Principle Spotlight: You Are Important
Providing action and intentionality to our shared Principles. Welcome to a monthly series where each month the Workplace Inclusion and Belonging unit spins the dial and spotlights one of UC ANR Principles of Community and turns intention into action.
Join in the unpacking of a new principle every month, learn practical ways to incorporate these values into our daily work, and read highlighted stories of ANR colleagues making a difference. Whether you’re looking to enrich your experience, build inclusive connections, or simply start your month with purpose, you’ll find motivation and achievable ideas right here.
Let’s move beyond words and create a more vibrant, respectful, and welcoming UC ANR community—one principle, and one action, at a time.
You Are Important
We recognize that every person at UC ANR is integral to our work, shaping and guiding how we partner with and improve lives within every community across California.
"Mother Earth is our first teacher. She has informed us that oneness does not equal sameness. She shows us this through the harmonious balance that is held in the rich biodiversity that exists within our world. To achieve oneness, we must transcend our differences and embrace the integration of every individual aspect of humanity into the whole, knowing that all healthy systems are comprised of complexity and an abundance of diversity.” ― Sherri Mitchell Weh'na Ha'mu Kwasset, Native American attorney, indigenous rights activist, environmental justice advocate, and spiritual change leader
Actions in the Workplace
- Give kudos to team members (ex, high-fives, gratitude post-it notes, email thanks, etc.)
- Celebrate each other on your team and those you work with, personal and professional celebrations
- Inclusive invitations for coffee, walks, lunch etc.
- Star & Spot Awards
People Highlight
NH Matteo M. Garbelotto-Benzon, PHD will be representing the University of California as an Olympic Torch Bearer on January 28 in his native Italy, specifically Canazei, Fassa Valley, in the Trentino (Tirol) region. This year, he will share the honor with his service dog, Saba, a Nova Scotia mix. Saba will be honored as the first Service Dog of a self-functional person with a mobility disability to carry the Olympic Torch. Garbelotto shared that he thinks being a forestry specialist with the University of California played a role in his selection by the Olympic committee. Within UC ANR, he is well-known for his research with David Rizzo about 25 years ago identifying the pathogen that causes sudden oak death, and his continued work with local communities to educate property owners, arborists, and the general public on preventive measures to help slow the disease and protect our oak trees.