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.

You can find our team members below:

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.

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

  • 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
    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