Meet Our Leadership Team

Committed to educational access, equity, and excellence

As a leadership team and as a division, the work we do is grounded in educational equity, institutional responsibility, and holistic student success. Beyond UC Santa Cruz, our team is involved in numerous professional organizations and highly engaged in the local community.

Learn about our divisional priorities

Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, Ed.D. (she/her)

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success

Akirah Bradley-Armstrong was appointed Vice Chancellor for the Division of Student Affairs and Success at UC Santa Cruz, effective May 16, 2022. As Vice Chancellor, Akirah leads a multidisciplinary team of nearly 700 student affairs professionals supporting students in their outside-the-classroom experiences, work that is grounded in educational equity, institutional responsibility, and holistic student success.

Akirah joined UC Santa Cruz from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she had supported student affairs since 2016, most recently serving as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. She was also a faculty affiliate in CU Boulder’s Master’s in Higher Education program, teaching the Leadership in Higher Education course.

Akirah brings proven leadership in closing equity gaps, creating access pipelines, and creating community for underrepresented students, along with a wealth of experience in innovative stewardship of housing and dining programs. Akirah is committed to supporting free expression on campus, promoting student wellness, and ensuring access to basic needs and personal development opportunities for students.

Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles in student affairs at CU Boulder, UC Berkeley, the University of Vermont, and Semester at Sea. Akirah is also a leader nationally in organizations such as the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), where she recently served on the NASPA Board of Directors 2024-2025. Additionally, she served as Chair of the 2025 Annual Conference attended by over 6,500 members. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UC Davis, where her dissertation focused on crisis response and support systems in higher education administration. A first-generation college student, she holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mansfield University.

With more than 21 years of experience in the field, Akirah is a dedicated student affairs professional committed to fostering student success and well-being.