About Your Professor

BACKGROUND:

Having lived in Southern California for most of my life, I still consider myself more "SoCal" than "NorCal", though the Sacramento region really does feel like home to me now. Since 2002, I have been teaching full-time at ARC. 

Prior to ARC, I taught at Napa Valley College and also at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California. 

Before stepping foot in the classroom as a professor, I earned my marriage and family therapist license (LMFT) and I worked for over 11 years in the field of mental health. During those years, I worked in  elementary schools, non-profit agencies, and in private practice.

 My main focus in mental health was providing services for children, families, and individuals living in multi-stressed communities for which there was (is) a lack of mental health resources, and to that end, I was the lead therapist for the Early Intervention Program at the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic and I headed the mental health program for what was at the time the largest Head Start agency in Los Angeles. 

In whatever position I hold, my goals are to be helpful to those seeking my support, to do my job well, to contribute positively to my corner of the world, and to help improve access for all to resources, education, and opportunities for living well.

TEACHING & LEARNING:

Students who take my classes often find themselves laughing a lot, working hard, reflecting deeply, and leaving well prepared not only for more advanced courses in psychology, but better prepared for transfer to undergraduate study at a college or university. 

Psychology is a broad field which is reflected in the courses I've taught: General Principles, Child Psychology, Human Sexuality, Child Development, Critical Thinking, and Human Development. 

I have been teaching since 2000, online since 2001, and full-time at ARC since 2002. 

From @ONE, I earned an online teaching certificate, and continue to develop and grow as a professor, whether teaching online or in person. 

In all of my courses, my goal is to create a community of learners who feel encouraged and are supported to succeed: no one takes my courses alone! Your professor and your classmates are all here to help you reach your goals, and to learn from you, too! 

COLLEGE SERVICE and PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Current Service:

  • Curriculum Liaison, Psychology Department, Spring 2024 - present.

  • Textbook Reviewer, Human Development, Spring 2023 - Spring 2024.

  • Member, ARC Bookstore Advisory Committee, 2021 - present.

  • Faculty Mentor, Psychology Department, 2022 - present.

  • Chair, Faculty Movie Club, 2015 - present

  • Peer Review Teams, Continuous.

• Professional Affiliations:

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#151495)

  • Associate Member, Sacramento Valley Chapter California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists 

  • Associate Member, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

  • Teacher Member, American Psychological Association

Recent Presentations:

• Classified Staff Professional Development: Chill Out 2.0: Small Actions for Big Impact on Mental Wellness. December 4, 2024 live via Zoom. Presenter.

• Faculty Professional Development: CC Teaching: Using Psychological Science. August 23, 2024. CIS Department, Presenter.

• Faculty Professional Development: Chill Out 2.0: Small Actions for Big Impact on Mental Wellness. August 21, 2024 hybrid live and pre-recorded via Zoom, Presenter. 

• Faculty Professional Development: Quiet Strength: Fostering Inclusive Spaces for Introverted Students and Colleagues. August 20, 2024 hybrid live and pre-recorded via Zoom, Presenter. 

• Faculty Professional Development: Chill Out! Take Control of Stress and Thrive for a Better Faculty Experience. January 11, 2024 live via Zoom. Presenter. 

• Classified Staff Professional Development Series:  Chill Out! Take Control of Stress and Thrive for a Better Work-Life Balance. October 26, 2023 live via Zoom. Presenter.

• College Hour: Chill Out! Take Control of Stress and Thrive for a Better College Experience. Oct. 5, 2023. Presenter.

• ARC Faculty Movie Club:

  • A Separation (2011). August 21, 2025. Co-presenter with Gordon Roadcap, English

  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). January 17, 2025. Co-presenter with Gordon Roadcap, English.

  • Gattaca (1997). August 21, 2024. Co-presenter with Jeff Nokkeo, Design and Engineering Technology.

  • Rumble: Indians Who Rocked the World (2017). January 11, 2024. Co-presenter with Traci Gourdine, English

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). August 18, 2023. Co-presenter with Tak Auyeung, CIS.

  • Wild Tales (2014). January 12, 2023. Co-Presenter with Gordon Roadcap, English.

  • My Octopus Teacher (2020). August 17, 2022. Presenter.

  • Kedi (2016). January 13, 2022. Presenter.

  • Birders: The Central Park Effect (2012). January 14, 2021. Presenter.

  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019). August  20, 2020. Presenter.

  • Moonlight (2016), January 16, 2020. Co-presenter with Jeffrey Sacha, Sociology; Nancy Silva, Fine and Applied Arts

  • Coco (2017), August 22, 2020. Presenter.

  • Beyond the Barbed Wire (2010), January 13, 2019. Co-presenter with Patricia Wood, Fine and Applied Arts.

  • Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth (2013), August 23, 2018. Presenter. Part of the Mis!nformation in the Public Sphere Colloquium.

  • My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond (2016), January 11, 2018. Co-presenter with Naomi Baum, Psychology.

  • Thank you for Smoking (2005), August 17, 2017. Presenter.

  • Killswitch (2014), January 12, 2017. Presenter.

  • Focus (2001), August 18, 2016. Co-presenter with Traci Gourdine, English.

  • Dear White People (2014), January 14, 2016. Presenter.

  • Princess Mononoke (1997), August 20, 2015. Co-presenter with Emily Mitchell, Psychology

• Psychology: Human Learning and Memory. August 19, 2023. Presented for the CIS Department.

• ARC Faculty Exhibition, 5 paintings accepted for the show organized by Patrice Wood, Fine and Applied Arts, Fall 2020.

• But Wait, There's More! Mis!nformation in the Public Sphere Co-presenter: Phil Smith, Mathematics; American River College,  Thursday, January 17, 2019.

• Transcending Misinformation: Mis!nformation in the Public Sphere Colloquium Co-presenters: William Zangeneh-Lester, Humanities; Kathey Sorensen, CRC Dean of Science, Math, and Technology; Phil Smith, Mathematics; College Hour American River College, December 4, 2018.

• Enrollment Trends: Follow-up to Fall 2016 Psychology Department,  American River College, April 20, 2017.

• Special Forum: History, Political Science, Psychology, and Legal Perspectives on Current Events in the USA. "Belief vs. Evidence: Human Cognitive Biases" Co-presenters: Chris Padgett, History; Alana Jeydel, Political Science, JP Sherry, LRCCD General Counsel American River College, February 28, 2017.

Recent Service: 

• Peer Review Team, Tenured Faculty, Spring 2025

• Peer Review Team, Adjunct Faculty, Spring 2024

• Peer Review Team, Tenured Faculty, Spring 2022.

• Curriculum Liaison, Psychology Department, 2021 - Spring 2023.

• Psychology Hiring Committee, Fall 2021.

• BSS, Dean, Hiring Committee, Spring 2021.

• Faculty Mentor, Spring  2019.

• Human Services Faculty Hiring Committee, Spring 2019.

• Department Representative, ARC Council of Chairs and Coordinators, Spring 2019.

• Collaborator/Organizer, ARC's Mis!nformation Colloquium with Phil Smith, Mathematics, Fall 2018-Spring 2019.

• Psychology Adjunct Faculty Hiring Committee, Summer 2018.

• Peer Review Team, Tenure-Track Faculty, 2015 - 2019.

• Lead, Psychology 335 Curriculum Task Force, Spring and Fall 2017.

• Past Chair, LGBTQ Subcommittee of Equity, 2017-2018.

• Chair, LGBTQ Subcommittee of Equity, 2015 -2017.

  • One of our accomplishments was getting support from all 3 college senates (Student, Classified, and Faculty) followed by institutional support for what we have now: a campus Pride Center.

  • Another accomplishment of the subcommittee was ensuring that we have gender neutral bathrooms on campus, clear signage, and indications on campus maps of their locations. 

Other Service and Professional Development Activity Participation:

• Faculty Association of California Community Colleges Policy Forum, Feb. 1, 2025.

• LRCCD Performance Review Training, Sept. 8, 2021.

• Foundations in Canvas Training, June 14 - 28, 2021.

• LRCFT Contract Education - Equity Reflection Training, May 11, 2021.

• Hiring the Best, February 17, 2021.

• Understanding Your Individual Course Data, December 9, 2020.

• Starfish Connect for Success training presented by Kathleen O'Brien and Olga Chornaya, ConferZoom, September 17, 2020.

• 2nd Annual Psych/HSER Equity Retreat and Fall Series, August 19, 2020.

• Black Minds Matter Webinar hosted by Dr. Luke Wood of SDSU and Dr. Donna Y. Ford, OSU July 30, 2020.

• LatinX Cultural Celebration, ARC Graduation Celebration, May 21, 2020.

• Graduation Tribute for ARC 2002, Videotaped Graduation Messages for our students, May 8, 2020.

• Open Educational Resources (OER) Institute, LRCCD Webinar, April 29, 2020.

• COVID-19 Equity: From Othering to Our Community of Belonging,  ARC Webinar, April 16, 2020.

• Smoke, Tobacco, and Vape-Free Task Force, Spring 2015 - Spring 2016.

  • Co-Organizer, National Kick Butts Day at ARC, March 2016

• Distance Education Work Group, 2014 - 2015.

• ARC Academic Senate 2009 - 2014 ; Vice President, 2013 - 2014; Chair, Program Review Subcommittee, 2013; Secretary, 2011 -2013; Senator, ARC Academic Senate, 2009 -2011.

• Faculty initiator and advisor for the inaugural Psi Beta club at ARC, 2005 - 2007: an honors society in psychology for community college students.  Current advisor: Professor Robin Akawi