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Employee Spotlight: JoAnne Lamas

By Jenn Taylor

“You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world”

– Oprah Winfrey

If you have had the pleasure of working with JoAnne Lamas, your world has been illuminated. JoAnne lights up every space she walks into, with a personality, enthusiasm and vibrancy that reverberates. When you speak with her, her passion for donor relations and her love for her Nana (IYKYK) are so contagious, you cannot help but feel the same. These deep-seated commitments build the character and qualities that make JoAnne an incredible asset to the External Relations team.

JoAnne joined ER in September 2020 as a Donor Relations Grant Writer on the PSP, Institutional Giving team. Her position is completely remote, and her home base is Coachella Valley in Southern California where she relocated a few years back to live with and care for her Nana, now 87. JoAnne comes from a close-knit family consisting of her father and mother, Hipolito Jr. and JoAnne, sister Julia and her twins Kya and Kainoa (who are also JoAnne’s godchildren), sister Emily and her husband Raul, brother Rafael and his wife Mindy and niece Ulani, a large extended family, and her dog Mia Lamas. She is also an unofficial-aunt-by-choice to her best friend Jhoanna’s daughters, Melanie and Natalie. Family is a central part of JoAnne’s life, and spending time with them takes up a large portion of her free time. Every Sunday the family gathers at Nana’s house where they eat, play, and unwind from the prior week.

Many of JoAnne’s other interests also circle back to her family and friends, including her love of being an aunt and spending time with the kids, which has restructured her life. She is obsessed with Dodger Baseball thanks to her dad. Every winter she crochets hats for friends a family, a skill she learned from her mom. She is also tamale certified, which she learned cooking alongside Nana, mastering family recipes with her in the kitchen.

Cooking with Nana is just one aspect of their integrated life together. Caring for Nana has been the biggest challenge – and biggest reward for JoAnne.

She has taken on the roles of Uber driver, grocery carrier, and companion, meeting Nana's daily needs and accompanying her to doctor’s appointments, and sitting down to share dinner prepared by Nana before the workday is even complete. JoAnne explained how planning time for herself can be challenging, and taking a day away, planning a vacation, visiting teammates from the days of UCSC rugby, or a trip up to campus means finding a family member to step in for the days she is away. “My parents and siblings have to adjust to make sure that someone is here to stay with her. Like anything, not all moments are Hallmark ones, but I wouldn’t change my decision to come home and help my family. “

When asked about her favorite job, JoAnne said, “It feels unfair to pick a favorite job. They all in their own unique way contributed to who I am today, both as an employee and as a person. I appreciate each of them for their experience and the lessons I learned throughout the journey. I wouldn’t trade any of them!” From the food court to a casino pizza shop, a field representative for a State Legislator in the Central Valley, to a Public Relations and Grant Writing Coordinator in K-12, JoAnne has indeed gained a lot of experience before landing with UC Merced. In between, she earned her B.A. in History and B.A. in Politics at UC Santa Cruz, where she also participated in UCDC during her senior year fall quarter. She interned through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and was placed with her home representative, Congressman Raul Ruiz.

All this culminated in JoAnne joining the PSP/IG team, a position near to her heart. She feels she connects with the students, as she herself is a Latina, first-generation college student from a low-income region. She understands how it feels to receive that extra scholarship from campus, how it was a huge relief, and she takes pride in being able to help make that happen for UC Merced students. She added that the most rewarding and humbling part of her job is driving the golf carts at Spring commencement. With every family that comes to celebrate, she can see her own proud parents and loved ones. “It is an amazing feeling,” she said.

JoAnne says that even though the job is remote, and she does not get to campus often, she never feels like she is not part of the team. “I keep in contact with multiple team members and am happy to say that I have great friendships across ER! Plus, whenever I do make it to campus or the DCC, it is always so much fun to hang out with everyone and really participate in the office culture.” She added that she never feels that anyone she has worked with is “just phoning it in.” She is excited to be part of a team that cares about the overall mission of the organization. We are equally excited to have her as part of the External Relations team!

Employee Spotlight: JoAnne Lamas

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