The Visionaries
Executive Leadership Support Network (ELSN) originally started with Veronica Nepveu and Frances Famacion-Mendoza, both Executive Assistants (EAs) for leadership on UCSF Campus. Through regular correspondence and scheduling huddles for their executives, they built a close relationship and enjoyed sharing best practices and regular check-ins. The need for this kind of connection between assistants was an easily visible trend among Campus and Health staff. In 2021, they decided to invite EAs Liana Crosby and Kristen Newhouse to join the grassroots group they had begun and proposed the idea of creating a team for leadership assistants at UCSF. From there, Padric McCaig and Dora Scott were invited to help launch ELSN as an official Registered Staff Organization (RCO) in 2023-2024 for UCSF.
The Inaugural Year
In its first year, ELSN had 46 members. We created subcommittees and got to work creating bylaws and a structure that could continue on for years to come. We held a couple professional development and networking events and built out our network of resources. We launched our ELSNewsletter and worked to build this website to increase our visibility and welcome new or prospective members. Ultimately, and best of all, we created a space for assistants to belong and feel supported.