Staff Profile: Christine Vargas
Whether learning about gigantic strawberries or the intricacies of dog cataract surgery, Christine Vargas’ favorite part of her role as project manager at UC Davis Design and Construction Management is discovering “all the little interesting things” that happen on campus.
Vargas' path to becoming a project manager can be traced back to her childhood love of drawing buildings, which led her to completing her architecture degree at UC Berkeley.
“I felt like architecture really melded my artistic side with my analytical side,” Vargas said.
After graduating, Vargas worked at a San Francisco architectural firm that specialized in affordable housing, assisted senior living facilities and similar projects.
“It was special and really rewarding working there,” Vargas said. “It felt like home.”
After ten years at the firm, Vargas “took a few years off” to raise her twin sons before resuming her career at UC Davis in 2012. Vargas started at DCM as an engineering analyst before becoming a project manager for Major Capital Projects.
As project manager, Vargas “wears many hats,” administering contracts, working with vendors and contractors and coordinating with a wide variety of stakeholders.
“We consider the whole campus to be our clients,” Vargas said. “We work with Campus Planning, with Utilities, Grounds, the Arboretum and Public Garden and Facilities to make sure everyone is coordinated and has a chance to provide their input.”
Utilizing this approach, Vargas recently helped bring to life the All Species Imaging Center at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The new center is a cutting-edge diagnostic imaging facility, able to scan a wide variety of animals from lizards to longhorn steer.
“It’s been really exciting seeing this project through from commissioning to it being operational, especially knowing the impact it will have on helping animals” Vargas said.
When Vargas isn’t working to facilitate exciting and impactful new projects on campus, she enjoys hiking and traveling around the country and the world with her family.