UCLA officials went downtown on Wednesday to recognize campus programs that serve communities throughout Los Angeles County and, together with volunteer ambassadors, met with local officials to discuss UCLA's public service efforts in each of their respective districts.
For the past 10 years, alumni, students, faculty and staff advocates have converged annually on Los Angeles City Hall and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Building to meet with elected representatives to discuss how UCLA can be a resource to the greater L.A. area and to highlight the work the university is already doing in the community. UCLA in Downtown L.A. is organized by UCLA Government and Community Relations.
It's also a time when UCLA honors exemplary leaders in L.A.who have been substantially supportive in advancing UCLA's priorities. This year's honorees included Antonia Hernandez, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, and Jeffrey Seymour, who founded the Seymour Consulting Group in 2002, a governmental relations firm specializing in areas of planning, zoning and land use consulting as well as public policy analysis and ordinance studies. Both Henandez and Seymour are UCLA alumni.
Two UCLA community programs were honored for their commitment to serving communities in Los Angeles County. The Catalyst Award was given to awarded to the UCLA Community School, formed by a partnership among UCLA, the local community and LAUSD. The Landmark Award was given this year to the UCLA School of Nursing Health Center at the Union Rescue Mission, where the nurse-managed clinic has been in operation for 30 years.
Among the speakers at the evening reception were Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh and Assistant Vice Chancellor Keith Parker of Government and Community Relations. Receiving awards on behalf of the winning programs were Leyda Garcia, principal of UCLA Community School, and Acting Dean Linda Sarna of the UCLA School of Nursing.
