SUBJECT:

Retirement of Chief Financial Officer - Health Sciences

After 10 years of outstanding service to the University of California, San Diego as the first Chief Financial Officer, Health Sciences, David Sakai has let me know that he plans to retire, effective August 3. While I am sorry to lose David as a valued member of the executive team, I understand his desire to enjoy a well-deserved retirement.

David joined UCSD Health Sciences in 1997, a transitional time when great strides were made in creating a more unified approach to managing the clinical, research and academic enterprise to better ensure our success. As a result of his exceptional skills and talent as an administrator and strategist, he has been instrumental in implementing operational and financial systems and structures that stress transparency, coordination and teamwork, leading to the establishment and achievement of operational goals and financial targets year after year. It can honestly be said that we have seen dramatic improvement in our organizational and financial performance, and in our ability to advance the mission and vision of UCSD Health Sciences, thanks in large part to David’s role as a member of the senior team over the past decade. He has also shared his wisdom by teaching health care finance in UCSD's Leadership in Health Care Organizations course.

Prior to joining UCSD, David had extensive experience in healthcare finance, including 13 years as the Chief Financial Officer at Stanford University Hospital. But, as a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned both his B.A. and M.B.A., we know David is a faithful UC alum, and we hope David will always consider UCSD Health Sciences to be his second alma mater.

Please join me in thanking David for his years of leadership and service, and in wishing him the best as he and his wife Ann begin a new chapter in their lives.

David A. Brenner Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences Dean, School of Medicine