Deisy Vaca, assistant director of student success at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy, has been elected vice chair of a University of California council that helps shape academic advising and student success across the university’s nine undergraduate campuses.
Chosen by nearly 100 academic advising administrators from throughout the University of California system, Vaca will serve a two-year leadership term on the University of California Academic Advising Council, beginning Aug. 31. She will be vice chair during the 2026–27 academic year before becoming chair the following year.
Established in 2019, the council fosters collaboration among advisors, explores new approaches to academic advising, and provides professional development opportunities. As vice chair, Vaca will help guide the organization, represent it on systemwide advising issues, and help lead its twice-yearly meetings.
Vaca is a first-generation college graduate and the daughter of Mexican immigrants. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and law and society from UCR before completing a master's degree in educational counseling at California State University, San Bernardino.
Her advising career began as a student assistant in UC Riverside's advising office for the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. She later advised students in the Department of History and the
Multidisciplinary Studies Center before joining the University of California, Irvine, where she managed the School of Social Ecology's Peer Academic Advising Program. After returning to UC Riverside in 2018, she created the campus's first peer academic advising program at the School of Public Policy.
Vaca will work closely with current council chair Daniella Primavera, whom she first met while both were advisors at UC Irvine.
Primavera has identified connection, collaboration, and shared expertise as priorities for the coming year. Vaca said she hopes to build on that vision by strengthening the collective voice of advisors throughout the University of California system.
"I'd add a focus on strengthening our collective advocacy, so advisors across every campus have a stronger voice in shaping student success," she said.
Vaca's election comes as UCR prepares to host the next University of California Academic Advising Conference, scheduled for April 26–28, 2027. The conference’s theme will be "Advisors on a Mission: Cultivating Student Mobility through Academic Advising."
"Our planning committee is working hard to put together an event that's both informative and fun, while giving attendees a real taste of everything UC Riverside has to offer," Vaca said.