Vanessa Woods

Bio

Vanessa Woods, Ph.D. is an Associate Teaching Professor (LSOE) at the University of California Santa Barbara.. She is an expert in effective teaching practices and student success research. Vanessa is passionate about increasing success in ALL students, and her research looks at how effectors of opportunity can influence how  students can be successful in educational settings—including transfer students and first generation student success. Vanessa serves as the faculty advisor for Tri Alpha, a first generation student honors society, and  is affiliated with the UCSB Opening New Doors to Accelerating Success (ONDAS) Center, which is dedicated to increasing the success of first generation students, and the Transfer Student Center, aimed at increasing transfer student success. As a trained teacher of culturally aware mentorship practices, she serves as a mentor trainer and faculty supporter for the ONDAS and Transfer Student Centers. In addition, she coordinates and leads campus-wide workshops for staff to explore culturally aware mentorship practices.