ITS proudly recognizes Web Developer Josue Ortega Rubio as the August 2024 Employee of the Month for enhancing the UCR Policies and Procedures (Policy King) website by integrating generative AI functionality. Nominated by Deputy Chief Information Officer Mike Kennedy, Josue’s innovative work demonstrates the practical value of enhancing campus applications with generative AI, in this case making it easier for users to interact with and access policy information.

Policy King is UCR’s comprehensive repository for campus policies, making it a helpful resource for Highlanders. However, its dense content can also make it challenging to find the documentation you need. Josue learned to use Google Agent Builder to enable users to ask natural language questions about campus policies. 

“As we are asked more and more by the campus on what we are doing with AI, it's important to show how it would work with UCR data. Josue recognized this fact without being asked directly and had proactively added AI functionality into Policy King,” Mike shared.

Josue’s work has given the campus community a tangible example of how AI can transform and enhance UCR applications. By addressing a specific need with AI, Josue’s efforts allowed our customers to experience AI at work, reinforcing the fact that AI is not just hype. 

Mike added, “It's made my job much much easier as I work across campus to facilitate AI conversations and get people thinking about what's possible.”

Mike also recognize Josue’s willingness to share his expertise and mentor others within ITS: 

“Josue worked very fast to move [his AI work] into a QA environment as well as respond to feedback that was provided. He has shown several [folks] within ITS how he built his solution, recognizing that it will serve as a model for integrating AI into campus applications. He also expressed his willingness to mentor his colleagues on the work that he did.” 

Josue’s focus on customer success is evident in his understanding of the campus community’s needs. Recognizing the growing interest in AI from UCR’s leaders and the campus community, he anticipated the demand for practical applications of AI. His initiative has made it easier for ITS to facilitate AI conversations across campus, providing a clear vision of what is possible with UCR data. 

The enhancements that Josue made to Policy King made it more intuitive and user-friendly, empowering users to leverage the campus policies website better. His dedication to learning and applying new tools gave ITS and the campus community better insight on how we can integrate advanced technologies into various applications. Congratulations, Josue, on this well-deserved recognition! 

Do you have colleagues who deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication? Nominate them for one of ITS’ Employee Recognition Programs!

Staff members can be nominated for Employee of the Month or Team of the Quarter. Use our form to submit your nomination for the next Employee of the Month.