Dr. Brian Arao (he/him/his) serves as the Associate Dean of Students and Chief of Staff at the University of California Santa Cruz.  In his eighteen years as a student affairs practitioner, Dr. Arao has cultivated a clear understanding of his professional purpose and passion: to facilitate transformative and empowering educational experiences for all students, with an emphasis on those who have been marginalized within and excluded from the academy.  He has creatively and consistently applied this approach to his work across a broad range of institutions and functional areas including residential life, student conduct, orientation, first year experience, and equity and inclusion initiatives.

Brian graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular, Cellular, and Development Biology.  He went on to graduate with a Master of Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont and a Doctorate in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco.  

He can be reached via email at [email protected] or LinkedIn.