Dean’s Council member since March 2013
A UC Santa Cruz alumna (1991, Education Certificate), Kristen’s professional background is in brokerage, banking, and education. She is a registered investment advisor affiliated with Integral Investment Advisors. Before that she was with Charles Schwab & Co for 15 years as a senior financial consultant and branch manager and with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney as assistant vice president and compliance officer for the Capitola and Salinas branches. Before entering the brokerage industry, Kristen was a vice president and portfolio manager for Banc Texas, where she managed a $300 million bond portfolio for the lead Dallas bank and its eleven affiliate banks.
Kristen is a trustee of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation Board and a longtime member and past president of the Friends of Friends of Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Several important milestones distinguished Kristen’s tenure as president, including founding the Director’s Circle, a group of significant supporters. Her work with the Seymour Center embodies her passion for the ocean, including studying marine sciences and participating in ocean sports. She also served as board president for New Horizons School, a school for homeless children in the Santa Cruz area, and was a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for a foster child for 8 years.
Kristen earned a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and a minor in French from the University of the Pacific and went on to earn a graduate teaching credential from UC Santa Cruz, after which she taught at the elementary and middle school levels. She has also earned the designation of accredited asset management specialist (AAMS).