Today we’d like to introduce you to Katya Armistead.
Hi Katya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my career in higher education a couple of years after I graduated from UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). I entered UCSB as a first-generation and low-income student. I was entirely out of my element as a mixed-raced person (Black and white) and not quite academically ready to enter the world of a predominately white high-achieving institution. Honestly, I am not entirely sure how I survived, but perhaps it was due to the few supportive friendships I cultivated and some caring supervisors. My first career position at UCSB was as an administrative assistant. I learned a lot about working within an office as a work-study student and a year-long stint in New York working in an Advertising Agency. Perhaps that is the part of the beginning of my story. I had the audacity early in my life to take advantage of opportunities afforded to me and take some risks. Attending UCSB was a risk. Accepting a job as a camp counselor in New Hampshire during my sophomore year in college (and going back for the next four years) was a risk. And moving to New York without a job or much money was another risk. So, moving back to Santa Barbara and seeking a low-level position at UCSB was not a risk but instead provided me a foundation to continue my learning and the grounding to excel in the areas I am most passionate about.
What I am most proud of about myself is taking on challenges that push me to grow. For example, as an administrative assistant in the admissions office, I made it a point to learn all there was to know about the admissions world. I took on projects that were beyond my pay grade, and I asked a lot of questions. I volunteered to be on committees, and I ventured out beyond my department, looking for how to immerse myself even more into the workings of a university. I would say what was unique about me was how I was not trying to achieve a more prestigious title or larger paycheck. I genuinely wanted to be of service and learn. I advanced to a new position within the department three years later and became the campus visit coordinator. I loved this job. I got to bring first-generation, low-income, and students of color to visit the campus for the day and share the message that they belonged on the campus just as much as anyone else. I eventually became an assistant director and learned about an opportunity to pursue my master’s degree in education, even though I did not have a stellar undergraduate GPA. My time pursuing my master’s was eye-opening, and even though I had a good amount of responsibility as an assistant director and mom to two small children, I loved it.
I continued staying open to learning and focused on supporting students on campus. I was asked to be the Black Student Union (BSU) advisor and unofficially advised several student organizations. Beyond being integrated into the campus community, I also became involved with non-profit work within the Santa Barbara community. Four organizations were incredibly impactful to my growth, personally and professionally. The first one is Postpartum Education for Parents (PEP). Volunteers run this organization, and I held several officer positions, including three years as the chair. I learned much about human resource work as the vice-chair of Santa Barbara County’s American Red Cross chapter. And I explore the scary world, to me anyway, of development as a board member for one of the oldest non-profit organizations in Santa Barbara County, Family Service Agency (FSA). I was also co-board president for three years during the last of my ten years on the board. And the non-profit I am now contracted to do leadership work and was recently asked to be on the board is Leading From Within (LFW). As a young professional, my involvement with their eighteen-month program, Katherine Harvey Fellows (KHF), informed me of our county’s issues and our abundance of non-profits. As a result, my cohort decided to start our own non-profit, Youth Making Change (YMC), which mirrored our work as a cohort but focused on youth. I’m pleased that the program is over ten years old and thriving under The Fund for Santa Barbara.
After completing my master’s degree, my Vice-Chancellor approached me, asking me to move from the admissions office and join the student life team. In 2007 I was an assistant dean within the office of student life, just beginning my journey to be a doctoral student within our graduate school of education (GGSE); I was playing lots of soccer, a mom of two busy children (who also played a lot of soccer!), and a member of two non-profit boards.
I now hold the title of Dr. Katya Armistead, assistant vice chancellor and dean of student life. In addition, I am a certified facilitator of The Leadership Challenge, teach Introduction to Leadership Theory to upper-division undergraduates and a civic engagement course through the Religious Studies Department that was created after receiving a VOICE grant from the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, do leadership consulting with The Decided Heart Effect (DHE), am a co-facilitator of an emerging leaders program for folks who work in non-profits and do Diversity, Equity, co-facilitate a Women in Leadership program through Antioch University, and Inclusion (DEI) work consulting with Equity Praxis Group (EPG). I am proud of what I have accomplished and how I have made a difference in the lives of students and my community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely there have been struggles along the way of my journey. It took time to feel comfortable about my identity and believe in myself. Eventually, I could see my gifts and lean into my passions by surrounding myself with amazing folks.
An example of a time in my life when I grew the most as a professional was during the academic year 2013-2014. I was the associate dean of students and our Office of Student Life director. During this year, I had to face several impactful challenges. These include starting the year with a car accident on the 405 (I was cut off in the fast lane), learning an alum I was close with had struck and killed a pedestrian while drunk, had a horrible gang rape case happen on campus, we had an outbreak of Meningitis and had to organize two immunization clinics for all of our students, we had a faculty member take an anti-abortion sign from a group of non-affiliates on campus, she was charged with theft – this made national news and I was named as keeper of campus regulations and therefor labeled as one who did not believe in free speech by conservative media, we had a civil unrest incident in our neighboring community – Isla Vista that made national news, and then we ended the year with a young man murdering six of our students. And on a personal note, my mother died in a fire that summer.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on what I learned and thinking about what I had experienced and how I wanted to respond to the campus and our community. I responded by spending the next academic year working closely with the campus community, creating an I heart UCSB pledge, programming to remember the students we lost, and helping students develop events to encourage students to participate in alleviating some of the unsanctioned parties in Isla Vista.
I’m incredibly proud of how I responded, along with my colleagues and students. The collaborations and work I engaged in have made a difference in the lives of our students and are felt to this day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Student Life at UC Santa Barbara. I have worked on campus for 32 years, with the first 17 in the Office of Admissions before moving to Student Life. I am the control point for ten student life offices, am a certified trainer for The Leadership Challenge, teach a leadership course in the Girvertz Graduate School of Education and a Civic Engagement Course through the Religious Studies Department that was created after receiving a VOICE grant from the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, is the main responder for campus protests and demonstrations, and works on special projects, especially around campus climate and diversity. I am an alum of UC Santa Barbara, earning my bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 1988 and my doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2012.
In addition, I am a certified facilitator of The Leadership Challenge, teach Introduction to Leadership Theory to upper-division undergraduates and a civic engagement course, do leadership consulting with The Decided Heart Effect (DHE), am a co-facilitator of an emerging leaders program for folks who work in non-profits and do Diversity, Equity, co-facilitate a Women in a Leadership program through Antioch University, and Inclusion (DEI) work consulting with Equity Praxis Group (EPG). I am proud of what I have accomplished and how I have made a difference in the lives of students and my community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://studentlife.sa.ucsb.edu/
- Instagram: @katyajean
- Facebook: Katya Armistead
Image Credits
UC National Free Speech and Civic Engagement Center
