In this Alumni Spotlight Q&A, Katya Armistead reflects on her lifelong connection to UC Santa Barbara, from earning her B.A. in sociology to serving more than three decades in student affairs leadership roles. Now the co–executive director of programs at Leading From Within, a Santa Barbara nonprofit focused on leadership development, Katya shares how her time at UCSB shaped her commitment to service, mentorship, and community engagement. She discusses her journey from working in the Visitor Center to becoming Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Student Life, where she championed student well-being and campus collaboration. A former Katherine Harvey Fellow and current county school board trustee, Katya continues to give back by empowering others to lead with purpose and empathy, values she traces back to her UCSB experience and the lasting relationships built within its community.
You earned your B.A. in Sociology in 1988. What drew you to that major?
I came in undeclared, and I found myself gravitating toward the major because I loved the subjects of the courses. I think I could have been a psychology major or a theater major, but I just kept coming back to sociology. I think it was about the interest in humans and groups of humans. I still really enjoy podcasts with thoughtful interviews, and I think sociology gave me that human side and understanding of how people interact.
What did your early roles, like Director at the UCSB Visitor Center, teach you about UCSB students and their needs?
My work in admissions, and especially when I moved to the Visitor Center, allowed me to really know students. I had worked with students who were thinking about going to college, but here I got to work with the tour guides. I had solicited a lot of student volunteers to help with school groups, and I just loved their thinking, their potential and how smart they were. I loved going to their events and seeing how creative they were. I just got more and more attracted to working with current students.
Were there any professors or mentors at UCSB who had a lasting impact on you?
There were some, like Dr. Beth Schneider. She’s retired now and is an emeritus professor. She was a sociology professor, and I learned a ton from her. I’m still friends with her. She’s so cool and so smart, and she’s supported me over the years in various ways, including helping me run for office, now that I am an elected county school board trustee. She was the first person I went to about what that looked like and how I should run.
When I was an undergraduate, my supervisor at Arts & Lectures, Paulette Amigo, was an amazing mentor and really supported me. Fast forward to my early professional years, the Vice Chancellor at the time, Michael Young, really nurtured and mentored me.
What motivated you to return to school for your doctorate after years of professional experience?
I had an aha moment one morning at the Visitor Center when a father and daughter came in. He said, “Well, I’m not ready for her, and her mom’s not ready for her to go to college yet. It’s too far away.” They were from the L.A. area. But she had been admitted, so I said, “Okay, well, let’s make sure you have a good day. I totally respect that.”
I set them up with a tour, a presentation, a lunch with a student, and even a meeting at EOP. They had a really good day. They came in at the end of the day when it was just me closing up and the father said, “Will you still be here later?” I said, “Oh, I’ve got to pick up my kids from the University Children’s Center. Why?” And he said, “No, when she graduates.”
Seeing how he made the decision to let his daughter come to UCSB because of the day I helped set up for them made me stop and realize: This is my career. This is what I do. Later, I met a mom on the soccer field whose kids played with mine, and she told me about a graduate program I should look into. So that’s what motivated me.
Follow up: What did you take away from that journey?
The story I just shared was from when I was getting my master’s degree, but as a young professional, Michael Young, the Vice Chancellor, also encouraged me to get my advanced degree. So I finished my master’s, yay! Then he said to me, “Okay, so when are you doing your doctorate?” I said, “Are you kidding me?”
I never thought I’d get an advanced degree. It’s not offered at UCSB anymore, but there was a great program, an Ed.D., and it’s a doctorate in education for folks interested in administration in both K-12 and higher ed. So I went to an info session, and next thing I knew, I was enrolled in that doctorate program.
You eventually became Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Student Life. What were some of your biggest challenges and proudest moments in that leadership role?
During my last year working there, I was Associate Vice Chancellor, and we hired a Dean of Students. But for a long time, I was Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students. Some of the things I’m most proud of include the “I <3 UCSB” Pledge, which was created by students and staff after the 2014 shooting when we lost six students.
I also worked with Associated Students to create Delirium and the Warm-Up Concerts. And just really paying attention to Halloween and Deltopia and working with students to try and make them as safe as possible. I spent a year working with students on the Undie Run, which used to be huge. They’d strip at Storke Plaza, run through the library and knock books over during finals week, which upset the librarian. I negotiated with them to keep the run outside. You could still do it, but don’t go in the library.
I thought I was really creative and worked really closely with students to kind of change that culture, not trying to shut it down, but how could we do this in a better way?
I think sharing all of that highlights what I’m most proud of: whenever there was an issue, I went directly to students and worked closely with them. That’s my biggest lesson and what I’m most proud of.
For those unfamiliar, what is Leading from Within, and what kind of impact does it have on the community?
Leading From Within is a small nonprofit in Santa Barbara County. We do leadership development programs, some in South County and some in North County, including an Emerging Leaders Program, where we work with people in nonprofits to help them develop leadership skills so they can feel really good about the work they do to move up in their profession.
We also work with folks who are already leaders, directors, executive directors, and do more development leadership with them. And we recently relaunched the Katherine Harvey Fellows program, which brings together people from private, public, social and nonprofit sectors to introduce them to civic engagement and get them more integrated into their community in areas they’re passionate about and where they can make a difference.
You first got involved with Leading from Within about 12 years ago. What drew you to the organization originally?
Service is one of my biggest values, and I was attracted to the Katherine Harvey Fellows program because it was about service. The program introduces you to issues in the county, and I learned about various nonprofits and ways to get involved.
Through that program, I was asked to be on the Family Service Agency board, where I served for 11 years and learned so much about being a board member and leading a board. I also got involved with the Women’s Fund. It helped me find passion in volunteering and community service.
Fast forward, my colleague in student life, Viviana Marsano, and I created a civic engagement class for students. So definitely my work being part of the Katherine Harvey Fellows, has influenced me. My class started a nonprofit called Youth Making Change, hosted by the Fund for Santa Barbara. I feel like Viviana and I have created a similar kind of program for college students.
What does your role as Co-Executive Director of Programs entail?
I'm Co-Executive Director of Programs, and that's why I focus on the programs. I'm taking care of loans from the program. I just ask what other programs can I offer them? How do I keep them engaged with the organization? And then how do I support the various programs that we have, the facilitators, the workshop presenters and the participants?
How do your experiences at UCSB influence the work you do now with Leading from Within?
Oh, so much. I did the Katherine Harvey Fellows program while I was at the Visitor Center, and it sharpened my leadership skills and got me more involved in the community. It made me think about how I could support staff and students at UCSB using what I learned at Leading from Within.
And I think, my connections working with groups of people, being an administrator, all of that has honed in my skills to be a successful Co-Executive Director. After 35 years, all my administrative work and knowing how to work with people have made me a really strong director.
You've mentioned that your biggest personal value is service. What does “service” mean to you in the context of your career and personal life?
Oh my. I think back to high school and being class president, being president of clubs and doing service, and how much joy I got from doing that. I truly believe that’s what helped me get into college. Service is at my core. I get more out of doing service than I feel like I’m giving back.
That’s what makes me tick, that’s what I’m passionate about. Doing service feeds me, and when I’m not doing it, I feel out of whack.
What advice would you give current UCSB students who want to pursue leadership or service-oriented careers?
Take my civic engagement class! I tell students that being involved in nonprofits helped me gain skills and experiences I couldn’t get from working or in class. It exposed me to how to work on a board, how to organize volunteers and how to make a difference.
Doing service opens up a new lens for what you’re capable of and what you’re interested in. Opportunities you might not get the same opportunity to focus on in classes or in a job.
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