After Two Decades of Helping UC Davis Prepare for and Respond to the Unexpected, Gaby Renteria Retires
With no badge, no uniform, no lights or siren, Gabriella “Gaby” Renteria, director of Risk and Emergency Management, spent her days thinking about worst-case scenarios so the rest of us don't have to.
It's a responsibility that never really leaves. Every event and new initiative becomes another question to answer: What if something goes wrong? Are we ready?
Long before she led emergency preparedness, managed risk or helped guide the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, Gaby was a UC Davis student with a clipboard standing at the corner of Hutchison Drive and California Avenue counting cyclists wearing helmets as part of a campus safety survey. During one shift, she shook her head as a cyclist rode by talking on one of the first cell phones she had ever seen.
Looking back," she said, "I think it's proof that caring about the safety and well-being of the UC Davis community has been in my blood for a very long time."
When Gaby graduated from UC Davis, she was working full time and raising two young children. That determination to take on hard things has shaped every chapter of her career.
Gaby started working at UC Davis in November 2010 after years of working in insurance claims management. When her employer asked Gaby to relocate to Colorado, she chose to stay in Davis, where she had studied, raised her family and built a life.
Gaby’s career at UC Davis began in Human Resources as a benefits representative before moving to what is now the Shared Services Organization, where she helped stand up the first support desk — long before AggieService. She joined Safety Services as a risk analyst handling insurance claims before advancing into leadership roles in risk management and emergency preparedness.
Over the years, Gaby helped strengthen many programs that keep the university running safely and created new programs where there were gaps.
Gaby’s team launched UC Davis' first Youth Protection Program, helping ensure thousands of minors and future Aggies can safely participate in university programs. Recognizing a major risk, Gaby helped develop the university's international travel policy and establish the Travel Security Management Office. This gave faculty, staff and researchers the resources they need to make informed decisions before and during often-risky travel abroad.
When employees are injured on the job, Gaby's team helps them navigate workers' compensation with fairness, respect and care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her team became a critical part of the university's Campus Ready response, leading contact tracing efforts, developing preparedness plans and helping guide UC Davis through one of the most challenging periods in its history.
Despite spending years evaluating risk and preparing the university for emergencies everyone hopes never happen, Gaby never saw her role as stopping anything.
"People think I'm there to shoot down their ideas," she said. "I'm not. Our job is to help advance the mission of the university. We help people take their groundbreaking ideas and do them safely."
Associate Vice Chancellor Eric Kvigne says Gaby's influence extends well beyond the programs she helped build.
Gaby is a living representation of the hardworking, caring and innovative Aggie," Kvigne said. "She leaves behind stronger systems, policies, governance and emergency preparedness. Nobody's on your side more than Gaby, and she would always find ways to help people move important work forward safely."
Drawing to a close…
When asked what she's most proud of, Gaby doesn't point to policies, emergency plans or the countless crises she helped the university navigate. She talks about her team.
"They are some of the most intelligent, warm and customer-focused people I've ever worked with," she said. "If anyone thinks I shine, it's because of my people."
After nearly 20 years helping UC Davis employees and the university prepare for the unexpected, she’s looking forward to calm.
She’ll be spending more time with her husband, Ken, their five children and extended family throughout California. She also plans to travel, visit her parents and rediscover a dormant passion — drawing.
As a child, Gaby dreamed of becoming an artist and moving to New York City. Retirement, she says, is her chance to pick up a sketchbook again.
So don't be surprised if you see Gaby around Davis in the coming years with a notebook and pen in hand. She'll be sketching — but she'll probably still be keeping an eye out for foolish behavior and wishing more people wore helmets.