Role of Advisory Committees
The role of the five Advisory Committees will be to provide feedback and recommendations on issues that broadly impact UCLA. Ascend 2.0 Program Leaders will utilize recommendations to determine next steps, which may flow up to Program Owners for approval, or down to Workstream Teams for implementation.
There are five focused Advisory Committees – Change Management, Finance, Research, Technology Enablement, and Sustainment – will work in an advisory capacity to achieve the following areas:
- Increase campus involvement through increased opportunities for faculty representation
- Create more opportunities for feedback and collaboration
- Leverage deep expertise and knowledge of members in key areas
- Yield rich, timely insights into critical focus areas
- Enable more informed decision-making by Program Leadership, Program Owners, and Executive Sponsors
Advisory Committee Overview
The Ascend 2.0 program will rely on guidance, insight, and perspective from the five Advisory Committees to enable a financial transformation that benefits the greater good of UCLA. Each Committee will be chaired by a Program Owner and will be composed of 10-12 members, including two Co-Chairs. They will include representation from all “four corners” of the University: Academic, Non-academic, Research, and Medical.
Read more about each of the five Advisory Committees below:
Purpose
- Advise on finance impacts related to the Ascend 2.0 program
- Inform how Ascend 2.0 interacts with the overall financial landscape
- Support true financial transformation across the University
Leadership
Co-Chair: Jennifer Ferry,Asst. CIO, Strategic Planning & Operations, IT Services
Co-Chair: O.T. Wells II,Chief Procurement Officer, Business & Finance Solutions
Committee Members
Yoon Lee, Sr. Director, Extramural Fund Mgmt., Research Administration
Christine Daycock, Executive Director PMO, DGSOM
Julie Sina, Assoc. VC Alumni Affairs, CFO, UCLA Foundation & Investment Company
Magyn Kydd, Director of Marketing and Communications, UCLA Administration
Michelle Leonard, Asst. Director, ORA – ORIS
Anne Dela Cruz, Director of Human Resources & Payroll Operations Center, UCLA Campus Human Resources
Steve Yu, Chief Operating and Financial Officer, UCLA South Bay
Responsibilities
- Review project progress
- Share perspective as needed on decisions that would impact business processes and policies
- Provide insights into stakeholder needs and perceptions
- Foster positive communications related to Ascend 2.0 across UCLA
- Visibly support the Ascend 2.0 Program in UCLA community
Authority
Advisory
Cadence
Monthly
Duration
Through August 2025
Purpose
- Advise on finance impacts related to the Ascend 2.0 program
- Inform how Ascend 2.0 interacts with the overall financial landscape
- Support true financial transformation across the University
Leadership
- Co-Chair: Selina Martin, Controller, Business & Finance
- Co-Chair: Rebecca Lee-Garcia, Dir. Financial Analysis & Decision Support, Academic Planning & Budget
Committee Members
Christina Chase, Executive Director, Foundation Financial Services
Charles Hajek, Executive Director of Finance, DGSOM
Steve Yu, Chief Operating and Financial Officer, UCLA South Bay
Judson Caskey, Professor of Accounting, Anderson School of Management
Charles Turner, Exec. Dir, Financial & Administrative Services, Administration
Jeff Goldman, Assistant Dean, Engineering
Jennifer Iglesias, Asst. Dir, EFM, Research Administration
Yogini Purohit, Executive Director of Finance Student Affairs, Student Affairs
Caleb Na, Assistant Dean, School of Social Sciences
Anja Paardekooper, Sr. Assoc. Dean, Finance & Administration, DGSOM
Reem Hanna-Harwell, Asst. Dean of Humanities, College of Humanities
Responsibilities
- Review project progress as it relates to finance
- Offer recommendations to help guide the outcomes of the project
- Advise on decisions that will have a lasting and/or broader impact
- Provide insights into stakeholder needs and perceptions
- Foster positive communications about Ascend 2.0
Authority
Advisory
Cadence
Monthly
Duration
Through August 2025
Purpose
- Advise on research needs with respect to system functionality, communication, training, and readiness for the research community
- Inform how Ascend 2.0 interacts with the overall research landscape
Leadership
Co-Chair: Marcia Smith, Assoc. VC Research, Research Administration
Co-Chair:Yoon Lee, Sr. Director, Extramural Fund Mgmt., Research Administration
Committee Members
Jackson Jeng, Sr. Director, Research Administration
Karla Breen, CFO, Grad. School of Edu. and Information Studies
Lora Choi (delegate of Karla Breen), Business Office Manager, School of Edu. and Information Studies
Bujin Dorj, Associate Controller, Dean's Office, DGSOM
Hari Wijesekera, Assistant Director, Semel Institute
Lee Yang, Sr. Budget Analyst, School of Engineering
Cathy Rujanuruks, Director of Research Admin, DGSOM
Kathleen Micham, Assistant Dean, College of L&S, Physical Sciences
Allison Kamerman, Assoc. Dean for Finance and Admin, Public Health
Steven Acosta, Research and Finance Manager for multi-school research service center, International Institute, Anderson School, School of Law, Arts and Architecture
Charles Hajek, Executive Director of Finance, DGSOM
Daralyn Aburdene, CAO Pharmacology and Research Services Center leader, DGSOM
Angela Cortes,Director of C&G, Nursing
Responsibilities
- Review project progress as it relates to research
- Offer recommendations to help guide the outcomes of the project
- Advise on decisions that will have a lasting and/or broader impact
- Provide insights into stakeholder needs and perceptions
- Foster positive communications about Ascend 2.0 across UCLA
Authority
Advisory
Cadence
Monthly
Duration
Through August 2025
- Advise on research needs with respect to system functionality, communication, training, and readiness for the research community
- Inform how Ascend 2.0 interacts with the overall research landscape
Leadership
Co-Chair: Marcia Smith, Assoc. VC Research, Research Administration
Co-Chair:Yoon Lee, Sr. Director, Extramural Fund Mgmt., Research Administration
Committee Members
Jackson Jeng, Sr. Director, Research Administration
Karla Breen, CFO, Grad. School of Edu. and Information Studies
Lora Choi (delegate of Karla Breen), Business Office Manager, School of Edu. and Information Studies
Bujin Dorj, Associate Controller, Dean's Office, DGSOM
Hari Wijesekera, Assistant Director, Semel Institute
Lee Yang, Sr. Budget Analyst, School of Engineering
Cathy Rujanuruks, Director of Research Admin, DGSOM
Kathleen Micham, Assistant Dean, College of L&S, Physical Sciences
Allison Kamerman, Assoc. Dean for Finance and Admin, Public Health
Steven Acosta, Research and Finance Manager for multi-school research service center, International Institute, Anderson School, School of Law, Arts and Architecture
Charles Hajek, Executive Director of Finance, DGSOM
Daralyn Aburdene, CAO Pharmacology and Research Services Center leader, DGSOM
Angela Cortes,Director of C&G, Nursing
Responsibilities
- Review project progress as it relates to research
- Offer recommendations to help guide the outcomes of the project
- Advise on decisions that will have a lasting and/or broader impact
- Provide insights into stakeholder needs and perceptions
- Foster positive communications about Ascend 2.0 across UCLA
Authority
Advisory
Cadence
Monthly
Duration
Through August 2025
Purpose
- Advise on technology impacts related to the Ascend 2.0
- Inform how Ascend 2.0 interacts with the overall technology landscape, including other implementations
Leadership
Co-Chair:Kamran Khairzad, Interim Director, Applications Services, IT Services
Co-Chair:Hilda Duggan, Associate Director, Enterprise Data Services - ITS
Committee Members
Jeffrey Crawford, Manager, Identity and Access Mgmt., OCISO
Sendhil Kolandaivel, Asst. Director, ORA-ORIS
Kevin Chung, Asst. Director of Budget & Planning Systems, APB
Troy Romero, Director, Financial Systems & Controls, BFS – FMR
Hemkant Patil, Applications Manager, Administration
Howard Kim, Deputy CIO, Director of IT Strategy and Governance, Anderson Computing & Information Services
Jason Han,Director of Data Operations, DGSOM
Responsibilities
- Review project progress as it relates to technology
- Offer recommendations to help guide the outcomes of the project
- Advise on decisions that will have a lasting and/or broader impact
- Provide insights into stakeholder needs and perceptions
- Foster positive communications about Ascend 2.0 across UCLA
Authority
Advisory
Cadence
Monthly
Duration
Through August 2025
- Advise on technology impacts related to the Ascend 2.0
- Inform how Ascend 2.0 interacts with the overall technology landscape, including other implementations
Leadership
Co-Chair:Kamran Khairzad, Interim Director, Applications Services, IT Services
Co-Chair:Hilda Duggan, Associate Director, Enterprise Data Services - ITS
Committee Members
Jeffrey Crawford, Manager, Identity and Access Mgmt., OCISO
Sendhil Kolandaivel, Asst. Director, ORA-ORIS
Kevin Chung, Asst. Director of Budget & Planning Systems, APB
Troy Romero, Director, Financial Systems & Controls, BFS – FMR
Hemkant Patil, Applications Manager, Administration
Howard Kim, Deputy CIO, Director of IT Strategy and Governance, Anderson Computing & Information Services
Jason Han,Director of Data Operations, DGSOM
Responsibilities
- Review project progress as it relates to technology
- Offer recommendations to help guide the outcomes of the project
- Advise on decisions that will have a lasting and/or broader impact
- Provide insights into stakeholder needs and perceptions
- Foster positive communications about Ascend 2.0 across UCLA
Authority
Advisory
Cadence
Monthly
Duration
Through August 2025
This section is a work in progress - stay tuned!