Dear Campus Community,
Isabel Dees, our inaugural associate vice chancellor for the Equity and Equal Protection Office, has been hired to serve as deputy Title IX director at UC Office of the President. Her last day at UC Santa Cruz is March 21.
For the last 14 years, Isabel has provided our campus with thoughtful leadership that is centered on how effective and efficient compliance systems advance educational equity and social justice. She has held critical roles in our Title IX Office and Disability Resource Center. The UC Office of the President made a good choice in selecting her to serve in this important role and I look forward to further collaboration and the important impact she will continue to have for the UC community.
For almost two years, Isabel has led our Equity and Equal Protection Office, which includes the Title IX Office, the Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action Office, the ADA program, and the Whistleblower program. The development of this office has been a major step forward for providing comprehensive compliance services to the campus. Co-locating these offices improves our ability to manage instances of discrimination based on intersecting identities and under Isabel’s leadership, the office has grown and staff have cross-trained to better support our community.
Isabel served as one of the two campus representatives in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education. She also co-chaired our Campus Safety Community Advisory Board, which provides advice and recommendations to the chancellor on issues related to campus and community safety.
Later this year, we will begin a recruitment for Isabel's successor. In the meantime, EEP will continue to report to the Office of the Chancellor and I have asked Associate Chancellor Anna Finn to serve as our interim chief ethics and compliance officer.
Please join me in thanking Isabel for her service to UC Santa Cruz and congratulating her on this next phase of her professional career.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Cynthia Larive
Chancellor
