Meet the Team

Hola and welcome!

Our HSI team is here to answer questions and offer guidance about programs and services funded through HSI grants at UC Santa Cruz. HSI staff oversee the management of current grants, including program efficacy and data evaluation. You can contact us 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.

Learn about our divisional priorities

Our team

Charis Herzon

Director, HSI Initiatives

charish@ucsc.edu

Angel Dominguez

GANAS Graduate Program Director

adomingu@ucsc.edu

Lydia Iyeczohua Zendejas, Ed.D.

Project Director, HSI Grants

zendejas@ucsc.edu

Maria Fernanda Alcantara

Project Consultant, HSI Initiatives

mfalcant@ucsc.edu

Maria Lopez

HSI Director Assistant

hsi.ucsc@ucsc.edu

Alex Mares

HSI Undergraduate Fellow

hsi.int@ucsc.edu

Sterlandjy “GG” Metayer

HSI Administrative Intern

hsi.fin@ucsc.edu

Elena Valencia

Grant Administrative Specialist

eledvale@ucsc.edu

Mia Estrada

HSI Initiatives and Grant Analyst

mestra42@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.

Nandini Bhattacharya

Associate Director, Teaching and Learning Center & Lecturer, Mathematics

nandini@ucsc.edu

Saskias Casanova

Associate Professor, Psychology

scasanov@ucsc.edu

Juan Carlos Cardenas

Student Representative

jucacard@ucsc.edu

Vida Chico

Student Representative

vchico@ucsc.edu

Catherine Cooper

Emerita Professor, Psychology

ccooper@ucsc.edu

Rebecca Covarrubias

Professor, Psychology

rgcovarr@ucsc.edu

Angel Dominguez

GANAS Graduate Program Director

adomingu@ucsc.edu