The UC Regents have approved the appointment of Sarah Latham as vice chancellor of Business and Administrative Services (BAS) at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
As vice chancellor of BAS, Latham will oversee business, accounting, and fiscal services; staff human resources; housing and residential life services; facilities planning and construction services; physical plant and grounds operations; and health and safety services.
Her appointment, which followed a nationwide search, begins on September 10. Latham succeeds Christina Valentino, who has held the position on an interim basis since May of 2011.
“Sarah will bring to campus her wonderful experience, great skills, and an inexhaustible enthusiasm for UCSC,” said campus provost and executive vice chancellor Alison Galloway. “I look forward to working with her in this vital position.”
Latham currently serves as vice president for operations and planning at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where she oversees strategic and master planning, facilities management and construction, public safety and emergency management, residence life, and environmental stewardship.
“I look forward to joining the UCSC community and working with the BAS team to support the business and administrative needs of the campus,” said Latham. “My first priority will be to listen to the perspectives of faculty, staff, and students across campus to understand the tactical and strategic needs that exist.”
Latham began her tenure at Samford in the role of director of institutional research and has also served as assistant to the president at Samford, where she handled several operational and management aspects of the university, oversaw institutional research, and coordinated the strategic planning process.
She previously worked on education policy for the state of Florida and the Florida Board of Regents.
Latham holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a master's degree in higher education, and a Ph.D in public administration and policy from Florida State University. She also taught in the Political Science Department at Samford for eight years.
