ANNOUNCEMENT: Appointment of Lewis Feldman as new University of California Botanical Garden Director

June 28, 2019

 Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Lewis Feldman as Director of the University of California Botanical Garden, effective July 1, 2019.  Lew has been selected by a search committee comprised of Berkeley faculty and Garden advisory board members, following a nationwide search. 

After receiving his PhD from Harvard, Lew came to Berkeley in 1975 as a Visiting Miller Postdoc and was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Botany Department immediately following the completion of his fellowship. He is currently a Professor in Plant and Microbial Biology and has served as Associate Dean of the College of Natural Resources from 2006 to the present. During his tenure at Berkeley, he also served as Vice Chair of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology.  As an administrator, Lew brings extensive experience navigating UC policies and procedures and has deep knowledge of campus culture. 

Lew has also been a long-time advocate for the Garden, serving as Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee for over ten years and participating in the Garden’s Advisory Board.  This experience has made him intimately familiar with the workings of the Garden. He inspires confidence with his direct yet kind manner and evinces great enthusiasm for the Garden. Lew is an excellent speaker and teacher and exhibits interpersonal skills that inspire trust and respect.  He also shows strong motivation to utilize his familiarity with campus research activities as a faculty member to promote increased participation of the Berkeley faculty and students in research projects at the Garden. 

Lew is committed to consensus building with a collaborative personal style essential to effective leadership at UC Berkeley.   He demonstrates the interpersonal skills that are essential to being a successful leader and is very well suited for the Garden community.  I anticipate that he will lead this valuable campus asset in new and exciting directions. 

Lew will begin his transition into the Directorship July 1, while he continues in his role as Associate Dean of the College of Natural Resources until a suitable replacement is identified by Dean David Ackerly.   

Sincerely,

Linda Haverty RuggAssociate Vice Chancellor for Research

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