Assistant Vice Chancellor Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio Awarded UCI Staff Assembly 2018 Excellence in Leadership Award

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Educational Partnerships at UCI’s Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP), Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, has received the UCI Staff Assembly 2018 Excellence in Leadership Award. This is the highest honor given by the Assembly. The award is given for exceptional performance in three critical areas of leadership: collaboration, employee engagement, and innovation. Dr. Reyes-Tuccio received her honor at the June 12 Awards Ceremony held at UCI’s Student Center. 

Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio Excellence in Collaboration

When it comes to enabling students to achieve the American dream, no university matches UCI according to The New York Times. That UCI for two consecutive years has topped the New York Times’ College Access Index of U.S. universities based on its commitment to economic diversity is in large part a result of the collaborative leadership of Dr. Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio. As Assistant Vice Chancellor for Educational Partnerships, she invests time to build relationships and forge partnerships across boundaries at UCI, and externally with school districts, community colleges, community partners business partners, and parents, to empower community students through creating educational programming and opportunities that align with UCI’s values. With extensive skills in community outreach, Dr. Reyes-Tuccio is a firm believer in equity and access and supporting the educational aspirations of all young people. The collaborative work of Dr. Reyes-Tuccio, educational partners, community partners (including Edison International, Tiger Woods Foundation, United Way, and Girls Leading Our World), and CFEP staff prepares over 12,000 K-12 students (and their teachers and parents) each year for success in higher education. Under Dr. Reyes-Tuccio’s leadership, CFEP has supported over 600 Dreamers who have proven they deserve a place at the table. CFEP built the first model Food Pantry in the nation battling food insecurity for students who put their education above their basic needs. Working together, Dr. Reyes-Tuccio, CFEP, and CFEP partners have not only prepared underrepresented minorities and first generation students for college but also prepared them with the social and cultural capital to thrive and succeed in college. 

Stephanie Tuccio-Reyes Excellence in Employee Engagement

Dr. Reyes-Tuccio’s leadership not only achieves student success outcomes but also creates opportunities for CFEP staff to achieve professional and educational growth. Her record in this area is exemplary. She instills a culture of pursuing higher education by example and, as a result, an entire generation of CFEP staff alumni are pursuing or have earned their doctorate and master’s degrees in educational administration and educational leadership, all while working under Dr. Reyes-Tuccio. She is particularly gratified that many staff members have moved on from CFEP to become deans and similarly high-level administrators at other institutions of higher education.

UCI’s recent Gallup Staff Engagement Survey results revealed that CFEP staff felt that the CFEP mission or purpose makes them feel their job is important and that they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day. Dr. Reyes- Tuccio saw the unit’s already strong engagement index (4.15 out of 5) as an opportunity to further engage and empower CFEP staff by allowing every CFEP staff member to gain personal insights on strengths and greatest talents by completing the CliftonStrengths online talent assessment. At CFEP, achieving and learning are standout themes.

Beyond the learning mindset, Dr. Reyes-Tuccio bolsters employee engagement through CFEP Wellness and CFEP Financial Wellness initiatives. Build-a-salad days fill the CFEP refrigerator with mason jars for an entire week! Even as CFEP merged with the School of Education last month, staff were fully engaged in an open and collaborative process charted together. This alone speaks volumes to the shared vision and values she continuously instills.

Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio Excellence in Innovation

CFEP's goal to have a college degree in every home in Santa Ana by 2020 – seemingly unattainable – has a pathway known as the Santa Ana Promise. The Promise signed by Santa Ana Unified School District, Santa Ana College, Cal State Fullerton, and UCI is a reality as a result of the innovative leadership of Dr. Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio and strategic partners to develop an educational contract that advances 6th graders with their parents through college-bound activities that guarantee transfer admission to CSUF or UCI.

This past Fall 2017, Dr. Reyes-Tuccio led UCI efforts to partner with Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) to formalize the Anaheim Pledge, a similar though not identical, seamless system of educational contracts with aligned expectations from the earliest years of a child. The Anaheim Pledge bridged new relationships with Fullerton College and Cypress College, and the City of Anaheim and lays out a six- year plan for every AUHSD student to be college and career ready. Unique in this contract is the city’s commitment to offering mentorships that prove transformational not only for the students, but also for business and community leaders. There is a focus on developing transferrable skills such as the 5 Cs (creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and compassion) that are emphasized for success in adult life.

The Santa Ana Promise and Anaheim Pledge are the clearest examples of the innovative and creative leadership of CFEP Assistant Vice Chancellor Dr. Stephanie Reyes.
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Chancellor Howard Gillman and Assistant Vice Chancellor Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio