Monthly Updates
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to share the first in our series of monthly updates for the San Francisco Bay Region Network (SFBRN). These updates are designed to keep you informed of our progress, highlight milestones, and invite your participation as we build this initiative together.
As the new academic year begins, the energy across our campuses is inspiring — from welcoming students back, to reconnecting with colleagues, to launching projects that will shape the months ahead. It is in this spirit of collaboration that we share today’s progress.
Why We’re Excited About This Year
Over the past few months, we’ve had the privilege of meeting with leadership across our three campuses, from our Presidents and CFOs to leaders in IT, HR, and Financial Services. These conversations are laying the groundwork for workshops this fall, where leaders in the in-scope areas will take a deeper dive into potential organizational structures for our shared services work.
Our work in the SFBRN is not just about restructuring or streamlining. It is about creating an environment where you can focus on what you do best, supported by systems and structures that help you succeed. It is also about ensuring that our three campuses thrive into the future, providing the services, systems, and processes our students and employees need.
We also want to introduce a new member of our team: Veronica Salvador, Communications Lead for the Network. Veronica comes to this role from Cal State East Bay, where she serves as Director of Administrative Processes. A two-time CSU alumna, she brings two decades of experience leading strategic planning, innovation, and cross-campus collaboration — and will help ensure you stay informed and engaged as this work moves forward.
Introducing Our Logo
We are pleased to introduce the new logo for the San Francisco Bay Region Network. The design represents the strength and interconnectedness of our three campuses, expressed through a stylized, interlocking triangle.
The three equal sides reflect the equal partnership of Sonoma State, San Francisco State, and Cal State East Bay in building the Network together. Each side of the triangle reflects a campus, with colors drawn from their primary identities — Sonoma blue to the north, East Bay red to the east, and San Francisco purple to the west.
Together, these elements symbolize the strength and collaboration at the heart of the Network. We are grateful to Gus Yoo from Cal State East Bay for his thoughtful design work in creating this logo for the Network.
Current Highlights
Organizational Model Taking Shape. Early elements of the model are emerging, with an emphasis on improving coordination and consistency across our campuses. These foundational pieces will guide the design work still to come. We are beginning to test the organizational model in workshops with campus leaders from IT, Human Resources, and Financial Services.
Position Descriptions in Development. We are drafting new leadership position descriptions that reflect the evolving needs of our shared services model. These will be filled through internal searches across the three Network campuses, allowing us to draw from existing CSU talent while providing opportunities for professional growth. Because candidates will come from within our campuses, this process expedites the timeline and builds on the equitable and inclusive practices already in place through their existing appointments.
We are beginning with Information Technology Services (ITS), which serves as the foundation of the Network. The first position will establish a central point of contact for IT across the three campuses — someone who can help align technologies, integrate systems, and create the base upon which other shared services will depend. You can expect to see the position posted soon on the CSU Careers page.
Listening and Learning
Your input continues to guide this work, particularly through the Pulse Survey on the SFBRN website. The initial Pulse Survey results show strong belief in the Network’s potential to improve administrative functions, along with a clear desire for more communication about goals, timelines, and impacts. We also heard calls for structural clarity — including how services will be integrated and what changes will mean for individual roles.
Beyond the survey, we are also learning from ongoing conversations with the Chancellor’s Office, particularly in HR, Audit, Procurement, and IT. Because the Network represents something new, we are navigating this territory together with the CO — ensuring alignment with systemwide practices while also addressing the unique needs of our three campuses.
We are also beginning to meet with stakeholders across the three campuses. We are learning about the impact of the implementation of CHRS, the many ways IT across the three campuses is changing to address new technologies like generative and agentic AI, and the ways in which the Network and the Multi-U shared services initiative relate to one another. Our goal is to get to know people in HR, IT, and Financial Services and to understand systems, policies, processes, and end user needs. We are touring facilities, connecting staff across the campuses, and listening to the people who serve our campuses.
We will continue updating our SFBRN FAQs to address questions we receive, and we encourage you to keep sharing your voice through the Pulse Survey. Your input, combined with what we are learning through these broader conversations, is shaping how we move forward.
Looking Ahead Together
We want these monthly updates to be as useful and relevant to you as possible.
What would help you feel most informed and connected to this work?
- Updates highlighting key project milestones
- Short videos or visual explainers
- Campus briefings or Q&A sessions
- Written summaries with clear timelines
In partnership,
Jeff Wilson
Project Lead, San Francisco Bay Region Network
Vice President, Administration and Finance and CFO
San Francisco State University | Sonoma State University
Karen R. Moranski
Vice President of Regional Network Transformation
San Francisco Bay Region Network
September 2, 2025