Meet the Team

Garrett Naiman (he/him)

Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Development & Engagement and Dean of Students

Garrett Naiman serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Development & Engagement and Dean of Students at UC Santa Cruz, where he leads campus-wide efforts to promote student success and well-being beyond the classroom. With more than 25 years of experience in higher education, primarily within the University of California system, Garrett brings a deep commitment to equity, justice, and student-centered advocacy.

He oversees a broad range of areas and initiatives that focus on student engagement and support, including basic needs, student conduct and conflict education, crisis response, student organizations and leadership development, and student expression support and response. Garrett is known for cultivating meaningful relationships, helping students and campus partners navigate complexity with clarity and compassion, and keeping student voice at the center of institutional decision-making.

His approach is shaped by the belief that education is not only about knowledge, but about transformation. bell hooks wrote, “The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy.” Garrett works to extend that sense of possibility across the entire student experience, facilitating opportunities for students to access their agency, deepen their sense of belonging, and fully engage in their education.

Garrett began his student affairs career as a student leader at UC Santa Barbara, where he earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Religious Studies. He holds a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont and a doctoral degree in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco. He has previously held leadership roles at UC Santa Barbara, the University of Vermont and UC Berkeley in admissions, college access, residential life, and other areas of student affairs.

Garrett is committed to being present for students in moments of celebration, and in times of uncertainty and challenge. A proud champion of the Banana Slug spirit, he believes in the power of every student’s voice and is dedicated to helping all Slugs thrive at UC Santa Cruz.