The UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association is excited to welcome five new members to its elected governing board, the Alumni Council. Gregory Canillas, Nicona Macdonald, Richard Mahon Kelsey Knox, and Sterling Scott joined the board on July 1. Shelly Meron will serve as the Alumni Council president for the next two terms.
Twenty-two members make up this year’s Council, with each councilor serving two-year terms upon being elected. Incoming councilors were selected by fellow alumni during the annual elections held this spring.
“I'm honored to serve in this role on behalf of my fellow UCSC alumni,” Meron said. “I hope I can help them and our Alumni Engagement staff to find new opportunities to connect with UCSC and contribute to our campus community in ways that are meaningful to them.”
While at UC Santa Cruz, Meron (Stevenson ’05, history) wrote and edited for City on a Hill Press and interned at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. She earned a master’s in journalism from UC Berkeley in 2007, and began working as a reporter for the Bay Area News Group. After five years as a journalist, she transitioned to a media relations role at the University of California, Office of the President (UCOP) and later became head speechwriter for the UC president. Today, she is the Deputy Director for Communications at UCOP.
Alumni Councilors serve as advocates for UCSC and the UC system and primarily focus on engaging, supporting and strengthening the university’s alumni network. They do this by sharing and promoting UCSC’s vision, leading projects and initiatives to support the Alumni Council Strategic Work Plan, and periodically acting in an advisory role when called upon for specific initiatives.
“The Alumni Council is made up of 22 volunteers from a range of backgrounds, graduation years, and professional fields. We bring diverse experiences and viewpoints to our board work. And we all have an important attribute in common: our shared fondness for UC Santa Cruz,” Meron said.
Some of the Council’s priorities include matching alumni volunteers with meaningful opportunities and supporting students in two primary ways: first, through the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to around 40 students annually; and second, through the Special Projects Fund, which provides up to $1,000 for student initiatives that focus on alumni engagement. In addition, the Alumni Council will champion the Cooperage Renovation project this year to help create a welcoming gateway to UCSC and a hub for alumni, the community, and the UC Santa Cruz Foundation.
Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Shayna Kent supports the work of the volunteers and helps channel their volunteer efforts toward current initiatives and needs.
“The Alumni Council is an essential component to strengthen and support UCSC and our network of almost 160,000 alumni,” Kent said. “We rely on their experiences, volunteer time and networks to guide our work and support the alumni engagement programs. I am honored to work with such a dedicated group of people who love UCSC.”
Welcoming five new councilors
Gregory Canillas Ph.D. (Cowell ’90, psychology and history)
While at UC Santa Cruz, Dr. Canillas co-founded Isake (an African American theater arts group) and participated in a number of student organizations including the African Gospel Ensemble, the African/Black Student Alliance and the Cowell College Affairs Committee. Following his time at UC Santa Cruz, he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (Los Angeles).
Dr. Canillas is the CEO of Soul 2 Soul Global and is the creator of Love Wins! LGBTQ+ Weekend Couples Retreats, which are offered in cities across the globe.
Kelsey Knox (Porter ’12, American studies)
While at UCSC, Knox served as a Resident Advisor for two years at Porter College. She also participated in the UCDC program, interning at the Peace Corps Records Office. Knox completed her Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from UCLA in 2014, where she focused on Archival Studies. Kelsey spent 8 years working as an archivist in the Los Angeles area before being hired as the University Archivist at UCSC in June 2023, her dream job.
Nicona MacDonald (John R. Lewis ’12, community studies)
During her time at UCSC, MacDonald was elected into several local advisory bodies, including serving as a County Commissioner and on the Santa Cruz Metro Advisory Committee. She completed a 6-month field study at Ecology Action, where she built relationships with hundreds of philanthropic foundations to increase funding for local alternative transportation projects.
As a member of the UC Santa Cruz Alumni Council, she looks forward to bringing her experience to the table in ways that will have a positive and lasting impact, as well as supporting past and present Banana Slugs as they journey onwards from campus to beyond.
Richard Mahon (Cowell ’78, history and religious studies) (Ph.D. ’89, history of consciousness)
RIchard Mahon taught in the Stevenson core course from 1990 to 1997 and served as Stevenson academic preceptor for that period of time. He served as a Professor of Humanities at Riverside City College from 1998 to 2016, also taking turns as academic senate president, curriculum committee chair, and serving on the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) and the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges FACCC). Between 2016 and 2021, he served as STEM dean at Allan Hancock College and Vice President of Instruction at Mt. San Antonio College. He also served as a commissioner on the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and currently serves on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (WASC-SCUC), UC Santa Cruz’s accreditor.
Richard retired in June 2021 and returned to teach a section of the Cowell core course in 2021, a role he continues to play. He also serves on the board of the Smith Society at UCSC.
Sterling Scott (Rachel Carson ’17, molecular cellular and developmental biology)
Sterling Scott has remained in contact and engaged with UCSC since graduating by returning each year as a part of an Alumni panel speaking about his college experience, especially regarding Focus On Africa in which he was part of the inaugural class that traveled to the continent.
Currently, Scott works in the Santa Cruz area and surrounding counties as an Environmental Health Consultant with Fox Onsite Solutions and is also a photographer. Scott has authored two photography books; Reflection of Us (2019), and I Can’t Breathe (2020), as well as had the privilege of photographing the AIDs Life Cycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2022.
Scott cares deeply about the inclusion of students on campus and hopes that by being part of the council he may continue to impact and be part of positive change for future students at UCSC.
