Meet the Staff

Jacqueline Cruz

Jacqueline (Jackie) Cruz, is the Vice President of Advancement and Development and Hartnell College Foundation at Hartnell College and a proud Hartnell alumna. Jackie was born in Watsonville California and raised in Salinas where she has lived all her life. She began her career in the non-profit sector 19 years ago at the United Way Monterey County. She joined Hartnell College in January 2009 as Director of Development and moved up to Vice President of Advancement and Development in January 2016. She has connected philanthropists, foundations, and industry with the opportunity to create viable pathways for students leading them to self-sufficiency and healthy lives. She feels honored to be part of development efforts that have galvanized over $76 million in financial investments for local youth, women and children, nonprofit organizations, and Hartnell College.

In addition, she is proud of launching the Salinas Valley Health Professions Pathways Partnership, along with four capital campaigns, one for the arts, one for athletics, one for agriculture, and one for STEM. She also expanded the Agriculture Institute and worked to increase support for innovation through agriculture and STEM to the Salinas Valley.

Most recently proud of being part of Hartnell College Yes on Measure T campaign leadership committee which passed a $167 million dollar bond with a 69% voter approval.

Kris Edmunds

Kristine (Kris) Edmunds is the Director of Philanthropy at Hartnell College. She has 28 years of experience as a philanthropy professional, including leadership positions at community-based organizations and educational institutions. She has helped donors invest in the community, create opportunity, and leave a lasting legacy through the contribution of tens of millions of dollars to the organizations they love. Kris is thrilled to be part of the innovative Hartnell College Foundation team and honored to contribute to the College’s life-changing mission, which she has long admired. Her past experience includes serving as the Director of Fund Development and as the Interim Executive Director of the Center for Community Advocacy, which works with farmworker families in the areas of housing, health, and leadership development, as the Director of Advancement at York School, and as the Executive Director of Development at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Kris has called Salinas home for 28 years. Prior to moving to this area, she was the legislative director in the Washington D.C office of a U.S. Congressman and taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. She has a Master of Public Administration in International Development Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (minor in Spanish) from Willamette University. She currently serves on the boards of directors for the Center for Community Advocacy and the Monterey Bay Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, is on the organizing committee for National Philanthropy Day for the Central Coast, and is the administrator of two honorary ambassador groups of an international fitness organization. Kris enjoys spending time with her son, traveling, hiking, and surfing. She can be reached at kedmunds@hartnell.edu.

Michele Peregrin

Michele Peregrin is the Director of Grants Development & Innovation at Hartnell College. She has 15 years of experience in education and seven years of experience drafting, awarding, and overseeing grants, most recently as a Program Officer in the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Prior to that, she served as a Teaching Assistant and Program Advisor for the International Education program at New York University. She has also worked at UCLA, the Sister Cities Program, and the Institute of International Education. She received a MA in International Education from NYU and a BA in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Michele loves to travel, enjoys gardening and relishes spending time with her husband, son and cat. A native of Santa Cruz, she is thrilled to be back in the area contributing to student success and the development of the local community. She can be reached at mperegrin@hartnell.edu.

Rosie I. Armstrong

Rosie I. Armstrong is the Director of Workforce Development for Agriculture and Sector Partnerships in the Office of Institutional Advancement at Hartnell College in Salinas. Although managed by Hartnell she also serves as Executive Director to a Salinas Valley regional five cities board comprised of economic development and city managers of the Valley where they work collaboratively to drive workforce development in Agriculture/AgTechnology and Healthcare. She has worked in the Community College system for over 10 years in community and contract education and currently in advancement. Rosie served as a Board member for the Association of Community and Continuing Education for over 5 years and as a member for over 10. She holds an AA from Hartnell, a BA from UC Santa Barbara in Law and Society and an MA in Sociology of Law from the International Institute for the Sociology of Law in Oñati, Spain. Rosie is also a current class member and soon go to be a graduate of Class XII of AgKnowledge of the Grower Shipper Association Foundation. She can be reached at rarmstrong@hartnell.edu.

Terri Ugale

Terri Ugale is the Executive Assistant and brings to us years of experience in private sector financial services where she worked with high-level executives. She manages multiple team members, provides excellent support and facilitates organization in our fast paced environment. She and her husband Ted enjoy volunteering in the community and spending time with their two children, Aaron and Aubrey. She can be reached at tugale@hartnell.edu.

Nonita Fortman

Nonita Fortman is the Administrative Assistant II and Database Manager and joined Hartnell in 2018. Her background is in human resource management with over 25 years of experience in the private sector. She loves to cook and entertain and plans to start her own business in the future. Nonita and her husband Gary enjoy traveling, bowling, dancing, and spending time with their four children and three grandchildren. She can be reached at nfortman@hartnell.edu.

Kira Bona

Kira Bona is the Accounting Manager. This year, 2022, Kira will be celebrating her 10th year anniversary with the Foundation. Kira holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from the University of South Florida in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. Kira loves travelling, spending time with family and friends, swimming, and walking near the ocean shoreline. She can be reached at kbona@hartnell.edu.

Aleen Stoddard

Aleen Stoddard is the Senior Philanthropy Officer for the Hartnell College Foundation, working closely with major projects and initiatives including Athletics, President’s STEM Task Force, Salinas Valley Promise and WELI (Women’s Education and Leadership Institute). She brings with her years of experience from and learning about the non-profit world, having worked in various roles within The Salvation Army, and having received a Masters Degree in Global Leadership. Aleen has a passion for people; sharing connection, encouragement and inspiration, as well as seeing and helping others reach their potential. She hopes to put her passion to work in every project, and see students, faculty, staff and our community thrive. Aleen loves to sing, read, adventure, learn, travel, laugh, and connect. She looks forward to continuing partnership with others to see Hartnell students succeed. She can be reached at astoddard@hartnell.edu.

Savanna Harris

Savanna Harris is the Philanthropy and Marketing Coordinator for the Hartnell College Foundation. She recently graduated from San Jose State University earning a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She enjoys going to the gym, traveling and spending time with her friends and family. She can be reached at sharris@hartnell.edu.

Megan Brents

Megan Brents is the student intern at the Hartnell College Foundation. Megan Brents is a full time student at Hartnell College working towards her A.S. in Health Science. Her goal is to have a career in radiology. For the past 9 years she has enjoyed coaching for a local youth cheer organization where she holds 7 national tiles. She is now coaching for a local high school cheer team.

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