An Event to Remember: The 2024 UC Tech Annual Conference Comes to a Successful Close
That’s a wrap for the 2024 UC Tech Annual Conference, which happened on October 27-29 at UC Davis and UC Davis Health! It was an unforgettable event, featuring dynamic sessions, exciting activities, and delicious food. Colleagues came together to celebrate collaboration for transformation, uniting their expertise to pave way for a successful future in higher education and health.
UC Tech 2024 Highlights
It was wonderful to see the amount of energy and enthusiasm (and love for the flocks of turkey) on our campuses! Here are a few highlights from the conference program:
2 Keynote Addresses
UC Davis faculty, Raissa D’Souza and Martin Hilbert, highlighted the impact of artificial intelligence in our rapidly evolving technological landscape.
3 Panels
Panelists included leaders from across the UC, bringing together Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), and accessibility advocates to share their insights on different facets of IT in higher education.
2 Spotlight Talks
The Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Data at UC Irvine, Tom Andriola, and design thinking consultant at UC Davis Health, Kate McLoughlin, focused on transforming our roles and services to pave a better future forward.
800+ Attendees
Colleagues from 10 UC campuses gathered at the UC Davis and UC Davis Health for three days of laughter and learning. They reunited with old friends and made new ones as well.
160+ Presenters
Presentations, poster sessions, and birds of a feather meetings covered a wide range of topics, from communications to user experience, infrastructure to research computing, and much more.
17 UC Tech Award Winners
Six individuals and 11 teams from various UC campuses were recognized for their technological innovations to advance the UC’s mission.
18 Vendor Sponsors
Our Diamond sponsor (AWS), Platinum sponsors (CDW, Gartner, and Huron), and Gold sponsors showcased their latest products and services. Attendees also got to enter a vendor raffle for prizes up to $300 in value!
Passing the Buck to UC Riverside
The final day of the conference concluded on a sunny yet brisk afternoon with the annual Pass the Buck ceremony.
The UC Tech 2024 managing sponsors – Sarah Robertson, Iris Chelaru, Anita Nichols, Daniel Canuela, and Carol Mitchell – passed the buck (an actual dollar) to UC Riverside’s representatives, Chief Information Officer Matthew Gunkel and Azra Ayers, with well wishes for their conference planning.
We can all look forward to next year’s UC Tech Annual Conference, coming in June 2025!
Shout Out to Everyone Involved
Huge kudos to our Planning Committees and 70 volunteers for their dedication over the past year and during the three days of the conference. This event couldn’t have been a success without you, and we are incredibly grateful for your effort.
We’d also like to shout out the many other helping hands that made this conference a reality: the UC Tech Ambassadors, vendor sponsors, keynote speakers, spotlight talks, panels, and session speakers!
Thank you to everyone who joined us at this year’s conference! If you attended, please share your feedback by completing our survey below.
Why should YOU attend UC Tech?
This year's conference served as a powerful reminder of why we gather — to foster meaningful connections and learn from our peers. It's the diverse relationships and collaborative spirit that make UC Tech so special, and we're proud to have hosted our campuses for this growth and innovation.
Whether you're a seasoned tech expert or simply curious about IT, UC Tech offers a welcome environment to all UC staff and faculty. Here are just a few reasons to attend future UC Tech annual conferences:
- Build your network by connecting with professional IT colleagues from across the UC system.
- Discover how other campuses are addressing tech issues and implementing innovative solutions.
- Gain insights from sessions focused on current and emerging technologies and strategies relevant to your field.
- Explore inspiring success stories and learn from real-world achievements.
- Connect with a community of like-minded individuals eager to share knowledge and ideas.
Start by joining the UC Tech Slack to get involved with fellow UC IT colleagues, and get excited about UC Tech 2025 hosted by UC Riverside!
Don't take our word for it... Read what 2024 attendees have to say about UC Tech:
"The conference was GREAT! Super well-organized, delicious food, lovely setting - Gateway District was PERFECT. Great range of topics in the presentations."
- Margaret Merrill, Senior Instructional Design Consultant, UC Davis
"It was a safe environment where I could do my first major conference presentation ever, and gave me chances to make connections with people outside of my bubble."
- Andrea McColl, Senior Information Security Analyst, UCLA Health
"It was great to have informal chats with different IT leaders to help me understand key aspects of their work and how it relates to certain projects I am working on."
- Hilary Steinman, Strategic Sourcing, UCOP
"There were many sessions where I got to learn how other campuses are approaching the same problems my campus faces."
- Jeremy Phillips, Executive Director of IT, UC Davis