Nine UC Riverside staff members were honored by UCR Staff Assembly as part of its annual Outstanding Staff Awards recognizing those who go above and beyond their duties.
The awards were presented at a June 11 ceremony at the Barn Stable.
The awards recognize staff members for excellence in their work, commitment to the university’s mission, and making UCR a better place for all.
Staff and faculty nominated staff members for the awards, and the UCR Staff Assembly Recognition Committee chose the recipients. The awards were given in five categories.
Chancellor S. Jack Hu spoke at the ceremony and presented trophies and posed for photos with the winners.
Four people were recognized with the Staff Who Make a Difference Award, which honors staff in four different areas: administrative support, professional, service, and technical. The Tartan Soul Award, the Commitment to Diversity Award, the People Helping People Award, and the Volunteer of the Year Award were presented to individual winners.
Here are the honorees:
Kara Oswood, director of academic affairs in the Graduate Division, won the Staff Who Make a Difference award in the technical category.
She was described as the “heart of graduate education at UCR,” overseeing the academic progress of about 3,500 students. She was praised for combining compassion and empathy with a deep understanding of policy and procedure as she has assisted students for nearly two decades.
Daniel Lopez Salas, a student health promotion specialist with the Well, won the Staff Who Make a Difference award in the professional category.
Salas helped lead campus efforts to improve safety in the use of micromobility devices such as bikes, scooters, and skateboards. He organized safe riding educational programs and built partnerships to create a coordinated approach for improvements such as a bike lane in front of the Arts Building.
Charlie Scruggs, director of the Pre-Professional Advising Center, won the Staff Who Make a Difference award in the administrative support category.
Scruggs has overseen pre-professional career advising for health on campus for more than a decade. The center last year rebranded and expanded to include careers in law, making it the only UC campus with a one-stop shop of its kind. He has also become a national leader in his field including serving on the board of directors for the Western Association of Advisors for the Health Professions.
Leticia Mojica, a senior custodian at the UCR Palm Desert campus, won the Staff Who Make a Difference award in the service category.
She was described as regularly exceeding expectations to ensure the Palm Desert campus is clean and welcoming, maintaining an exceptional standard and anticipating needs before they arise. She was praised for professionalism, reliability, and pride that has made a lasting impact on the campus.
Laurie Graham, principal lab mechanician with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, received the Tartan Soul Award.
Graham was praised for her nearly 20 years of dedicated service and her ability to “fix anything electronic and mechanic,” including helping maintain complicated instruments in the department’s isotope laboratories.
Deejay Brown, assistant director of the LGBT Resource Center, received the Commitment to Diversity Award.
Brown is described as a cornerstone of the center who has worked to make diversity and inclusion an organizational effort through partnerships and structural changes. They’ve helped introduce programs and regular events that have fostered connections and found common ground with different organizations.
Jeff Girod, associate vice chancellor and chief communications and marketing officer, won the People Helping People Award.
Girod, who until recently served as assistant dean of marketing and communications for the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, was praised for being the driving force in creating the UCR Staff Pantry program four years ago. The program continues to grow and serves about 225 staff members a month, assisting employees dealing with food insecurity.
Staff Assembly also presented the Mary Johnson Outstanding Retiree Award in partnership with the UCR Retiree Association, or UCRRA, which honors a retiree with an outstanding record of service to UCR.
Bart Kats, a research computing facilitator with Information Technology Solutions, was this year’s recipient.
Kats, who retired in June 2025, has provided valuable computing and technology advice for retirees and emeriti through the UCRRA’s tech tips program with around 100 bi-monthly presentations. He is described as highly regarded for his expert presentations and one-on-one consultations.
Staff Assembly also named two of its members as Volunteers of the Year for outstanding efforts in contributing to events over the past year:
Noah Jones, a broadcast technician from the multimedia and classroom tech department, and Laura Cantrell, a medical educational quality coordinator.
Finally, the Special Recognition Award, recognizing those supporting Staff Assembly’s mission, went to Krista Norwood, a membership development specialist with SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union.
