Kathleen Patrocinio, finance and business manager of the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), retired on July 1. Patrocinio has worked extensively in business, financial and policy administration at UC. She joined UC SAREP in 2017 when the program was located at the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis and moved with UC SAREP to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources in 2020. 

Patrocinio started her university career in 1990 as assistant to the director and manager of administrative support services in hospital administration at the UC Davis Health System. In this role, she managed the chief executive officer's correspondence and a team responsible for writing and maintaining hospital policies and procedures. She later held business administration positions in the UC Davis Health System's Design & Construction department and the Cancer Center. 

At UC Davis, Patrocinio managed proposals and grants at the Office of Research and worked as assistant director and business manager in University Relations. Continuing to provide high-level financial administration, she served as budget and finance director at the School of Education and Financial Services Unit head at the UC Davis Library. In her work in the Physics and Astronomy Department, she managed multimillion-dollar research proposals, grants and special projects.

“I've had the unique and fulfilling experience of serving in acting assistant dean and executive director positions on several occasions,” Patrocinio said.

Patrocinio also served on campus committees to develop and implement financial system transitions from historical systems to the Kuali Financial System. She was also involved with personnel and payroll system transitions as well as creating and presenting user training.

Working for the university, she has enjoyed “the opportunity to meet and work with such a diverse group of many talented people over 32 years at UC and getting to know the organization from so many different perspectives. You might say that this vantage point was from a 360-degree perspective, having worked in academic, professional degree, administrative and centralized support departments on both executive and departmental staffs.”

“Most significantly fulfilling has been the privilege of mentoring others, seeing them grow professionally and achieve some amazing career successes,” Patrocinio said.

As UC SAREP finance and business manager, Patrocinio was recently awarded a Staff Appreciation and Recognition (STAR) Award for her sustained, exceptional performance and organizational success. “Kathleen has been the glue that has held our program together for the last three years as we have experienced disruptions in our operations due to the pandemic, an administrative and physical move, and multiple personnel changes,” said Sonja Brodt, UC SAREP associate director. “Her utmost professionalism, extensive UC network and knowledge base from over 30 years of working at the university and her own very high standards for her work have all made a big difference in helping SAREP navigate through numerous uncertainties.”

In retirement, Patrocinio is looking forward to traveling to a large three-day family reunion in Hawaii later this year, volunteering and spending time on some long-overdue home and garden projects.