Community Member Milestones
- Celebrating a new role:
Madison Quan
In October, Madison was appointed head coach of the women’s basketball team. Having led the team as interim head coach during the 2025–26 season, she says that she looks forward to continuing the work she has already begun with the players and building on the foundation they’ve established together.
- Welcome to Caltech:
Phyllis Gretchenuk
Phyllis joined Caltech on September 14 as the director of finance and operations in the Office of Communications and External Relations (OCER). She brings previous experience working in business roles in higher educational institutions at Arizona State University, the Seattle Colleges, and the University of Washington, as well as business and operations at the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, the city of Los Angeles' public relations firm.
- Welcome to Caltech:
Annelisa Busch
Annelisa joined Caltech as a guest relations coordinator at the Athenaeum, where she is often the first face guests see. She coordinates with professors and offices across campus on hotel accommodations and dining reservations and assists members and Caltech staff in other ways they need. Prior to Caltech, Annelisa worked in the food service industry and as a receptionist in a medical office.
- Welcome to Caltech:
Deeksha Mohanty
Deeksha joined IPAC in August as an applications developer on the Data Science Team, where she will work on preparing large astronomical catalogs for scientific analysis and developing tools to help researchers access, explore, and derive scientific insights from the data. Prior to Caltech, she completed her M.S. in computer science at Michigan State University.
- Welcome to Caltech:
Elena Cazares
Elena joined Caltech in July as a business operations associate for the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, supporting the Caltech Optical Observatories team with procurements, onboarding, travel, expense reports, and more. She previously spent nearly a decade at JPL and will complete her MBA in project management from Mount Saint Mary's University this December.
- In memoriam:
Pam Koyzis
Pam, who dedicated 25 years of service to Caltech, passed away peacefully at her home on July 28, 2026, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 68 years old. The flag at Caltech Hall will be lowered from Wednesday, August 19, to Friday, August 21, to honor her.