The recently reconvened Staff Advisory Council invites all staff to participate, share their perspectives and requests, and help the Council advocate to build a stronger, more connected and inclusive staff culture in the college.
The college’s Staff Advisory Council (SAC) recently started meeting again. Led by three co-chairs, Katy Tucker Ortiz y Pino, Priscila Ruedas, and Renee Williams, the SAC invites all staff to participate and share their perspectives and requests. The SAC advocates for staff with college leadership, and works collaboratively to build a stronger, more connected, more inclusive staff culture in the college.
Meet our SAC co-chairs
Katy Tucker Ortiz y Pino, MPH
Katy works as the Program Director for the Participatory Evaluation Institute at the Arizona Prevention Research Center (AzPRC). She and her team work with organizations throughout Arizona to evaluate their public health programs and conduct community health assessments. Katy graduated from MEZCOPH with her MPH in Health Behavior Health Promotion in 2018 and has been with the AzPRC ever since! She enjoys chasing her toddler, playing soccer with her husband, and spending as much time as possible biking, hiking and trail running. As the first Chair of the newly re-formed Staff Advisory Council, her goal is to engage with staff to build a strong foundation for an informed and active SAC membership.
Priscila Ruedas, MPH
Priscila Ruedas works as the Research Administrator for the 2024 Arizona Farmworker Enumeration Profiles Study, where she leads a team dedicated to methodically creating an updated and credible count of farmworkers and their dependents in Arizona. Priscila is a proud alum of MEZCOPH, earning her BS in 2019 and her MPH in Public Health Policy and Management in 2023. She has worked in different capacities in the college, including as a health educator for the mobile health unit, as the academic-health department coordinator, and on multiple grants in Yuma County focused on farmworker health. Priscila co-chairs the Staff Advisory Council (SAC), where she concentrates on compensation initiatives and is committed to creating engaging and innovative opportunities for MEZCOPH staff.
Renee Williams, MOL-PM
Renee Williams works as the Principal Accountant for the Public Health Practice and Transitional Research (PHPTR) department, and additionally manages multiple faculty profiles in Community, Environment & Policy (CEP) and Health Promotion Science (HPS). Renee graduated this May with her Master’s in Organizational Leadership, emphasis Project Management, from NAU and has been with MEZCOPH since March of 2022. She previously worked in the UArizona’s Financial Services Office (FSO) for 4 years. Renee loves being around family and is very devoted to her husband, her daughter, 20, and her son, 15. Now that she has earned her degree and regained her free time, Renee plans to return to crafting, reading, and meeting up with friends. SAC is important to Renee because it is the opportunity to build a stronger community at work and to address issues proactively.
How to get involved
The Staff Advisory Council meets on the second Friday of every month from 10-11am. The meetings alternate between business meetings and committee meetings. Our next business meeting takes place on June 14, 2024 (https://arizona.zoom.us/j/81043402601).
You can see all the SAC meeting notes and other information in our shared Box folder: https://arizona.box.com/s/4v888bmldg52hp1ku3gmvk0n8a359947
Important updates:
- From the Recognition Committee: Save the date on June 27th for a staff celebration for the end of the fiscal year. Details to follow.
- Do you have questions or concerns about the financial plan or new travel authorization system? You can share them here and the SAC Chairs will share with leadership and help find the answers: https://arizona.box.com/s/qaawdgwrb7sze8adk8rmq5r4oplvxe9f
- The SAC developed new bylaws and you can review them here: https://arizona.box.com/s/xdnhj0u2krirymwmg4nu6ugm8e49ok1y. These will go out for a college wide vote shortly.
- See all the updates from our last meeting on May 17th, including the Recognition Committee and Compensation Committee discussions, in our meeting notes: https://arizona.box.com/s/mr1gtec8o1qf7fxihl33sk5cufv459l5
The co-chairs of the Staff Advisory Council encourage all staff members to join our End-of-the-Fiscal-Year Celebration for Staff event on June 27, 2024! It has been a turbulent year at the University of Arizona, and the SAC wants to bring us together to connect and commiserate. Watch your email for details!
