Two campus leaders will provide interim leadership for Finance, Operations and Administration until the new vice chancellor is in place
By JENNIFER MA — campus@theaggie.org
In September, Vice Chancellor of Finance, Operations and Administration (FOA) Kelly Ratliff announced her plans to retire in May. This comes after working for 35 years at the university along with obtaining a B.S. in Zoology in 1986 and a MBA in 1993 at UC Davis.
“I’m a UC Davis Aggie through and through,” Ratliff said. “I feel so lucky. Davis is an amazing campus. I just love the diversity of people and programs. And so for me, it’s just a really special place. And I feel very lucky that I’ve been able to have my education and my career here.”
According to Ratliff, she is going to miss the people she has worked with the most, but she is excited to travel, spend more time with her kids and stay connected as an alumni through events.
Chancellor Gary May said he expects to have a successor by the start of the next academic school year, but until then, campus leaders Christine Lovely, the chief human resources officer, and Eric Kvigne, the associate vice chancellor for Safety Services, will provide interim leadership for FOA, effective May 15.
“Finance, Operations and Administration is in a very stable place, thanks to Kelly’s solid stewardship, and the leadership team she put in place there is excellent,” May said via email. “I’m grateful to [Lovely] and [Kvigne] for stepping into such crucial interim roles that impact how well the entire campus functions every day.”
Lovely will have interim responsibility for budget and institutional analysis, finance, university resources, human resources and administrative IT as well as business transformation. Kvigne will have interim responsibility for campus planning, design and construction management, facilities, safety services, the campus police and fire departments as well as animal care.
“It’s an opportunity to serve is what it boils down to,” Kvigne said. “FOA is a complex organization within a complex enterprise. I think [Ratliff’s] left some pretty big shoes. And I think that’s reflected in the interim role being divided between [Lovely] and I. I do very much look forward to and appreciate the opportunity to serve the university in another role.”
Lovely echoed this sentiment.
“Without a doubt, her departure from the university will be felt,” Lovely said. “She has been a very dedicated and committed leader that has been a steady influence over the university and only made it better during all the time that I’ve known her, and I’ve been here since 2018. She’ll be very missed, but I am honored to have worked with her and to have known her.”
Written by: Jennifer Ma — campus@theaggie.org
