On June 20 One IT hosted their annual picnic at UC Berkeley’s Faculty Club Glade. One IT is a diverse community comprising UC Berkeley’s many IT organizations, including tech, data, and design enthusiasts. Read about the history, planning, and experience behind the picnic and exclusive insights from outgoing interim CIO Gabriel Gonzalez and new CIO Tracy Schroeder. I am Megan Sacyat, Communications Assistant with Berkeley IT, and this is my experience attending the One IT picnic for the first time as a remote student worker. View photos I took at the picnic.
History of the One IT Picnic
One IT Program Manager Casey Hennig collaborated with Margarita Zeglin, executive assistant to the CIO, to plan and organize the picnic. I spoke with Casey and was surprised to learn that the picnic is a fairly new tradition. The first picnic was held in 2022.
Casey spoke about the history and planning behind the picnic, “Originally we had a staff appreciation party that was on the cusp of the new year. Then, during the pandemic, we didn’t have any in-person meetings. When the pandemic started to clear we decided to switch it up and have a picnic, because the outdoor nature is a lot more conducive for getting people together. We just wanted to provide an opportunity to come together in a social setting, not around any particular topic.It’s also an opportunity to celebrate those retiring at the end of the fiscal year.
Hennig explained, “We really liked this location [Faculty Club Glade] so we book it every year. We try to find a date in late June and be mindful of everyone’s travel schedule. By holding these events, we try to encourage folks to try to meet people they don’t normally talk to, cause it’s easy to get stuck in your silos. We’re exploring opportunities for additional components to the picnic next year. Maybe a day of socializing and then having a set time to celebrate the work that’s being done across the One IT community. I’m excited to see how the One IT picnic will evolve over the future years and become a culmination of One IT’s hard work throughout the years.”
A Few Words From Outgoing CIO, Gabriel Gonzalez
This year, the One IT Picnic took place during a transitional time. Interim CIO Gabriel Gonzalez was leaving his position (effective June 14), and Tracy Schroeder was beginning her role as CIO (effective June 17). I had the chance to chat with Gabriel and ask him what he’d miss about working in Berkeley IT. “It’s the people, really. That sounds like a basic answer, but people in bIT were incredibly supportive of me coming into this role. They helped me learn the ropes and bore with me when I asked basic questions. That support from day one was helpful and I’ll miss working with them on a daily basis.”
Working a new position opens the opportunity for self-discovery, whether you’re a workplace veteran or just starting your professional career. I asked Gabriel what he learned about himself working as interim CIO: “You have to take care of yourself - your mind, your body, your sleep, and your exercise. Doing a good job isn’t about working yourself to death; it’s easy to overwork yourself when you’re bombarded with problems, so you really must take care of yourself and be present for not just work, but for your family and kids as well. Things work out when you balance them.”
Gabriel shared what he’s excited about in the future, as he prepares to step back into his role of CIO at Berkeley Law, “To see Berkeley IT get new leadership from Tracy [Schroeder]! She’s energized to do big things, so I really want to see that from a campus standpoint. Berkeley Law is also going through some interesting transitions, so I’m excited to go back and tackle some new challenges.”
With so much Berkeley experience under his belt, I asked if Gabriel had any advice for Tracy. He said, “This campus is an incredibly distributed place. It’s hard for one person to know everything about the entire campus, so you can’t assume that anyone you meet is gonna know what you do, or what your department does, or that you understand how a department works. Always go in ready to teach people what you do, or to learn about what they do.”
Finally, I asked if Gabriel had any parting words for Berkeley IT before he returned to Berkeley Law.
“Thank you, and even though it’s not always obvious, the campus relies on all of Berkeley IT to do everything they do: research, teaching, and public service. You are a part of that, even if you’re not always aware of it on a daily basis. Berkeley IT is an integral part of that vision.”
Welcome Tracy, Our New CIO
Jeané Blunt, bIT Communications Specialist (and my supervisor), introduced me to Tracy Schroeder, our new CIO. I asked Tracy what she most looked forward to in joining Berkeley IT, she replied, “To supporting all of the people who are a part of Berkeley IT, and across One IT, and making a difference for the community. I’m also looking forward to learning a lot over this year about Berkeley IT, One IT, and the Berkeley community.”
Tracy said she was enjoying her time at the picnic, and meeting lots of new folks from One IT. She explained, “I met some people, the food was great, and the cookies were amazing! I could never have enough cookies like that.” Rumor has it the peanut butter cookies have been served at every picnic and are always popular among the community. They’ve consistently run out these past few years! Though Tracy is new to bIT, I asked if anything stood out to her about Berkeley IT’s work culture. She replied, “The friendliness! Everyone has been very welcoming.”
My First One IT Picnic
I was nervous and excited to attend my first One IT event, though I did attend the bIT New Year’s party in January. I observed there were not just people who knew each other, but many who’d never met before. It was a static opportunity to make new connections in different departments while catching up with current ones. One close connection I talked to at the picnic was Finley Golightly, who I’ve had the privilege of interviewing for the One IT Student-to-Staff Series. It was good to see both new and familiar faces under Berkeley’s summer sun, including Student Leadership Program Specialist Amanda Bent, who always goes above and beyond to make student workers, like me, feel welcome and appreciated in their roles.
As a remote worker, I’m always grateful for the opportunity to meet my colleagues beyond the screen and enjoy some good times and great food together! Thank you to Casey, Margarita, and all the volunteers who made this event possible. Thank you Gabriel for all the work you’ve done across Berkeley IT and One IT. And thank you Tracy for sharing your experience, and welcome to Berkeley!
Megan Sacyat is communications assistant for Berkeley IT.