UC Davis' Lina Layiktez Wins CUCSA Alumni Award

We are excited to announce that Lina Layiktez, director of Conference and Event Services, was selected by the CUCSA delegation to receive the CUCSA Alumni Award. With over 32 years of service, Lina is a strong supporter of the UC Davis mission and a strong advocate for the people who make our campus run.

A Voice for Staff at the Highest Levels

As a former CUCSA chair (2017-18) and delegate, Lina was a powerful voice at the regents level. Her advocacy was key in successfully pausing changes to retirement health benefits and she later served on the formal work group to strengthen retiree benefits. Reflecting on her time advocating to the Regents, Lina says:

"It was a chance to make sure the regents heard directly from staff. The university simply doesn’t run without the people doing the day-to-day work behind the scenes."

Building Community at Davis

Lina’s impact at UC Davis includes over 10 years of service to the Staff Assembly, where she enhanced communication between staff and leadership by establishing "Breakfast with the Chancellor." From creating the staff brewing competition and "bakeoffs" to her leadership during the pandemic as operations director for Healthy Davis Together, Lina’s career is defined by teamwork. 

A "Delegate at Heart"

Though her formal term ended years ago, Lina says that "CUCSA has a way of sticking with you, in the best way." While she intentionally stepped back to create space for new leaders, she remains a "delegate at heart," providing "behind-the-scenes guidance" and supporting the UC Davis Staff Assembly.

Please join us in congratulating Lina on this well-deserved recognition of her career-long commitment to the UC community!