UCLA AGEP and DIGSSS Staff

Meet the staff who run the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) and the Diversity Initiative for Graduate Study in the Social Sciences (DIGSSS) at UCLA.

Program Director – Heather P. Tarleton, M.P.A.P., Ph.D.

Dr. Heather Tarleton is the Program Director for the National Science Foundation's Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NSF AGEP) and the University of California Diversity Initiative for Graduate Study in the Social Sciences (UC DIGSSS) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Tarleton guides students who are transitioning from undergrad to graduate student and provides mentorship and support to graduate students in master's and doctoral programs. She is an advocate for racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in science, technology, engineering and math. Dr. Tarleton also recognizes the valuable experience and insight that non-traditional students bring to campus and she seeks to enable the return of continuing education students for graduate degrees.

Dr. Tarleton holds a Master of Public Affairs and Politics from Rutgers University and a Doctorate in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. She has conducted research in the field of embryonic stem cell development and written papers on stem cell policy and regulation. Prior to her arrival at UCLA's Graduate Division, Dr. Tarleton was a Lecturer in UCLA's Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology where she developed and taught undergraduate courses in "Stem Cell Biology, Politics and Ethics", "AIDS and Other STDs", and "The Emergence of Public Policy and Bioethics".

Phone: (310) 825-3829 / Email: htarleton@gdnet.ucla.edu

Program Coordinator – Rosemarie Lerma

Rosemarie Lerma is the Program Coordinator for the National Science Foundation's Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NSF AGEP).and the University of California Diversity Initiative for Graduate Study in the Social Sciences (UC DIGSSS) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Lerma works with the Program Director on the overall administration of services, on special projects, and program logistics.

Ms. Lerma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Chicano Studies from the University of California Los Angeles and a Master of Political Science from California State University Northridge.

Phone: (310) 825-3521 / Email: rlerma@gdnet.ucla.edu

Program Coordinator – Jeremy Morris

Jeremy A. Morris is the Program Coordinator for the National Science Foundation's Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NSF AGEP) at UCLA. He administers and implements special projects and diversity initiatives for AGEP at UCLA as well as other programs in the Outreach, Diversity & Fellowships office.

Mr. Morris’ research and scholarly interests include African American and Latino student retention at predominantly White institutions, issues of equity and access, and international student development and travel. He is currently working on a research project entitled "Issues of Access: Elitist Higher Education in France and the Invisible Barriers of Social Exclusion for Students of African Origin." Morris received his Master of Science degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University. He is also an NSF AGEP fellow from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

Phone: (310) 825-1233 / Email: jmorris@gdnet.ucla.edu

Principal Investigator – Carlos Grijalva

Dr. Carlos Grijalva is the Principal investigator for the National Science Foundation's Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NSF AGEP) and the University of California Diversity Initiative for Graduate Study in the Social Sciences (UC DIGSSS) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Grijalva, Professor of Psychology involved in the Neuroscience Program and in the Brain Research Institute, is an Associate Dean in the Graduate Division. He serves as the academic liaison for the following areas: Physical Sciences Division; Management; ACCESS & Basic Biomedical Sciences; Medicine; Oral Biology; Psychiatry and Comparative Literature.

Dr. Grijalva joined the Department of Psychology as a postdoctoral fellow in 1978 and was appointed to the UCLA faculty in 1982. Since then, he has accumulated an impressive array of scholarly publications, honors, and awards. His research focuses on the psychobiology of stress, behavior, and bodily diseases in animal models.