Her Story
About Sheila
Sheila Hedayati is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management at the University of California Riverside. She has dedicated 26 years to the higher education risk and safety industry, progressing through multiple leadership roles. Her career focuses on creating environments where people can thrive, ensuring students can learn and research safely while supporting employees in their work. Hedayati oversees critical areas including emergency preparedness for events such as COVID-19, earthquakes, and fires, occupational safety, research protection, policy development for compliance and safety culture, and business continuity to prevent reputational or financial losses. She emphasizes relationship building, trust, team development, and solving complex enterprise-wide problems to build a culture where others succeed. As the first female leader of Middle Eastern descent in her role within the UC system, she has championed diversity and inclusive leadership focused on the mission.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sheila
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice would be not to wait until you feel completely ready. As women, we underestimate our capabilities because we think that we need to satisfy these checkboxes before moving forward. For a leadership role it is really just being able and willing to take on challenges and learn from the experiences. Find your people, surround yourself with those who are supporting and helping you grow, and be intentional with that. I was fortunate enough to have a phenomenal mentor who saw what I couldn't see in myself and pushed me hard sometimes to continue to grow even when it was uncomfortable. Don't be afraid to jump in with your whole heart and head. Know that you don't have to pretend, the imposter syndrome is real. Be authentic of who you are and have confidence in what you can offer to the table every single time.
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