Our Team

UC San Diego Advancement's dynamic team inspires, builds and nurtures relationships with our community — alumni, students, faculty, staff and other members of the Triton family — that increase engagement with and philanthropic support for the university. Advancement unites strategy, partnerships and expertise to propel limitless impact here in San Diego and far beyond.

You can view our organizational chart and explore our units below. Single sign-on is required to access the organizational chart. Health Sciences faculty and staff will need to sign in with their campus (@ucsd.edu) credentials to access this resource. Please contact advancement@ucsd.edu for additional support.

Vice Chancellor for Advancement

Ann Spira
aspira@ucsd.edu | 858-246-1553

Advancement Services

Christina Chase
Associate Vice Chancellor
cjchase@ucsd.edu | 858-534-1032

Alumni Relations

Shara Freeman Hoefel
Assistant Vice Chancellor
sfreemanhoefel@ucsd.edu | 646-784-2807

Central Advancement

Elizabeth Powell
Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff
epowell@ucsd.edu | 858-822-5507

Health Sciences Advancement

Melanie Cruz
Associate Vice Chancellor
mbcruz@ucsd.edu | 858-534-2178

Leadership Strategy and Engagement

Zack Smith, MBA ’18
Associate Vice Chancellor
zksmith@ucsd.edu | 253-209-2544

University Development

Drew Hunsinger
Associate Vice Chancellor
dhunsinger@ucsd.edu | 858-822-1070

Advancement Services and UC San Diego Foundation

Advancement Services is responsible for providing service to Advancement and the entire campus for all matters of gift policy, processing, accounting, investing and stewardship. Advancement Services provides policy and legal gift documentation guidance; creates, maintains and reviews gift funds; processes and receipts all charitable gifts in accordance with IRS and UC policy; accounts for and invests charitable gifts; enters and records private support; and stewards donors and campus customers with gift data and fund balances.

Advancement Services is the operating office for the governance and corporate operations of the UC San Diego Foundation, a legally separate nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. The Foundation is the public-facing, charitable arm of UC San Diego. The Foundation Board of Trustees consists of 50 prominent alumni, donor and community partners.

Alumni Relations

Alumni Relations fosters lifelong connections between alumni and UC San Diego by delivering meaningful engagement opportunities; cultivating a strong sense of pride; and inspiring ongoing involvement, leadership and support that shapes the future of our campus.

Central Advancement

Central Advancement provides expertise in annual giving fundraising, donor engagement, prospect research and management, data and business intelligence, and communications to support Advancement and UC San Diego’s fundraising goals.

Health Sciences Advancement

Health Sciences Advancement (HSA) is responsible for securing philanthropic support of UC San Diego’s health sciences entities as they pursue leading-edge research, inspired teaching and world-class clinical care. UC San Diego Health Sciences comprises UC San Diego School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, and UC San Diego Health.

Leadership Strategy and Engagement

Leadership Strategy and Engagement (LSE) works in direct partnership with the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, Advancement Leadership Team, and campus leaders to develop and facilitate the multi-faceted strategies and personalized stewardship processes for those who are the university’s most capable and generous donors and prospects in considering transformational gifts to support the campus’s highest priorities.

LSE also provides the strategy and facilitates the engagement of our top tier volunteer leadership.

University Development

University Development (UD) is the frontline fundraising team responsible for supporting general campus and Scripps Institution of Oceanography leadership in securing philanthropic funding that advances opportunity for their students, faculty and initiatives.

UD staff members contribute expertise in development leadership, strategy and fundraising. The UD team includes senior development officers and their teams who support eight campus divisions and schools, and central UD staff who provide leadership and support for development teams and fundraising for university institutes and centers.