Meet Our Team

Hello & Welcome!

The HSI team can help you with questions about programs and services funded by HSI grants at UC Santa Cruz. We’re a group of dedicated individuals who enjoy supporting UC Santa Cruz’s diverse community. Please feel free to contact us via email or to stop by our office if you have questions about our grant initiatives.

HSI Staff & Leadership Committee  |  Initiatives Team  | Co-PIs, Partners & Collaborators

---

HSI Staff

• HSI staff oversee the management of current grants, including program efficacy and data evaluation. You can contact them about our many partnerships with campus academic departments and other student services units. We’re happy to answer your question or connect you to the right team member.

  Charis Herzon Director, HSI Initiatives charish@ucsc.edu	Vivianna Alvarez Associate Director of Transfer Partnerships vilalvar@ucsc.edu	Sara Sanchez GANAS Graduate Program Director ssanch34@ucsc.edu
  Lydia Iyeczohua Zendejas Project Director, HSI Grants zendejas@ucsc.edu	Maria Fernanda Alcantara Project Consultant, HSI Initiatives mfalcant@ucsc.edu	Valeria Alonso Blanco Transfer Coherence Analyst valonsob@ucsc.edu
  Roxy Davis Education Grant and Evaluation Specialist roxywdavis@ucsc.edu	Maria Garcia Contract & Grant Financial Analyst   madogarc@ucsc.edu	Elena Valencia Grant Administrative Specialist eledvale@ucsc.edu
  Giselle Perez Administrative Intern hsi.int@ucsc.edu	Daisy Rico Communications & Marketing Intern hispserv@ucsc.edu	Estefania Sanchez Administrative Intern hsi.fin@ucsc.edu

---

Leadership Committee

• The UCSC HSI Leadership Committee has led the UC system in its transformation towards becoming a racially just Hispanic-Serving Research Institution. Their wealth of HSI policy knowledge and opportunities allows them to provide exceptional leadership and recommendations for decision-making and resource allocation for success and sustainability.

  Vivianna Alvarez Associate Director of Transfer Partnerships vilalvar@ucsc.edu	Xiomara López Director, El Centro: Chicanx Latinx Resource Center xielopez@ucsc.edu
  Nandini Bhattacharya Associate Director, CITL & Lecturer, Mathematics nandini@ucsc.edu	Jesus Morales Director, Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) jmora103@ucsc.edu
  Saskias Casanova Assistant Professor, Psychology  scasanov@ucsc.edu	Juan Poblete Professor, Literature jpoblete@ucsc.edu
  Catherine Cooper Emerita Professor, Psychology  ccooper@ucsc.edu	Sara Sanchez Program Director, GANAS Graduate ssanch34@ucsc.edu
  Rebecca Covarrubias Associate Professor, Psychology  rgcovarr@ucsc.edu	John Tamkun Professor, MCD Biology tamkun@ucsc.edu
  Samara Foster Managing Director, Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) ssfoster@ucsc.edu	Ebonée Williams Associate Vice Chancellor Student Success and Equity epwillia@ucsc.edu
  Charis Herzon Director, HSI Initiatives charish@ucsc.edu	Lydia Iyeczohua Zendejas Project Director, HSI Grants zendejas@ucsc.edu