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

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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	Angel Dominguez GANAS Graduate Program Director adomingu@ucsc.edu	Lydia Iyeczohua Zendejas Project Director, HSI Grants zendejas@ucsc.edu
  Maria Fernanda Alcantara Project Consultant, HSI Initiatives mfalcant@ucsc.edu	Alex Mares HSI Undergraduate Fellow hsi.int@ucsc.edu	Giselle Perez HSI Grants Analyst gperez26@ucsc.edu
  Daisy Rico Comms & Marketing Intern hispserv@ucsc.edu	Elena Valencia Grant Administrative Specialist eledvale@ucsc.edu

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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.

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