Rachel Arriaga has been part of the UCSB community since June 1996, starting her career in Human Resources before moving to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, where she has worked for the past 26 years. She holds several certificates, including a UC Conflict Management Certificate, UC Business Officers Institute, UCSB HR Academy, and a Prosci Change Management Certificate from Santa Barbara City College, among others.*

As the Operations Manager and Divisional HR Business Partner, Rachel enjoys helping hiring managers fulfill their potential by recruiting the right people and then supporting those newly hired staff thrive in their roles at UCSB. In addition to her HR responsibilities, she provides high-level analytical support to the Vice Chancellor and the Chief of Staff, and oversees daily administrative operations for the office. Rachel also supervises the office staff and manages key tasks such as VC correspondence, divisional meetings (3x year), campus presentations, directors’ meetings (monthly), divisional planning, and the Student Affairs New Employee Orientation, among other duties.

Rachel is grateful to have worked for two amazing Vice Chancellors—Michael Young and Margaret Klawunn—and is fortunate to have had wonderful mentors throughout her UCSB career. Early on, she learned the importance of hard work, passion, and ownership of her work, no matter the task.

*UC Conflict Management Certificate, 2003 UC Business Officers Institute (BOI), 2004 UC Mgmt. Skills Assessment Prog. (MSAP), 2005 UCSB Admissions Reader, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2023 UCSB Judicial Process Advisor, ongoing  UCSB Black Graduation Advisor, 2010 UCSB Sexual Assault Hearing Officer, 2012 UCSB HR Academy, 2016 Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Prosci Change Management Certificate, 2023