Maria Rubinshteyn to retire after 40 years at Berkeley

May 17, 2018

Colleagues:

It is with mixed emotions that I announce the retirement of Maria Rubinshteyn, Director of Business Contracts and Brand Protection. Maria started working at Berkeley 40 years ago, and, over the course of her career, has played an integral role in defining and defending the intellectual property of the University. While we wish her a long and happy retirement, Maria’s leadership and collaborative attitude will be missed by all of us who had the opportunity to work alongside of her.

Maria’s accomplishments over her career are astonishing: she initiated registration of nearly 600 trademarks in 40+ international territories; commissioned the creation of the official seal of Berkeley; led a campus wide effort to develop the University of California, Berkeley, Guide to Contracting (the first in the UC system and replicated several times since); and was an active partner in numerous revenue generation projects and endeavors. Maria was also called upon frequently by UC Office of the President for advice, service, and expertise on corporate social responsibility and systemwide trademark and copyright issues; she is considered the ultimate University of California expert in this arena.

Jan Gonsalves, Manager of Business Contracts and Brand Protection, has also announced her retirement. Jan’s 33 years of service includes 14 years in the Chancellor’s immediate office supporting Chancellors Heyman, Tien, and Berdahl. Maria and Jan are a familiar sight together on campus as they have worked together for 18 years; it is fitting that they decided to retire at the same time.

Maria’s and Jan’s last day will be June 8th, after which, the Business Contracts and Brand Protection Office will be under the interim direction of Michele Huff.

Please join me in thanking Maria and Jan for their years of dedicated service to the University and by extending warm wishes for an enriching and well-deserved retirement!

Kind regards,

Marc Fisher
Vice Chancellor, Administration

If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.

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