[Microplantpath_faculty] BMP Admin updates

[Sherice Underwood]

Dear Faculty,

I am pleased to share a couple of important updates regarding leadership
and staffing within BMP. I am also providing a summary of BMP
Administrative staff and their respective duties, along with information on
some of the centralized units we regularly interact with, which you may
find helpful.

Dominica Albitre will be joining BMP as the new Financial Administrative
Officer (FAO), with a start date of March 23, 2026. Dominica is a financial
and operational leader with extensive experience supporting academic,
student affairs, financial, administrative, and research environments. She
is highly skilled in financial reporting, forecasting, compliance, and
process optimization. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for
improving reporting clarity, streamlining workflows, and fostering
collaborative, well-supported teams.

Dominica most recently served as the Financial Operations Manager in
Physics since 2022 and was the Interim Financial Operations Manager in IIGB
for one year. Prior to that, she worked as a Research Analyst III in Botany
and Plant Sciences for two years. She began her career at UCR in the CNAS
Dean’s Office as a Financial Analyst II in 2016, bringing with her a wealth
of institutional knowledge across multiple areas. She will be a tremendous
asset to the unit.

In addition, Mariam Plowman will be joining BMP as the new Financial
Operations Manager (FOM), starting April 1, 2026. Mariam brings over 20
years of combined experience in contracts, grants, and sponsored research
administration, including more than six years in higher education and over
fourteen years across federal and nonprofit environments. Her background
aligns well with overseeing day-to-day financial operations, delivering
leadership-ready reporting and analysis, strengthening internal controls
and audit readiness, and leading teams that support complex, high-volume
portfolios. Mariam also has prior UCR experience as a Research Analyst III
in Botany and Plant Sciences and comes highly recommended to us.

Maria and I are confident that BMP is in excellent hands with these two
outstanding professionals. We will work closely with Dominica and Mariam to
ensure a smooth transition and will remain available for any questions or
support needed.

While we had hoped to implement more visible changes over the past three
months, we believe we have laid a strong foundation for more streamlined
processes and a collaborative, inclusive team environment. We are also
grateful for your support and for the opportunity to assist BMP during our
time here - it has truly been appreciated.

We are also pleased to share that we are close to making an offer for a
Research Analyst II position, and the Research Analyst III position is
currently open and accepting applications. With these additional hires, we
anticipate you will begin to see meaningful improvements in service and
support.

Lastly, I will be attending a conference next week and will not be in the
office, but Dominica will be here if you need anything. I will be checking
emails and zoom frequently.

Thank you for your continued patience and partnership.

Thank you,

Sherice



*Sherice Underwood, Interim Financial and Administrative Officer*

BMP Administration Unit

Department of Biochemistry

Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology

Boyce Hall, RM 1425

Zoom personal Link (8:30am -4:30): https://ucr.zoom.us/j/3844219267

In the Office Mon-Wed; Remote Thursday and Friday

951-827-5902
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