By: Micayla Kinder

The UF Genetics Institute would like to welcome Cindy Heesacker to the team as our new Assistant Director of Administrative Services!

Though Heesacker is new to UFGI, she has worked at the University of Florida for many years. She began working for the university in 1991 and has worked for several departments including the College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Psychology, where she worked for the last 18 years.

Heesacker greatly enjoyed working for the Department of Psychology, but was looking for something new in her career, which led her to UFGI.

“I was looking for a change and I wanted to do something a little bit different, but I still wanted to be able to bring the experience I had in Psychology with me to this position,” she said.

Heesacker has worked for the state for a total of 29 years and over 27 of those years have been spent at UF. She is a former member of the UF Leadership Academy which equipped her with many of the skills she uses today, she said.

“Being involved in the leadership academy helped me to learn how to network and get things done,” Heesacker said. “I got a chance to listen to all of the leaders at UF and hear about their roles and how their operations work.”

Heesacker said that coming to UFGI was the right move for her and that she feels confident in her decision.

“I didn’t want to be homesick for psychology because the staff and everyone in Psychology is great, but I love it here and have no regrets,” Heesacker said. “I’m really looking forward to working with the staff and building a sense of community here.”

Heesacker is excited about her future with UFGI and we are pleased to have her, as she is bringing a wealth of experience and skill to the team.