Welcome to the team, Mackenzie! UC Noyce Initiative Program Manage. Mackenzie Smith photo

Meet Mackenzie Smith

  • by Sarah Colwell

Mackenzie Smith is an experienced program manager with 11 years of service across the University of California system. She joins the UC Noyce Initiative from the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, where she previously served as a program manager. 

  • What’s your role at the UC Noyce Initiative? 
  • I will partner with the Executive Director to shape and refine the strategic vision for UCNI programs, while managing the operational logistics required to deliver them. This includes program management, stakeholder engagement, event planning, and financial tracking for awards. 
  •  What aspects of your position with the UC Noyce Initiative excites you the most? 
  • What excites me most about this new role is the opportunity to learn about innovative research, bring together talented researchers across campuses, and help translate discoveries from the lab into meaningful benefits for society. I love building programs, and this is an especially exciting time to join UC Noyce as it shapes its strategic growth, develops new collaborations, and expands its impact. 
  •  What unique qualifications do you bring to this role? 
  • Well, in addition to having many years of experience working within the UC system, I now have work experience with TWO organizations that were created by the legacies of the co-founders of Intel and their spouses. Having just come from the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, which was founded thanks to a $100 million gift from the estate of Gordon and Betty Moore, and now working for UC Noyce Initiative, which was founded by the Robert N. Noyce Trust. I never would have thought my career would be so tied to the co-founders of Intel, Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce! 
  • What do you like to do with your time outside of work?
  • Outside of work, I enjoy the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with family. I love staying active, especially hiking throughout Northern California while discovering new waterfalls and local trails. I also enjoy international travel and immersing myself in different cultures. Still, nothing compares with coming home and spending time with my young niece and nephew. 

 

More about Smith 

Mackenzie Smith specializes in building and advancing collaborative programs, developing sustainable operations, and translating complex ideas and research into practical initiatives. Her work has supported multi-campus and cross-disciplinary collaboratives, including partnerships connecting health, technology, industry, community organizations and university stakeholders. 

Passionate about translational research, Smith brings expertise in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, program implementation, data-informed improvement and creating programs that generate meaningful community impact. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, is a certified project management professional (PMP) and is a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt.