Strategy Implementation Group Transitions

To: The Caltech Community
From: Thomas F. Rosenbaum, Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and Professor of Physics

I write to let you know about changes in the Strategy Implementation Group under the direction of Vice President Diana Jergovic, involving a retirement of a valued colleague and three promotions. 

After 17 years of tireless and selfless service to Caltech, Kenneth Hargreaves, Ed.D. is retiring March 31, 2025. Currently Caltech's associate vice president for civic engagement and external affairs, Ken joined Caltech in 2008 as Facilities' senior director for design and construction. In that role, Ken managed the campus master plan and the capital construction program. His many successful projects include the construction of the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology, the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Laboratory for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, the Ronald and Maxine Linde Laboratory for Global Environmental Science, the Earle M. Jorgensen Laboratory, the Charles C. Gates Jr.-Franklin Thomas Laboratory of Engineering, the Hameetman Center, and the Children's Center at Caltech.

In 2016, Hargreaves moved to the Strategy Implementation Group and was pivotal in shaping its early work. Ken served as director of institutional research, assistant vice president for strategy implementation, and then associate vice president for civic engagement and external affairs. He maintained Caltech's ties with federal officials in Washington, D.C., deepened partnerships with JPL's office of legislative and government affairs, and enhanced the Institute's relationship with the state legislature, state agencies, and the City of Pasadena. A veteran with 23 years of experience in the U.S. Navy, Ken established Veterans Day events on campus in 2015 and has served as principal liaison for the Warrior-Scholar Project activities since 2020.

To build upon the many successes initiated by Ken, I am delighted to announce Shayna Chabner's promotion to associate vice president, strategy implementation and chief communications and external relations officer, to begin April 1. In addition to her innovative leadership of the Institute's communications efforts, Shayna will liaise with Caltech's primary colleagues and federal officials in Washington, D.C., assume responsibility for Caltech's partnership with JPL's office of legislative and government affairs, and integrate the Institute's posture across all communications and external relations work. 

At the same time, I am pleased to announce Jennifer Torres's promotion to assistant vice president for communications and government relations. Jennifer will develop and implement continuing strategies to enhance further the Institute's relationships with the state legislature, state agencies, the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County, Orange County, the City of Pasadena, and the communities surrounding Caltech's campus and JPL locations. Jennifer will continue her work in the communications group, ensuring that the strategic efforts under her direction continue to thrive and serve Caltech and its community.

Finally, I am delighted to announce the promotion of Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux to associate vice president for campus climate, engagement, and success. In this expanded capacity, Lindsey will be responsible for promoting engagement, progression, and personal and professional success within the Caltech community. She is charged with further cultivating a community in which all students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and staff have a sense of belonging and are supported as they pursue their academic, career, and institutional goals. 

Lindsey will continue to work with colleagues across the Institute to develop new research-based initiatives to achieve these goals. These collaborative efforts will facilitate organizational learning and capacity-building to supporting the entire Caltech community, with an emphasis on students and postdocs. Lindsey will be responsible for CCID, including FSRI, the Office of Institutional Research, the research university alliance group, and the office of Career Achievement and Leadership Exploration (CALE). Claire Ralph, director of CALE -- and her group – will join Strategy Implementation on April 1. In this way, Lindsey's remit will be to bolster robust professional development, mentoring, and networking opportunities for students and postdoctoral scholars from admittance, matriculation, and graduation, into early career stages, inside or outside of the academy. Caltech will not remain competitive in the long term without a steadfast commitment to inclusive excellence.

I want to thank Ken for his vision, dedication, and can-do attitude these last 10 years. He has advanced the interests of Caltech on so many fronts. I am grateful to Shayna, Jennifer, and Lindsey for assuming their new, expanded roles.

Please join me to wish Ken all the very best for his next chapter; congratulate Shayna, Jennifer, and Lindsey on their promotions; and welcome Claire and her group to their new administrative home.