Carol Kirshnit to step down after decades of helping, guiding and supporting UC Davis employees and their families.

Carol Kirshnit, longtime director of the Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP), is retiring—leaving behind a remarkable legacy of care, compassion, and fierce commitment to the well-being of UC Davis employees.

Since first rolling into ASAP’s Davis campus offices as a counselor in the quirky Guilbert House on A Street in January 1996, Carol has helped thousands of employees through deeply personal and often vulnerable moments in their lives. Apart from a brief stint in private practice, she has spent nearly three decades as a counselor, mentor, and advocate for employees across UC Davis and UC Davis Health. She’s been a steady presence through organizational change, personal upheaval, and global crises.

In 2023, she expanded her responsibilities beyond directing ASAP at UC Davis Health to lead the program university-wide, overseeing services on both the Davis campus and at UC Davis Health. This unification allowed ASAP to streamline operations and provide consistent, compassionate support to all UC Davis employees, regardless of location. Under her leadership, ASAP has grown into a highly regarded, deeply responsive team—one that’s dedicated to accessibility and fiercely committed to confidentiality. Their commitment to employees contributed to UC Davis being named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Mental Well-being by Newsweek.

Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, Carol holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Loyola University Chicago and is a Harvard alumna. She lives in Davis with her husband and recently adopted a puppy (also named Quincy). Her first official retirement task? Puppy obedience school. She plans to spend retirement traveling, reading true crime novels, and, in her words, “learning to slow down.”

“I’ve been moving at warp speed since I was a kid,” Carol said. “My retirement goal is to sit in my big swivel chair in my living room at 2 p.m., with a coffee, doing my Wordle, and not feel like I need to do anything else.”

Carol’s reputation precedes her—literally. She jokes that she can’t walk around the Davis campus or UC Davis Health without running into someone she’s helped. “This job has been so deeply satisfying,” she said. “You have these intense, meaningful conversations with people during critical moments in their lives. I will never forget that—or the people I’ve helped.”

While confidentiality has always been a cornerstone of her work, her clients know they can say hello—she just can’t initiate the greeting. “It’s part of protecting them. Privacy is a cornerstone of our work. You can’t do this job without that trust.”

Carol’s impact on UC Davis is immeasurable. Colleagues describe her as a protector, a coach, a stellar manager, and an unparalleled listener. The professional responsibility she carried was immense, and she’s now ready to pass it on.

“I’m proud of the team we’ve built. We’re better staffed, more connected, and thinking creatively about how to support employees in new ways,” she said. “I’m excited for what comes next—for me and for ASAP.”

She’s also realistic about the challenges ahead. “The world feels heavy. We’re more fractured than I’ve ever seen. But I still believe in this place. I believe in the people here, and I believe in how we’re building community and fostering belonging.”

When asked what she hopes for UC Davis, her answer is simple: “That people keep coming together—to nurture, to coexist, and to take care of each other.”

Carol isn’t planning a quiet exit. She’ll join the UC Davis Retiree Center, stay active in causes she believes in, and keep showing up for this community in new ways. But she’s clear: retirement will stick. “This chapter is closing, and that’s okay,” she said. “I’ve had one of the coolest jobs on campus—where every day was full of meaning. And I’m grateful for that.”