Academic Programs Assistant
As the Academic Programs Assistant, Robin provides support to Bren faculty, visitors, and students to ensure seamless delivery of instructional activities, including room scheduling, course enrollment, field trips, and DSP requests. Robin tracks all academic activities and deadlines for registration, Master's Projects, and other program requirements. She is the primary contact for the Academic Programs and Scheduling Teams help-ticket system and processes Eligibility Verification requests from outside departments hiring Bren students. She maintains multiple electronic calendars for courses, events, and meetings, as well as content on the Bren Academic Programs web pages.
Before joining Bren, Robin worked for UCSB’s Anthropology Department for 13 years, first as the Graduate Program Coordinator, then another 10 years as the Business Officer. She managed graduate student advising and financial support as well as complex departmental accounting, curriculum, and the curation of archaeological collections space. Before her UCSB staff experience, Robin forged a distinguished career as an educator, both in traditional classroom settings and outdoors, leveraging her expertise to develop and deliver natural history and conservation education programs for institutions such as Channel Islands National Park, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and The Nature Conservancy’s Santa Cruz Island Preserve. Throughout her career, she has remained steadfast in her advocacy for first-hand experiences with the natural world, recognizing their pivotal role in fostering stewardship of our planet's long-term health and sustainability.
Robin is a second-generation UCSB alumna, earning her BA in both Environmental Studies and Anthropology and her teaching credential from UCSB’s Graduate School of Education. She has lived nearly all her life in Santa Barbara, spending countless hours on local islands, trails, and the Santa Barbara Channel. When not at work, Robin enjoys DIY projects, fiber arts, gardening, and casual birding.