UCRAB Board

Board Meetings

The University of California Retirees' Association at Berkeley (UCRAB) Board of Directors meets on the third Tuesday of each month (excluding August and December) at 10:30 am. You are welcome to join them. Because the meeting location varies, please email ucbrc@berkeley.edu if you plan to attend.

Meet the UCRAB Board Members


Barinder Dhillon Flanagan
Barinder serves as a UCRAB Director-At-Large.

Barinder Dhillon Flanagan began her career at UC Berkeley as a Senior Clerk in 1998 and ended her tenure in 2018 as the Associate Chief Information Officer at Haas Business school. Barinder has extensive experience in the functions of Information Technology Management, Human Resources, and Facilities. As a part of her role in high-level leadership, she has excelled with every opportunity presented to serve faculty, staff, and students.

Barinder obtained her project management certification from the Project Management Institute and spearheaded numerous large projects at UC Berkeley. Barinder's career began at Information Systems and Technology, where she implemented a modem-based internet service for students living off-campus.  Next, she worked at Housing and Dining, where she worked on centralizing the IT service desk for all student affairs. Before she retired from Haas School of Business, Barinder worked at Cal 1 Card and Campus Shared Services(IT). At Cal 1 Card, Barinder successfully executed streamlined processes to improve customer service for the entire campus community.

As the deputy director of CSS, she co-implemented Campus Shared Services IT. She received the honor of being selected as the keynote speaker for UC Berkeley's Professional Development Conference in 2012.  Lastly, Barinder ended her tenure as the Associate Chief Information Officer at Haas Business school.

Following retirement, the School of Optometry appointed Barinder to lead the recruiting efforts to establish both a new IT Director and Facilities Director. While working for the School of Optometry, Barinder also served as the Interim Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

David Duer
Dave serves as a UCRAB Director-At-Large.

Dave's 30 year career with the University was focused on development and fund raising programs with the UCB College of Engineering (1987-97), the UCD Health System (medical school and hospital) (1997- 2000), and the UCB University Library (2000-2017).  He is a member of Berkeley’s Centennial Class of 1968.  He has a graduate degree from the University of Southern California. 

Dave served as a volunteer on many community boards and committees, and spent the earlier years of his career directing the Richmond Boys’ Club, Big Brothers of Marin County, and then fund raising for independent schools in San Francisco before coming to Berkeley in 1987.  He is currently the chair of the Richmond Library Commission and a writing coach for middle school students.  He is also a board member of The Faculty Club and the Early Childhood Mental Health Program in Richmond.  He previously served as the District 1 Commissioner for the Contra Costa County Arts & Culture Commission, and as a member of the West Contra Costa Unified School District Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee for school construction bonds.  At Berkeley, he has been a member of the Fund Raising Council, the Campaign Management Team, and the Campanile Centennial Committee, as well as organizing and promoting many public and donor recognition events with current ties with many authors and performers who participated in Cal events.

Marian Gade
Marian Gade serves as Secretary of UCRAB and as one of its representatives on the Retirement Center Advisory Board.

For 35 years, both within the University and through other sources, Marian was a Research Associate with UC President Emeritus Clark Kerr, working with him on a variety of projects, mainly involving studies of college and university governance, finance, and history. She assisted with the research, organization, and editing of his two-volume set of memoirs of his years as Berkeley Chancellor and UC President. For the last two years of her employment, Marian was also Deputy Director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education.

Marian is active both organizationally and playing/singing music with the San Francisco Folk Music Club. She is a 50+ year Girl Scout and a former President of the SF Bay Area Council. She served five years as chair of the Council of University of California Retiree Associations. Marian is a former whitewater kayaker and kayaking trainer. Other long-time and current interests and activities include being a ham radio operator involved in West Contra Costa County emergency preparedness efforts, and she is the grandmother of a 12-year-old girl.

Sue Gettinger
Sue serves as Director At-Large and Events CoordinatorSue worked at Berkeley for 11 years in the College of Chemistry after spending 32 years in the laboratory glassware field. She retired in 2014.

Nancy Johnsen Horton
Nancy serves as Membership Coordinator for UCRAB.


Nancy was hired as a clerk in 1979 to write acknowledgment letters in one of the first Development Offices on campus. A career in the burgeoning field of fundraising began, and Nancy served in successive Annual Giving roles in the Colleges of Engineering, Environmental Design and Chemistry, with a three-year stint as University House Manager, organizing over 300 events a year during the Tien and Berdahl administrations.

From 2000 to 2009 she was one of two Berkeley delegates to the Council of UC Staff Assemblies and contributed to the project that resulted in the establishment of the Staff Advisors to the Regents.

Nancy is a recreational dragon boat racer and enjoys reading, writing, and travel with her husband John, also a UC Berkeley retiree. The Hortons have two Schipperke dogs.

Kurt Libby
Kurt serves as Director At-Large for UCRAB.

Kurt Libby graduated from the University of Minnesota. He has a BA in English and an MS in Management,. Upon graduation, he spent 30 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy. A highlight of his career was a visit by President Clinton while Kurt was serving as Commanding Officer of the Naval Supply Center Oakland. Following the Navy, he spent 5 years as a consultant before coming to UC. Berkeley in 1999. Kurt is a member of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club, a member of the Board of Directors for Pacific Coast Community Services, on the Board of Directors for the Navy Supply Corps National Foundation, and a Trustee for the USS HORNET Museum.

Patti Owen
Patti serves as President of UCRAB and Past Chair of the UC Berkeley Retirement Center Advisory Board.

Patti started working on the Berkeley campus in 1975 while her husband pursued his PhD. Her first position was in the Academic Personnel Office, where she worked for 3 ½ years. She followed her husband to Paris while he did his doctoral research. Upon her return she worked in the Engineering Dean's Office for 10 years and at UC Office of the President for almost 5 years. She returned to campus in 1993 to serve as head of the Academic Personnel Office. At the time of retirement in 2009, she was the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Personnel.

Patti enjoys traveling with her husband, especially to France where she spent her junior year abroad. She is an avid quilter and serves as a volunteer for Stitchin' for Kids. 

Alma Valencia Gross
Alma serves as an UCRAB Director-at-Large.

Alma retired from UCB in 2017 after a 42-year staff career. She has a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from Cal, is on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Faculty Club, and is a Cal Alumni Association member. Her UCB career began at central HR as a clerk. Promotional opportunities led to a science-focused employment recruiter position. She advanced through the HR ranks to a Principal Personnel Analyst and later served as special troubleshooter for campus leaders on highly sensitive campus issues.

Moving from HR, Alma accepted a Chancellor’s Office Project Director position. The role was to independently manage the impact on all non-academic areas from an academic plan to significantly reorganize the campus biological sciences. Ultimately new large integrated biosciences departments and administrations were established, tenured faculty members were realigned, and major science buildings were constructed. While contributing to all areas of the plan, Alma led the final determination of staffing levels and reassignments; and the design and creation of the new administrations. Once her role ended, she was recruited as an advisor to the director of Environment, Health & Safety.

With a chance to use the subject matter of her college degree, Alma moved to EH&S. She joined the management team eventually becoming the Senior EH&S Associate Director. In addition to EH&S administration, she had a variety of technical assignments. Also, she served on many campus committees and task forces, was often asked to serve as a campus management consultant, and was a formal mentor for UCB students and employees. She received numerous distinguished service and management excellence awards.

Retirement has re-energized and expanded her many interests. She supports many organizations that encourage education or improve the human condition. An avid reader and knowledge seeker, she enjoys continuing education, prizes learning local culture through world travel, loves the outdoors, and dabbles in organic vegetable gardening. She and her husband Ron, another UCB retiree and Cal graduate, met as college students.

Valerie Ventre-Hutton
Valerie serves as a UCRAB Member at Large.

Valerie joined U.C. Berkeley in 2002. She made the move from the private sector motivated by Berkeley’s mission and knowing it was an environment where you would always learn and never be bored. 

Throughout her Berkeley career, she has had the privilege to work with numerous campus departments and organizations. She began her UCB career as the Employee Relations Manager in what was then known as Central Human Resources (now People & Culture). She left that central campus role in 2007 when she was given the opportunity to become Human Resources Director for the College of Engineering. In 2014 she was asked to take on a new management challenge and help establish the campus-wide shared services organization. At the time of retirement in June 2020, she was the HR Manager for the region supporting University Extension and Berkeley’s professional schools.

Retirement has given Valerie time to nurture a garden, help friends set up their gardens, improve her marmalade-making skills, and take many more hikes with friends and family around Mt. Diablo. In addition, she has a strong interest in climate and environmental justice policy and legislation, and is involved with several local action groups.

Elise Woods
Elise serves at Treasurer for UCRAB.

Prior to her retirement in 2018, Elise Woods served as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Director of Finance, Business and Operations of the UC Berkeley Libraries. Elise was a strong contributor over the 22 years that she worked in the UC Library starting as an Operations Analyst and progressing to the senior leadership role of CAO.  She was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and was a key decision-maker for administrative and financial matters; implemented administrative and curricular policies and procedures for the 24+ libraries; partnered with academic leaders to develop, model, and implement financial strategic plans; and managed an annual operating budget of approximately $60M. Elise served as a member of the senior leadership team reporting to the University Librarian. Prior to Elise’s move to UC Berkeley Library in 1996, she started her UC career at UCSB as a student loan collections analyst (1980), moving on to UCOP for 12 years as the credit manager for Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), followed by a brief stint in UC Berkeley Human Resources as a senior personnel analyst focused on performance management.

Elise’s 36-year career within the UC system covered a broad range of experience in business administration, strategic planning, training, coaching and mentoring with a strong emphasis on operational efficiency and continuous improvement.   Elise earned her MS in Organizational Psychology from Saint Mary’s College of California and her BS from UC Davis in Human Development.   During her career, she earned a number of certificates ranging from Excellence in Management (2) to Executive Coaching and awards such as distinguished service, achievement and the Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff award.

Elise's vast institutional knowledge of the Library and the University positioned her as the "Go-to-Gal" for questions, policy or as a sounding board for colleagues. Elise keeps her positive attitude and energy at its peak by taking long treks through the East Bay trails occasionally encountering bunnies, deer, wild turkeys, coyotes and always spectacular views