Winter 2026 Team of the Quarter: Digital Accessibility Initiative Team

ITS proudly recognizes the Digital Accessibility Initiative Team as the Winter 2026 Team of the Quarter! The team is composed of:

• Alex Chrystal (Communications and Training Manager)
• Darren Tiley (Technical Communications Coordinator)
• Jeffrey Flogerzi (Director of IT Engineering)
• Juan Gonzales (Associate Director, Campus Web Solutions)
• Kevin Ting (Software Developer)
• Michelle Tabula (Web Analyst)
• Shilpa Upadhayay (Technical Project Manager)

The team was endorsed by Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects Beth Claassen Thrush and nominated by Portfolio Management Office Executive Director Kathy Rondeau-Taylor, who praised their strategic vision, agility, and commitment to building an inclusive and equitable digital environment for UC Riverside.

Building a team for UCR’s Digital Accessibility Initiative was about far more than just meeting legal compliance. The team was established to ensure that UCR’s entire digital environment is forward-thinking and usable and equitable for every member of our community.

One of the things that the Digital Accessibility Initiative Team focused on was addressing accessibility concerns that delivered immediate impact, along with creating sustainable systems that can keep pace with evolving accessibility standards.

Kathy Rondeau-Taylor described the team as “agile” and “curious”:

“This team has demonstrated their agility in addressing accessibility standards as they have evolved. They are not just people who follow a checklist, but are curious about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ to make things better and long-lasting.”

Beth Claassen Thrush commended the team, saying that they have been “essential to the time-sensitive work” of bringing the campus into compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards. Kathy added, “They recognize and advocate for the larger team across campus who is working on this initiative, [as well as] our users.”

Key achievements and ongoing support mechanisms led by the Digital Accessibility Initiative Team include:

• Strategic Project Management: Keeping large-scale campus efforts on track through thorough coordination and efficient, AI-assisted meetings.
• Metrics and Progress Tracking: Iterating the UCR domains sheet and the metrics UCR uses for measuring progress toward the digital accessibility standards. Additionally, utilizing automated quality checkers like Siteimprove to measure campus progress.
• Archiving Management: The masterful ideation and execution of a streamlined digital content archival process to securely store digital assets.
• Website Code Remediation: Applying deep technical expertise to clean up website code and fix accessibility barriers behind the scenes.
• Change Management: Ideating and executing the Digital Deep Clean Challenge, a campuswide digital accessibility campaign that ran for 10 weeks, and developing the Accessibility for Everyone LMS training course.
• Consultation and Collaboration With Campus Partners: Hosting vital bi-weekly meetings with campus partners to offer guidance, evaluate accessibility tools, and share comprehensive training and reference materials.
• Empowering Schools and Colleges: Communicating the value of digital accessibility, providing actionable advice, and sharing templates with schools and colleges facing their own remediation challenges.

With their strategic leadership and expertise, the Digital Accessibility Initiative Team successfully championed inclusive and equitable digital practices that benefit the entire UCR community.

Thank you, Digital Accessibility Initiative Team, for your outstanding dedication to making UCR accessible to all!

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

Be sure to submit your nomination for the next Team of the Quarter!