Celebrating BCC Retirees and Wishing Well to Colleagues Moving to New Positions

On Wednesday, June 12, Berkeley City College celebrated the careers of Vice President of Instruction Kuni Hay, Vice President of Administrative Services Sean Brooks, and Biology instructor Pieter de Haan. Over 50 BCC employees and special guests, Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson, and Merritt College Vice President of Instruction Lisa Cook, filled the BCC conference room to laugh, share stories, enjoy food, and sing karaoke in commemoration of the great contributions of VP Hay, VP Brooks, and Dr. de Haan to the BCC community. President Denise Richardson presented service awards to each of the honorees and opened the floor to colleagues to share their warm memories and humor with all in attendance.

“Thank you to all who were present to celebrate Kuni, Sean, and Pieter. Because of all of you, it was a great success! Special thanks to Francine Lewis and Sylvia Espinoza for setting up the room so beautifully, to Joe Bay for his expert AV support, and to VP Stacey Shears for her assistance with logistics and coordinating our karaoke fun,” said President Richardson. “Chancellor, your positive energy and support are boundless and we so appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us today. VPI Cook, your profound impact on BCC lives on, and it was special a treat to have you with us as well. Kuni, Sean, and Pieter felt the love and appreciation, and it was great being in community with all of you.”

BCC Faculty Tomas Moniz’s Novel All Friends Are Necessary Receives National Recognition

English faculty Tomas Moniz’s new novel All Friends Are Necessary was featured as People’s Book of the Week in the June 17 edition of the weekly magazine - congratulations Tomas!

The excerpt reads: “How do you recraft a life after grief? When bisexual Efren “Chino” Flores loses his baby and his marriage, he leaves Seattle for San Francisco, drowning in sorrow and desperate to recover. With a little help from his friends and his community, he slowly realizes all the good that still remains for him, from books and music to new sexual adventures and becoming part of a surprising new family. Not only absolutely irresistible but unforgettably profound.”

Tomas kicked off a book tour on Thursday, June 13 at Doña Restaurant. He has added more dates to the tour, including 3 more dates in the Bay Area (Tuesday, June 16 at the Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch Library, Berkeley – Tuesday, July 23 at Books Inc., Alameda – Saturday, August 17 at the Hayward Public Library. Please show your support and follow Tomas on Instagram @tomas_should_be_writing for more updates!

Welcoming BCC’s New Executive Assistant to the President, Annie Liu

Please join in welcoming Annie Liu, Berkeley City College’s new Executive Assistant to the President. Annie will be working closely with the President’s Office team to facilitate efficient operations and to support initiatives that advance our college programs and services.

For nearly five years, Annie has worked for PCCD’s Office of International Education where she was an International Student Support Specialist in the Marketing & Recruitment area. While her main role was to recruit overseas students and cultivate business development, a significant portion of her work was related to office management, supporting students, and triaging all incoming requests. Prior to coming to Peralta, Annie held positions as a student ambassador, an academic coordinator, and a program director.

Annie holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies and a master’s degree in Asia Pacific Studies, both from the University of San Francisco. During the pandemic, she furthered her education by earning a Real Estate AA degree from Merritt College. She then went on to get her California real estate salesperson license and has since launched a real estate consultation company. Annie shares that her lifelong passion for learning and self-improvement is a cornerstone of her professional identity.

Fortunately for BCC, Annie is also passionate about working to create transformative changes that have a significant and positive impact on students’ lives.