UCDC Staff

Tanya Golash-Boza was appointed by the University of California, Office of the President as the third executive director of the University of California Washington program on October 3, 2022. She is a Washington, D.C. native and a Professor of Sociology at UC Merced.

Dr. Golash-Boza has chaired the UC Academic Senate Committee on Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Equity, the UC Merced Committee on Diversity and Equity, the American Sociological Association’s Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities, UC Merced’s Reserve Committee on Academic Promotions, and the UC Merced Department of Public Health.

Dr. Golash-Boza has a deep commitment to undergraduate education and to equity and inclusion. She has taught numerous courses and published several books on race, racism, and immigration. She served as Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Sociology and founded the Racism, Capitalism, and the Law Lab at UC Merced. In 2019, she was the recipient of the UC Merced Senate Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentorship. In 2013, she received the UC Merced Academic Senate Award for Distinguished Scholarly Public Service.

Tanya Golash-Boza is a proud graduate of DC Public Schools. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in Philosophy and her masters and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 

Kim Y. Jones, a native Washingtonian, is an experienced leader, advocate, and attorney with 20+ years of non-for-profit leadership experience. Kim has devoted her career to: 1) developing, operationalizing, and fundraising for community based programs; 2) providing technical assistance to non-profit organizations in the area of capacity building, compliance, and effective program monitoring; 3) effective policy advocacy in support of stakeholders and community priorities.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University and Juris Doctorate from the District of Columbia School of Law (now the David A. Clark School of Law at UDC) and is a member of the DC Bar and the US District Court of the District of Columbia. Kim is the recipient of several honors including the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation Exponent Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Leadership and the Advocate for Justice Award by David A. Clarke School of Law (formerly Antioch School of Law/D.C. School of Law), awarded to an alumni dedicated to serving the public interest.

Kim formerly served in several Executive Director roles where she was responsible for improving organizational efficacies through program improvements, automation and compli-ance. Past positions held were as Executive Director of One Common Unity, The Washington School of Psychiatry, The Advocacy Center of Louisiana, Inc., in New Orleans, LA and Execu-tive Director/Co-Founder of Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc. in Washington, DC. She has been responsible for building and maintaining sustainable organizations over the course of her career. She has contributed to the conceptualization, development and capacity building of several non-profit organizations including School Talk, the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, Cybertorial, Asian American Lead, Columbia Heights Family Support Collabora-tive, Columbia Heights Youth Club, Friends of the Anacostia Public Library and countless others. 

In her spare time, Kim serves on the the Financial Policy Committee of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation and Board of Directors Cybertorial, Inc.  She served four (4) years as volunteer General Counsel to the Nation’s Capital Child Development Center in Washington D.C. Kim is passionate about the development of leaders in the non-profit sec-tor and has been coordinating Black Female Executive of Washington since 2020, an organi-zation committed to supporting the professional development of Black Female Leadership in the non-profit organizations.

Dr. Jimmy Ellis is passionate about experiential learning, internships and early career development, and helping students be their best. With nearly two decades of experience in higher education, Jimmy has led strategic planning, program design, and curriculum development at public and private institutions. His strategic direction has expanded experiential learning portfolios to include DC internship programs, undergraduate research, student teaching, and faculty-led experiences in the nation's capital.

At UCDC, Jimmy strongly advocates for a culture of belonging and inclusion, which is crucial for the program’s mission and the community's success. He champions experiential learning as a powerful tool to equip individuals with the skills to address complex challenges and drive positive change. Jimmy is deeply committed to integrating experiential learning principles—learning, reflection, action, and growth—into all aspects of UCDC. He works with talented colleagues to build equitable, sustainable, and joyful pathways from California to DC and bring the city’s vibrancy to students via unsurpassed curricular, internship, and residential experiences that only UCDC can provide.

Before UCDC, Jimmy served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education at American University, where he led efforts to create a synergistic network of programs, services, and curricula, ensuring exceptional educational experiences for all students. His efforts in reorganizing academic advising over a multi-year period led to the closure of gaps in Black and Hispanic students' self-assessments of belonging and the elimination of retention gaps by race. Jimmy co-created the American University Experience (AUx) courses, a curricular sequence incorporating anti-racist pedagogy and practices. These courses fostered a community of learners ready to engage in meaningful dialogues about diversity, equity, and inclusion. His portfolio at AU also included academic advising, tutoring and academic support, academic coaching, assessment and evaluation, student-athlete support, and student success, retention, and thriving initiatives.

Jimmy holds a PhD in Public Administration and Policy from American University, a Master’s in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University, and a Bachelor’s in Finance and Multinational Business Operations from Florida State University. Growing up, Jimmy moved frequently and has called South Korea, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Hawaii, and Colorado home before moving to Washington, DC in 2011. In his free time, he loves going on adventures with his partner and two kids, watching and playing sports, and spending as much time as possible outdoors. 

Jacob brings over a decade of experience in higher education that includes academic & career advising, teaching, designing & delivering experiential education programs, research, and directing nonpartisan efforts to empower college students to vote in local, state, and national elections. Additionally, he has interned and worked on several campaigns, interned at the U.S. Department of Education, and most recently worked at American University as an instructor and advisor.

Jacob is an alumnus of Iowa State University (’11), where he received his BA in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies and then earned a MA in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University (’13). Jacob is a PhD candidate in Higher Education at the University of Arizona’s Center for the Study of Higher Education, and his research focuses on the adoption and sustainability of nonpartisan student voting initiatives on college and university campuses.

He and his partner live in the Park View neighborhood of Washington, DC, with their two pups. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, exploring DC restaurants, sharing DC’s vibrant history and culture with visiting friends and family, trivia, and living in the new golden age of television. Jacob is also the founder and an executive board member of Missouri Courage Scholarship, a nonprofit organization which acknowledges, affirms, and rewards the courage of college-bound high school seniors working to enhance the lives of LGBTQ+ people and advance social justice.

Dione is a Birmingham, Alabama native, and she relocated to D.C. in 2018 to continue her work in higher education. She received her bachelor’s degree from Ashford University and a graduate certification in Leadership and Management from the University of Maryland.  In her spare time, Dione loves to travel and spend time with her family and friends.

Marlee was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and attended the University of California, Irvine where she majored in history. Participating in UCDC in Spring 2017 and interning at the Supreme Court of the US, Marlee is excited to be living and working in DC again. She enjoys spending her free time reading, listening to music, and hanging out with her friends and family.

Sabrin Said currently serves as the Administrator of Academic Services at UCDC, supporting the curricular side of the academic program. She assists students and instructors as they navigate courses, enrollment, grades, and everything in between.  She is a California native and a proud product of its public education system.  As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Sabrin discovered her passion for education.  After receiving her bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies she became the director of an educational access project that worked to ensure that the underrepresented populations of Los Angeles had access to institutions of higher education.  Sabrin later returned UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies for her master’s in Social Science and Comparative Education.  After completing her degree, she spent the following three years in the classroom at a small start-up high school in the Bay Area.  She now lives and enjoys everything that the DMV has to offer.

Debbie is a southern native from the Palmetto State. She earned her BA in Government and Sociology from Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC before moving to Bloomington, IN to get her MS in Education at Indiana University. Debbie has worked in the UC system (UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego) for almost nine years and had the privilege of participating in an unforgettable trip around the world with Semester at Sea.

Even though Howie – her 8-pound Chihuahua – is already giving her side-eye about winter, Debbie is excited to be back home on the east coast!

In his free time, he loves to cook, travel, binge movies and shows, listen to music, and play with his dog Kora. He also loves to explore DC and hopes he never has to leave because he feels he has truly found a home and community in this city.

Kandice Johnson is a native of Washington, D.C., hailing from the Brentwood neighborhood. She graduated from Benjamin Banneker High School, one of the city's top institutions, before pursuing her higher education in New York City. Kandice earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she developed a strong passion for higher education and student engagement.



During her time at FIT, Kandice played a key role in supporting the inaugural year of the Social Justice Center, demonstrating her commitment to enhancing student life, particularly for individuals from diverse backgrounds. In addition to her work in higher education, Kandice is a professional artist and has published several children’s books, showcasing her creative talents and dedication to her craft. Whether it’s her artistic or professional pursuits, Kandice is determined to uplift diverse communities in all aspects of her life.

Chloe was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She returned to Los Angeles for college, beginning her higher education at Santa Monica College before transferring to UCLA, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology. As an undergraduate, she served as a Resident Assistant and, after graduating, became an Assistant Resident Director at UCLA. In that role, she supported residential communities at Rieber Hall and Southwest, overseeing several Living Learning Communities, including Afrikan Diaspora, Transfer Connection, Public Service and Civic Engagement, and Sustainability.

In her free time, she enjoys going to the movies, attending theater shows, traveling, shopping, hiking, exploring new restaurants, going on fun excursions, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Mike was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and spent nearly a decade living in Chico, CA attending, and then working at CSU, Chico before moving to Washington, DC in 2011. Mike started his work at UCDC in 2018 as an Internship Advisor and now manges the UCDC campus relations, alumni and external affairs unit.  He also manages the team responsible for all of the UCDC communications, promotional items, and social media.

Prior to joining UCDC, he worked as a Study Abroad Advisor at his alma mater, CSU, Chico, as the East Coast University Relations Coordinator for the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC), and as the Head of Global Partnerships with The Intern Group. He enjoys spending his free time cooking, traveling, listening to music, watching baseball games (Go SF Giants and Washington Nationals!!!) and enjoying time with his nephew, sister, family, and friends.   

Prior to her role as Social Media and Communications Specialist at UCDC, Ms. Hoyle served as the Communications and External Affairs Manager at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the first and only public performing arts high school in DC. She served as the primary media contact for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Ellington Fund where she promoted the performances and fundraising events of these two entities; as well as supported the school’s strategic vision through media outreach, community outreach, and social media campaigns. In her free time, Tyler enjoys attending local cultural and art events around DC, trying new food, and spending time with friends and family.

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