UC Retirees Association at Berkeley

UCRAB Board Activities:

 The UCRAB Board of Directors held their election in June. Elise Woods was elected as President and will also continue to serve as Treasurer and three members agreed to continue serving on the board. We are in the process of filling two at-large board positions. Board Members normally serve two-year terms effective July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026, and, as with many other associations, it is challenging to find retirees willing to serve in leadership positions.

 Member Activities:

 We look forward to returning to hosting social events, quarterly luncheons, and day trips. In May, we held a happy hour at a local venue that was well-attended and have plans for another happy hour on November 7, 2024.  UCRAB has been partnering with PARRA and the EX-Ls on events such as the annual Renegade Retirees’ Picnic held in July at Tilden Park in Berkeley, happy hours and a bay cruise.  This year, there were about 75 attendees at the picnic from the associations, and all enjoyed the BBQ potluck and raffle. On October 19, 2024, we hosted a Music on the Bay cruise on the USS Potomac with 45 people attending, enjoying the jazz and dancing while cruising on the San Francisco Bay. 

 We are again participating in the CUCRA retiree survey and are pleased with the Berkeley turnout to date.

 UC Berkeley Retirement Center News

 On September 24th, the UC Berkeley Retirement Center held an open house at their new permanent home in the Banway building including a ribbon-cutting ceremony.   It was well-attended with almost 150 people enjoying snacks, touring the new space and visiting the various tables staffed by Retiree associations, campus departments and representatives from Fidelity. The new space will allow them to host retirees for various events, including small social gatherings and larger lectures.  We’ve already set the date for the annual UCRAB Retiree Holiday party in the new space!

 On October 23, 2024, a UC Retirees Travel Trip Preview Webinar hosted by the UC Berkeley Retirement Center was presented to about 150 attendees.  The travel escorts presented the trips for 2025 with availability and new trips in 2026 are in the planning stages. 

 We once again want to thank Cary Sweeney and Camille Koue of the Berkeley Retirement Center for all their support to UCRAB. They make our work possible.