Student Fee Advisory Committee

Michael Zargari
SFAC Chair, Junior Rep

Hey Gauchos! My name is Michael Zargari and I am the Chair and Junior representative for the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC). I am a third year Actuarial Science and Economics double major and Iranian Studies + Translation Studies double minor. As Chair, I am responsible for running our weekly meetings and maintaining a constant correspondence between the committee and Student Affairs departments. In addition to having the honor of serving on this committee, I am also the Executive Co-Chair and a founder of the Promise Scholars Advisory Board, the Student Caucus Chair for the Executive Oversight Board, and a Senior Business Analyst for the A.S. Office of the Controller. Additionally, I am involved with the Actuarial Association, Persian Club, Chabad, Hillel, and the Iranian Jewish Student Association (IJSA).

As a member of the SFAC, I will continue to strive to make sure that student fees are allocated in a cost-effective and efficient manner. I am honored and excited to serve on the board and will use my position to ensure that we use student fees to enhance every student’s experience from the moment they step foot on campus. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the committee please feel free to email me at: mzargari@ucsb.edu.

Juanita Iheanacho

SFAC Vice Chair, Senior Rep

Hello! My name is Juanita Iheanacho and I am a fourth year Global Studies major with a minor in Professional Writing. I serve as SFAC’s Vice Chair and I am one of this year’s senior representatives. My personal goal as a student at UCSB is to do my part in making higher education more accommodating and navigable for students from marginalized backgrounds, and my work within SFAC allows me to take an active role in ensuring that our student fees are going towards initiatives that fulfill the myriad needs of UCSB’s student population. In addition to my involvement with SFAC, I am a McNair Research Scholar and a Promise Scholar. I am honored to be serving with SFAC and am looking forward to another amazing year!

Ava Kargosha
Senior Rep

Hi! My name is Ava Kargosha, and I am a 4th year Political Science and Psychological & Brain Sciences Double Major. I am so excited to be serving as a Senior Representative for the Student Fee Advisory Committee this year! I am dedicated to student advocacy and am most passionate about fighting food insecurity and creating greater mental healthcare accessibility. My prior campus experiences have been as a Residential Assistant, a Multicultural Awareness Chair, and as an event staff member for Arts & Lectures. My current involvements include being a Middle Eastern Resource Center Peer Mentor, a Legislative Director for UCSB Lobby Corp, an AS Human Rights Board Member, and an Outreach Liaison in the Office of the EVPSA.

Alexis Xa
Junior Rep

Hello! My name is Alexis Xa, and I am a third-year sociology & communication major from Orange County, CA. I am interested in hearing about all student/campus-related issues, but I am most passionate about food and housing insecurity. I learned about SFAC halfway through my first year at UCSB, and I am grateful to be part of a committee where I can be a student voice for student/campus-related issues.

Besides SFAC, other passions and interests of mine include leadership development, music (I am also a part of AS Program Board), and skincare! Please reach out to me if you have questions about anything, especially if you're a third year. Thanks!

Megan Boshnakova
Sophmore Rep

Hi! My name is Megan Boshnakova and I am a second-year Economics major and Honors Program student. I’m honored to be a Sophomore Representative for the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC)! In addition to this committee, I am a UC Advocacy Network Campus Leader and Research Assistant. I aim to combine my love for economics and student activism in order to best serve the students, especially in regards to their finances. As a first-generation student born in Bulgaria, I strongly believe that everyone deserves a right to education and a successful future regardless of their financial status. SFAC is a great opportunity for students to be more involved with their campus and to have a say in the future of it.

Ben Gu
Sophmore Rep

Hello, my name is Ben Gu. I'm a sophomore majoring in Economics and Accounting and Statistics and Data Science. I'm also UC Student Association's International Student Coalition Rep at UCSB. I'm interested in advocating for international student rights and building an inclusive UC community. Additionally, I'm involved in the Undergrad Accounting Society, UCSB Investment Advisory Committee, and Finance Connection. I'm looking forward to improving students' experience at UCSB through SFAC. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to talk!

George Tsouloufas

Graduate Representative

Hello, my name is George Tsouloufas. I am a fourth-year graduate student in the Political Science department, with a specialization in Comparative Politics and Political Economy. My research interests include the rise of extreme right parties in the European Union and the effects of populism in democratic stability. As a new SFAC member, I look forward to supporting any projects and services that will increase the quality of the students’ experience at UCSB and that will meet the current needs of the student population.

Anne Berry

Graduate Representative

Hello, my name is Anne Berry! I am a first-year Graduate Student in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education with an emphasis in Special Education, Disabilities, and Risk Studies. My work involves capturing the cultural and historical practices of access to higher education for Black American students at Predominantly White Institutions compared to HBCUs in a context, providing social support and stress-related experiences in their preparation for and completion of college. My research interests restore a sense of control over stress-related, esteem or emotional and support, cognitive the guidance that offered in information-based support networks work interdependently to interrupt the stress, a student experiencing, food insecurity, financial support in resulting in a sense of well-being within a socio-educational context of education frameworks. As an SFAC member, I look forward to providing support for initiatives, programs, and services in student affairs that ultimately meet the needs and concerns of the growing student population here at UCSB. In addition to my involvement with SFAC, I am Rep. DSP/ Secretary for SRB committee and member of Xi Kappa Omega Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. I am honored to be serving with SFAC committee members.

Brenda Lear

Staff Rep

Assistant Director of Recreation for Fitness, Wellness and Special Programs

As the Assistant Director of Recreation for Fitness, Wellness and Special Programs, Brenda loves creating opportunities for the UCSB campus community to find connection to self, others and place and promote a sense of belonging. Her fascination with human anatomy and physiology led her to earn an undergraduate and graduate degree in Exercise Physiology. Brenda’s career path has included a diversity of experiences: from coaching at NCAA Division 1 schools, to teaching health science and medical terminology, to guiding mountaineering and climbing trips, to working as a strength and conditioning coach at the Olympic Training Center to guiding cardiac rehabilitation patients on their road to recovery. She landed at UCSB in 2011, where she gets to share the confluence of her experience through educating, advocating and programming in fitness and wellness thus contributing to a healthier and happier campus. Whether it is yoga, surfing, gardening, frolicking in the mountains or on the dance floor, the things Brenda loves are all rooted in the subtleties of connections.

Marcus McMullen

Staff Rep

Susan Mazer

Faculty Rep

I'm a Professor of Plant Ecology and Evolution in the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology, and I’ve been on UCSB's faculty since 1988.  My research focuses on the process and outcome of evolution by natural selection in wild plant species, and I’m particularly interested in the evolution of mating systems, adaptation to drought, and plant responses to local climatic conditions and to climate change. At UCSB, my graduate students and I routinely invite undergraduates to participate in our greenhouse- and lab-based research, and working side-by-side with them is always a source of pleasant surprises and elevates the quality and productivity of our research. I’m delighted to be a part of SFAC, and I’m looking forward to hearing — and offering my perspective on — the wide range of ideas that come to the committee from our diverse and inspiring student community.  

Margaret Klawunn

Advisor - Student Affairs 

Margaret Klawunn, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Alex Ramos

Advisor - Student Affairs 

Alex Ramos is the Chief Financial Officer in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Ambar Campos

Advisor - Budget & Planning 

Ambar Campos is an analyst in the Office of Budget and Planning and an advisor to the committee.

Jayne Patterson

Committee Support

Jayne Patterson is the Financial Analyst in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and Staff Support to the committee.