Gina Romero, 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.

Mark Lucas, Vice 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.

Patty Johnson, Past Chair

Patty serves as the Sr. Manager of Academic Services & Operations for the Full Time MBA Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Patty has worked at Anderson for over 20 years in various capacities. In her current role, Patty works primarily with faculty and administration on academic planning and scheduling. Patty is a first-gen college student, she graduated from UCLA in 1999 with a degree in Psychology and a specialization in Business Administration. She is a graduate of the Riordan Scholars Program (’02) and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from CSUN (’18). Patty is passionate about personal and professional growth and when she is not spending time with her husband and three young children, she is reading or taking online classes to learn new skills. She is excited to help bring her knowledge and ideas for programming to AMG and build upon the current offerings.

TBD, Events Coordinator

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Carla Gonzalez, Special Projects Coordinator

Carla is the Assistant to the Chair and manager of the Operations Administrative Team Support for the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine. In 2004 she joined UCLA’s Hematology and Oncology research teams, in 2006 she transitioned to Operative Services, and joined Anesthesiology in 2013. During her years at UCLA, she has gained experience in research, operations, and project management. Crafts with her daughter, spending time with her family, trying new foods, and working on home projects are some of her favorite leisure pursuits.

Hannah Pingelton, Secretary/Historian

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.

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 is currently the IT Manager at the UCLA Department of English. Chris provides technology support for faculty, staff, students the the Department of English and Writing Programs.

Nancy Velasquez, Treasurer
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 24 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.

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Yadira Cano, Conference 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.

Rosa Chung, Conference Vice 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.

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Ayanna McLeod, Conference Immediate Past Chair

Ayanna McLeod is the Office Manager for the department of Real Estate | Planning, Design & Construction at UCLA Health. With 25 years of service, Ayanna has worked in various administrative roles for the Health System and the David Geffen School of Medicine.

Quenesha Caballero, Member at Large

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, Member at Large

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!

Jeff Credidio, Member at Large

Jeff joined the Bruin community in January 2021, and currently serves as the Admissions Coordinator for the UCLA Anderson Master of Financial Engineering (MFE) program. Prior to transitioning his career to higher education, Jeff also has experience working in sales, customer service, quality assurance, and business operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Economy from UC Berkeley, where he spent a number of years before returning home to Los Angeles. In his free time, Jeff has a number of interests and hobbies he is passionate about. As a native Angeleno, he loves the sun, warm weather, and going to the beach. Jeff is also an avid LA sports fan – Go Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, and of course Bruins! Perhaps his favorite pastime of all is traveling – he has done multiple international backpacking trips and road trips across the U.S. One of his life goals is to travel and experience as much of the world as possible. Jeff looks forward to contributing to AMG in their pursuit of professional development for UCLA employees.

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.