Dear Members of the UCSF Community,

I am writing to share the news that Francesca Vega, vice chancellor of Community and Government Relations, will be leaving UCSF for a new opportunity at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Over the past few years, Francesca has led our community and government relations efforts in support of several of our most important initiatives. These include UCSF’s Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan – our 30-year vision for developing a state-of-the-art campus that will enable us to continue driving innovations in research, education, and patient care. She also has helped us lay the community and government relations groundwork for modernizing the century-old UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland as we plan for a new hospital pavilion and clinical facilities.

Under her leadership, the Community and Government Relations team also has expanded our Anchor Institution initiative on both sides of the Bay. Our ambition is to increase the training, hiring, and promotion of individuals from under-resourced communities; direct more of UCSF’s purchasing power toward small, local businesses from those communities; and explore investment options with social impact.

Francesca has played a significant role in garnering the public support we need to continue this vital work, and I am grateful for her efforts. As we conduct a national search for the next vice chancellor of Community and Government Relations, I have appointed Ellie Rossiter, executive director for community relations and strategic partnerships, to lead the office on an interim basis.

Please join me in thanking Francesca for her contributions to UCSF and in wishing her the very best as she moves to her new position in Seattle on February 27.

Sincerely,

Sam Hawgood, MBBS

Chancellor

Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor