Honoring excellence in leadership
When Jennifer Gerson joined UC Irvine as the social sciences graduate studies director in 2019, she brought with her more than 15 years of service as an ardent advocate for student support and success at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She quickly impressed the hiring committee and her future colleagues not only with her deep expertise in graduate affairs, but also with her warmth, empathy and enthusiasm for building relationships. In the seven years since, whether working with students, faculty or administrative staff, she has continually approached every interaction with genuine curiosity and a commitment to helping others thrive. On June 16, she stood among six outstanding Anteater staff members to be recognized for excellence in leadership, with Gerson’s award specifically spotlighting her competency in well-being support.
“She leads with empathy, intelligence, and integrity,” her staff wrote in their nomination letter. “She embodies well-being support not as a policy, but as a practice. That is leadership, and it deserves recognition.”
Below, Gerson took some time to reflect on what this recognition means to her, and why well-being support – alongside presence, healthy boundaries, equity and acknowledgement – are bedrocks of her award-winning leadership style.
Q: Congratulations on receiving the UCI Staff Assembly Excellence in Leadership Award for Well-Being Support! What does this recognition mean to you personally, and how has your experience as a staff member in the UCI School of Social Sciences shaped your approach to leadership?
A: I am truly honored and grateful to receive this recognition, and I want to sincerely thank my incredible staff, as this award would not have been possible without their unwavering dedication, hard work, and support. Leadership in well-being support is not something I set out to be recognized for; it is simply something I believe is inseparable from being an effective leader. When the people around you are supported, everything else follows.
My years at the UCI School of Social Sciences have been formative. This school is rooted in understanding human behavior and communities, and that lens naturally invites you to be thoughtful about the people right in front of you. Working alongside dedicated staff, faculty, and graduate students has reinforced that a healthy workplace does not happen by accident; it requires intention and a genuine commitment to seeing people as whole human beings, not just the roles they fill. This award affirms that those daily, sometimes quiet efforts are noticed, and that gives me renewed energy to keep showing up that way.
Q: Colleagues often describe strong leaders as people who create environments where others feel supported, valued and empowered. How do you foster a culture of well-being and connection within graduate studies and across the School of Social Sciences?
A: I think culture is built in the small moments as much as the big ones. It is in how you start a meeting, how you respond when someone is overwhelmed, and whether people feel comfortable being honest about what they need. I make a conscious effort to provide a safe space for those moments, rather than letting the demands of the work push them aside.
Within graduate studies, well-being takes on a unique and multifaceted complexity, as the challenges people face rarely exist in isolation. Graduate students are navigating academic pressure, career uncertainty, financial stress, and often significant personal transitions all at once. Graduate studies staff are expected to provide guidance on academic policies, funding, graduate student employment compliance, as well as other topics, while dealing with a high volume of work, remaining up to date on policy changes, coordinating with departments across campus, keeping up with technological advances, and supporting student mental health. As director, I serve as a consistent, grounding presence for them. I work to make sure they know where to find resources, but more importantly, that they feel comfortable coming to me before things reach a crisis point. I try to normalize conversations about stress, boundaries, and mental health rather than treating them as exceptional or uncomfortable topics.
Across the School of Social Sciences, I focus on building genuine relationships with colleagues at all levels; staff, faculty, and students. A foundation of mutual trust empowers individuals to ask for and extend support without hesitation. I try to be proactive about checking in with colleagues regularly.
Q: Much of your work centers on supporting students while also building strong relationships with faculty and staff. How do you approach collaboration in a way that helps create a more supportive and people-centered environment for everyone involved at UC Irvine?
A: To me, collaboration starts with listening before problem-solving. When I am working with a staff or faculty member on a student concern, I try to first understand what they are experiencing and what they actually need, rather than jumping to solutions. That kind of presence communicates respect and builds trust over time.
I also believe that sustainable collaboration depends on everyone feeling that their contributions are valued and that the work is shared fairly. In a higher education environment, it can be easy for certain voices to dominate or for some team members to quietly absorb more than their share of the load. I try to be aware of those dynamics and address them directly when I see them.
Supporting students well requires strong relationships with faculty and staff, because students rarely exist in just one corner of the institution. When I invest in those relationships, being reliable, following through, and genuinely caring about my colleagues' experiences, it creates a level of support that students can feel even if they never see it directly. A people-centered environment is not built by one person alone; it is built through shared values and mutual accountability, and I see my role as helping to nurture that across the School of Social Sciences.
Q: Well-being support can take many forms, especially in higher education environments that are often fast-paced and demanding. What are some of the values or practices you prioritize to help the people around you feel seen, supported and able to thrive — both professionally and personally?
A: There are a few values I come back to consistently. The first is presence. In a fast-paced environment, it is easy to be physically available but mentally somewhere else. I try to be genuinely present in my interactions by making eye contact and engaging with what someone is sharing. People notice when you are truly with them, and it matters. The second is normalizing rest and boundaries. I do not want my team to feel that they must look busy or sacrifice their personal lives to be taken seriously. I try to model this myself by being transparent when I am protecting time for family, stepping away from email after business hours, or acknowledging when I need to slow down. If those behaviors only exist in policy documents but not in day-to-day practice, they do not actually help anyone. Third, I prioritize equity in how I extend support. Not everyone experiences workplace stress the same way, and not everyone has equal access to coping resources. I try to be thoughtful about who may need extra outreach or flexibility, and I work to reduce barriers wherever I can, whether that means simplifying a process, connecting someone to a resource they did not know existed, or just making sure certain conversations happen in a private, judgment-free space. Finally, I believe in celebrating people. Acknowledgment is a form of well-being support. When someone feels seen and appreciated for the real work they are doing, it builds resilience and belonging. I try not to let good work go unrecognized.