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Following a national search, University of California, Davis, Chancellor Gary S. May has appointed Jason K. Stewart as the next chief of staff to the chancellor. Stewart will begin his new position Sept. 21, 2026.

Stewart currently serves as assistant executive vice chancellor and chief of staff to UC Davis Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan, a position he’s held since 2022.

“Jason has deep experience at UC Davis in a variety of leadership roles that have given him a broad perspective of our research, teaching and service mission and how we achieve it,” said Chancellor May. “The focus of his leadership has been in managing numerous challenges, solving complex problems, building relationships, and demonstrating sound judgment. With his appreciation for shared governance and commitment to overseeing major campus initiatives, I’m confident that he’ll help guide the university into its next chapter.”

Stewart served as interim assistant executive vice chancellor and chief of staff to the provost from November 2022 through July 2023 before being permanently appointed to the role. He’s responsible for advising on academic affairs, budget, enrollment planning, labor relations, shared governance, executive personnel matters and crisis response.

Prior to that, Stewart served for seven months as interim university registrar, where he oversaw operations, personnel and budget management while advancing critical technology and service initiatives. From 2014 to 2022, he was assistant director of Institutional Support and Enrollment Management in Budget and Institutional Analysis, where he led institutional research, forecasting and analytics. He helped modernize access to institutional data by implementing a campus data warehouse and enterprise dashboards to track and support major capital planning investments.

The chief of staff to the chancellor is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council and serves as a senior strategic advisor and leader who advances institutional priorities across the UC Davis main campus and UC Davis Health. Stewart will represent and act on behalf of the chancellor with delegated authority and have oversight over key units in the chancellor’s office. In addition to overseeing the implementation of the chancellor’s priorities, Stewart will advance legislative, community and UC systemwide engagement, and safeguard the institution’s financial, operational and reputational integrity.

“For the past 17 years, I've been fortunate to work alongside remarkable faculty, staff and students. Witnessing their passion for what UC represents has left me deeply committed to the university's mission of teaching, research and service,” Stewart said. “And so, I'm now honored and excited by the opportunity to serve as chief of staff to Chancellor May. I'm eager to help advance the chancellor's priorities, strengthen collaboration across the university, and elevate UC Davis's standing as an engine of innovation, discovery and social mobility. I see my role as providing service and support to all of the people whose work makes UC Davis such an extraordinary place. I can't wait to get started.”

Stewart held a concurrent appointment, from 2019 to 2022, as a senior advisor to the UC Davis Office of Inclusive Excellence. From 2009 to 2014 he served as principal budget analyst in Budget and Institutional Analysis, where he led a campus budget model that governed the allocation of more than $600 million in institutional resources. This framework continues to guide resource allocation at UC Davis today.

During COVID-19, Stewart led several UC Davis response efforts, including ensuring the accuracy and integrity of student and staff vaccine compliance data and supporting the executive leadership group that managed operational and strategic decisions.

Before joining UC Davis, Stewart was a systems accountant for the United States Agency for International Development for five years. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia, working in community and economic development.

Stewart has a master’s degree in public management from the University of Maryland, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting from the University of Memphis.

Karl Engelbach, who has served as the chancellor’s chief of staff and chief strategy officer since 2011, will focus on his chief strategy officer role once Stewart is on board. Engelbach plans to retire in 2027.