Associated Students of UCR

Asha Nettles

Executive Director

(951) 827-2782
asha.nettles@ucr.edu

Asha Nettles (she/her) serves as the Executive Director of the Associated Students of the University of California, where she leads as the primary advisor and administrator for operations, programs, and initiatives. In this role, she supports both student leaders and professional staff across student government with a focus on cultivating leadership, organizational, and personal skills through group and individual engagement. She also oversees the growth and sustainability of programs and services designed to support students and student organizations.

A double alumna of California State University, Long Beach, Asha earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and her Master of Science in Counseling, with an option in Student Development in Higher Education. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership for Higher Education, where her research centers on the persistence of first-generation college students. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to training and mentoring student leaders and professional staff in governance, advocacy, and policy decision-making. Driven by her passion for motivating, empowering, and engaging others, Asha works to help students and staff become the best versions of themselves while fostering a deeper sense of care for the communities and world around them.

Amy Carrizosa

Financial Operations Manager

(951) 827-4128
amy.carrizosa@ucr.edu

Amy Carrizosa has been a dedicated member of ASUCR since April 3, 2009, bringing more than three decades of financial, administrative, and leadership experience to the organization. As the Financial Operations Manager, she oversees a multimillion‑dollar budget spanning three departments—ASUCR, the Graduate Student Association, and The Highlander Newspaper—while supporting more than 350 student organizations. Her work includes complex multi‑fund management, forecasting, and strategic financial advisement for elected student leaders, ensuring that every decision aligns with the mission and integrity of the student body. Amy is known for her mastery of financial systems, internal controls, and compliance. She manages tax filings for ASUCR’s 501(c)(3), oversees monthly bank reconciliations, ensures accuracy in dual accounting systems, and maintains rigorous documentation standards. Her role also includes full‑cycle payroll and personnel processing for more than 250 student employees and staff, supervision of full‑time team members, and serving as the department’s Systems Access Administrator. Across every chapter of her career, Amy has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to accuracy, accountability, and building supportive, high‑functioning teams.

Beyond her professional expertise, Amy is shaped by deep personal resilience and devotion to family. She is a widow to the love of her life, Mario, who passed in November 2022, and the proud mother of two grown sons, Jacob and Kyle. Her strength, compassion, and grounded presence are felt by everyone who works with her.

Amy finds joy in gardening—especially tending to her whimsical fairy garden—photography, cooking, and spending time with her two closest friends. Her creativity, warmth, and eye for detail show up not only in her hobbies but in the way she approaches her work and community.

Amy’s blend of technical skill, institutional knowledge, and genuine care for the people around her makes her an invaluable part of the ASUCR community. She is the rare kind of leader who brings both precision and heart to every task, ensuring that students, staff, and colleagues feel supported, informed, and empowered.

Rachel Freeman-Cohen

Coordinator for Programs & Initiatives   

rachel.freemancohen@ucr.edu

Rachel Freeman-Cohen serves as the Coordinator for Programs and Initiatives for Associated Students at the University of California, Riverside (ASUCR). As Coordinator, Rachel supports the programmatic needs and travel coordination of Student Leaders and their various offices within ASUCR. Rachel graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in Feminist Studies and a minor in Politics. There, she gained experience working in student government as an intern for the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (VPDI) office to then be elected by campus the following year as the VPDI. Rachel grew her passion for working with students, fostering their leadership potential, and creating opportunities for meaningful and transformative campus experiences at the University of Southern California where she earned her Masters of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs. 

They have experience working in student government, identity and cultural centers, and student life with an emphasis in large-scale event programming. Rachel emphasizes in any space they occupy the importance of listening to students and centers education, advocacy, outreach, and engagement as a praxis for building community and understanding with campus communities. It is important to her in fostering an open, safe, inclusive space that is committed to empowering student and campus leaders to create environments that are a nexus for acceptance and wellbeing. 

When Rachel is not working, you can find her engaging in community, trying out new recipes, and absolutely loving her adorable cat while wondering where she went wrong in raising their rascal of a dog. As a bonus, Rachel also loves to discuss kpop and anime fandoms, really anything pop culture-related, and hopes to write a dissertation in the future on queerness within Asian media.