'Team B' Wins UC Davis Staff Assemby Honors
Bee Haven Team to Be Honored at Ceremony at Chancellor's Residence
"Team B," the UC Davis Bee Haven Team from the E. L. Niño lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT-NEM), won high recognition in the UC Davis Staff Assembly's 2026 Citation of Excellence program and will be honored at a ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at the residence of UC Davis Chancellor Gary May.
A total of 15 campuswide UC Davis employees--recipients of either team or individual awards--will be celebrated at the event.
"Team B" received second-place or the honorable mention award in the highly competitive team category. "Team B" includes Kian Nikzad and Wendy Mather, co-program managers of the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program; Joseph Tauzer, staff research associate and manager of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility; and staff research associate Matthew Hoepfinger. All work in the UC Davis Bee Haven, the department's half-acre public demonstration/pollinator garden (and have other responsibilities as well). The Haven, installed in the fall of 2019, is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road.
Also an integral part of "Team B" but unable to be a recipient due to a new employee probationary time frame: Samantha "Sam" Murray, education and garden coordinator of The Bee Haven. Elina Niño, professor of Cooperative Extension, Apiculture, a member of the ENT-NEM faculty, and founder-director of the California Master Beekeeper Program, serves as the director of the UC Davis Bee Haven.
The trio of nominators praised the team's strategic planning and innovative work, which includes a new irrigation system, signage, a plant inventory system and an updated website, as well as the development and expansion of numerous outreach programs. In addition, they applauded the ongoing research. The Haven "contributes to the university mission of teaching, research and service by providing research opportunities for UC Davis faculty, staff and students and assists with their projects," the nominators wrote.
The nomination team--Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist; Nora Orozco, chief administrative officer; and Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, Bohart Museum of Entomology--gathered information from administrators, faculty, staff, students and the community to pen the nomination. Under the rules, the nominee names, gender and the department cannot be disclosed in the document.
The nomination:
"It was a rescue mission like no other. Five employees, heroes all, teamed to rescue a dead and dying UC Davis pollinator garden in July of 2024 after an employee departure. Working above and beyond their job descriptions, the team rescued a garden choked with invasive weeds, wilting and dying plants, unpruned vegetation, a collapsed irrigation system, and a garden crippled with pest control damage (gophers and squirrels).
"'We thought the garden was closed,' a longtime visitor said. 'The plants were all dried up. No water. Few pollinators. It was full of gopher holes.' Through strategic planning, devoted maintenance, and a deep commitment to pollinator stewardship, it is now a thriving, diversity-rich garden that is drawing such comments as 'Beautiful garden,' 'one of my favorite spots' and 'convinced me to go to college at UC Davis.'
"Through their efforts, a donor gifted $30,000 for a new irrigation system. The team installed four separate water zones for precise watering at optimal times to nourish the garden’s diverse plant life and support the flowering and fruiting. The results: lush foliage, vigorous blooms, and thriving pollinator activity that fill the garden with life.
The team developed an inventory system of the 200 native plants to allow a dedicated pruning schedule to tend to each plant’s individual needs. The team developed an informative, research-oriented and colorful website, using the latest technology, including QR codes and videos. It lists the plants in the garden and foundations of a pollinator garden.
"The team updated signage to include visually engaging, self-guided learning tools with QR-linked videos and audio. A comprehensive self-guided video tour is being developed for both in-person and online visitors, extending the team’s educational reach beyond physical visits.
"Over the last year, the team held more than 20 educational events. The team engages children in hands-on activities to spark their curiosity about bees and pollination. The team hosts group tours for all ages, children’s education activities, and presents programs off-site (schools, parks and museums). For example, the team brought a bee observation hive to the Vacaville Museum Guild's annual children's party. An innovative project is inviting children to the garden for drawing and journaling. The team encourages visits from all children, from those with neurodevelopmental differences to those with advanced skills in math and science. The team participates in major UC Davis events, including UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. The team greeted a whopping 635 visitors on BioDiv Day, and the team steward presented one of four talks on campus.
"The team writes and posts a newsletter, inviting the public to subscribe. Scores of other projects are in the works. The team is developing an area for shade-tolerant plants and enhancing the hummingbird area, always aiming to educate the public.
"The team encourages the involvement of volunteers, especially youth groups. Boy Scouts are assisting with a produce garden and a Girl Scout has erected a native bee condo.
"The team contributes to the university mission of teaching, research and service by providing research opportunities for UC Davis faculty, staff and students and assists with their projects. 'I couldn’t have done my research without them (the team),' a graduate student said. UC Davis scientists often address the group tours. The team’s own funded research projects provide valuable information on pollinators and their needs.
"The team exemplifies high morale, collegiality and follows the Principles of Community. For instance, the BioDiv Day visitors walked away saying 'They were so nice and helpful and I learned a lot!'
"In closing, the team educates, inspires, and uplifts in its mission of teaching, research and service. Chancellor Gary May said he believes that 'success is best judged by how we enhance the lives of others.' Our team does that--and much, much more."
History of the UC Davis Bee Haven
The "birth" of the UC Davis Bee Haven all began with a news story written by Kathy Keatley Garvey and featuring the research of noted bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey, then director of the Laidlaw facility. At the time, colony collapse disorder dominated the news, with scientists warning that "bees are in trouble." The research story drew the attention of Häagen-Dazs officials and led to major donations and volunteerism.
The garden was installed under the direction and supervision of then interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (and now UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita). A Sausalito team--landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker, interpretative planner Jessica Brainard and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki--won the internationally publicized design competition. (See history of the garden)
List of 2026 Staff Assembly Award Recipients
The top team award in the 2026 Citation of Excellence Program's went to the UC Davis College of Letters and Science Advising Team of Anya Gibson, Undergraduate Advising Center Supervisor, Blue Administrative Cluster; Arial Collatz, Undergraduate Program Supervisor, Maria Manetti Shrem Art Studio Program, Cinema and Digital Media, Design; and Malina Gilles-Doherty, Undergraduate Program Supervisor, Yellow Administrative Cluster.
In the individual award categories, eight other employees were singled out for their outstanding work:
Innovation
- Derrek Kelly, Financial Services Supervisor of Facilities Management Business Operations, Finance Operations and Administration, Business Partners Honorable Mentions
- BreAnda Northcutt, Director, Finance Operations and Administration, Communications
- Will Arcement-Angel, Human Resources, Academic Personnel and Graduate Program Supervisor, Blue Cluster
Research Support
- Kate Marusina, Director, Research Staff Workforce Development and Resources Innovation, Clinical and Translational Science Center
Supervision
- Casey Raubach, Academic Personnel Supervisor, Plant Sciences
Honorable Mention - Christine Yung, Accounting and Financial Reporting, Capital Asset and Financial Control Supervisor
Service
- Monica Fischer, Chief Administrative Officer, College of Letters of Science Blue Cluster
Teaching Coaching
- Erin Kent, Graduate Group Coordinator, Graduate Group in Immunology, Veterinary Scientist Training Program
"Thanks to generous support from the Office of the Chancellor and Human Resources, Staff Assembly will award a total of $17,000 to staff members this year," Staff Assembly announced on its website.