Henry Covarrubias

Director, McNair Scholars Program

Phone: (530) 754-9777 | E-mail: hcovarrubias@ucdavis.edu | Office: Hutchison Hall Room 86B

Henry is responsible for the overall direction of the McNair Scholars program at UC Davis. This includes developing and teaching the McNair seminars, coordinating advising, student needs assessment, student tracking, budget management, and program evaluation. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Chicana/o Studies. He also holds a master's degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern California (USC), and he has completed doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership at the Claremont Graduate School. Henry plans to enroll in the UC Davis Ph.D. program in School Organization & Educational Policy and focus on access and retention issues within the California community college transfer student population. He comes to UC Davis from Austin, where he served as the Program Director of Perkins Grants for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Prior to arriving in Texas, Henry was the Director of the McNair Scholars Program at CSU, Bakersfield. Henry also served as the Director of Academic Advising at Woodbury University in Burbank and the Director of Recruitment and Retention at CSU, Bakersfield – in addition to his numerous professional student services experiences at UCLA, USC, and Riverside Community College.

Lisa Thomas

Adviser, McNair Scholars Program

Phone: (530) 754-6531 | lgthomas@ucdavis.edu | Office: Hutchison Hall Room 86B

Lisa is responsible for coordinating the academic advising of all McNair students, advising of university support services, and recruitment and retention for the program.  She holds a B.A. in Rhetoric and Communication from UC Davis and has worked on this campus since 1988. In a past life, Lisa performed with a Brazilian dance company and served as a guest host for Davis Community Cable Television (DCTV). She enjoys reading short stories and creative writing. Please stop in to introduce yourself and learn about the McNair Scholars program!

Rachel Messer

Program Assistant, McNair Scholars Program

Phone: (530) 752-7486 | E-mail: rmesser@ucdavis.edu | Office: Hutchison Hall Room 86B