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Chancellor Clarifies Roles for UCSF Executive Leadership Groups, Forms New Advisory Committees

By Louise Chu

Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS, has established new charters for his executive leadership groups in an effort to streamline and strengthen decision-making related to the University’s mission, vision and strategy.

The charters outline the roles of the Chancellor’s Cabinet and the Chancellor’s Executive Team, formerly known as the Governance Coordinating Committee, as well as the newly formed Space Committee and Budget & Investment Committee. All groups are advisory to the Chancellor.

The Cabinet comprises vice chancellors, deans and directors, and top leaders representing all aspects of the enterprise. It is the Chancellor’s main advisory group, and its members are charged with representing their respective areas, as well as working on behalf of the entire enterprise. The Cabinet also serves as a forum for sharing best practices and ensuring that important messages are effectively communicated across the community.

“The Cabinet provides me with essential perspective from the many different facets of UCSF,” Hawgood said. “This group offers the opportunity for senior leaders across the enterprise to share ideas, solve problems together and learn from each other.”

The newly named Chancellor’s Executive Team, a subset of the Cabinet, is an evolution of the Governance Coordinating Committee, initially established by former Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, in 2012, to help explore new governance and financial models for UCSF.  In reconstituting this group as the CET, Hawgood formalized this team’s role in advising the chancellor on the key issues that impact the entire University.

“Members of my executive team will focus on UCSF’s top strategic, organizational and operational priorities,” Hawgood said. “Their role is to consider the entire enterprise in their decisions.”

The charge of the CET is to consider issues “that are of critical importance to the performance, successful growth and reputation of UCSF,” according to the group’s charter statement. The team includes:

  • Sam Hawgood, Chancellor
  • Dan Lowenstein, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
  • Mark Laret, President and CEO of UCSF Health
  • Talmadge King Jr., Dean of School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs
  • Paul Jenny, Senior Vice Chancellor of Finance & Administration
  • John Ford, Vice Chancellor of University Development & Alumni Relations
  • Barbara J. French, Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications & University Relations
  • Theresa O’Brien, Associate Chancellor

The Space Committee is composed of senior leaders who advise the chancellor on policies and strategy related to utilization, allocation and planning of physical space at UCSF. The group will examine issues such as how to invest in existing spaces and how best to move UCSF’s workforce into new buildings.

The Budget & Investment Committee is composed of senior leaders who assess priorities for funding allocations and strategic investments, including large-scale capital, information technology and programs. The group’s goal is to advise the chancellor on budget issues at the enterprise level and ensure transparency of the budget process.

Hawgood said his goal in establishing official charters for each group was to clarify roles, which had been unofficially in place, for their members but also for the UCSF community. “I wanted to provide more transparency into how decisions are made at UCSF,” he said.

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