Both UC Davis custodial services teams – Facilities Management and Student Housing and Dining Services – announce that they are the esteemed recipients of the university’s Staff Assembly 2021-22 Citation of Excellence team award. The honor recognizes their exemplary work navigating the global pandemic and its impact to our campus and community.

“Day in and day out, with no opportunity to work from home, these teams showed up to work in person, every single day,” says Kirsten DePersis, executive director of operations for UC Davis Facilities Management and former facilities services director for UC Davis Student Housing and Dining Services. “Classes were remote, but our laboratories and researchers remained, and our hospital –  faced with critical staffing shortages – urgently needed their assistance.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, over 50 team members based on the Davis campus volunteered to work where they were most needed –  at UC Davis Health in Sacramento. Despite concerns for their own safety in a busy hospital setting, these individuals stepped forward, first to sanitize familiar areas like lobbies, stairwells and restrooms – and then to receive training to care for patient areas. These same individuals underwent extensive training to manage hundreds of COVID-19 decontaminations and addressed custodial needs of more than 1,300 students who used on-campus isolation and quarantine housing. 

Then in 2021, the teams worked together to support reopening the Davis campus and its comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites – both on- and off-campus. The teams also expanded their operations to include athletics, performing arts and other large events; increased their day shift presence for improved sanitation services; and worked numerous hours of overtime to provide cohesive coverage. 

“This award recognizes individuals and staff teams who have demonstrated outstanding achievements that go above and beyond the requirements outlined in their position descriptions,” says Jennifer Jackson, 2021-22 Staff Assembly chair. “Given what these teams have done for the health and safety of our community, it’s difficult to imagine a more qualified recipient.”

“I am privileged to work with such an amazing team and am thrilled for them to receive this award,” says John Hester, custodial manager, UC Davis Student Housing and Dining Services.

“Their work made it possible for essential personnel to work safely on campus throughout the pandemic and now that operations are returning to normal, it’s important to remember where we were and how we got through it,” says Finis Jones, director of custodial services for UC Davis Facilities Management.

About UC Davis Custodial Services

At UC Davis there are two teams who manage all the custodial needs on campus: Facilities Management Custodial Services and Student Housing and Dining Custodial Services. The latter manages the needs of student residence halls and dining commons, while the former services campus buildings, laboratories, classrooms and more. Each employs industry best practices to provide a clean, safe and healthy environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors. 

About Staff Assembly

Established in 1969, UC Davis Staff Assembly is dedicated to promoting the welfare, interests and diversity of staff throughout UC Davis campuses. Staff Assembly leaders meet regularly with campus administration on a range of issues and work to enhance communication throughout the university while sponsoring programs and activities committed to the interests of staff. UC Davis Staff Assembly is one of the five recognized campus constituent organizations that participate in a shared governance process. Learn more.