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Alumni Awards: Honoring 4 嘿嘿视频 Stars

The Cal Aggie Alumni Association, or CAAA, of the University of California, Davis, today (Feb. 23) announced the recipients of its 48th annual Alumni Awards:

THE RECIPIENTS

  • Prem Jain, M.S. 鈥77
  • Scot Marciel 鈥81
  • Kimberly A. Dodd, Ph.D. 鈥14, D.V.M. 鈥15
  • Caroline Flores Cabias 鈥72

Prem Jain, a tech entrepreneur; Scot Marciel, a career Foreign Service officer; Kimberly A. Dodd, a federal veterinary official; and Caroline Flores Cabias, whose public service includes a career in state government and advocacy for disadvantaged students.

They have more in common than their alma mater: They are stars in their fields who are dedicated to improving the lives of others, profoundly impacting the university and the world.

The awards presentation, 鈥淎 Night at the Aggies,鈥 will be virtual, Friday, May 7. All alumni and community members are invited to attend, free of charge. CAAA will announce at a later date how people can watch the online event.

Here are the award winners:

Distinguished Achievement Award

Prem Jain headshot
Jain

Prem Jain, M.S. 鈥77, of Fremont 鈥 This Silicon Valley entrepreneur  has contributed significantly to his profession in disruptive innovation and to 嘿嘿视频. He attributes much of his success to the mentorship, education and opportunities he received during his graduate studies.

Jain spent 23 years with Cisco Systems, launched five successful startups and most recently co-founded a cloud and enterprise data center startup, Pensando Systems, where he serves as CEO. Last year Pensando earned the No. 4 spot on Business Insider鈥檚 list of 鈥淓nterprise Startups to Bet Your Career On.鈥 

He has contributed his industry knowledge and experience while serving on the College of Engineering鈥檚 Computer Science Advisory Board, advised students on entrepreneurship, brought his recruitment team to 嘿嘿视频 and mentored fellow Aggies. He is a member of the Chancellor鈥檚 Board of Advisors.

In 2018, Jain and his family established the Prem Chand Jain Family Presidential Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering by committing a $1.5 million gift to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among 嘿嘿视频 undergraduate and graduate students. 

Emil M. Mrak International Award

Scot Marciel headshot
Marciel

Scot Marciel 鈥81, of Fremont 鈥 Scot Marciel鈥檚 work in public service began during his time at 嘿嘿视频, where he majored in international relations, and grew into a career in the Foreign Service, where he has tackled some of the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges over the last 36 years.

He served as ambassador to Indonesia and Myanmar, and before that as deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, during which time he also served as the first U.S. ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He was the driving force behind the renewed U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership.

Throughout his international endeavors, Marciel has remained connected to 嘿嘿视频 by using his platform as an ambassador to support 嘿嘿视频 faculty in advancing their research. He has also welcomed meetings with senior university administrators to strengthen 嘿嘿视频鈥 connections in Indonesia and Myanmar.

Marciel takes a holistic approach to addressing the most critical issues faced by the world and embraces the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion to sustain a culture of mutual respect.

Young Alumna Award

Kimberly A. Dodd headshot
Dodd

Kimberly A. Dodd, Ph.D. 鈥14, D.V.M. 鈥15, of Old Lyme, Connecticut 鈥 A veterinarian and virologist, she became the director of the National Veterinary Services Laboratories鈥 Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory less than three years after graduating from the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dodd safeguards animal health in the United States and is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the diagnosis and response to high-consequence animal diseases. She is the first member of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to be appointed to the Senior Science and Technology Service by the secretary of agriculture.

She maintains her 嘿嘿视频 ties through collaborations with the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory and the One Health Institute. She champions efforts to develop the next generation of scientists; in addition to establishing a national training program for graduate and veterinary students, she serves as an invited reviewer for graduate research fellowships. 

Dodd is an accomplished scientist with strategic leadership qualities that were quickly recognized by national organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she has made significant contributions to animal and public health.

Aggie Service Award

Caroline Flores Cabias headshot
Cabias

Caroline Flores Cabias 鈥72, of Sacramento 鈥 A longtime supporter of 嘿嘿视频 and the Latinx community, she has established two endowments to support student scholarships and improve educational access opportunities.

Cabias held several management and leadership positions in California state government as a career executive appointee, retiring from the Board of Equalization where she served as chief financial officer, managing the board鈥檚 $500 million operating budget. She was a founding member of CAFE de California, the largest Latino employee advocacy association in state government.

She is co-chair of the Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association and a former member of the CAAA Board of Directors. She serves on the 嘿嘿视频 Foundation Board and the advisory board of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

She also serves as co-chair of the C茅sar Ch谩vez Youth Leadership Conference, held annually at 嘿嘿视频, bringing in approximately 2,000 students, parents and community leaders every year. Cabias works to ensure that all students, regardless of background, have an equal educational opportunity, and to break the cycle of poverty 鈥 values that reflect 嘿嘿视频鈥 commitment to elevate diversity, equity and inclusion across the university. 

Cabias is a board member of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a co-founder of the Latino Economic Council of Sacramento.

Media Resources

Betsy Towner Levine, Development and Alumni Relations, 530-752-9693, etlevine@ucdavis.edu

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