In her work as the AARCC director, Johnson finds her time at UCSC coming full circle. Starting as a student and mentee, she now finds herself grabbing lunch and enjoying walks with the advisors and mentors she learned from as an undergrad. The AARCC helps continue the passing down of knowledge even further, through the African American Mentorship Program (AAMP), where ABC students connect to four or five mentors and stay in contact to guide them throughout the academic year. 

Originally from Mount Airy Philadelphia, PA, Lenora has over 10 years of student affairs experience. She’s worked at a variety of institutions in a variety of locations across the United States, before landing at UC Santa Cruz. Lenora has spent her entire career advocating for staff and students through strategic initiatives that focus on efficiency, trauma-informed innovation, and equity development. Prior to joining UC Santa Cruz, Lenora worked in housing, residential education, career success, multicultural affairs, and student life/activities. Lenora earned her master's degree in Higher Education in Student Affairs from Salem State University in Salem, MA. She earned her bachelor's degree from Drew University where she majored in mathematics and French.

Lorato Anderson is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Graduate Studies at UC Santa Cruz, and has worked on campus for six years in various advising roles. Her role centers on advancing initiatives for minoritized graduate student support, as well as providing direct support to students, staff, and faculty. Lorato graduated with a B.A. in Literature/Writing from UC San Diego and received her M.S. in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University.

Lorato takes pride in incorporating social justice, as well as empathetic advising strategies and teaching pedagogies, in every aspect of her work.