Employee Promotions and Introductions
Kudos to Veronica Thron: New EH&S Manager and Program Manager
Veronica Thron has accepted the promotional opportunity of Environmental Health & Safety Manager and Program Manager for the Research, General, and Occupational Safety programs in EH&S.
In her new role, she will manage Field Safety, General & Occupational Safety, Lab Safety, HazCom, & Radiation Safety.
"Her diverse UC Davis knowledge and insights gained will be an asset to our EH&S leadership team," said Chris Wright, Director of EH&S.
A graduate of UC Davis in Animal Science, Veronica has worked on campus for nearly 20 years. “I’m excited to bring that institutional knowledge and experience to this new role.”
Her previous roles included working in departments that work most closely with EH&S, including Large Animal Health Technician at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital; Laboratory Supervisor, Medicine & Epidemiology at the SVM; Safety Officer, Dean’s Office, SVM; and Safety Officer, SOM Davis.
Veronica also brings her extensive EH&S department specific skills as an LSP for College of Engineering and her current role as the Lab Safety Program supervisor.
Veronica is originally from Cotija, Michoacán, Mexico and her family came to the USA as migrant farm workers. She loves to spend time outdoors with her husband and two daughters, especially camping.
Welcome Eugene Rubin: New Air Quality Specialist
Please join us in welcoming Eugene, our new Air Quality Specialist for the UC Davis campus and essential to managing UCD’s federal and local air quality operating permits and ensuring that UCD stays in compliance with current and future regulations.
Eugene has 14 years of experience in monitoring air quality. He originally began his career in air quality by climbing smokestacks to conduct source tests, and later became a permit engineer at Yolo-Solano AQMD, responsible for issuing UCD's operating permits. Most recently, Eugene worked for the California Air Resources Board on regulation development for toxic air contaminants with a focus on improving air quality in environmental justice communities.
Eugene earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science from UC Davis and previously held a qualified source test individual (QSTI) certification.
As a UCD graduate and Davis resident Eugene is looking forward to ensuring that UCD continues to achieve its air quality goals for the benefit of the surrounding region.
“Managing air quality and maintaining healthy air can greatly improve the quality of life for those living in the community surrounding the campus. Cleaner air leads to less respiratory health problems like asthma and less hospital visits that can negatively affect the lives of many people.”
Eugene lives in Davis with his wife Leslie, 5-year-old daughter Margo, and 2-year-old son Jack. In his spare time he likes to go biking, hiking, skiing, and do anything that gets him (and his family) outdoors.
Welcome Patrick Seward: New Campus Mission Continuity Planner
A warm welcome to Patrick, our new Campus Mission Continuity Planner.
Patrick was formerly an Environmental, Health, and Safety Program Manager for Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He was responsible for the implementation of the global ISO 14001 and 45001 auditing programs at HPE manufacturing and product development sites, conducting internal audits, and hosting external auditors from the accreditation agency BSI.
Patrick earned his JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law with a specialization in environmental/natural resource law.
Patrick will work with various departments throughout the university to develop Mission Continuity plans that are designed to increase the dept’s resilience in the face of disruptive events. He is looking forward to working in the collaborative environment within the campus and hopes to foster renewed interest in mission continuity planning.
“Mission Continuity Plans are designed to improve our ability to continue the University’s mission of teaching, research, public service, and patient care during any disruptive event, and to help return to normal performance as quickly as possible.”
Patrick is originally from the Midwest (Indiana and Oklahoma), and has lived in California with his wife and 3 dogs for 6 years. If he’s not working, you can likely find him mountain biking in the Sierras or camping around Lake Tahoe.