Campus & community, People, Milestones, Campus news

HR chief Jeannine Raymond to retire

By Public Affairs

Vice Chancellor Scott Biddy sent this message to the UC Berkeley community today:

Dear Campus Community,

After a 40 year career in public higher education, 20 years of that in human resources and the last 10 here with us at Berkeley, Jeannine Raymond has informed me of her decision to retire as assistant vice chancellor for Human Resources after Dec. 31.

She joined us in the role of assistant vice chancellor for Human Resources in 2006, when her first campuswide project was to ensure the implementation of Career Compass, aligning UC staff jobs with their respective markets for the first time. It is now being implemented throughout the UC system as Career Tracks. She also led the creation of the first ever HR competencies that are redefining the level of expertise expected of HR professionals across the campus.

In addition to Jeannine’s strong support of Berkeley staff and managers from the perspective of policy administration, she has been an avid advocate of building community. Under her leadership, Summerfest was expanded into Staff Appreciation Week, full of activities that celebrate the staff who support our faculty and students. Over a four-year period, staff participation has doubled, now reaching well over 4,000, through fun and educational events. She has also been the longtime sponsor of the Berkeley Staff Assembly (BSA), creating and fostering closer ties among staff and the university leadership. She has been an adviser to multiple staff groups, and was one of the first among her UC counterparts to support the Staff Engagement Survey conducted by the Council of UC Staff Assemblies to enact changes at Berkeley consistent with staff interests.

She helped the Berkeley Underground Scholars “ban the box” at Berkeley, removing the question about conviction history from employment applications on campus to give applicants a fair chance at consideration for employment. She oversaw the creation of a new rehired retiree program, Encore Bears, launched this year to bring much needed talent back to campus in a part-time capacity solving immediate business needs for campus managers. And last fall, she initiated the Cal Nourish program that raised over $10,000 in support from staff for needy Berkeley students during curtailment.

Her voice on staff workplace issues has been heard in national and UC venues, advocating for changes that keep pace with our evolving workplace. During her tenure with Berkeley, Jeannine has always been focused on a vision of the future that includes restructuring HR services and redefining the role of HR professionals. With her team in central Human Resources, she has helped pioneer what HR should look like and how it needs to be defined as a successful strategic partner for Berkeley.

Jeannine has been bringing together groups to solve tough problems at our campus for years, finding new ways to connect, new relationships to build and new solutions to our most challenging issues. As we experience a complete turnover in generations in our workplace, her planning for and dedication to our community is most gratefully appreciated.

Sincerely,

Scott Biddy
Vice Chancellor