Lisa Rose

(Crown ’72, Russian literature)

While at Crown College, Lisa pursued an interest in black-and-white photography. She was selected to teach a for-credit class in darkroom photography to lower-division students during her senior year. Lisa enjoyed teaching, and two years later returned to UCSC for a secondary teaching credential. After two years of teaching continuation high school on the Central Coast, Lisa moved to New Zealand where she taught math at the Nelson College for Girls for two years before returning to live and work in Santa Cruz in 1978.

In 1983, Lisa earned an MBA at San Jose State University and began her 25-year career as a business manager for the city of Santa Cruz Finance Department and UCSC Business Services. During these years, she experienced the fulfillment of volunteering starting with First Night Santa Cruz, where she was a founding board member, and followed by membership on the Citizens’ Police Review Board. In 2002, Lisa began her volunteer work for Crown College by creating an acclaimed photographic display of the early years of Crown that included the work of five other student photographers. She didn’t know at the time that this would be a pivotal moment in her life leading directly to her nomination for the Fiat Lux Award.

Within a year of retirement from UCSC in 2010, she became the lead photographer for Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz, a job that transitioned into board president, a position she still holds. Her other rewarding achievement has been volunteering at Crown College, an experience that enriches her life with old friends, new friends, and the satisfaction of doing good for the students of today and tomorrow. Lisa has known her co-awardees Su Nerton and Jim Lapsley since she was 17. Acquaintances at first, they have become dear friends over the four years they spent planning and executing the first-ever Crown 50th reunion in 2022 followed by a successful $1 million fundraising campaign.