UC Tech News is excited to launch the UC Tech Leaders Q&A Series in 2026—a series designed to spotlight the voices shaping technology across UC.
Tara Cook was nominated as a UC Tech Leader by Suzie Mendoza, Product Manager, UC Office of the President.
What is Your Name?
Tara Cook
What is Your Title? UC Location?
ITSS Sr. Manager, UCPath, Riverside, CA
What Are Your Top IT/Security Priorities in 2026?
One of my biggest priorities is helping ensure large-scale system modernization efforts remain successful long after implementation. In enterprise operations, the real challenge often begins after go-live with supporting integrations, maintaining operational stability, improving processes, and helping campuses navigate complex business needs as systems continue to evolve. I’m also focused on finding better ways to support our UC locations through stronger collaboration, operational visibility, and practical uses of AI and automation that help teams solve problems more efficiently and improve the employee experience.
What Emerging Tech Excites You for Higher Ed?
I’m most interested in practical applications of AI and automation that help solve real operational challenges for campuses and support teams. In large enterprise environments, there’s a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge spread across documentation, integrations, support tickets, and business processes. I think AI has real potential to help teams navigate complexity faster, improve support experiences, and create solutions that go beyond what we previously thought was possible. I’m especially interested in using technology to better support our UC locations and help remove barriers that make processes harder for employees and administrators.
What Emerging Tech Worries You?
What worries me most is when organizations move faster than their operational readiness. Emerging technologies can create a lot of excitement, but governance, support models, data ownership, and long-term operational impacts are sometimes still evolving while implementations are already underway. In higher education especially, we have to balance innovation with reliability, security, and the responsibility that comes with supporting large and diverse populations.
How Do You Balance Innovation with Security?
For me, innovation and security have to work together from the beginning. The best solutions are the ones that improve the user experience while still maintaining strong governance, operational controls, and data protection. I also think it’s important to involve operational support teams early in the process. The people supporting systems day-to-day often have valuable insight into where risks, gaps, or unintended impacts may exist.
What Principles/Values Shape Your Leadership?
I value collaboration, transparency, and staying solution-focused during complex situations. A large part of my role involves bringing together functional teams, technical teams, and operational support teams that may all view a problem differently. I try to create an environment where people feel comfortable working through challenges together and where decisions are made with both immediate needs and long-term operational sustainability in mind. I’m also passionate about continuous improvement and helping teams find better ways to support our UC locations and employees.
What Books are You Currently Reading?
I recently finished Radical Candor by Kim Scott and tend to rotate between leadership, technology, and lighter science fiction depending on how busy work is at the moment. I also just read Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear, which was a great read and timely for the start of a new fiscal year!
What’s Your Favorite Thing to Do Outside of Work?
I enjoy swimming, spending time near the ocean, and trying new recipes. Outside of work, I really value opportunities to slow down, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends.
Anything Else to Add?
One of the things I enjoy most about working within the UC system is the opportunity to collaborate across campuses and teams to solve complex challenges that ultimately help support employees throughout the university. Even after many years in enterprise operations, I still find it rewarding when technology improvements create meaningful and lasting impacts for the people using these systems every day.
Thank you for the conversation, Tara!
Tara Cook was nominated by Susie Mendoza, who says:
“Tara has been instrumental in driving forward initiatives that have transformed how we operate. She has played a key role in projects that once seemed out of reach, significantly improving how we deliver services to our employees. Beyond technical execution, Tara consistently supports teams in transforming how we manage and deliver project artifacts, helping bring structure and clarity to complex work. Her depth of knowledge is remarkable, and there is very little she doesn’t understand when it comes to navigating systems and processes. Tara’s leadership, expertise, and commitment to continuous improvement have had a lasting impact, and she truly deserves recognition for the difference she makes every day.”
Tara Cook
ITSS Sr. Manager
UCPath
Tech Leader Spotlights
UC Tech News is excited to launch the UC Tech Leaders Q&A Series in 2026—designed to spotlight the voices shaping technology across UC. The UC tech community values hearing directly from its leaders, and this series aims to be both inspiring and informative.
Are you a tech leader at UC? We’d love to hear from you! To participate, please complete the short Q&A form and please include a photo.
