Colleagues,
As many of you know, Elisabeth Gunther has been serving as UC Merced’s campus counsel in a part-time capacity since 2008. As the campus has grown in size and complexity, her work with UC Merced has increased and, as of the beginning of the 2015-16 fiscal year, Elisabeth will step into this role in a full-time capacity, hence serving as the campus’s first Chief Campus Counsel.
Elisabeth has worked in the Office of the General Counsel at the UC Office of the President since 2006. She first served as Senior Counsel in the Land Use and Environmental Group. Since 2008, she has also been serving as campus counsel for UC Merced, first at 33 percent time, then 50 percent time in 2010 and then 75 percent in 2012. She has experience in virtually every area in our growing campus context and understands UC Merced’s institutional history and culture.
Prior to joining the Office of the General Counsel, Elisabeth served as Deputy City Attorney for the Cities of Santa Rosa and San Francisco. She also served as an associate and partner/shareholder for the law firms of Beveridge & Diamond and Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe. She has expertise in environmental review, permitting and oversight and has advised on site clean ups. Elisabeth has served as counsel to staff for planning commissions, Board of Public Utilities, and the Fair Political Practices Act. She advised and counseled on the San Francisco Airport Runway Expansion, Transbay Terminal and Cal Trans Extension and Office of Environmental Review.
Elisabeth received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.
Please join me in welcoming Elisabeth Gunther as UC Merced’s first official Chief Campus Counsel.
Best regards,
Dorothy Leland
Chancellor
