Andrea Alonzo connects her passion for architecture and supporting her community as a project manager at UC Davis Design and Construction Management.
Before transitioning to her current role, Alonzo spent many years in the private sector where she found a way to give back to her community — working on education projects.
“Designing for the education sector is designing for the future of our kids,” Alonzo said, “ I have kids myself so it is something really important to me.”
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.
With more than 60 active projects — each with its own complicated set of moving parts — it’s hard for Eric Paulantonio, director of Special Projects at Design and Construction Management, to describe any day as typical.
Starting before project initiation and extending to grand openings and beyond, Reed Kawahara is instrumental in bringing high-impact projects like The Green at West Village, Orchard Park and Aggie Square to life in his role as Director of Public-Private Partnerships within Real Estate Services at Design and Construction Management. A Public-Private Partnership, or P3, is a collaborative agreement between a public institution like UC Davis and private developers or investors.
Long before an exciting new building breaks ground or a renovation project launches on campus, Lorin Torbitt can be found “knee deep in a spreadsheet,” planning, analyzing, and reporting on potential future projects in her role as associate director of Capital Planning.
Eric O’Brien’s new position as director of Sustainability at UC Davis is just the latest chapter in his lifelong story of commitment to sustainability.
“A career in sustainability involves wearing a lot of hats,” according to Carla Fresquez, engagement program manager in UC Davis Sustainability, “including progressing UC Davis and the larger University of California sustainability goals surrounding decarbonization and climate resiliency.”
If you happen to glance up when you enter the large atrium in the Student Community Center, you’ll notice large skylights of different shades of blues and greens adding color to the space — part of Jenny Fortuna’s vibrant mark on campus. Fortuna works as a Interiors and Furniture Services project manager at Design and Construction Management, a position she came to after 13 years at UC Davis Design Services. Through her work in both units, Fortuna has been dedicated to bringing fun to projects she works on.
Knowing the ins-and-outs of campus — like what exciting new facilities are on the horizon long before a grand opening — is one of the things Leslie Carbahal likes best in her role as director of Capital Planning at Design and Construction Management.
Solving the “city-scale” infrastructure problems UC Davis faces is no easy task, but it’s just the kind of challenge Courtney Doss enjoys facing in her role as associate campus engineer at Design and Construction Management.
