports and takes a leadership role in various Academic Affairs and campus initiatives. Advises senior leaders on complex and sensitive academic personnel matters. Serves as the main liaison between the campus and UC Office of the President, collaborating on systemwide matters impacting academic personnel. Approves requests for replacement funding for Work Life Program leaves or Active Service Modified Duty (ASMD) periods. Provides guidance and oversight of Academic Affairs budget and personnel issues. Serves as the Chief of Staff, providing staff leadership for the unit
Stuart Henderson: Stuart Henderson, PhD, is the Director of the Evaluation Unit in the School of Medicine Office of Research. He helped guide the SEA Change self assessment, including conducting interviews with leadership, faculty and staff, planning the evaluation, and contributing data-informed insights in alignment with SEA Change and UC Davis values. This work exemplifies his and the Evaluation Unit's sustained commitment to advancing inclusive excellence and accountability across the institution.
Amy Carrillo: Amy Carrillo, PhD, serves as the Associate Director of the Evaluation Unit in the School of Medicine Office of Research. Her contribution to the SEA Change Silver Award included supporting the conceptualization of an evaluation plan and activities; reviewing data and documents; conducting interviews with leadership, faculty and staff; and contributing data-informed insights. Grounded in a personal commitment to evidence-based practice, this work reflects her passion for strengthening community and helping to ensure that initiatives, such as SEA Change, create meaningful and lasting impact.
Cathy Wu: Cathy Wu serves as Manager of Institutional Academic Data in Academic Affairs, where she leads the design and implementation of data systems and analytics to inform decisions affecting academic personnel policy and compliance. With a background in database administration, she specializes in integrating complex, cross-system data to develop scalable tools and automated processes that streamline reporting. In support of the SEA Change Silver Award, she contributed to institutional data analysis and translated longitudinal data into insights that informed the university’s self-assessment and helped shape its strategic priorities and equity-focused action plans, as well as leading the visual design and layout of submission materials. Cathy is also a founding member and chair of Academic Affairs’ Inclusive Excellence Driven by Advocacy and Responsible Engagement (IDARE) Committee, where she advances inclusive excellence through institutional data practices.
Marcia Woods: Marcia Woods is a Project Analyst in Academic Affairs whose work advances institution-wide initiatives that strengthen academic operations and effectiveness. She supported efforts contributing to the pursuit of the AAAS SEA Change Silver Award, which recognizes measurable progress in transforming policies, practices, and culture to advance equity in STEMM fields. Marcia collaborated with cross-functional committees to coordinate assessment activities and supported the development of strategic action plans, which contributed to the success of the Silver Award application.
Brian Darnell: Provides strategic and analytical leadership regarding Academic Affairs data information needs. Conducts diversity and equity analyses in faculty hiring, merit and promotion. Informs the decision making needs of academic administrators