Meet the Staff

Jackie Cruz is Vice President of Advancement at Hartnell College and Executive Director for Hartnell College Foundation. Jackie is the architect of the Foundation’s Advancement and Foundation Team – which includes resource development, alumni relations, government relations, industry, education and municipality partnerships. Jackie’s passion stems from her own life experiences and her commitment to support the economic prosperity of youth and women. 

She has worked at Hartnell for almost 15 years with previous work at United Way of Monterey County for a decade.

During her tenure at Hartnell, she has led two comprehensive campaigns, five capital campaigns, and a bond campaign.  She has worked with the foundation’s board and college leadership to build vibrant relationships with local industry and create new partnerships with key foundations, bringing resources to close equity gaps in the Salinas Valley community, increase higher education attainment, and support workforce initiatives through current and new programs and facilities for students.

Bruce Adams is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Bruce brings more than 3 decades of financial and accounting leadership to the Hartnell College Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Bruce served as Vice President of Central Coast Federal Credit Union for 17 years where he oversaw the Credit Union more than double in size and helped build the CCFCU into one of the most respected and admired financial institutions in Monterey County. He has also been an integral part of the community serving on the Boards of non-profits such as the Salinas Downtown Rotary Club, the CSUMB Scholarship committee, the California International Airshow, and served as the Executive Director of the Airshow from 2012-2018.

Bruce is a graduate of Hartnell College and California State University, Sacramento where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Accounting). In addition to being a graduate of Hartnell, Bruce has served on the Board and Executive Board since 2007, and chaired the Athletics committee through its very first capital campaign. In 2012 Bruce was honored by Hartnell College with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, and was inducted into the Hartnell College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. He also served on the Monterey County Bond Oversight Committee for many years. Bruce enjoys spending his down time with family, coaching girls softball, playing golf and tennis, and hiking and biking the beautiful Monterey County. He can be reached at badams@hartnellcollegefoundation.org

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

Rosie Armstrong is the Director of Workforce Development for Agriculture and Healthcare Sector Partnerships in the Office of Institutional Advancement at Hartnell College in Salinas. She also oversees our Salinas Valley Five Cities partnership with aboard composed of dynamic economic development and city managers of the Valley where they work collaboratively to drive workforce development inAgriculture/AgTechnology, Healthcare and other key workforce sectors in the Valley.She has worked in the Community College system for nearly 20 years, working in community and contract education, advancement, and most recently in apprenticeships. 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 anAA from Hartnell, a BA from UC Santa Barbara in Law and Society, and an MA inSociology of Law from the International Institute for the Sociology of Law in Oñati, Spain. Rosie is also a graduate of Class XII of AgKnowledge of the Grower ShipperAssociation Foundation. She can be reached at rarmstrong@hartnell.edu

Tony Amezcua is the Interim Director of Bright Futures Educational Partnership, where he serves as a catalyst for regional partners to work together across sectors and along the social and educational continuum to drive better results in education for every child from cradle to career. He will provide leadership and facilitate the achievement of the coalition’s goals to ensure that every child is prepared for school, supported inside and outside of school, succeeds in school, enrolls in some form of postsecondary education, graduates, and enters a career.

Tony attended Hartnell College where he received his AA, in Liberal Arts. While at Hartnell, Tony was a part of the football team and track and field team. He then transferred to Humboldt State University where he continued to play football and graduated with his  BA, in Liberal Studies Elementary Education.  Tony also received his MA, in Counseling, from UMass Global. Spending time with family is priority for Tony. He really enjoys family time fishing, camping, sports, and just spending quality time locally at parks and at the beach. He can be reached at tamezcua@hartnellcollegefoundation.org.

Lauren Cole is the Project Manager of Bright Futures Educational Partnership. She supports Bright Futures’ Cradle to Career initiatives through facilitating and managing educational improvement projects in the community. Her passion in education stems from her twelve years of experience as both a school counselor and administrator. She brings her passion of restorative justice and equity in education to her work each day.

Lauren was born and raised in Salinas. She has her BA from Berkeley in Integrated Biology, and her MA from San Jose State in Education and School Counseling. She also holds credentials in pupil personnel services and administration.  In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and a good backyard barbeque with friends. She can be reached at lcole@hartnellcollegefoundation.org.

Chris Padgett is the Director of Grants Development and Innovation at Hartnell College. Working with both faculty and administrators, Chris plans, organizes, and manages the grant functions of the college. He is a highly skilled researcher, writer, and editor, and he has over 25 years of community college experience. Prior to Hartnell, Chris was a Professor of English at Harper College in Illinois, where he taught a variety of writing and literature courses. During his tenure at Harper, he served as department chair, chair of numerous committees and teams, and he was heavily involved in several high-impact, college-wide initiatives and programs, including Learning Communities. Chris earned his PhD in English from Purdue University, an MA in English from Kent State University, and a BA in English and Psychology from Saint Ambrose University. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, golfing, reading, and listening to music. He can be reached at cpadgett@hartnell.edu.

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 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 is the Accounting Manager for the Hartnell College Foundation and has been with the foundation for over ten years. Kira holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. She loves to teach and collaborate in solving issues and improving processes. Kira enjoys traveling, spending time with cherished family and friends, learning new things and being outdoors in nature. She can be reached at kbona@hartnellcollegefoundation.org

Debra Pyle is the Human Resources Generalist for the Hartnell College Foundation. She started at the Foundation in 2021 but had worked for Hartnell College for 5 years before that, as well as at other colleges and universities for about 8 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Northridge and has close to 40 years of accounting experience, many of them in non-profit organizations. When not at work, she enjoys traveling, creating fun art projects and playing with her dog. She can be reached at dpyle@hartnellcollegefoundation.org

Savanna Harris is the Philanthropy and Marketing Coordinator for the Hartnell College Foundation. She graduated from San Jose State University earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. Savanna is passionate about supporting her community and sharing the work of the Hartnell College Foundation through its online presence and events. She enjoys going to the gym, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. She can be reached at sharris@hartnellcollegefoundation.org

Ana Ibarra is the Director for the K-12 STEAM Program for the Hartnell CollegeFoundation, where she leads the implementation of innovative programming such as the NASA MUREP Aerospace Academy with local K-12 partners. Prior to this, Ana worked with the Hartnell College Foundation as the Project Manager for MontereyCounty’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Ana graduated from Hartnell College and subsequently, from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studiedBiology and Public Health. Throughout her career, Ana has worked and published in the fields of plant pathology, cognitive neuroscience, neurobiology, and public health. She isa co-founder of Ciclovia Salinas, has served as a BioBelt Ambassador for Synbiobeta, and is a graduate of the AgKnowledge Class XIV. Most recently, she served on the board and co-founded a local non-profit. Ana is passionate about increasing opportunities for students in the Salinas Valley to engage in STEAM education. She enjoys spending time with her family, soccer, traveling, and trying new foods. Ana can be reached ataibarra@hartnellcollegefoundation.org

Lupita Arroyo-Lozano is the K-12 STEAM Program Coordinator for the Hartnell College Foundation. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from theUniversity of Santa Cruz with the primary focus on Human-Centered approach. With UXDesigner and Web Development experience, Lupita loves to take into consideration the user experience of all things. Lupita is dedicated to bringing accessibility to the community in STEM related fields, making higher education accessible to all. She enjoys learning more about the brain’s functionality, trying new foods, and spending time with her family. She can be reached atgarroyo@hartnellcollegefoundation.org

Andrea Sanchez is the K-12 STEAM Program Assistant at the Hartnell College Foundation. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from California State University – Monterey Bay (CSUMB), with a concentration in Software Engineering. Andrea was part of CSin3, an accelerated program that allows students to earn a Computer Science degree in just three years. Dedicated to expanding opportunities for students, Andrea served as the President of the Women in Computer Science Club at CSUMB. Since 2021, she has been actively involved with the K-12 STEAM Programs starting off as a Coder Dojo Professional Expert, teaching the fundamentals of programming to students from the Salinas Valley. In her free time, Andrea enjoys playing tennis, exploring new destinations through travel, and spending time with friends and family. She can be reached at asanchez@hartnellcollegefoundation.org

Megan Ayala is the Foundation Assistant for the Hartnell College Foundation. She is a graduate of Hartnell College where she earned her degree in Liberal Arts with a Psychology Emphasis as well as graduating from Cabrillo College for Medical Assisting. Megan enjoys spending her free time with her friends and coaching Salinas High Schools Varsity Cheer team as well as their Show Cheer competitive team. Megan can be reached at mayala@hartnellcollegefoundation.org