Statement from UHCA Board of Directors
To Our Community.
Several messages have appeared on social media about the current status of the University Heights Community Association (UHCA). We, the UHCA Executive Board, would like to let our neighbors and community know what’s been happening.
During the past four months, we have made some changes to our leadership and executive board. All organizations go through change, and that’s especially true for volunteer-led community groups like ours.
UHCA has benefited from the many decades of experience and stewardship of so many of our good and generous neighbors during its 37-year existence, and our community is better and stronger for that. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the six long-serving members who have decided to retire from the executive board over the past few months.
In that same time, five new faces have joined the UHCA board, and we believe that both UHCA and our community at large will benefit from having new voices, fresh perspectives, and diverse experiences that these new members bring to the board. With new board members, UHCA has gained additional expertise and energy around social media, finance, marketing, and project management. The board believes that now--especially with the current pandemic--the new members of this group of dedicated and caring volunteers will be critically important as UHCA continues to move forward with our mission “dedicated to improving the quality of life and sense of community in San Diego’s University Heights.”
Although the pandemic has halted many of our events and in-person meetings, it has not stopped UHCA from being an important voice for our community. In May we hosted a town hall with outgoing Councilmember Chris Ward; the UHCA News editorial board has continued to write and publish regular issues (September issue coming in a few weeks!); the Zone Watch program continues as a link between our community and local law enforcement; we have refreshed our website; and we have established a vibrant presence on social media.
Right now, we are planning and preparing to resume monthly meetings, electronically via Zoom starting on September 3 (see the UHCA News, our website, or social media for log-in details). Our October 1st meeting will feature a town-hall forum with the two Mayoral Candidates, Todd Gloria and Barbara Bry, and the board is also working out the logistics to manage our upcoming biennial elections.
If you are a current member, thank you for your time, contributions, and support. If you are a member whose membership has lapsed, please consider renewing either by mail or on our website www.uhsd.org. If you would like to join your neighbors in one of the largest, most active, and well-respected community groups in San Diego, where we believe that many voices together are stronger than one, we would love to welcome you-- electronically for now, and in person when we can at one of our events, volunteer opportunities, or meetings in the future.
We recognize the many new developments in our neighborhood, as new elected officials come into office and the city and planning groups continue to review and approve important changes that will affect all of us. With your continued support and involvement, UHCA will continue to be the largest and loudest voice advocating for our community.
UHCA Board of Directors
Christine Hernandez, Susy Holts, Marc Johnson, Meghan Kight, Maureen Markey, Nan McGraw, Stuart McGraw, Brent Orlesky, Peter Rose, Sol Schumer