The Team

Alex Rockey- Alex Rockey, PhD, is an instructional technologist instructor at Bakersfield College. Prior to joining the Renegade team, Alex worked as an instructional design consultant at CSU-Bakersfield and a graduate student researcher in instructional design at UC Davis. She graduated from UC Davis in June 2020 with a PhD in Education. Her research has focused on feedback in online STEM courses and mobile learning. As an educator with K-16 teaching experience, Alex has taught both high school English and Puente as well as first-year writing at the college level. Her interests include humanizing online education, accessibility, and mobile-friendly course design. Alex is passionate about the potential of mobile design to improve student access to high-quality educational opportunities.

Fabiola Torres is an online Ethnic Studies professor at Glendale Community College, a Puente trainer partner, and a Certified Faculty Developer. During the pandemic, Fabi collaborated with a number of colleges throughout the country in offering professional development workshops, online courses and keynote presentations focussing on applying equity-minded methods such as culturally responsive teaching in the online environment, humanizing online teaching and learning and Ungrading practices. Her teaching principles are inspired by her M.A. in Chicana/o Studies from California State University, Northridge & her second M.A. in Learning Technology from Pepperdine’s School of Education and Psychology.

Dr. Rob Rubalcaba is an Associate Math Professor at San Diego City College. He was born in Lemon Grove, on the same street where Lemon Grove Elementary planned a separate school for all of its Latino students. He stopped going to Morse High in the 10th grade because of gang violence and he attended Centre City Adult School to pursue a GED, then attended City College majoring in Mathematics with only a 9th grade education in Math. He graduated and transferred to SDSU earning a BA in Mathematics and attended graduate school at Auburn University earning a Masters and Ph.D. in Discrete Mathematics. Dr. Rob then worked with the Department of Defense working in secret facilities around the world before joining the Math Department at City College where he co-teaches in the UMOJA program and co-organizes campus wide Math and Writing Jams where hundreds of students build confidence before midterms and final exams. He is a professional DJ and sushi chef, and teaches mathematics through hip hop, art, sushi, and dance.

Jenae Cohn, PhD is the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley. Prior to working at Berkeley, Jenae was the Director of Academic Technology at California State University, Sacramento and, previously, an Academic Technology Specialist at Stanford University. She studies digital pedagogy, reading and writing across the curriculum, metacognitive thinking, and online learning. She is the author of Skim, Dive, Surface: Teaching Digital Reading (West Virginia University Press, 2021) and the co-author of Design for Learning (Rosenfeld Press, forthcoming 2023).

Samantha Eastman is a Sr. LX Designer at the University of California-Riverside, with 20 years of experience in faculty development, curriculum development, and technology integration for K-20 education environments, extending to support for informal learning and experiential learning, as well as the development of hybrid or online courses, web-based interactives, and multi-platform programs or services. Samantha holds an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from the University of South Carolina.

Diamond Emelda Williams (Diamond Emerald) is an award-winning teacher, speaker, and author. She has a decade of experience as a certified special educator in New York City Public Schools while teaching and supporting teachers in numerous roles: Hunter College adjunct professor, Chapter Leader within The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Facilitator/Coach for NYC Teaching Fellows, and community organizer actively restructuring curriculum for equitable student-centered learning. She emphasizes her “SHINE BRITE” framework to empower teachers and students alike and draws on her skills as an actress, singer, songwriter in content creation and delivery. The degrees from Washington University in St. Louis (BA, Performing Arts and African & African-American studies ), New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (MA, Performance Studies), and Hunter College’s School of Education (MSEd, Adolescent Special Education) may establish her in the eyes of some, but it is her axiomatic belief in the brilliance of Black and Brown people that guides her work. Be inspired and informed through her book Teach Like A Diamond: Dynamic Teaching for Today’s Teacher available at teachlikeadiamond.com.

Dwight Anderson Williams II, PhD, is trying to be good people as a son of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and connector of dreams. A graduate of Florida A&M University, The Florida State University, and The University of Texas at Arlington, Dwight followed his doctoral studies with a postdoc at Iowa State University (ISU) as a researcher in both supermathematics and graduate mathematics education. His mathematical interests are found in the union of Lie superalgebras, representation theory, and combinatorics, all of which he uses in supporting the math journeys of the racially minoritized. Professionally, he is a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Pomona College and an incoming assistant professor at the great Morgan State University. Whatever the title, he focuses on benefiting Black youth by collaborating with some of your favorite mathematicians and educators, including his wife Diamond.