2008 Cohort Bios
Gonzalo Quintero
Gonzalo is currently serving as the Program Coordinator for Southwestern College GEAR UP which is a partner with the Sweetwater Union High School District’s GEAR UP program. SUHSD GEAR UP has committed high school personnel along with district, community, and higher education partners to work together in an effort to support the academic development and achievement of all participating GEAR UP students from the beginning of seventh grade through high school graduation in June 2011. Gonzalo has played a vital role in the implementation of tutoring and mentoring services in all SUHSD GEAR UP school sites and has been a catalyst for collaboration between district, community, and higher education partners. Gonzalo grew up in the south bay area of San Diego in National City and is a graduate of Sweetwater Union High School. Upon graduation from high school Gonzalo attended Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista California, and subsequently earned two Associate Degrees before transferring to San Diego State University where he went on to earn a B.A. and M.P.A. both in Public Administration.
Chaz Compton
Chaz Compton has been working in the field of Human Services for over 20 years. He has been an Administrator of a large Community Rehabilitation Program in Northern California, and a Counselor, Supervisor and Resources Specialist for the Department of Rehabilitation. He is currently the District Administrator of the Department of Rehabilitation's San Diego
District, which includes all of San Diego County and Southern Orange County. He has been in his current position for seven years. Chaz received his Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from San Diego State University,
is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and has a post-graduate certificate
in Rehabilitation Administration. In addition to his work as an
Administrator, Chaz has been working as a Co-Instructor in SDSU's distance
education Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling program for eight years.
Donna Maria Daly
EdD Program – Bio
Donna Maria Daly, MSW
Primary Responsibilities:
Donna serves as the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at SDSU College of Health and Human Services. In this role, she is responsible for all of the college’s student affiliated activities such as student support services, advising, academic advocacy, student government and leadership. She works in collaboration with the Dean of the college and with the Vice President for Student Affairs to deliver and integrate student services and learning opportunities at SDSU.
Ms. Daly has over 25 years of human services and university experience. She began her career with public Social Services in the early 80’s and held various social worker and management positions both in San Diego and Mendocino counties. She joined SDSU School of Social Work in 1996, initially working for the Research Foundation on child welfare research and evaluation. She taught courses in the areas of introductory social work, fields of practice, social welfare policy and macro practice.
Donna believes in students and is dedicated to ensuring student success. She looks forward to using her past experience and doctoral training to help make education more accessible and to provide insights as well as scholarly contributions to education research.
Education:
- M.S.W., Administrative Concentration, San Diego State University
- B.A., Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Ma.
David Fierro
David is a faculty member in the School of Math, Engineering and Technologies at San Diego City College.
Although relatively new to teaching, David has spent most of his career in the aerospace industry which included successful positions with United Airlines as a Propulsion Systems Engineer and most recently with Hamilton Sundstrand as a gas turbine Product Development Engineer.
Professional interests include engineering & technology education program development as well as creating pathways for students to succeed in technology related education.
When not working, David enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters biking, exploring, hiking and traveling.
David is a proud Alumni of San Diego State University’s College of Engineering.
Martha Garcia currently serves as a CalWORKs Assessment Counselor and Personal Development Instructor for Imperial Valley College in Imperial, CA. She has been employed by Imperial Valley College since 1999. She completed the G.L.E.A.M. (Gaining Leadership Experience, Aptitude and Mentoring) Program in June 2008, which is a program through Imperial Valley College that prepares faculty for future leadership positions. She is currently serving as a Recording Secretary for IVCC/CTA/NEA Executive Committee for the fourth consecutive year.
Ms. Garcia possesses a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling from National University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University.
Her personal interests include spending time with her 10 year-old son and traveling.
Joi Lin Blake
Joi Lin Blake is the Dean of Student Development and Matriculation at San Diego Mesa College. This position is responsible for Outreach and Community Relations, Matriculation Services, and Evaluations. Ms. Blake has held this position for two years. Prior to Mesa, she worked at Southwestern Community College District for 15 years as a Counselor, interim Dean of Instruction, interim Staff Development Coordinator and Academic Senate President. She also worked for San Diego Unified School District as a District Counselor and for the Educational Cultural Complex as an Instructor for adults with developmental disabilities.
Joi is responsible for implementing the first African American/Latino Male Leadership Summit in San Diego. This innovative project is designed to address the achievement gap of African American and Latino male students in high school settings. In addition, she was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Freshman Year Experience program at Mesa College. Other areas of interest include technology, professional development training and K-12 partnerships.
Joi loves people, snorkeling, traveling and cooking. She is the official 2008 Chili Cook-Off Champion at Mesa College
Justin Akers
Justin Akers is an Assistant Professor of Chicano/a Studies at San Diego City College. He is a graduate of San Diego State University, receiving a BA and MA in Latin American Studies. He also received a teaching credential from National University.
Kathleen Sheahan
I teach Spanish in the Foreign Languages Department at Palomar College. Currently, I also serve as the Faculty Coordinator for our Foreign Language Lab. I completed my Bachelor's degree at Cal State San Marcos and I received my Master's degree from San Diego State University with a specialization in the use of technology to enhance the learning of a second language. For my doctoral studies, I am interested in exploring the effects of collaboration among language learners to improve retention and success. I enjoy working with students from a wide-variety of backgrounds. I feel very fortunate to work in the diverse and multicultural environment of a California community college.
My free time is spent with family and friends. I enjoy reading, studying languages, discovering new places, and traveling with my husband and two children. I have also had the opportunity to travel several times with my students as the coordinator of Study Abroad Programs to Spain, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Lauren Halsted
I teach in the English department at Cuyamaca College. Previous to being hired full-time, I taught at San Francisco State University, San Diego State University, Mesa College, Palomar College and Saddleback College. I am also a teacher consultant for the San Diego Area Writing Project, where I help design and implement professional development programs for writing teachers at all levels, K-16.
I love teaching, and I also want to broaden my professional horizons in order to support teachers in various ways. In this program, I will focus on the "basic skills crisis" that the community college system is currently facing.
I live in Encinitas with my cat, Dora. I write as much as I can, and am currently working on a screenplay (which I will hopefully finish one day).
Maricarmen Cedillo
Maricarmen Cedillo has taught French, ESL and Spanish for 15 years to grammar school students and college students in the US as well as in Mexico and Europe. She was the coordinator for the Foreign Language department at UABC, Mexico.
As a teacher, Maricarmen has participated in numerous workshops and seminars on technology-enhanced instruction sponsored by LARC (Language Acquisition Resource Center) at SDSU. She has produced several DMA’s (Digital Media Archive) and other language resource projects and has contributed in the development of Internet-based oral assessment software.
Her career as a teacher has been juxtaposed with working as an interpreter and translator for the International Olympic Committee, sport events and for other associations. She is a SDPTGA tour guide and interpreter in San Diego county and Tijuana. Maricarmen also worked in the late 90’s in a hospital in Mexico, 3 years as head of Public Relations and later as the Administrator.
She earned an AS in Business, a BA in French, minor in German, and an MA in Spanish Linguistics at SDSU and a Diploma in Hospital Management at Univ. del Pacífico. She is a member of ACTFL, FLCSD and SAILN. As part of her undergraduate and postgraduate work, she attended several workshops and summer schools in Mexico, France, Italy and Germany. Her numerous trips to all five continents have enriched her interest and involvement in cultural diversity.
Maricarmen’s pride and joy are her five children. She and her husband Scott have raised their family in Bonita and Tijuana.
She enjoys traveling and sharing a sunset with her loved ones.
Marsha Gable
Marsha Gable serves as the Associate Director of Outreach Programs at CSU San Marcos, overseeing four state- and federally-funded outreach programs serving the K-12 districts in North San Diego. Prior to CSUSM, she held the position of Supervisor for the Palomar College TRIO Programs. Along with her professional position at Palomar College, she was actively involved on a number of shared governance councils and committee, including president of the Confidential and Supervisory Team.
Currently, Marsha further serves in an instructional capacity as a member of the First-Year Experience Team for General Education Life-Long Learning at CSU San Marcos, Associate Faculty in Sociology at MiraCosta College, and has provided instruction in Guidance/Counseling as Adjunct Faculty at Mt. San Jacinto College. Marsha is also a past participant in the San Diego and Imperial Counties Community College Association (SDICCCA) Faculty Training Program.
Marsha holds a Master of Arts in Sociological Practice and Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences both from CSU San Marcos. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
Nesha Savage
Nesha Savage has served students in many capacities. Currently she is a counselor at San Diego City College where she provides academic, career, and personal counseling to students. She also teaches Personal Growth courses for learning communities and the general student population. Prior to that, she worked at Grossmont Community College as an EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, and New Horizon counselor for over 6 years. During her tenure at City College, she helped develop and implement the First Year Experience program (FYE). She also has experience coordinating educational programs through her work with the FYE program and the New Horizon program. Nesha is sensitive to the needs of diverse student population. Her goal as an educator is to inspire students to achieve and succeed both academically and personally. Nesha holds a MA in Education from the Community Based Block (CBB) program at San Diego, a BA in Sociology from San Diego State University, and an AA in Liberal Studies from Santa Ana College.
Nesha enjoys spending time with her husband and three daughters. In her spare time she enjoys being involved in her church and watching her daughters’ soccer games.
Pam Kersey
I teach nursing at San Diego City College. I am an alumnus of Calfornia State University Dominguez Hills, having received both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees there. I began my nursing career as a graduate of Owens Community College in Ohio at the age of 20. After many rewarding years as a nurse I am enjoying my teaching career and the opportunity to share my patient care experience with my students. Prior to my work as an educator I spent the majority of my nursing career as a pediatric oncology nurse in the clinic and homecare setting.
I have been a key member of the nursing education department having made some significant contributions such as creating a work experience course for nursing students to work in local hospitals. I also wrote the curriculum and obtained approval from the state board of nursing to start the program and begin the accreditation process as the first director of the vocational nursing program at San Diego City College.
I also have experience as a nursing program director at a private college in northern California, and as a home infusion director of nursing.
I have four children Alan, Jessica, Andrew and Aaron, and three grandchildren who I love spending time with. My hobbies include hiking and outdoor photography. I have covered many miles in the Sierras and the local mountains hiking or backpacking including the summit of Mt. Whitney in the summer of 2007. A future goal of mine is to make it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I suppose I will have to wait until I finish school to find time for that adventure!
I am a volunteer for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Organization, and a member of the local Delta Kappa Gamma organization of women educators. I also volunteered my time as a nurse in the medical clinic at Qualcomm during the last fires.
As a community college graduate I have a passion for student success and also have an understanding of the life of the working student. I see my future as a leader in a community college district with more responsibility and opportunities to make changes that will directly increase student success. I am excited about the knowledge and skills the San Diego State University Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership will provide me for my future as a community college leader.
Luis Perez
Luis Perez is a Counselor at the San Diego City College in which he serves as the Puente Project coordinator as well as instructor of Personal growth classes. He was involved in TRIO/SSS in OASIS at the University of California San Diego prior to joining the City College faculty. In addition Luis has served in various outreach and retention positions with TRIO, EOPS, and financial Aid. Luis received his B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning at UCSD and his M.A. in Education, with a concentration in Multicultural Counseling through the Community-Based Block program at SDSU. Luis has also participated in the San Diego Imperial County Community College Faculty Internship Program, (SDICCCA).
He was raised in Los Angeles and is a first generation Chicano and first in his family to attend college. He is married with Josilyn Perez and has two children Isabelle and Israel.
Rasha Roshdy
Originally born in Cairo, Egypt and a born again American in Tucson Arizona. Had formal training in Journalism and worked as a journalist for Al-Ahram Hebdo for two and half years in Egypt. She holds an MA in French and education from Kansas State University. She has been an assistant professor at Defense language Institute in San Diego for the past five years. She is currently working on several projects for LARC, SDSU as an independent consultant. She has also worked as linguistic consultant for five years at the University of Arizona where she developed two curriculums to teach Arabic and French. She is currently happily divorced and enjoys raising her two sons Roshdy 10 and Ryan Shaheen 3.
SaBrina Bre White
SaBrina Bre White is the Asst Director of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services at San Diego State University. I earned my first bachelor’s degrees in Liberal arts and Science in 1994 and my second bachelors in business in 1997 both from Utah State University (USU) in Logan, Utah. In 2007 I earned my Masters Degree from San Diego State University (SDSU) in Post Secondary Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Student Affairs, where I was selected and the Outstanding Graduate Student for my department.
I have worked in athletics for 14 years and have been her at SDSU for 8 of my 14 years. I enjoy working with student-athletes and feel that I am a positive role model. I assist them with balancing sports, academics and time management so that they stay on track to graduate. I also coordinate community service activities for all student-athletes to encourage them to get involved in the community and will feel good about giving back to the community and I am also co-chair for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Outside of athletics I sit on the MAC committee and the New Student and Family Convocation Committee.
I enjoy reading and hanging out with friends and most recently took up running and I plan on running 2 half marathons a year to that I can tell people that I ran a marathon to strike up conversation. Personally, I am single in the process of getting a pet and I am the mother, sister and aunt to 400+ student-athletes and their children.
Bernice Lorenzo
Bernice Lorenzo serves as the CalWORKs program Coordinator at San Diego City College. Before moving to City College, she held a full time counseling position for the Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS) program at San Diego Miramar College for 9 years. During her tenure, she also worked for campus outreach, relations with schools, scholarships and served as interim director for EOPS, CARE and CalWORKs.
As an adjunct counselor, Bernice worked at San Diego Mesa and City College, Palomar College and for the Cesar Chavez Continuing Education Center totaling 15 years of experience. Being a low income, first generation college student herself, Bernice’s work has primarily been in serving special population students in EOPS, CARE, CalWORKs and Gender Equity programs. Bernice earned an MA in Education from the Community Based Block (CBB) program at San Diego State University and a BA in Writing, from the University of California at San Diego.
In her time away from work, she cares for her aging parents and enjoys spending time with her extended family.
Erin Charlens
Erin Charlens joins the doctoral program as a full-time counselor at San Diego City College. In addition to working with general population students, Erin is the co-founder, counselor, coordinator and Personal Growth Professor for the Umoja/Transfer Success Program, which assists under-served students with college and life skills in preparation for transfer to 4-year universities. Prior to her tenure at City College, Erin was a Counselor and Assistant Track & Field Coach at the College of Sequoias and spent seven years in the field of Human Resources, specializing in the areas of Recruitment, Selection & Employee Retention.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Erin earned her B.A. in Psychology from San Francisco State University and her M.A. in Applied Psychology with concentration in Counseling from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She is married to Mitch, San Diego City College’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Health & Exercise Science Faculty member. They have two children together, Brandon, 5 and Chloe, 3 and reside in Mira Mesa.