Assistant Professor and Department Chair

Department of Aerospace, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering

T: 951-552-8248

E: pvanhaaster@calbaptist.edu

Dr. Phil van Haaster received his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from University of Southern California (USC) in 1991, his Masters in Engineering from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2012, and his Doctorate in Business Administration from California Baptist University (CBU) in 2020.

Dr. van Haaster joined the College of Engineering at CBU as an Assistant Professor in the Spring of 2020. After graduating from USC, Dr. van Haaster began his career in the field of EMI/RFI shielding, establishing himself as a premier designer of mechanical solutions for an electrical problem and authoring ten U.S. Patents in the field.

After 20 years as a design engineer, Dr. van Haaster shifted his focus to owning the entire business proposition, rising to executive level in a billion-dollar global organization with full management responsibilities for the North American region. His leadership resulted in the expansion of the customer-base, development of multi-region “tiger” teams, and commercialization of disruptive design solutions for the industry. He also contributed as an Board member of an affiliate company, developing military grade products for the U.S. government.

Assistant Professor van Haaster’s research interests are in the field of collaborative design processes and knowledge spillover. He and his wife, Christina, have been married for 27 years and are blessed with six children. He enjoys hiking, camping, obstacle course events, reading, and family time. Dr. van Haaster and his family currently attend The Grove Community in Riverside and he desires to impact the world for Jesus by teaching students how to be superior engineers/innovators who model servant leadership and glorify God in the workplace.

Jennifer Tavaglione

Job Title: Sr. Project Manager

Department: Power Resources - Technology Integration

Job duties: Managing technology projects for the utility

Education background and training-

Degrees/ Certificates: Bachelor’s degree / Project Management Certificate

Major: Liberal Studies / History

What sparked your interest in the utility company?

Utilities have been around for hundreds of years and so has much of the equipment we still use today. The industry has changed more in the last 10-15 years, than it did over the previous hundred. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry with lots of opportunities for improving the way we use technology to better operate the system.

Please explain how you obtained your position at RPU:

I worked for Southern California Edison (SCE) as a Manager in Advanced Technologies for 5 years and wanted a job closer to home. I started at RPU as Project Manager in Electric Engineering and have moved around the utility to help support a variety of projects and initiatives.

What other jobs did you do previous to working for the utility?

I have a very eclectic professional background – prior to joining SCE, I was the head of fraud investigation/compliance at a large mortgage company.

How long have you worked for RPU?

I have been with RPU for 6 years as of June 18^th

What advice would you give to students interested in your field?

1) Practice interviewing for jobs! I have interviewed many students and professionals who are very talented, but don’t interview well. Find someone to mentor you and practice answering tough questions.

2) Don’t forget to continue to work on your written and verbal communication skills, along with your STEM studies - strong communication skills will give you an advantage over your competition for technical jobs.

3) Regardless of your field of study, take time to learn some basic project management skills. Whether or not your title is Project Manager, as an engineer or technical professional, project management will be part of your job.

In High School what would you have been voted as “Most Likely to……” ?

Not be in a profession related to STEM :-)

What are some things you enjoy doing outside of your work?

I enjoy spending time and going on adventures with my family.

Would you like students to contact you throughout the year?

I don’t mind if they do.

If so, please provide your contact information:

Email: jtavaglione@riversideca.gov

Phone: I am rarely at a desk long enough to answer a call – so email me

Founding Dean Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

T: 951.343.4972 E: adonaldson@calbaptist.edu

Dr. Anthony Donaldson received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 1979, 1982 and 1990, respectively. In 1994 he received an M.A. in Missions and Evangelism from the Asbury Theological Seminary.

In the summer of 2006, Dr. Donaldson was hired by California Baptist University (CBU) as the founding dean of a new school of engineering. The program has grown from 53 students and one faculty in the fall of 2007 to over 700 students and 43 full time faculty and staff in the spring of 2017. Degrees are offered in Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Management, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering and Engineering (with concentrations in Pre-Law, Agricultural, Business, and Global Applications). Graduate programs are offered in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Data Science and Knowledge Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Software Engineering. In the fall of 2016 he was chosen as the Honorary Technical Director for the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Corona, and the Guidestone Faculty of the Year for CBU.

From 1998 to 2006, he served as professor of electrical engineering and the director of the engineering programs at Seattle Pacific University where he led a successful accreditation effort and was responsible for numerous innovations and improvements in curriculum and facilities.

From 1994 to 1996 Dr. Donaldson and his family were in Bangalore, India, the “Silicon Valley of Asia”, where he raised venture capital for a native Indian’s vision and started a consultancy business in the telecommunications area.

In graduate school at Texas Tech University Dr. Donaldson worked on the “Star Wars” pulsed power project sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. His research in modeling electrode erosion in High Energy pulsed switches won critical acclaim and resulted in over 40 peer reviewed articles and conference presentations as well as a patent for a new type of material. The Chief Scientist of the Air Force who served on his committee remarked that it was an outstanding achievement. He won the International Pulsed Power Student award given to the best pulsed power student worldwide, the National Plasma Science award, a NATO sponsorship, the TTU outstanding EE graduate student award and the graduate student teaching award twice.

Originally from Texas, Dr. Donaldson enjoys music, film, puzzles, archaeology, reading and cross cultural cuisine and experiences. He is married to CBU business professor Dr. Darla Donaldson. They have two adult children, Daniel and Deborah, both of which are CBU College of Engineering graduates.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NASB