Staff Highlights

Welcoming David Holmes as Management Services Officer

David Holmes joined the Department of Music as Management Services Officer at the end of February 2020. In his new role, Holmes provides leadership and management to all areas of the department including budget, finance, personnel, department HR, administration, advising, production, marketing, technical support, and long-term planning. He also manages the logistics of the department’s curriculum and instructional budget.

Holmes has been on staff at UC Santa Barbara for over 13 years and is coming back to the Department of Music where he served as Staff Graduate Advisor from 2007-2010. Before joining the Department of Music, he served for four years as the Director of the South Hall Administrative Support Center (SASC), where he oversaw all staff administrative services, personnel, and support for five academic departments. Prior to taking the directorship, Holmes was the unit’s manager for finance and academic personnel having come over from another Humanities shared service center, the Phelps Hall Administrative Support Center, where he was the manager for student services and academic advising. His other roles on campus have included time spent in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as an Admissions Counselor and Evaluator, and the Office of the Registrar working with veterans services and readmission. Holmes is active on campus having served on the campus’ Staff Engagement Committee, as an officer of the Administrative Management Professionals group, a member of staff assembly, and as a participant in various campus committees, working groups, and executive searches. He is a “Double-Gaucho” alum having received his BA in Philosophy-Ethics & Public Policy in 2007 and his MA in Educational Leadership and Organizations in 2010. Prior to entering higher education, Holmes received his Honorably Discharged as a Sergeant from the United States Marine Corps where he served four years on active duty as well as time in the reserves. He enjoys the beauty of Santa Barbara with his wife and three children (8, 6, 4) and loves going to the beach and camping over the weekends with them. He played Ice Hockey for UC Santa Barbara, loves to read historical fiction, and his interests include genealogy, geology, poetry, and sports.

“I am so very happy to be able to ‘come back home’ to the Department of Music where I spent three memorable years as a Staff Graduate Advisor at the start of my career," said Holmes. "I am really excited to be a part of this wonderful community of world-class scholars, artists, and musicians. My goal is to work to bring the highest level of service and support to our students, faculty, and community. I hope to do this by strategically focusing on process improvement, organizational modernization, and community development. I am so lucky to be joining such an amazing group of dedicated professionals on the staff team and everyone across the department has been so welcoming and helpful, it just really feels good to be back!"

Yasmine Ibrahim Joins Department of Music Staff as Academic Personnel Coordinator

The Department of Music welcomed Yasmine Ibrahim as Academic Personnel Coordinator in August 2020. Ibrahim works closely with faculty and the department’s new Management Services Officer David Holmes to assist with faculty advancement, academic appointments, and recruitment. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Graduate Student Advisor Carly Yartz Nominated for Margaret T. Getman Service to Students Award

Carly Yartz, the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music’s Graduate Student Advisor, was nominated for the 2020 Margaret T. Getman Service to Students Award. Given annually in honor of the former UC Santa Barbara Dean of Student Residents, Margaret T. Getman, the award recognizes university staff and faculty that have demonstrated “an extraordinary commitment to the general growth and development of students and quality of student life.” Yartz was one of only 19 nominees for the award this year campus-wide, and was also nominated for the award in 2016.

“Carly enthusiastically, and positively impacts the personal and academic life of each and every graduate student in the Music Department," said one of Yartz's nominators. "She tirelessly supports us, helps us in all of our endeavors, and perhaps above all else, is our friend.”