Mark Lucas, Chair
Mark Lucas is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Departments of Neurobiology and of Computational Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Mark has been with the University for 30 years in a variety of administrative and management capacities. He has a background in business from both USC and UCLA Anderson. His professional interests include mentoring, training, research administration, and general management theory.
Hannah Pingelton, Vice-Chair
Hannah currently serves as a Senior Program Manager for Student Life at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in their Full-Time MBA Student Affairs office. Previously, she was a member of New York University’s Faculty of Arts and Science, where she served as the Assistant Director for Student Affairs at Liberal Studies. Hannah earned her MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and her BA in Archaeology and Creative Writing from NYU’s College of Arts and Science. A born and raised Midwesterner, she has an affinity for the Missouri Tigers and Olive Garden breadsticks; in her personal time, Hannah practices TaeKwon-Do and boxing, and is working her way through an ever-increasing “to read” list. Hannah practices a professional philosophy rooted in student and community development through empowerment, advocacy, and leadership, and enjoys partnering with the greater University community to ensure our shared success.
Gina Romero, Immediate Past Chair
Gina Romero joined UCLA’s Events & Transportation department in 2019 as the Manager of Training & Organizational Development. Gina holds a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from California State University, Los Angeles. Before becoming a Bruin, Gina had spent her career in the private sector doing talent development, performance management, organizational development, and coaching and training for organizations of varying sizes.
Before joining the AMG Board, Gina served for two years in the role of Vice President of Records and Archives for Staff Assembly on campus. Gina says that the two things she is most looking forward to as a new member of AMG is helping to further the mission of AMG and provide all stakeholders with valuable support and resources to help them become the leaders they aspire to be. Outside of campus, Gina lives in the San Fernando Valley with her husband and son and their fur baby, Lily. She loves to garden, cook, and host gatherings at home.
Shirley Watanabe, Treasurer
Shirley has been a part of UCLA for 19 years, holding various roles throughout her career and currently serving as the Management Services Officer (MSO) in the Department of Epidemiology at the Fielding School of Public Health. Her journey at UCLA has been marked by opportunities to advance her career aspirations, particularly focusing on progressing into higher leadership positions. Shirley expresses deep gratitude for her experiences at UCLA, acknowledging the support and chances provided by her past and present supervisors and managers. She feels fortunate to work alongside brilliant faculty, scientists, researchers, staff, colleagues, and students, and appreciates every opportunity that has come her way. Shirley is proud of the challenges she has overcome and the ongoing successes she achieves, attributing much of her accomplishments to the mentorship, training, and support she has received along the way.
Jenna Bustamante, Events Coordinator
Jenna A. Bustamante (she/her) is the Assistant Director of Programs at Dashew Center for International Students & Scholars. Her professional career in higher education began in 2011, but her time at UCLA started in 2013 when she began her degree in the Masters in Student Affairs program. While a grad student, she interned at UCLA Alumni Affairs as the LeaderShape Program Coordinator. After obtaining her M.Ed. in 2014, she moved on to working at other institutions, mostly in the field of international education. She rejoined UCLA in August 2021 in her role at Dashew Center where she oversees programs and events for the international Bruin community, leads a team of staff and student leaders, and interfaces with folks from all over campus and the world. Outside of work she loves to attend concerts and events with her partner, travel to new and familiar places, hang out with her dog, and add books to her never-ending TBR list.
Lola Ivy, Special Projects Coordinator
Lola Ivy serves UCLA as the professional & career development coordinator for Campus Human Resources. In her role, she manages the Staff Enrichment Program (SEP), a year-long professional development program for UCLA career employees. Additionally, she designs and facilitates professional development workshops on various topics open to all campus and health employees. Lola has an educational background in psychology from UCLA and organizational leadership from Pepperdine’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys reading for pleasure, going to Disneyland with her family, and tap dancing. UCLA – fight, fight, fight!
Cristina Nissen, Secretary/Historian
Cristina became a (proud) Bruin in July 2022, and currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the UCLA Anderson Master of Financial Engineering (MFE) program. Cristina has a background in nonprofit development/fundraising/communications and event management, and holds her Master’s in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA), which she earned from California Lutheran University. Cristina earned her BA in Communication Studies, with a Minor in Marketing, from San Francisco State University (SFSU), where she lived for a few years, before returning to her home in Los Angeles to pursue her Master’s Degree. Cristina is a proud cat mom to Pickles and Edgy, two beautiful tabbies. She also has a passion for yoga, going to the beach, reading, and catching up with the latest show on Netflix/Hulu. Cristina hopes to return to her motherland of Greece, one day soon! Cristina looks forward to contributing to the AMG Board by building her network at UCLA, meeting new people, and growing professionally.
Julio Gonzalez, Communications Liason
Julio Gonzalez is the Budget and Personnel Coordinator for the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars (DCISS). Earning his Bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 2015, Julio officially began his professional career with the university in 2017. Since then, he has served in many capacities, from administrative duties to HR and financial management. Julio looks forward to continuing his journey for professional growth and contributing to the UCLA community. Outside his vocation, he likes to exercise, play video games, code, and learn new skills in his free time.
Chris Cabrera Thompson, IT Coordinator
Chris Cabrera Thompson currently serves as the IT Manager at the UCLA Department of English. In this role, Chris leads technology support initiatives catering to the diverse needs of faculty, staff, and students within the Department of English and Writing Programs. With a keen focus on enhancing operational efficiency and fostering technological advancement, Chris plays a pivotal role in ensuring seamless integration of cutting-edge solutions to facilitate academic excellence and innovation within the department.
Rosa Chung, Conference Chair
Rosa serves as the Management Services Officer for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women and Streisand Center. In her current role, she oversees the centers’ operations, administration, finances, personnel, and development. She’s served in higher education for over a decade and has had the privilege of working for multiple UC campuses including UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with Pogo, her rescue pup, and playing beach volleyball.
Nancy Velasquez, Conference Vice Chair
Chief Administrative Officer at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, which is part of the Social Sciences division under the College of Letters and Science. Nancy has worked at UCLA over 25 years, in various administrative roles from Fund Management, Operations, Finance, and Management. Nancy has been involved with AMG since 2014, and enjoys collaborating with members to achieve opportunities for professional growth and development. As a lifelong learner, Nancy has a strong belief in professional development, along with mentoring others to strive for a greater success.
Yadira Cano, Conference Immediate Past Chair
Yadira Cano is the Senior Operations and Administrative Manager for Student Affairs Academic Partnerships. Yadira manages the Registrar’s Office, Student Affairs Information and Research Office (SAIRO), Student Affairs Information Technology (SAIT) and Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars (DCISS) and has been with UCLA for 17 years. Yadira is encouraged daily by her husband and their two beautiful bulldogs. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, photography, gardening and painting.
Quenesha Caballero, ProShare Chair
Quenesha Caballero joined UCLA March 2020 as the Quality Programs Administrative Analyst for the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. With a passion for helping others, particularly in healthcare settings, she has gained over 17 years of experience within clinically driven administrative roles taking every opportunity to provide the most optimal experience for patients families and colleagues. She takes pride in her gregarious nature, making fruitful connections and truly appreciates professional collaborations. Her favorite pastimes are salsa dancing, singing, writing poetry and most of all spending quality time with her four beautiful children, lovely family and dear friends.
Peyton Reddick, ProShare Co-Chair
Peyton Reddick is a UCLA alumna and is currently working as the HR Generalist at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center. In an effort to support the BSCRC’s mission to support innovation, excellence, and the highest ethical standards, Peyton acts as the first point of contact for anything HR related for her staff. This includes everything from providing a smooth and successful onboarding for new staff, to cultivating a positive and harmonious work environment for all. In her free time, she enjoys trying out new restaurants, reading fantasy books, and playing video games. Peyton is beyond excited to learn more about professional development, as well as continuing to provide resources for UCLA employees during her term as a Member at Large. Go Bruins!
Trent Allen, Member at Large
Trent joined UCLA in March 2020 as a Banking Assistant for Accounts Payable within Business & Finance Solutions (BFS). In 2021, Trent transitioned to the role of Administrative Specialist within BFS supporting two senior leaders, before taking on the title of Executive Assistant in December 2022. Throughout his time in BFS Trent has had the pleasure of working on a multitude of special projects ranging from the decommissioning and renovation of workspaces to supporting the WFH furniture program.
Before joining UCLA, Trent held various management positions in the Food & Beverage, Retail, and Banking industries. Notably, Trent served as a Relationship Manager at Bank of America and as Front Office Manager for several boutique hotel companies. Trent is an LA native and holds an undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University. Outside of work, Trent has a great love for the ocean and beaches (especially those in Hawaii), roller coasters, performance arts, cheering on the LA Kings, and cuddling with his cat.
Brandi Madere, Member at Large
Brandi joined UCLA in October 2011 as an Administrative Assistant 3 in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. In 2013, Brandi transitioned to the role of an Administrative Analyst reviewing chart documents and CMS1500 forms prior to them being billed out to insurance companies. Brandi was then promoted to Oncology Authorizations Manager in 2015 and oversaw all of the authorizations coordinators in the Division of Hematology/Oncology. In 2019, I transitioned over to the Faculty Practice Group as a Float Manager for the Ambulatory Float Pool. In 2021, Brandi was promoted to Float Pool Manager of the Administrative Staff on the Ambulatory Float Pool.
Brandi enjoys reading different genres of books, skating and spending time with family.
Rashmi Umdekar, Member at Large
Rashmi currently serves as the Lead HR Generalist in Information Technology Services for UC Los Angeles and joined the organization in November 2022. Prior to her current role, she was with UC San Diego for 17.5 years and the last 10 of those years served as the HR Business Partner in Information Technology Services.
With over 15 years of experience in human resources, she is responsible for supporting the organization’s human resources function, collaborating with leaders, managers and supervisors to deliver best-in-class HR services, managing programs and services related to organizational development, leadership development, organizational transformation, developing and implementing HR policies and procedures that align with organizational goals, and streamlining HR processes and improving the overall employee experience.
Rashmi was awarded the 2019 UC San Diego Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year.
She holds a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Management from UC Irvine. She also earned her Professional Certificate in Human Resource Management from UC San Diego Extended Studies in 2010.
When she is not working, you will most likely find her spending time with her two dogs, trying new restaurants, and finding a good movie or show on Netflix.