Meet the Staff

Jackie Cruz

Jackie Cruz is the Vice President of Advancement and Development and Hartnell College Foundation at Hartnell College and a proud Hartnell alumna. Jackie worked for the United Way Monterey County as the Director of Workplace Campaigns. She then came to the Hartnell College Foundation and served as the Development Director before being promoted to Executive Director.  Her passion is connecting with people and resources to create pathways leading individuals to self sufficiency and healthy lives. In her 14 years career, Jackie has been an integral part of resource development efforts which have produced over $32 million dollars for local organizations and Hartnell College.  Jackie resides in Gonzales with her talented son Luis and new daughter Kylie. She can be reached at jcruz@hartnell.edu.

Michele Peregrin

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.

Scott Faust

Scott Faust is the Director of Communications and Marketing at Hartnell College and Hartnell College Foundation. He joined Hartnell from Bemidji, Minn., where since 2012 he led communications and marketing for Bemidji State University and its two-year partner, Northwest Technical College. Scott began his career in university communications at California State University, Monterey Bay, where he was executive director for strategic communications from 2008 to 2012.

Previously, he was executive editor of The Salinas Californian and El Sol, beginning in 2000, and also served as general manager of the newspapers and their related websites and publications in 2007-08. He began his journalism career as a reporter in Wichita, Kan., and later worked at newspapers in Detroit; Rockford, Ill.; Visalia, Calif.; and Reno.

Scott, who grew up in the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City, Mo., has a B.S. in journalism from the University of Kansas and an M.A. in communication and leadership studies from Gonzaga University. He and his wife, Lee, have two sons, Theo and Calvin, who are both in college. He can be reached at sfaust@hartnell.edu.

Aranyani Azevedo

Aranyani Azevedo is the Director of Philanthropy at Hartnell College. She has 8 years of experience working in nonprofit administration and has extensive knowledge of program management and fund development, most recently as the Director of Development for Sun Street Centers, raising over $4 million dollars for addiction treatment programs on the Central Coast. Before Sun Street Centers, Aranyani served as a program manager for financial stability at United Way Monterey County- bringing access to financial services throughout Monterey County. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Sciences from Pacific Union College in the Napa Valley. Aranyani resides in Salinas with her husband and four adorable cats. She is passionate about growing things, adding humor, awakening other’s creativity, and teaching people about healing herbs and plants. She can be reached at aazevedo@hartnell.edu.

Terri Ugale

Terri Ugale is the Executive Assistant I 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 spending time coaching and cheering on their two children, Aaron (13) and Aubrey (9) in their various sports activities. 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 have a daughter, Kari, a Senior at Salinas High School.  They 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 Foundation Accounting Manager. Her background is in accounting and finance in the Agriculture industry.  Kira and her husband Michael enjoy hiking and riding their Harley along the coast. She can be reached at kbona@hartnell.edu.

Aleen Bradley

Aleen Bradley is a Project Manager for the Hartnell College Foundation, working closely with major projects and initiatives. She brings with her 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, and staff thrive. Aleen loves to sing, read, adventure, learn, travel, laugh, workout and connect. She looks forward to continuing partnership with others to see Hartnell students succeed. She can be reached at abradley@hartnell.edu.

Bobbie Jo Palmer

Bobbi Jo Palmer is our Philanthropy Manager and works closely with the Arts and annual giving. She most recently worked at another community college foundation. Bobbi Jo comes from a varied background working in EMS, medical services, sales and publishing. Her passion for connecting people and helping people in the community can be seen in her work with Rotary and the various non-profit boards she has participated. She brings her energy and enthusiasm to Hartnell College Foundation and looks to build on the amazing success already accomplished at the Foundation. Bobbi Jo enjoys cooking, entertaining, quilting, reading and spending time with her family, three dogs, a cat and new grandson.