The award recognizes staff who have demonstrated exemplary service within UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences
Citlalli Chávez-Nava
Staff from UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences were honored at the third annual Thomas E. Lifka Staff Appreciation Luncheon and Awards Ceremony held on May 27 at UCLA’s Luskin Conference Center.
The Thomas E. Lifka Staff Excellence Award —the first award of its kind in the division — recognizes staff who have demonstrated exemplary service during the previous academic year or who have established a distinguished career of service within the division. Nearly 100 staff members representing the division’s 19 departments and research centers were in attendance at this year’s luncheon hosted by Abel Valenzuela Jr., dean of UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences.
“You are the people who really know how the university runs,” said Valenzuela during his opening remarks at the event. “Throughout my career here at UCLA, for 30 plus years, I’ve had a fair amount of engagement, interactions, and I hold a lot of respect for the work that you all do.”
Nominating faculty and staff also delivered heartfelt speeches highlighting the outstanding contributions of the award winners to their departments and presented them with certificates.
Named after Thomas E. Lifka, who joined UCLA in 1982 as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Academic Services, the award honors his administrative legacy on campus. During his 29-year career at UCLA, Lifka oversaw admissions, financial aid, loan services, the registrar’s office and the career center and international student services. A campus leader and proud gay man, Lifka was an early contributor to UCLA’s efforts to increase enrollment from underserved communities and was also a vocal supporter of the establishment of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center.
In 2023, Dean Valenzuela honored Lifka by creating the award and naming him its first recipient. Lifka then partnered with Valenzuela to endow the award bearing his name to recognize non-academic staff in the UCLA Division of Social Sciences at an annual celebration.
This year, four staff members received the Thomas E. Lifka Staff Excellence Award. Below is the list of winners presented in two different categories: Excellence in Administrative Leadership (2 awards) and Excellence in Staff Performance (2 awards).
Thomas E. Lifka Staff Excellence Award – Excellence in Administrative Leadership
This award honors exceptional Management Services Officers (MSOs) and Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) within UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences.
Ann Major, Chief Administrative Officer, UCLA Department of History
Ann Major has been an incredible force in advancing her department’s continued academic, financial, and operational success. In the last four years, due to various staff transitions, Major served as interim chief administrative officer and as a communications and operations manager in addition to sustaining the duties of her own role. Some of her accomplishments included developing a weekly newsletter to improve departmental communications and creating an Emeriti Lounge for retired faculty who have left their offices. She has prioritized growing the department’s social media presence and public outreach capacities.
Excerpt from remarks delivered by Kevin Terraciano, Robert N. Burr Endowed Department Chair and Professor of History.
“Ann has approached the role just like she has all the other roles at UCLA that she’s performed in the last 11 years — she’s very dedicated, she takes it seriously, she’s very professional, she’s very courteous, she’s very personable…[and] she always remembers everyone’s birthdays. We go out for staff retreats — she really cares about the staff and about our department, clearly. And because of that we’re all so very grateful.”
Remarks from Ann Major upon receiving notification of recognition:
“Working in the history department has been a wonderful second career for me. I came to UCLA to finish my B.A. following a successful career as a costume designer, and thought it was an environment I would like to work in…I believe in the power of public higher education to change lives. Leading and supporting my team during the past few challenging years and working closely with our faculty to support their contributions is my way of giving back.”
Stephanie Jeffers, Chief Administrative Officer, UCLA Department of Political Science
Stephanie Jeffers is an exceptional, dedicated staff member who has made the department of political science her vocation bringing professionalism, wisdom, experience and empathy to every decision she makes as a leader. Jeffers is committed to fostering a positive, inclusive workplace that allows staff members to feel supported, motivated and empowered to perform at their highest level. Jeffers also excels in recruitment and talent management and advances exceptional financial and resource stewardship.
Excerpt from remarks delivered by Davide Panagia, Department Chair and Professor of UCLA Political Science.
“When I think about Stephanie, I think how much she is an institutional bedrock for our department and for the institution of political science at UCLA in every respect…her greatest flaw is her compassion. I don’t think [compassion] is a word we use very often in our hallways, given the metrics of success that we do have, and that we tend to ignore the very important emotional lives that make all those excellences possible — and so compassion, which literally means to feel with — is Stephanie’s way of providing the foundations of our department. Stephanie feels with, and cares with and for us, and for the things that faculty and students and other staff individually care about.”
Remarks from Stephanie Jeffers upon receiving notification of recognition:
“Every day, I strive to serve the wonderful students, staff, and faculty in Political Science because I genuinely love both my department and my role within it. I’m incredibly grateful for the amazing colleagues I work alongside and for the unique experiences, perspectives, and ideas they bring to our department every day.”
Thomas E. Lifka Staff Excellence Award – Excellence in Staff Performance
This award honors exceptional Social Sciences division staff members (non-MSOs/CAOs). This award is open to various staff positions including program and event specialists, office managers, fund managers, communications specialists, staff analysts, student affairs officers, payroll specialists, and IT coordinators, among others.
Charles Kim, Personnel and Payroll Manager, UCLA Social Sciences Grant Support
Charles Kim is a trusted resource on matters related to human resources and UCPath, known for his deep institutional knowledge and willingness to train new staff members joining departments of the division. Kim regularly develops training materials including written instructional guides, documents, charts and short instructional videos to improve departmental workflows, streamline complicated processes and to preserve institutional knowledge.
Remarks from Caleb “Q” Na, Associate Dean of Finance and Administration, on behalf of Jenny Huynh, Chief Contracts and Grants Officer CAO of Social Sciences Grant Support:
“The team at Social Sciences Grant Support is tremendously grateful for Charles’s expertise and wisdom, thanks to him, the payroll ledgers, and weekly UCPath emails are less intimidating to look at. Charles is our sanity check, and always one call away from helping us digest cryptic emails. With his support, the fund management team has become more knowledgeable about navigating UCPath challenges, and can confidently prepare payroll projections for our faculty. Within these last couple of years, he’s also extended his time and training to support some of the other departments in our division who are facing staffing shortages. We’re incredibly thankful for Charles’ willingness to help, and his 25 plus years of service within the Division of Social Sciences.”
Remarks from Charles Kim upon receiving notification of recognition:
“For the past 25 years, I have been with one department —Social Sciences Grant Support. For most of these years, I have been fortunate to have worked with dedicated colleagues and supportive management and leadership. My motivation comes from working alongside these excellent people. People around me have demonstrated consistent excellence, and I strive to do the same.”
Myrna Dee Kikuchi, Undergraduate Student Advisor, UCLA Department of Anthropology
Myrna Dee Kikuchi is a rigorous, highly-organized, detail-oriented leader who provides excellent guidance to both student and faculty alike to keep her department running smoothly. Her exceptional traits particularly shine through in her work on academic course planning and commencement preparation. Thanks to Kikuchi’s vision, her department’s commencement ceremony becomes a special, memorable experience for graduating students and their families.
Excerpt from remarks delivered by Laurie Kain Hart, Department Chair and Professor of UCLA Anthropology & Co-Director of Center for European and Russian Studies.
“Myrna Dee’s deep understanding of our academic program has been critical to the success of our students. She has a broad vision of everything we do in the department, the whole apparatus. She is the one who catches errors in our spreadsheets, resolves challenges before they become big problems, and draws on past lessons to guide our current and future planning. She’s rigorous, vigilant, and a perfectionist in her work, and an archivist of what we’ve done, and a visionary for what we can do, always encouraging us to have a little more imagination, Myrna Dee’s compassion and care for the situation of every single student enables them to build a strong academic program, and to plan their majors and minors and graduate on time.”
Remarks from Myrna Dee Kikuchi upon receiving notification of recognition:
“The students who come through our Anthropology department inspire me to strive for excellence in my role as Undergraduate Advisor. Knowing that they view me as a helpful and reliable resource as they navigate their academic requirements and the broader complexities of college life and adulthood, makes me really want to show up for them in a positive and productive way. I am also deeply inspired by the undergraduate advising community here at UCLA — the remarkable level of collaboration and support within this incredible network inspires me to contribute my best, fostering collective success and well-being for ourselves and our students.”
View photos from the 2026 Thomas E. Lifka Staff Appreciation Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, here.
Learn more about the Thomas E. Lifka Award, here.
Learn more about Thomas E. Lifka’s philanthropic contributions to UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences, here.