Program Assistant for Student Equity
and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways, Chancellor’s Office

Anthony Amboy is a San Francisco Bay Area native and former adjunct instructor at Los Medanos College and Chabot College. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from UC Riverside and master’s degree in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Anthony’s experience as a community college student and his efforts teaching equity-focused curriculum in the classroom inform his work at the Chancellor’s Office.

Faculty Equity Coordinator and Co-Lead to the Guided Pathways & Equity Learning and Engagement Team, Santa Ana College

Maria Aguilar Beltran is the faculty Equity Coordinator at Santa Ana College. In addition, she serves as co-lead of the Guided Pathways & Equity Learning Team, which is focused on designing and implementing campus wide interventions focused on the fourth pillar, engaged learning. She is the Co-Chair to the Student Equity & Achievement Program Committee. She has been a full-time faculty member at Santa Ana College since 2008. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from CSU Pomona and master’s degree in Social Work from CSULB. She is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California.

American Sign Language Department Chair and Co-Chair Outcomes Assessment Committee, Santa Ana College

Heather Arazi is the Department Chair of American Sign Language at Santa Ana College. Prior to coming to Santa Ana College, she taught Deaf students in K-12 schools for ten years. She received her BA degree in Elementary Education from Gallaudet University. She then received her MA degree from California State University, Northridge, and MA degree in Administration and Supervision. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Outcomes Assessment Committee, and also as the Region IV Representative for the American Sign Language Teachers Association.

Guided Pathways Coordinator and Associate Professor of Digital Media Arts and Graphic Design, Santa Ana College

Stephanie Clark is the Guided Pathways Coordinator and Associate Professor of Digital Media Arts and Graphic Design at Santa Ana College. She joined SAC in 2014 and currently teaches within the Digital Media and Art Departments in the areas of digital design & technology. Stephanie has had solo exhibitions at Rice University, the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, and Houston’s Fresh Arts’ ARC Gallery, in addition her photographic work has been included in exhibitions held in D.C., Arlington, Houston, Dallas and Rochester.

Professor Clark is a passionate educator whose pedagogical and artistic interests straddle the exciting boundaries between traditional and new media practices within contemporary art. Professor Clark studied at Rice University, where she earned her B.A. in Visual Arts, and received her M.F.A. from Rochester Institute of Technology in Imaging Arts. Her interests in the field of visual arts are varied and broad, having worked in the traditional studio for many years before moving into photography and then digital imaging. Her own artwork examines the inherent cultural need to associate storytelling with images, while her work in the classroom focuses on developing students’ professional skills for the marketplace and incorporating an artistic and cultural understanding of image-making.

Prior to joining Santa Ana College’s faculty, Professor Clark was senior lecturer of digital design at The University of Texas at Arlington and adjunct faculty of graphic arts at Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas.

President, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) and Professor, Departments of History & Women's Studies, Foothill College

Dolores Davison currently serves as the President of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC). She served as North Representative, Area B Representative, Secretary, and Vice President prior to being elected as president in April 2020 as well as numerous ASCCC committees before being elected to the Executive Committee in 2010. Davison is the co-chair of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Advisory Committee, as well as other statewide committees, task forces, and workgroups.She is a professor and former department chair in the Departments of History and Women’s Studies at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. She was hired as a tenure track faculty member in 2000, and received tenure in 2004. She served as the Foothill College Academic Senate President for 6.5 years, as well as serving as District Academic Senate President for Foothill-DeAnza and as curriculum chair.

She received her Baccalaureate degree from the University of California, Davis, in history, with minors in political science and Russian; her M.A. in history from the University of Oregon; and she is ABD from the University of Illinois, Chicago, with a focus on gender and history.

Faculty Coordinator, Santa Ana College

Jarek Janio received his bachelor’s degree in English from California State University, Long Beach, master’s degree in educational administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and his doctorate from Walden University. He started working at the Rancho Santiago Community College District in 2004 as ESL instructor. In 2007 he became a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA Title 2) coordinator and later Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) coordinator. He has founded a state-wide English Literacy and Civics Education (EL Civics) Conference in 2012 and participated in various state-wide non-credit functions. He has been coordinating Annual SLO Symposium for nine years and since Covid-19 hit in March 2020, he has been coordinating weekly Friday SLO Talks. He currently co-chairs Outcomes Assessment Committee and serves as a co-chair of the ESL department at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education.

Assistant Professor of English, Santa Ana College

Sara Kelley is an Assistant Professor of English at Santa Ana College. She has been working to provide equitable support for students for over 10 years beginning as a tutor at California State University, Fullerton where she received an M.A. in English with an emphasis in teaching composition as well as a B.A. in English with a minor in Anthropology. As an adjunct English instructor, she taught at Coastline Community College and Irvine Valley College in addition to collaborating with counselors to create community for cohorts of students as part of Santa Ana College’s Freshman Experience. Currently, Sara is a member of SAC’s Equity Minded Teaching and Learning Institute along with the English Department’s AB-705 and SLO committees. She’s also the webmaster for the California community college honor society, Alpha Gamma Sigma, and an avid lover of road trips.

Associate Professor/Coordinator, ASE Science, Santa Ana College, School of Continuing Education

Donna Khalid holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas Permian Basin. She has research experience and publication in the areas of virology and autophagy. Following her postdoctoral fellowship, she began teaching biology and microbiology at various institutions. Dr. Khalid has experience in teaching both noncredit and credit classes. Currently, she is a faculty coordinator at Santa Ana College, School of Continuing Education.

Associate Professor, ESL, ESL Department Chair, Faculty Professional Development/Distance Education Coordinator, Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education

Mr. Lopez Mercedes migrated from the Dominican Republic and is the first in his family to pursue higher education. He received his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts/Spanish and master’s degree in Spanish/TESOL from California University of Fullerton (CSUF). He is currently in his second semester of CSUF’s Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) Program: Higher Education Leadership for Community Colleges and Universities.

For the past 20 years, Mr. Lopez Mercedes has held several positions at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education. He is currently an Associate Professor of ESL, the Faculty Professional Development/Distance Education Coordinator, and the ESL Department Chair at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education. In addition, Mr. Lopez Mercedes is the Guided Pathways Ensure Learning Faculty Lead for the same institution.

The students, teachers, and his community continue to motivate Mr. Lopez Mercedes' passion for continuing his education. He is passionate about learning the latest resources and best practices regarding ESL and technology instruction. His goal is to provide our students the best preparation possible.

Assistant Professor, Santa Ana College

I am an assistant professor at Santa Ana College. At Santa Ana College, I teach Anatomy and Physiology. I got my start in academia during my Graduate tenure at UC Irvine. I started gaining my “teaching chops” by teaching Physiology labs. As I taught more, I delved deeper into pedagogy literature and study. I first started teaching at Santa Ana as an adjunct professor in 2016. During my time at Santa Ana College, I learned about DEI and equitable practices from workshops and peers. As a full-time faculty member, I joined the Learning & Engagement committee that supported the 4th pillar of Guided Pathways at Santa Ana College. Since then, I have had the honor of facilitating Equity praxis meetings (called “Equity in Action Ally Group” meetings) and being a facilitator in the Equity institute for faculty. For pleasure, I surf various beaches in Orange County.

Analyst for Student Equity and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways, Chancellor’s Office

Michael Tran supports the Student Equity and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Michael is a proud product of the California community college system and credits his time at Laney College for preparing him to succeed at the University of California, Berkeley. Michael graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Ethnic Studies, and has spent the majority of his career serving youth in Oakland by providing academic, employment, mental health and reproductive health services.

Associate Professor and Coordinator, ESL & SCE Guided Pathways, Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education

Dr. Weber has been a specialist in English as a Second Language (ESL) since 1997 and is passionate about our ESL community having taught all levels of ESL in adult school and community college. She has participated in various curriculum-writing teams​ from adult school to credit and noncredit in community college. She has a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Teacher Education in Multicultural Societies focusing on teacher training and curriculum development from USC and a Preliminary Administrative Credential from National University.

Dr. Weber has been a part of the SAC community since 2016. Currently, she is an ESL Coordinator and the Guided Pathways Coordinator for Santa Ana College's School of Continuing Education. She is also a member of the Executive and Core Teams of SAC's Guided Pathways and a facilitator in the Equity Minded Teaching and Learning Institute for the Learning and Engagement Team. She is dedicated to helping our students reach their educational goals and move through the pathways available throughout our SAC community and beyond.​

Program Assistant for Student Equity
and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways, Chancellor’s Office

Anthony Amboy is a San Francisco Bay Area native and former adjunct instructor at Los Medanos College and Chabot College. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from UC Riverside and master’s degree in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Anthony’s experience as a community college student and his efforts teaching equity-focused curriculum in the classroom inform his work at the Chancellor’s Office.

Director of Student Services – Student Accessibility and Psychological Services, College of Marin

Bio: Dr. Stormy Miller Sabia (She/Her/Hers) is the Director of Student Accessibility and Psychological Services at the College of Marin (COM) and Chair of the DSPS Statewide Advisory. She earned her Doctorate of Education with a concentration in Postsecondary Education/Community College Leadership from San Diego State University and has a Bachelor's and Master's in Social Work from The University of Alabama. Prior to assuming her role at COM, Stormy worked in Disability Support Programs and Services at the San Diego Community College District and has 15 years professional experience in the field of disability in the community college and non-profit setting. Her research focuses on the association between certificate/degree attainment and earnings among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by Vocational Rehabilitation. She serves on the Marin County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Mental Health Board, Star Academy Board of Directors, and has held several other board positions with Girls Rising, Inc., the San Diego Workforce Development Board, San Diego Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities, and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) California. She is a member of the California Association of Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED) and is committed to cultivating spaces that center equity and access.

El Centro Faculty Coordinator, Chabot College

Monica Olmedo is honored to serve Latinx and low-income students in her new role as the El Centro Coordinator! She is from San Diego, near the Tijuana border, where she visited her family regularly crossing back and forth. She moved to the Bay Area after being accepted to UC Berkeley for undergraduate school, entering as a transfer student after attending her local community college while working full-time. She thought she wanted to teach math; however she changed directions when she took an English class that made her want to read more books and decided to major in English. Her decision was solidified after being exposed to James Joyce and Luis J. Rodriguez. Monica found support along the way through family, friends, professors, and counselors while at UC Berkeley. When she graduated, she began teaching right away in East Oakland and really loved working with the Latinx community and other marginalized communities because their struggles were so familiar to what she had just gone through. Stepping into part-time teaching as an English instructor at Chabot College after receiving a master’s in English from Holy Names University felt very natural because she had dreamt about teaching at a community college for a long time--the change was not easy but very worth it. This is why working at El Centro to keep guiding students along their career paths means a lot to her.

Dean, Academic Pathways and Student Success, Chabot College

Abby Garcia Patton grew up in East Los Angeles and was the first in her family to pursue higher education. She holds a BA in Political Science & minor in Spanish and MA in Secondary Education; however, of most value to her were the lessons she learned about the urgent need for equity in the school systems. She has over 17 years of experience in the field of education, starting her career as a high school English teacher and union president. Abby has served as an educational leader in many capacities, including most recently as a director for TRIO programs at UC Berkeley, serving low-income, first-generation-to-college students. She had the great pleasure of serving as the inaugural Hispanic Serving Institutional Director at Chabot College, leading El Centro, the Adult Education Program and the Dream Center.

Director of the Student Accessibility Services, San Jose City College

Edina has been the Director of the Student Accessibility Services at San Jose City College since 2014. After becoming profoundly deaf at the age of 15, she dedicated her life to provide opportunities and support for people with disabilities. She taught American Sign Language and Disability Issues classes at the University of Nevada, Reno; worked with the Legislature of three different states to help shape disability policies; and worked with non-profit organizations to provide services to individuals with disabilities. Her passion has always been education. Having completed five degrees, her goal is to encourage and inspire students with educational limitations to strive for accomplishing their dreams. She strongly believes in advocacy and collaboration to ensure that the barriers students with disabilities face are overcome both on the institutional and state level. Edina earned her Bachelor's degrees at the University of Szeged, Hungary in English and American Studies, a Master's degree at California State University, Northridge in Sociology, a Master's and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Academic Affairs, Guided Pathways Faculty Facilitator

A California licensed Physician Assistant, Public Health Practitioner, Educator and Philanthropist, Dr. Jessica Saint-Paul currently serves as the Academic Affairs Guided Pathways Faculty Facilitator. She is Adjunct Faculty teaching in the disciplines of Public Health and Health Occupations. As a college educator, Dr. Saint-Paul leverages her direct health care experience as well as her background in non-profit management to guide students interested in serving in health careers. Dr. Saint-Paul was recently awarded the 2021 Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award for her professional accomplishments and contributions to Los Angeles Southwest College. The first generation Haitian American, earned a B.S. in Physician Assistant from Howard University, a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California Los Angeles and a Doctor of Medical Science degree from the University of Lynchburg. Dr. Saint-Paul is passionate about removing barriers to student success. She is dedicated to expanding and increasing early access to a quality education for dual enrollment students in health and related sciences pathways.

Angela Tafur is a first generation student at Chabot College studying Biology with an emphasis in Ecology and Conservation. She currently work as a Peer Advisor for El Centro and a soon-to-be Geography tutor for the Learning Connection. Angela Tafur is also a member of Chabot’s women’s soccer and track & field teams. Being a part of El Centro and the Chabot College community has allowed her to build new friendships, skills, and valuable experiences that have greatly contributed to her college journey.

Guided Pathways Ambassador | Unclassified Paid Intern, Los Angeles Southwest College

Mr. Gabriel Tarango-Gonzalez is a Los Angeles Southwest College Alum. He is currently completing his last year in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship at California State University Dominguez Hills. Gabriel currently serves as a Guided Pathways Ambassador, Unclassified Paid Intern (formerly known as Career Guidance Counselor Assistant/CGCA) at Los Angeles Southwest Community College. Gabriel is passionate about creating spaces for students to plan, design, and collaborate in reframing initiatives to support instructional changes on community college campuses. Gabriel enthusiastically shares feeling empowered as a result of his GP student engagement, to focus on equity and inclusion at Los Angeles Southwest College

Analyst for Student Equity and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways, Chancellor’s Office

Michael Tran supports the Student Equity and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Michael is a proud product of the California community college system and credits his time at Laney College for preparing him to succeed at the University of California, Berkeley. Michael graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Ethnic Studies, and has spent the majority of his career serving youth in Oakland by providing academic, employment, mental health and reproductive health services.

Program Assistant for Student Equity
and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways, Chancellor’s Office

Anthony Amboy is a San Francisco Bay Area native and former adjunct instructor at Los Medanos College and Chabot College. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from UC Riverside and master’s degree in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Anthony’s experience as a community college student and his efforts teaching equity-focused curriculum in the classroom inform his work at the Chancellor’s Office.

Director of Creative Writing,
Santa Barbara City College

Joshua Escobar is the Director of Creative Writing at Santa Barbara City College, where he also serves as the Activity Director for the Reinvigorating and Inspiring Students in English (RISE) Program, which aims to serve post-traditional students in transfer level composition. His debut poetry collection was a finalist for the California Book Award in 2021.

Curriculum Chair and Guided Pathways,
Chaffey College

Angela Burk-Herrick holds a Ph.D. in Biology from UC Riverside with a research and publication specialization in orthologous mammalian gene sequencing, molecular evolution, and phylogenetics. Following her postdoctoral research, Dr. Burk-Herrick began teaching biology at Chaffey College in 2006. A practitioner of active learning strategies (e.g. Reading Apprenticeship), she has taught courses in general biology, cell and molecular biology, genetics, as well as guidance courses on college success. Dr. Burk-Herrick has served as a faculty leader for program review and student learning outcomes at Chaffey, and currently serves as the Curriculum Chair, an Academic Senate officer, and a Guided Pathways facilitator. Dr. Burk-Herrick is a champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism efforts and has a particular passion for projects that focus on institution-wide systemic changes that promote student success and positively impact the student experience.

SLO Chair, Outcomes and Assessment Committee, Chaffey College

Not only a Chaffey alumna, Shannon Jessen has been a full-time professor at Chaffey College since 2007, teaching physiology, microbiology lecture and lab, as well as introductory biology for non-majors. She received her B.S. in Biology from UC Riverside, M.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine respectively, and M.A. in Education at Claremont Graduate University, with an emphasis on developing STEM curriculum to support underrepresented and minoritized students. She currently serves as Distance Education Co-Facilitator, Student Learning Outcomes Facilitator, and Accreditation Tri-Char for Standard II. These roles are an extension of her long-standing interest in how authentic assessment and experiential learning can help prepare students for success in academic and career pursuits.

English Department Chair,
Santa Barbara City College

Dr. Melissa Menendez has taught college composition within the California Community College system for over 20 years. She is the English Department Chair at Santa Barbara City College, where she also serves as the Project Director of a newly awarded $3M Title V HSI Grant. She began her tenure at SBCC teaching in Multiliteracy English for Transfer (M.E.T.), a program that recognizes the significance of racial and cultural diversity in learning, and still collaborates with M.E.T. faculty on ways to improve equity and anti-racist pedagogical practices in the composition classroom. She was “umojified” in 2019 and has taught both transfer level composition courses for SBCC’s Umoja students. More recently, she co-created a new program titled Reaffirming and Inspiring Students in English (R.I.S.E.) which centers the post-traditional student in first semester transfer level composition.

Faculty, Department of English; Guided Pathways Faculty Coordinator,
Santa Barbara City College

Margaret Prothero has been a faculty member at Santa Barbara City College since 1997, previously teaching elementary school. She earned her MA from UCSB in Ed/Psych with a Reading Specialist emphasis, and Multiple Subject Clear Professional credential, and BA from Wellesley College with a double major in English and Classical Civilization, with an honors thesis in Creative Writing. Since January of 2018, she has taken on the role of Faculty Coordinator for Guided Pathways on campus, where she is engaged with leading institutional reform to remove barriers from point of entry to completion.

Assistant Dean of Intersegmental Partnerships, Chaffey College

Matthew Morin is the Assistant Dean of Intersegmental Partnerships at Chaffey College. He is a former professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and faculty Director of General Education in the Utah System of Higher Education. His policy reform projects include SB 554 (CA), SB 68 (CA), Ability to Benefit (U.S. DOE), and R470 General Education (UT). His scholarly activity spans research and publications on music and culture in West/East Africa, Japan, and the United States. Matthew was once a jazz musician before obtaining a Ph.D. and M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Florida State University and Tufts University respectively, and a B.A. in Music and Anthropology from University of Massachusetts.

Analyst for Student Equity and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways, Chancellor’s Office

Michael Tran supports the Student Equity and Achievement Program and Guided Pathways at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Michael is a proud product of the California community college system and credits his time at Laney College for preparing him to succeed at the University of California, Berkeley. Michael graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Ethnic Studies, and has spent the majority of his career serving youth in Oakland by providing academic, employment, mental health and reproductive health services.

Assistant Professor of English
and Director of Composition,
Santa Barbara City College

Assistant Professor of English and Director of Composition, Santa Barbara City College

Eileen Vlcek-Scamahorn is an Assistant Professor of English at Santa Barbara City College, and currently serves as the Director of Composition.