Leadership Update - Government & Community Relations
Dear Colleagues, We write to announce the retirement of Chris Treadway, Assistant Chancellor for Government and Community Relations, who is concluding an extraordinary career in public service and higher education spanning nearly four decades. We have deep appreciation and gratitude for all that Chris has done for UC Berkeley. She will remain in her role until July 1, 2026. Chris has served Berkeley with distinction for over 21 years, including the past decade as Assistant Chancellor. In this role, she has been a trusted advisor to campus leadership and a strong advocate for the university at the local, state, and federal levels. Her leadership has strengthened Berkeley’s relationships with government partners and surrounding communities, ensuring that the university’s mission of teaching, research, and public service is well understood and supported. A Legacy of Advocacy and Impact Chris joined Berkeley in 2005 as Director of State Government Relations, later serving as assistant vice chancellor before assuming her current role in 2014. Throughout her tenure, she has navigated complex policy landscapes, advanced critical funding priorities, and helped guide the campus through periods of significant change, all with integrity, insight, and a collaborative spirit. Her leadership was instrumental in the passage of legislation critical to our campus infrastructure, such as the People’s Park student housing project. She also served as a vital protector of university interests, successfully advocating against policy changes that would have adversely affected admissions, college athletics, and campus operations. Her advocacy secured hundreds of millions of dollars for transformative capital projects—such as the Energy Biosciences Building (EBI), Campbell Hall, and the Clean Energy Project—and bolstered federal investments in research areas ranging from climate science and biotechnology to earthquake early-warning systems. Building Bridges Beyond Sacramento and D.C., Chris and her team transformed our "Town-Gown" relations. Her tenure saw historic agreements with the City of Berkeley and the local business community, fostering a spirit of partnership that will benefit the campus for years to come. She expertly fostered and sustained vital partnerships with members of the Board of Regents, securing the high-level advocacy and institutional support necessary to advance Berkeley’s most critical priorities. In recent years, she also took on the vital responsibility of overseeing the university’s compliance with NAGPRA, guiding the sensitive work of repatriating Native American ancestors and their belongings. Under Chris’s leadership, the NAGPRA staff have made a great deal of progress, with nearly 80% of ancestors repatriated or pending repatriation, and the remaining 20% are under active consultation with tribes. A Career of Public Service Prior to her time at Berkeley, Chris spent over a decade as Executive Director of Government and Community Relations at San Francisco State University, where she built a strong foundation for university-government engagement. Her deep understanding of policy was forged on Capitol Hill, where she served for six years in key legislative roles for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce and for Representative Pat Williams. Chris’s impact extends beyond her function. She is widely respected for her thought leadership, political advice, institutional knowledge, and unwavering dedication to the public mission of higher education. Her ability to build trust, foster partnerships, and advocate effectively on behalf of the university has left a lasting mark on Berkeley and the broader community. The search for Chris’s successor will begin immediately. In the interim, Gina Daly will serve as acting Associate Vice Chancellor for Government and Community Relations. More information about the transition will be forthcoming. Please join us in congratulating Chris on her well-earned retirement and thanking her for her remarkable service. Sincerely, Benjamin E. Hermalin |
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