Skip to main content
Global Initiatives Global Initiatives
  1. HOME
  2. About Us
  3. Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor
  4. AVC Tamara Cunningham

Tamara Cunningham
Inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor—Global Initiatives | ArtsConnect and Campus Activation, UC San Diego


Tamara HeadshotTamara Cunningham has been a transformational and inclusive leader in higher education for over 20 years, with a special focus on strategic internationalization over the last decade. She is a champion of global education, partnerships, research, and service. An advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Cunningham was the co-lead for A.C.E.’s Community of Practice subcommittee on the Intersections of Internationalization and DEI. Her passion for access to global education for historically marginalized populations led to Cunningham’s doctoral dissertation, currently underway, that examines access to study abroad for Black male students.  

In her new role as the inaugural Assistant Vice Chancellor-Global Initiatives at UC San Diego, Cunningham led her team to develop and implement the University’s strategic internationalization plan. The plan focuses on the strategic pillars outlined in the institution’s A.C.E. Internationalization Lab report, which include developing collaborative structures to unify the institution’s international programs, empowering faculty and scholars to explore new modalities for international research and instruction, cultivating global learning for students, and building relationships and partnerships to further elevate UC San Diego’s brand nationally and internationally.
 
Cunningham serves with various professional international organizations, and in 2026 she received her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at St. Peter’s University. She earned a master’s degree in Communications and Information Studies from Rutgers the State University, and a bachelor’s degree in English from New Jersey City University.