Immediate Office Staff
Christina Armstrong
Acting Associate Chancellor and Chief of Staff
Christina currently serves as Acting Associate Chancellor and Chief of Staff at UC Santa Cruz. In this role, she works with senior leaders to implement the strategic vision of the Chancellor, and supports the operations of the Chancellor’s Office. As a student affairs professional by training, Christina brings over 15 years of experience in higher education covering Title IX, student activities, and residential life. Christina has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Chico State and a Master of Science in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Indiana State University.
Sonya Kiernan
Executive Assistant to the Chancellor
Sonya Kiernan has supported the Chancellor’s Office as an executive assistant since January 2020. Prior to joining UC Santa Cruz, she worked in K-12 education for 16 years supporting administration. At UC Santa Cruz, Sonya supports the Chancellor’s Office in its mission and goals and oversees the daily administrative activities of the office. Sonya has a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science from Southern Oregon University.
Amy Radovan
Executive Assistant
Amy Radovan works as an executive assistant supporting the associate chancellor and chief of staff. She helps support staff calendars, schedule events, and manage daily office operations. Amy earned her BA from UCSC in Latin American Studies and her Masters in Higher Education Administration from San Jose State University. Amy has had the pleasure of working on campus for over 20 years. In her spare time she enjoys swimming with Cruz Masters, biking in the woods, and spending time with her family.
Special Advisors
Marcella M. Gomez
Director of HSRU Initiatives
Marcella M. Gomez is an associate professor at UC Santa Cruz in the department of Applied Mathematics and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Baskin Engineering. She received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Her research interests include data-driven methods for modeling and control of biological systems. Gomez is also committed to leading student success initiatives and serves as the PI of the Western Regional Hub, a collective of 2-year, 4-year, and R1 institutions working together towards systemic transformation to increase the number of engineering degrees awarded.
Jacob Martinez
External Special Advisor to the Chancellor
In 2014, Jacob founded Digital NEST—a technology workforce development hub providing youth in rural communities with high-demand technology skills, mentoring, and hands-on experience so they can secure well-paying jobs. Prior, he spent nearly 10 years running a successful program funded by the National Science Foundation, encouraging underrepresented Latinos to study computer science. He is a 2020 recipient of the James Irvine Foundation “Leadership Award.” In 2018, he received the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Community Impact award, and the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation selected him as an “Entrepreneur Fellow.” He spoke at the first White House Tech Meetup in 2015, and TechCrunch named him one of 2014’s “Top 10 Men in the Country Supporting Women in Technology.” Jacob plans to open a Digital NEST in every overlooked community in California and to prepare youth to transform them into thriving economic centers.
Larry Samuels
Special Advisor for Economic Development and Partnerships
Dr. Larry Samuels brings 30 years of executive leadership experience, in both higher education and the technology industry, to his role as Special Advisor. His tech background includes C level positions at Communities.com, Creative Labs, and Atari. His doctoral studies at Stanford (MA, PhD) were focused on higher education system governance and his focus at UC Santa Cruz is on external partnerships and institutional growth. Prior to joining UCSC, Larry held similar leadership positions at CSU Monterey Bay and helped to found the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP).
