News Service: Profiles
Claudia Morain, News Service Director
(Since September 2009)
- Duties: Writer for arts and cultural studies, business, humanities, education, law, social sciences
- Other UC Davis posts: Senior Public Information Representative, University Communications, 2007–09; Public information officer, UC Davis Cancer Center, 2002–2007
- Background: 25 years in journalism including daily newspaper writing and editing at the San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Daily News and freelance work for ABC 20/20, the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle, among other media outlets; taught journalism courses at the University of Southern California and San Francisco State University
- Education: B.A. in Communications, Phi Beta Kappa, University of Washington
Broadcast
Paul Pfotenhauer, Senior Public Information Representative
(Since 1977)
- Duties: Reporter/producer for broadcast media operations, fire-emergency spokesperson, media training instructor
- Background: Six years as sportscaster, reporter and anchor with the NBC affiliate, KCRA Channel 3, in Sacramento
- Education: B.A. in Political Science, University of California, Davis
News media outreach
Patricia Bailey, Senior Public Information Representative
(Since 1977)
- Duties: Veterinary medicine, nutrition, biotechnology and agriculture writer
- Background: Six years in weekly journalism at two community newspapers in Manteca, Calif.
- Education: B.A. in English from University of California, Davis
Julia Ann Easley, Senior Public Information Representative
(Since 1997)
- Duties: Writer for student life, K–12 outreach, campus operations and administration, emergency planning, outreach and international programs, graduate studies; editor of the award-winning Aggie Family Pack for UC Davis parents
- Background: Worked since 1988 in media relations for higher education, including Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, and Vermont Law School; five years as daily newspaper reporter with the Kitchener-Waterloo Record; public affairs volunteer for Red Cross disaster services
- Education: B.A. in Journalism, Ryerson University, Toronto; certificate in marketing, UC Davis Extension
Andy Fell, Senior Public Information Representative
(Since September 2008)
- Duties: Physical and biological sciences and engineering writer
- Background: Two years at a British medical communications agency, doing medical writing and communications for the pharmaceutical industry; six years as a research scientist in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Brisbane, Australia, studying malaria and other parasites; one year teaching college courses in parasitology and immunology
- Education: B.Sc. in Zoology, Ph.D. in Immunology, University of Edinburgh
Amy Rafferty, Editor
(Since January 2007)
- Duties: Copyedits news releases, events calendar and video captions; maintains media distribution lists
- Other UC Davis posts: Five years as an editorial assistant for the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design; two years as an administrative assistant for the French and Italian department; 10 years as production assistant in University Communications
- Background: Two years as a library researcher for Information on Demand; two years as an editorial assistant at HarperCollins Publishers in San Francisco
- Education: B.A. in Ancient and Medieval History, University of California, Berkeley
Sylvia Wright, Senior Public Information Representative
(Since 2000)
- Duties: Environmental science writer
- Other UC Davis posts: Senior public information representative for biological and physical sciences and engineering 1997–2000
- Background: 15 years as a photojournalist, writer and editor at the Tampa Tribune and San Jose Mercury News, where she was part of a staff that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake; two years as associate editor for a health newsletter published by Consumer Reports
- Education: B.A. in Mass Communications, University of South Florida; Knight Science Journalism Fellowship (1994–95) at MIT and Harvard