Meet the DSA Staff

With over 19 years of experience in higher education, Marco serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Claremont Graduate University. He previously served as the associate dean of students and director of residential life at Mudd and worked at a number of other colleges and universities, including Pomona College, Woodbury University, The Ohio State University, UC Irvine, Johns Hopkins University, Hawai’i Pacific University and the University of La Verne. Marco is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine, with B.A.s in film studies and psychology. Marco received his master’s in higher education student affairs from The Ohio State University and his doctorate in educational leadership from UCLA.

Kim assists students in many ways, some of which include making appointments with the different deans in the Division of Student Affairs, managing the student health insurance program, submitting driver applications for students seeking to drive Mudd vans, and generally engaging students with witty repartee. Kim earned her bachelor of arts degree in political philosophy and art history from Scripps College.

Dr. Alanis serves as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Title IX Coordinator. She focuses on creating an inclusive campus through programming, training, creating strategic plans and partnerships in the Claremont community. Dr. Alanis has worked in higher education and student affairs for over 10 years and has experience in diversity, inclusion, intercultural relations, and cultural and transfer student centers. She received her B.S. from Loyola University Chicago with a triple minor in Spanish, women’s studies, and literature. Jennifer also received an M.A. in arts, entertainment, and media management from Columbia College Chicago and an MEd in educational policy organizational leadership from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Most recently, she completed a doctorate of education (EdD) in higher education and organizational change from Benedictine University.

As the administrative assistant for academic and student affairs, Liz assists students in various ways. Some of these include approving flyers to be posted around campus, submitting driver applications for students to drive Mudd vans, and helping students find the offices and DSA staff members in Platt. Additionally, Liz processes student/staff/faculty reimbursements for the Leonard Fund and schedules appointments for students to meet with the various deans and staff members of DSA.

As the associate dean for academic resources and student success, Amy serves as a connection point for students seeking academic resources and support, coordinates outreach efforts for students who are struggling academically, and provides workshops and programming for students and faculty. Amy’s work focuses on developing the whole student and creating an environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s degree from Cornell University.

As the Accessibility Services Coordinator, Katie is responsible for the coordination and management of accommodations and accessibility support. She serves as a liaison between students and faculty, provides academic coaching and support, and engages in campus-wide outreach to ensure the needs of all students are met. Katie has a passion for inclusivity and self-authorship, and believes the student is the expert of their experience. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cal State San Bernardino and her master’s degree from Brandman University. She is currently a graduate student at University of Redlands.

Chris, who has been at Harvey Mudd College since fall 1997, is the associate dean of students and director of campus life. He directs and coordinates the gamut of campus life activities, including the New Student Orientation programs, Associated Students of Harvey Mudd College (ASHMC) advisement, Linde Activities Center/Gym (LAC) management, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) physical education classes and the DSA Muchachos Student Activities Team (on-campus social programming). Chris has bachelor’s degrees in business administration and art from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a master’s degree in college student affairs from Azusa Pacific University.

As the assistant dean of campus life, Evetth creates purposeful student opportunities for connection, involvement and leadership through the oversight and advisement of New Student Orientation, campus activities, including the DSA Muchachos, the student government (ASHMC), the Linde Activities Center, the Harvey Mudd College mobile application, and by serving as a live-on dean. She also is an inaugural member of the Claremont Colleges Teal Dot Committee that focuses on bystander intervention strategies for students, faculty and staff. Evetth is a student affairs professional with a career spanning nearly a decade during which she has specialized in student leadership and development, orientation and transition, quality programming, social justice advocacy and assessment. Gonzalez received her B.A. in communication studies at Biola University and her M.S. in college counseling and student development from Azusa Pacific University.

As the assistant director of employer relations and recruiting in the Office of Career Services, Jeanette is responsible for supporting relationships with outside organizations and to plan and coordinate a variety of campus events linking students with opportunities for internships, research, and full-time positions. Jeanette has worked in higher education and in career services for the past seven years. She previously worked at UC Riverside’s Career Center as the client outreach and career advisor and the on-campus interview and events coordinator overseeing recruitment efforts for major career fairs and provided counseling to all UCR students. Jeanette has a B.A in political science and law and society.

As a Career Advisor and Educator, Natasha supports students and alumni through one-on-one career advising appointments and educational workshops. Appointment and workshop topics can include resumes, cover letters, interview preparation and practice, job/internship searching, networking/making industry connections, applying to graduate school, and other career-related areas. Prior to coming to Mudd, Natasha worked as a Career Advisor at California Institute of the Arts. Before that, she earned her M.S. in Education with a concentration in Higher Education from California State University, Fullerton, where she also worked as a Career Coach. For her undergrad, Natasha attended the University of California, San Diego, where she earned a B.A. in Communication with minors in Cognitive Science and Education Studies.

Alyssa serves as a resource for Harvey Mudd students and alumni in their journey to graduate school, internships and careers. As Career Advisor and Educator she empowers students through career-related programs, events and 1:1 advising meetings. She also produces the office’s weekly newsletter and leads social media content creation. Her experience also includes different areas of student affairs including student support services and residence life. Alyssa graduated from California Lutheran University with a B.A. in Marketing Communication and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Student Affairs and Educational Justice at Claremont Graduate University.

As director of community engagement, Gabriela fosters new and current relationships with community organizations, coordinates student engagement and participation in community based learning activities and provides support for the development, implementation and assessment of service learning courses. Gabriela is a graduate of Pomona College and received her master’s in education from the Claremont Graduate University.

As the associate director of community engagement, Danny organizes, develops and supports community engagement programming on- and off-campus, including student-led and community-led programs. He also manages and supervises the Homework Hotline program by working collaboratively with school districts, educators and other members of the campus and external community. Danny received his B.A. in psychology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and his M.S. in college counseling and student development from Azusa Pacific University.

As the assistant dean for institutional diversity, Arianna develops and manages programs, services and initiatives that promote diversity, inclusion and educational equity, as well as cultivates cultural understanding and competency. She is dedicated to developing programming centered on inclusive excellence and leadership development. She has done work in different areas of student affairs, such as student support services, multicultural affairs, new student orientation and residence life. Arianna is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College, where she received her B.A. in sociology and anthropology and her M.A. in student affairs administration.

Dominique ‘Nikki’ Acosta is the Assistant Dean for Institutional Diversity and International Students and Scholars. Nikki is committed to transforming the higher education system to be equitable and accessible for underrepresented and underserved individuals. She has worked as a student leader for her collegiate Filipino-American community, a college adviser in Oakland, California, a research fellow at the National Center for Institutional Diversity, and in diversity, equity, and inclusion programming for faculty and students. Nikki is a graduate of UC Berkeley where she earned a B.A. in Media Studies and B.A. in Sociology and the University of Michigan where she earned her M.A. in Higher Education with a concentration in Student Access and Success.

As the assistant dean for health and wellness, Michelle oversees wellness programming on campus and work with the health educators and meets with students one-on-one to provide support and case management services. Michelle is a graduate of the University of Maryland, with a B.S. in public health. She also holds an MPH in health behavior and health promotion as well as an MSW in mental health and substance abuse from The Ohio State University.

As the assistant dean for health and wellness, Dominique helps develop and implement programs and works with students to provide guidance and support with wellness-related topics. Dominique’s work focuses on promoting health and wellness to improve student success and quality of life. She received her B.A. in public health policy from UC Irvine and her MPH from San Diego State University.

As the associate dean of students and director of residential life, Karen helps to coordinate and manage student housing, the first-year experience program, campus events and programs, and New Student Orientation. Karen has worked at Cal State University, Fullerton (CSUF) at the Office of Student Life and Leadership as their sports club graduate assistant. Prior to Harvey Mudd and CSUF, Karen was heavily involved in student government and was a student assistant at the Latinx cultural center at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP). Karen earned her master’s of science in higher education at CSUF. She has a bachelor of science in kinesiology, exercise science from CPP.

As the assistant dean for campus and residential life, Vanessa helps develop student engagement by coordinating and managing student housing, student leadership initiatives and New Student Orientation. Vanessa has worked as both a peer counselor and new student advisor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Prior to Harvey Mudd she was a graduate student worker at Claremont Graduate Admissions Office. She is a graduate of UCLA where she earned her B.A. in Political Science and Spanish and received her M.Ed. in Student Affairs and Educational Justice at Claremont Graduate University. Vanessa is excited to continue her work at Harvey Mudd College and is committed to help make Mudd feel like a second home for all students.