With her extensive record of public and social service, as well as her commitment to advising and mentoring students and her experience as a licensed mental health professional, Dr. Wyche-Hall joins the UCSC community from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she served as the program manager for the Undergraduate Research Initiatives program at the University of New Mexico. In her capacity as Program Manager, Dr. Wyche-Hall was an administrator as well as an advisor, mentor, and advocate for students at UNM. Prior to her appointment at Undergraduate Research Initiatives, Dr. Wyche-Hallwas the Project Manager for UNM’s Upward Bound program, and worked for the state of New Mexico as the project coordinator for the Building Bridges program, a youth training and advocacy program in the juvenile justice system, and was a Lecturer in the Family Studies program at UNM. 

Dr. Wyche-Hall received her BA in psychology from St Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her Master’s in Education, Guidance and Counseling at the K-12 level from Frostburg State University in Maryland. She received a certificate in Organizational Counseling from Johns Hopkins University and her doctorate in Family Studies, with an emphasis on counseling, from the University of New Mexico. She is a licensed school guidance counselor in the state of Maryland and received her Mental Health Counseling license from the State of New Mexico.  Dr. Wyche-Hall’s dissertation research focused on racial identity, academic success and the attributes required for under-represented populations to be successful at the post-secondary level within academia. Dr. Wyche-Hall’s extensive experience with students from the K-12 level through the college experience, as well as her collaboration success with various student organizations, community groups, and federal and state agencies brings a breadth and depth of experience that we here at the Resource Centers are excited to have on our team. 

Dr. Wyche-Hall’s first day at UCSC will be January 17^th, and can be reached at the African American Resource & Cultural Center at 459-3961, and via email at drmarla@ucsc.edu. Please join us in welcoming her to our campus as a vital student services professional and accomplished educator.