On July 29, corporate engagement professionals from across UC Berkeley gathered at Bakar Labs for the Berkeley Corporate Engagement Network (BCEN) Strategy Retreat, an afternoon dedicated to strengthening collaboration and relationship-building across the university’s many corporate engagement units.
BCEN was founded by Sarah Jones and Eric Giegerich in May 2025, to foster connections and facilitate collaboration among staff and faculty engaging with corporate partners across the university. The event, facilitated by Pam Rich from UC Berkeley People and Culture, reflected Berkeley’s Principles of Community, bringing together diverse voices in a spirit of shared purpose, open communication, and cross-campus connection. The retreat brought together colleagues from dozens of offices for open conversation, shared visioning, and, in many cases, first-time introductions.
Pam Rich explains activity to participants at the BCEN conference. Photo: Dione L. Rossiter
Rather than focusing on rigid deliverables, this retreat emphasized co-creation, active listening, and cross-unit connection. Through informal icebreakers, rotating small-group discussions, and a collaborative brainstorming session, participants were able to reflect on shared challenges, exchange strategies, and build a collective sense of momentum. Attendees surfaced common needs, from more transparent workflows to greater alignment across units, and began outlining areas for partnership.
Kirstie Whitaker, BIDS’ executive director said “I joined UC Berkeley in January of this year and the BCEN strategy day was such a wonderful opportunity to meet my counterparts across campus. Everyone is motivated to transform society through education, research, and policy engagement. Our conversations were constructively focused on how we can support each other - and all of campus - to make that positive change.”
The retreat drew on months of community input, including focus groups, survey feedback, and benchmarking from peer institutions via the Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers (NACRO). As participants moved between groups during the structured brainstorming, the value of simply sharing context became clear. Several recurring themes emerged:
- Challenges with data systems: Many noted the difficulty of tracking corporate relationships across campus due to a lack of shared tools like Customer Relationship Management systems or directories. Without centralized systems, it’s hard to coordinate outreach or measure the impact of partnerships.
- Unclear points of entry for industry partners: Companies often first engage with Berkeley through individual departments without a clear sense of the broader institutional landscape. Without a centralized “front door,” it’s easy for partners to get siloed or miss opportunities for deeper collaboration.
- Opportunities to co-develop with industry: Rather than focusing solely on philanthropy or recruitment, participants highlighted the value of more integrated partnerships. Examples included co-designing online courses, aligning research with industry priorities, and creating career pipelines.
Eric Giegerich collaborating with a participant during the Conference Ice Breaker. Photo: Dione L. Rossiter
An exciting preview was shared during the retreat: a new BCEN website. The draft site is intended to support both internal and external audiences by mapping UC Berkeley’s corporate engagement ecosystem and helping external partners navigate the university’s expertise, programs, and opportunities. Berkeley.edu account holders are invited to explore the early site under development.
Here is the strategy and vision for the BCEN Website: Showcase what exists, organize/group resources, serve two audiences, wayfinding for industry/staff and faculty, articulate a shared vision, increase brand awareness, foster broader and deeper engagement, and build community.
A big thank you to Pam Rich for facilitating the day with clarity and direction, and to Sarah Jones and Eric Giegerich for organizing and supporting the retreat. We’re also grateful to the Bakar Institute of Digital Materials for the Planet (BIDMaP) team for generously providing lunch, to Bakar Labs for hosting the Happy Hour, and to everyone who came ready to listen, reflect, and collaborate. Special thanks as well to the BIDS interns for helping the event run smoothly. Your energy and contributions made the day a success.
We’re excited to keep building from here. More to come this fall: BCEN’s next monthly meeting will be held on Friday, September 26, with working groups and affinity circles continuing the momentum from July’s session. For questions about Corporate Engagement or the Berkeley Corporate Engagement Network, email BCEN@berkeley.edu. As always, this work is by the network, for the network, and it’s made stronger by each person who participates.
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