CABRILLO - Key Persons


Adam Spickler

Job Titles:
  • CCCD Governing Board Trustee, and Board Chair
  • Governing Board Trustee, Area II 12 / 2022 - 12 / 2026
  • President of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees
Adam Spickler serves as the current President of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees and is the elected representative from Area 2 (covering parts of Live Oak, Santa Cruz, and mountain communities just east of Highway 17). He has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2018.

Aidee Valdez Martinez

Job Titles:
  • Marketing and Communications Coordinator of Cabrillo College
Aidee Valdez Martinez is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator of Cabrillo College and participates in a number of Cabrillo College Committees.

Alex Strudley

Job Titles:
  • Director of Procurement and General Services

Alia Fintz

Job Titles:
  • Foundation Assistant

Alicia Gregory

Job Titles:
  • Interim Assistant Superintendent / Vice President of Administrative Services Director of Budget and Fiscal Services
  • Interim Vice President of Finance & Administrative Services
  • Interim Vice President, Finance & Administrative Services ( Chair )
  • VP Admin Services
Alicia Gregory is a San José native who has worked in grant development and budget management for the past 15 years. Alicia comes to Cabrillo by way of Hartnell Community College, where she most recently served as Accounting Manager. Prior to her time in business and financial affairs, Alicia worked with Hartnell's Adult Education Consortium in Instruction. Alicia provided budget and reporting oversight to Adult School members to ensure compliance and uniform reporting throughout the Consortium. Alicia is a graduate of CSU Monterey Bay, where she received both her BA and MBA. She is an AmeriCorps alumnus, who served two terms in the Bay Area with the Public Allies AmeriCorps Program, after her terms, Alicia continued to build the Bay Area AmeriCorps Alumni network and coordinated professional development events for local Alumni. Alicia is passionate about education and creating equity within the educational system to allow students the ability to achieve their academic goals. Outside of the office, Alicia enjoys spending time with her family and friends, particularly her 3-year-old nephew. She has a dog named Harley Quinn after her favorite DC comic book character and enjoys singing karaoke. Alicia's favorite season is football season, even if her favorite team, the Raiders, don't spend much time in the end zone.

Angela Hoyt

Job Titles:
  • Vice President, Human Resources & Labor Relations
  • VP HR / Marketing / Institutional Effectiveness

Anna Zagorska

Job Titles:
  • Faculty Senate President

Annie Jones

Job Titles:
  • Director, Tutoring & Academic Support Services

Annie Morhauser

Job Titles:
  • Artist

Anya Finke

Job Titles:
  • Program Coordinator
Anya Finke is the Next Steps Program Coordinator for the Academic Counseling Department at Cabrillo College. A member of CCEU, Anya has served in several capacities since joining Cabrillo College in 1997, including Theater Manager and Student Assessment Coordinator. Anya is proud to be on the leadership team for the Running Start to College Program supporting local high school seniors by reducing barriers and promoting a successful transition to college.

Anya Salden - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman

Arne Croce

Arne Croce is a Cabrillo College alum and Santa Cruz County resident. He is a former city manager, nonprofit executive, and consultant and has been involved in several community organizations including the Rotary Club of San Mateo and Leadership San Mateo.

Ashley Carniglia


Barbara Schultz-Perez

Job Titles:
  • Faculty Senate Representative

Bodie Shargel

Bodie Shargel is a second-year UCSC student, a delegate to the California State Democratic Party, and an alternate to the Santa Cruz County DCC. Shargel is a leader in student organizations including the UCSC Young Democratic Socialists of America and the Student Housing Coalition.

Brad Krein

Job Titles:
  • Content Review Chair

Brenda Torres

Job Titles:
  • Retired
Brenda Torres is retired and the former Director of IT for Finance and Foreign Trade for a large silicon valley equipment manufacturer. Santa Cruz community member since 2011. A current part-time student at Cabrillo College.

Buff McKinley

Job Titles:
  • CCEU Appointed Representative

Caitlin Bonura

Job Titles:
  • Development Director

Christina Cuevas

Job Titles:
  • CCCD Governing Board Trustee, Chair of the Name Exploration Subcommittee, and Name Selection Task Force
  • Chairman of the Name Selection Task Force
  • Governing Board Trustee, Area III 12 / 2022 - 12 / 2026
Christina Cuevas serves as the chair of the Name Selection Task Force. She is the elected representative for the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees from Area 3 (covering parts of Live Oak, Capitola, and Soquel). She has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2014.

Cody Jarvis

Job Titles:
  • Student Trustee - 07 / 01 / 24 - 06 / 30 / 25

David Gilmore

Job Titles:
  • CCEU Appointed Representative

David Woods

Job Titles:
  • Graphic Designer
  • Member of the Marketing Team
  • Graphic Design, Communications Specialist

Donna Mekis

Job Titles:
  • Author
Donna Mekis is an author, local historian, and retired Cabrillo faculty member who directed Cabrillo's Transfer Center and Honors Transfer Program. She is currently Co-Chair of the Annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading and serves as a UC Santa Cruz Foundation Board Trustee.

Donna Ziel

Job Titles:
  • Governing Board Trustee, Area I 
12 / 2022 - 12 / 2026

Dr. Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah

Job Titles:
  • VP Student Services

Dr. Blanca Balthazar-Sabbah

Job Titles:
  • Vice President, Student Service Dr. Michelle Donohue - Mendoza, Designee

Dr. J. Dan Rothwell

Job Titles:
  • Governing Board Trustee, Area VI 12 / 2022 - 12 / 2026

Dr. Matthew E. Wetstein - President

Job Titles:
  • President
  • Superintendent
  • CCCD Governing Board Secretary, and Cabrillo Community College District Superintendent / President
Matt Wetstein is in his sixth year as President of Cabrillo College. He is a statewideleader on college affordability issues and currently serves as the co-chair of theCommunity College League of California's Affordability, Food, and Housing AccessTask Force.

Dr. Travaris Harris

Job Titles:
  • Vice President of Instruction, Paul Harvell, Designee
  • VP Instruction Office

Ed Newman

Job Titles:
  • President of the Board of Directors

Eileen Hill

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director

Félix Robles

Job Titles:
  • Retired
Félix Robles is a retired Spanish Instructor and BELA Division Dean from Cabrillo College, where he worked for 50 years. In addition to working at Cabrillo, Félix served on multiple non-profit boards, including the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, Goodwill Industries of Santa Cruz and Monterey, Encompass, United Way, and Santa Cruz City Schools. Félix is vice president of the board at Delta School at Cabrillo.

Gary Reece

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Symphony
Gary Reece is the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Symphony. He served on the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees for over 25 years. He is a Past President of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, the Museum of Art and History, and the Santa Cruz Rotary Club.

Gun Ruder

Job Titles:
  • President and CEO of S. Martinelli & Company
Gun Ruder is the President and CEO of S. Martinelli & Company located in Watsonville, CA. Gun serves on a number of not-for-profit community boards serving Santa Cruz County and other communities, including the Cabrillo Foundation, the Pacific Collegiate Foundation, and the Young Women's Leadership Academy of Las Vegas.

James Weckler

Job Titles:
  • Retired
James Weckler, Ph.D. is a retired university professor and college dean. He currently splits his time between doing contract work as a higher ed consultant and playing bass guitar in a couple of local bands. Weckler is 100% Bilingual/bi-literate in Spanish/English and lives in Aptos with his wife, Rosario.

Janine Riopel

Job Titles:
  • Institutional Research Analyst
  • Institutional Research Analyst, Statistician
Janine Riopel is an institutional research analyst in the Planning and Research Office and uses intersectional qualitative methodologies to support the college's Name Change process. She is also a professor of Psychology at San Joaquin Delta College and lives locally in Santa Cruz.

Jefferson Hancock

Job Titles:
  • ASC Representative

Jessica Carroll


John Govsky

Job Titles:
  • CCFT Appointed Representative
  • CCFT Representative

Joy Polanco O'Neil

Job Titles:
  • LRC / TLC Representative

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo is famous for his expedition along the coast of California in 1542, the first European and oldest written record of the west coast of the now United States. His accounts of the expedition noted visits to native villages, descriptions of flora and fauna, and efforts to find a suitable location to establish settlements. His namesake is associated with the Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma, adjacent to the San Diego Bay, a site he "discovered" and named San Miguel during his expedition. In 1543 he died from gangrene after suffering a leg wound on Santa Catalina Island off the coast of California. Cabrillo amassed a large sum of wealth and property, in large part through the use of slave labor in Guatemala that resulted from the conquest of Mexico and Central America under Spanish military expeditions and his taking of land titles in the Spanish "encomienda" system. At the time of his death, Cabrillo had one of the richest estates in Central America. Cabrillo's birthplace is the subject of some dispute among historians, although most authoritative accounts attribute his birth to Spain. The Portuguese government and most historians from that country still identify him as one of their own, and two villages in that country claim him as their native son. Cabrillo is a controversial figure today because of his role in the conquering armies of Cortes and because his expedition set the stage for colonial conquest of California and the subjugation of natives who had lived in this region for centuries. NPS Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo National MonumentThere are several good, accessible websites that discuss the life of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. A few are listed here. Other scholarly approaches can be found from authors Harry Kelsey (1986) and Wendy Kramer (1994, NPS Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo National Monument2019) mentioned earlier in this FAQ document. NPS Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo National Monument San Diego History Center

Julie Thiebaut

Job Titles:
  • Community Volunteer
  • Secretary

Julio Neri Andrade

Julio Neri Andrade is a Cabrillo College alum, a Watsonville resident for 30 years, and stands for love, equity, and justice for himself and all others. Currently serves as the co-director of Live Oak Cradle to Career Program.

Karen Cogswell - CFO

Job Titles:
  • CFO

Kate Staveland

Job Titles:
  • Operations and Communications Director

Kendall Sooter

Job Titles:
  • Instructor in Communication Studies, Environmental Studies
Kendall Sooter is an Instructor in Communication Studies, Environmental Studies, and Engineering at Cabrillo College and is a doctoral candidate in Sustainability Education at Prescott College.

Kristin Fabos

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Marketing Team
  • Director : Kristin Fabos
  • Director of Marketing, Communications, and Community Relations at Cabrillo College
  • Director, Marketing and Communications, Public Information Officer
  • Marketing and Communications Director
Kristin Fabos is the Director of Marketing, Communications, and Community Relations at Cabrillo College. In that capacity, she provides support to the Task Force as it conducts its work to narrow the list of potential names for the College. Kristin has worked at Cabrillo since 2010.

Les Forster

Job Titles:
  • Retired
Les Forster is a retired school administrator, who graduated from Cabrillo College and continues to serve as a Foundation supporter and advocate for student-veterans. He has served on the boards of CASA, Your Future Is Our Business, and volunteers for Teen Kitchen Project and Hospice of Santa Cruz.

Lori Hood

Job Titles:
  • Events Coordinator
  • Executive Assistant

Lou Chiaramonte

Lou Chiaramonte, Jr. is a Cabrillo College alumnus, who is an Assembly District delegate within the California Democratic Party and an organizer for South Bay Indigenous Solidarity.

Madison Raasch

Madison Raasch is an Aptos resident and former Cabrillo College Student Trustee, Cabrillo College alum, and community organizer. Madison is a Political-Information scientist and incoming MS student at the UC Berkeley School of Information. She worked as a researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under the Future of Long-Term Competitive Strategies thrust area at LLNL's Center for Global Security Research, where she researched global information-based warfare from a great power competitive perspective. She now works in the private sector in the field of information security and defense.

Marcelo Nogueira

Job Titles:
  • CTC Representative

Marilyn Hyde

Job Titles:
  • Resident of Watsonville
Marilyn Hyde is a resident of Watsonville and attended local public schools. She is a retired educator and active community volunteer.

Mark Ramsey

Job Titles:
  • Athletic Director at Cabrillo College
Mark Ramsey is the Athletic Director at Cabrillo College and serves on a community non-profit board as the President of San Lorenzo Valley Little League and participates in local recreational sports leagues.

Martin Garcia

Job Titles:
  • Professor in the Cabrillo College English Department
Martin Garcia is a Professor in the Cabrillo College English Department and a graduate of Cabrillo College. He is an active member of the Watsonville community, coaching youth sports and participating in various local organizations.

Michele Bassi

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Olga Diaz

Olga Diaz is the Watsonville Center Manager of Cabrillo College. She is a Cabrillo alum and has worked in the College for over 20 years. She is a member of the Cabrillo HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) Leadership Team, is a long time Watsonville resident, and is actively involved in the community.

Patrick Andrews

Job Titles:
  • Accounting & Human Resources Manager

Pegi Ard

Job Titles:
  • Community Volunteer

Rachael Spencer

Job Titles:
  • Governing Board Trustee, Area IV 12 / 2020 - 12 / 2024

Ramesh Goonetilleke

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Marketing Team
  • Web Developer

Richelle Noroyan

Job Titles:
  • Community Relations Director of Second Harvest Food Bank

Rob Allen

Rob Allen is a will, trusts, and estates attorney at Allen, Allen & Caroselli, Ltd., in Watsonville, and serves on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations in Santa Cruz County, including MENtors, Cabrillo College Foundation, Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, Mar Vista Field Project, and the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County.

Ronnette Smithcamp

Job Titles:
  • Executive Assistant
  • Confidential Executive Assistant to the Superintendent / President, Dr. Matthew E. Wetstein, Ph.D., and the Governing Board of Trustees
  • Executive Assistant to the Superintendent / President and the Governing Board of Trustees / Joined Cabrillo College in 2016
Ronnette Smithcamp is the Confidential Executive Assistant to the Superintendent / President, Dr. Matthew E. Wetstein, Ph.D., and the Governing Board of Trustees. In that capacity, she provides lead-level administrative support to college staff, faculty, managers, and administrators across campus and throughout the community. Ronnette has worked at Cabrillo since 2016 and is a Cabrillo College alumna.

Sarah Doub


Saul Moreno

Job Titles:
  • Student Representative, Student Senate

Shannon Moseley

Job Titles:
  • Accounting Assistant

Steve Hodges

Job Titles:
  • Faculty Senate Appointed Representative

Steve Schearer

Job Titles:
  • Director, Information Technology - Chair

Steve Trujillo

Job Titles:
  • Govening Board Trustee, Area VII 12 / 2020 - 12 / 2024

Tatiana Bachuretz

Job Titles:
  • Confidential Representative

Terrence Willett

Job Titles:
  • Dean of Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness
Terrence Willett is the Dean of Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness for Cabrillo College. In that capacity, he provides support to the Task Force and its work. Terrence is a statewide leader in the Research and Planning community on issues involving assessment and placement into transfer English and Math and on ESL reforms. Terrence was also a student and Math tutor at Cabrillo.

Theo Kell

Job Titles:
  • CCEU Appointed Representative

Topsy Neher Smalley

Job Titles:
  • Retired, Served for 20 Years As an Instruction and Research Librarian on the Cabrillo College Faculty.
Topsy Neher Smalley, now retired, served for 20 years as an instruction and research librarian on the Cabrillo College faculty.

Violette Reeves

Job Titles:
  • Interim Director, Budget & Fiscal Services