Amy Gardner
Executive Director | amygardner@berkeley.edu
In her role as executive director, Amy leads the strategic framework for campuswide partnership collaboration and engagement, working directly with campus stakeholders to identify and cultivate “industries of opportunity” while ensuring partnership opportunities are in alignment with Berkeley’s values and mission of teaching, research and public service. Additionally, she leads the University of California Partnership Programs initiative for UC Procurement. Utilizing the partnership model developed at Berkeley, she collaborates across UC campuses to develop and launch multicampus and systemwide partnerships. Amy is a national leader in the industry, serving as a founding board member of the non-profit University Partnerships Community of Practice.
Prior to joining UBPS in 2015, Amy served as the director of corporate and community relations with the San Francisco Bowl Game where she was responsible for sponsorship development, event planning and game operations. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a double major in psychology and economics and received a master's degree in sport management from the University of San Francisco.
Jane Christen
Executive Assistant | jchristen@berkeley.edu
Jane provides executive support to Executive Director Amy Gardner and the UBPS team. In addition, she assists with complex scheduling, strategic problem solving, event logistics and meeting coordination, while working on special assignments designed to meet and benefit the needs of UBPS.
Prior to joining UBPS, Jane served as an executive assistant in the Letters & Sciences Deans’ Office where she acted as the primary liaison between senior executives and university administrators, donors, faculty and the general public. Jane received her bachelor’s degree in resource management from the UC Berkeley and earned a master’s in environmental law and her juris doctor from Vermont Law School.
Anissa Hagedorn
Partner Relationship Manager | anissahagedorn@berkeley.edu
Anissa serves as the partner relationship manager for UBPS. She oversees the campus’s long-term relationships with UPP partners and campus stakeholders. Anissa acts as an intermediary between our partner community and the university, ensuring these partnerships are well represented at Berkeley while prioritizing campus stakeholder’s needs. She is responsible for bringing to life the engagement and impact of each unique relationship. Additionally, Anissa supports specific departments with their own sponsorship programs, including, but not limited to New Student Services, Recreational & Wellbeing, the ASUC Student Union and the Berkeley International Office.
Anissa graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's degree in rhetoric and communication. She has over 18 years of experience in both marketing and management.
Amber Robertson
Director of Communications & Brand Management | amber.hopkins@berkeley.edu
As director of communications and brand management for UBPS, Amber is responsible for overseeing and implementing the department's strategic communications plan including the website, social media, public relations, marketing, publications and presentations. She works as a direct liaison to match the interests and needs of external partners with the strengths of campus stakeholders and the UC Berkeley brand. In addition, Amber leads multicampus and systemwide communications for the University of California Partnership Programs. In this capacity, she oversees the launch of new partner relationships and works directly with the UC campuses on partner marketing campaigns and communications.
Prior to joining UC Berkeley in 2015, Amber worked as a communications coordinator at Texas A&M University. She has over 22 years of experience working in corporate and higher education marketing and communications. Amber earned a bachelor of business administration in marketing from Texas A&M University.
Brandon Schneider
Director of Strategic Partnerships | bschneid@berkeley.edu
Brandon develops innovative collaborations between UC Berkeley and leading businesses. These opportunities include campuswide partnerships, as well as tailored engagements with individual Berkeley units and faculty. He works through prospecting, qualification, cultivation, proposal, execution and evaluation to craft and maintain mutually beneficial relationships in fields ranging from the arts to entrepreneurship. Additionally, Brandon liaises with campus financial departments to coordinate, evaluate and implement the revenue streams from our campus partnerships and oversees the department’s budget.
Brandon earned a Ph.D. from the UC Berkeley Department of Italian Studies and a certificate in new media from the Berkeley Center for New Media. He holds an M.A. in political science with a concentration in transatlantic studies from the Transatlantic Masters Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a B.A. in political science with a concentration in international relations from the Department of Political Science at UC Santa Barbara. Brandon also completed a certificate in arts management through UC Irvine.
Deborah Tallyn
Project Manager | dtallyn@berkeley.edu
As project manager of the University of California Partnership Programs (UCPP), Deborah works closely with the campuses to develop operating principles, program processes, policies and a governance model for multi-campus partnerships. Additionally, she will oversee the development of a UCPP partnership “Tool Kit” to help guide campuses on how to strategically engage and manage campus partners.
Deborah joined Berkeley after a successful corporate career in product development, marketing and project management. She supported the initial setup of UPP, researching other programs and connecting with campus stakeholders to build out a governance model and early partnership processes. In addition, she has worked on other revenue generating projects on campus, most recently serving as project manager with Haas School of Business for the launch of Chou Hall. Deborah has an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Apoorv Kumar
Business Development Assistant | kumar.apoorv@berkeley.edu
Apoorv serves as the business development assistant for University Business Partnerships & Services. He is responsible for analyzing industry trends and leading companies to propose and vet partnership opportunities for the university. This work includes broad background research into promising business sectors, as well as focused brainstorming with regard to potential collaborations with specific firms.
A chemical engineer turned public health enthusiast, Apoorv is currently an MBA/MPH candidate at the Haas School of Business. He previously worked as a business development executive at Bharat Biotech, India’s second-largest vaccine manufacturer.
Julianne Chen
Marketing & Communications Assistant | juliannechen@berkeley.edu
Julianne serves as the marketing and communications assistant for University Business Partnerships & Services. She is responsible for developing, executing and assessing strategies that include the creation of a comprehensive multimedia strategy for UBPS. Additionally, Julianne composes engaging content and graphics for print, newsletters and a variety of social platforms and serves as the department marketing liaison among UPP partners and Berkeley stakeholders.
Julianne is a third-year student at UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree in business administration. She is involved in the marketing committee of multiple on-campus organizations, including the Berkeley Project and Ascend. A few of Julianne’s favorite things include concerts, dogs and anything food related.
Maya Gessner
Activations Assistant | mayagessner@berkeley.edu
Maya serves as the activations assistant for University Business Partnerships & Services. She is responsible for managing partner activation sheets and asset folders. In addition, she tracks partner campus activations, develops new partner timelines and works with our campus stakeholders and partners to collect metrics and verify proof of performance.
Maya is going into her fourth year at UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Media Studies with a concentration in Media Law and Policy. She is a student-athlete on the UC Berkeley Beach Volleyball team. Additionally, she has worked with Learfield, interning for the Cal Bears Sports Properties team. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, trying new restaurants around Berkeley, and spending time with family and friends.