Dr. Holly Unruh is the Executive Director of the Arts Research Institute at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). From 2006-2014 she served as Associate Director of the University of California Institute for Research in the Arts, a statewide program dedicated to supporting and promoting arts practice and research across the University of California system, a position she held concurrently with her appointment as the Associate Director of the UC Santa Barbara Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (2004-2009).
Prior to joining UCSC, Unruh served as the Associate Director of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) at CSU Monterey Bay, where she managed a multi-million dollar interdisciplinary grant portfolio, and served as Faculty Fellow for Undergraduate Research, Student Engagement and Academic Initiatives through the CSU Office of the Chancellor. She holds a Ph.D. in History of Art and Architecture from UC Santa Barbara and has taught Art History and Cultural Studies at CSU Channel Islands, Santa Barbara City College and Westmont College.