Previously, she was director of Educational Enrichment and Outreach Programs in the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences. Her portfolio consisted of several programs that promoted students’ academic and professional success, including the Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences program, which she coordinated for the cancer center for more than a decade.
In her new role, Champagne is responsible for developing a strategic vision for dynamic cancer-relevant academic training and education programs for everyone from junior high school students to early-stage investigators.
With more than 30 years of teaching experience in both classroom and laboratory settings, Champagne has served in key leadership roles, including chair of the UC Davis Academic Federation Affirmative Action and Diversity Committee and representative to the Academic Senate’s diversity committee. She has been recognized for her work in promoting fairness and access, winning UC Davis’ prestigious Deanna Falge Principles of Community Award in 2015 and the College of Biological Sciences’ Principles of Community Award in 2019.
Champagne earned her Ph.D. from the University of Regina in Canada, where she studied the evolution of genes that control plant development. She continued her plant biology research as a Katherine Esau Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis.
