To the UC Merced community,
Following a nationwide search, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Lela D. Dennis as Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer. She will join us on June 1.
Ms. Dennis comes to us with more than 25 years of experience in human resources in public and nonprofit sectors. She currently serves as the Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer and Human Resources Director of Employee and Organizational Development for UC Riverside.
Before UC Riverside, Ms. Dennis served as HR senior leadership and development consultant, leadership coach and master trainer with L&D Consulting. She teaches as an adjunct faculty member for the School of Business at the University of Phoenix in southern California, and volunteers with the nonprofit organization Fresh Start Academy, an organization that supports transitional age youth out of foster care into adulthood. Her motto: “Building big relationships equals bold results.”
Ms. Dennis earned her M.A. in organizational management with a concentration in organizational leadership from Ashford University and a B.A. in communications from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Ms. Dennis succeeds Shenethia Manuel, who served as interim chief human resources officer.
Please join me in thanking Ms. Manuel for her dedication to the campus and in welcoming Ms. Dennis to UC Merced.
I would also like to thank the search committee, which included:
- Shenethia Manuel, interim Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer (Chair)
- Kelly Anders, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Personnel
- Cynthia Cortez, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer
- Yesenia Curiel, Director, CARE Advocacy Office
- Fabiola Elizalde, Director of Talent, Learning and Human Resources Services
- Jill Orcutt, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management
- Michael Richards, Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
- Austyn Smith, Managing Director, Center for Analytic Political Engagement (CAPE)
- Michelle Snyder, Payroll Director, Payroll Services
- Tommy Tran, Lecturer, History, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
- LeRoy Westerling, Professor, Management of Complex Systems
Sincerely,
Luanna Putney, Ph.D.
Associate Chancellor and Chief of Staff to the Chancellor
