Won Ha | Vice Chancellor, Communications

Won Ha was appointed UCSF’s Vice Chancellor of Communications in August 2019. He oversees the development and implementation of multichannel communications programs to champion UCSF’s mission of advancing health worldwide. Ha is a member of the chancellor’s executive team and cabinet, serving as lead counsel on internal and external communications, including issues and crisis management. He also is counsel to the UCSF Board of Directors.

Ha oversees the Office of Communications’ integrated strategies across all media and channels to increase awareness and support of UCSF’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities among its diverse internal and external constituencies. The Office of Communications serves as the official voice of UCSF and UCSF Health to regional, state, national, and international news media.

Prior to joining UCSF, Ha served as vice president of Strategic Communications at the Energy Foundation, which programmed one out of every three climate philanthropy dollars in the United States. He served as a senior advisor to the foundation's advocacy allies, grantees, donors and philanthropic partners, including the Hewlett Foundation, Packard Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and Tempest Advisors. During his tenure, he established the first-ever preemptive issues management program in climate change and clean energy advocacy, and a regional communications network that integrated the strategic communications work of advocacy organizations across 20 states.

Ha previously served as executive director of Issues and Brand Management at Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation's largest nonprofit health plan and hospital systems. In that role, he advised C-suite executives and their leadership teams on issues and crisis management strategies spanning health care reform, government relations, and business operations, including clinical and labor issues.

Ha also has held communications roles at Wells Fargo, Gap Inc., and Genentech. He previously worked as a news producer in radio journalism.

Ha attended U.C. Berkeley where he earned an M.A. in History and a B.A. in Rhetoric.

Visit the Office of Communications website.