2009 Cohort Bios
Sylvia Garcia-Navarrete
Hi! My name is Sylvia Garcia-Navarrete and I currently work at Southwestern College in Chula Vista. I teach Developmental Reading and English-as-a-Second Language to students who come from diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. As an educator, I am dedicated to my job, my students, and the academic institution with the obligation of providing quality education that empowers individuals to discover and achieve their full potential within a safe learning environment. My passion for teaching at the community college level stems from my personal challenges in attaining my academic goals. Being a second-language learner, a first-generation college student, and growing up with limited educational opportunities, I am extremely sensitive to, empathic, and aware of the needs within our college communities. My ultimate goal is to become an advocate of education to promote higher learning among those who face educational challenges.
During this time of economic despair, I believe we need proactive leaders who will dedicate themselves in educating our nation for a better tomorrow. I am confident that in the Ed.D. Program, my peers and I will not only acquire a solid educational foundation, but also learn effective leadership strategies to become proactive members at the community college and beyond the scope of academia. I truly look forward to a wonderful learning experience.
In regards to my personal life, I am married to one of the most wonderful men in the world. His encouragement and support in my life are invaluable. I also have a daughter who just started her senior year of high school. She often reminds me that I am her inspiration and motivation in achieving anything and everything she desires in life. I also have a rambunctious young boy who I am adopting. He just started kindergarten and loves every minute of it! I am truly fortunate for having a wonderful and supportive family.
Christopher Hayashi
Christopher Hayashi is a full time professor of psychology at Southwestern College. Prior to being hired at Southwestern, he taught as an adjunct instructor at Grossmont College and Palomar College. He received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley with a double major in psychology and American studies. He received his MA degree from SDSU in clinical psychology. Being half Japanese-American and half Mexican-American, he has always held a particular interest in issues of culture, race, and ethnicity. In 2001, Christopher participated in the SDICCCA internship program which provides training and mentorship to individuals interested in specifically teaching at the community college level. Since that time, he has learned to enjoy the diversity of the students and learning-centered approach of the community college system. For him, true joy comes from helping students learn about the fascinating field of psychology and seeing them achieve their academic and personal goals. In his free time, Christopher enjoys traveling, fishing, cooking, basketball, reading, and listening to live music. Over the past few years, he has traveled quite extensively through Europe, Central America, and spent lots of time getting lost in Mexico and Southeast Asia. He is also trying desperately to improve his golf game and fit in some exercise in an attempt to stay in reasonably decent physical shape.
Wendy Bracken
Wendy Bracken serves as the coordinator of San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Human Research Protection Program (HRPP). In this role, she assists researchers in understanding the ethical issues of involving human participants in research and in navigating the IRB application and review process at SDSU. She has played a key role in the establishment of original learning programs, such as the creation of an intensive student training model geared towards teaching students to serve as “mock” IRB members, development of the online SDSU Human Subjects tutorial, and presentation of the Human Subjects Seminar Series, a program designed to provide a forum for discussion with peers/colleagues about ethical practices in research.
She has worked in education for many years, first as a teaching assistant in an elementary school for children with emotional and behavioral disorders and then as the lead graduate teaching assistant for the psychology program Companionship Therapy course. After completing her research on the effects of physical and verbal aggression on cardiovascular reactivity, she received her Masters degree from SDSU's Psychology program in 2003 and shortly thereafter began working at the SDSU HRPP providing education to students, faculty, and staff regarding research ethics.
In her spare time, she enjoys perfecting her skills in special effects movie make-up, raising Holland-Lop rabbits, and screen printing t-shirts with her husband.
Scott Herrin
Scott Herrin is currently the Director of College Development for MiraCosta College. He primarily works to raise money for scholarships that benefit North County residents. Before coming to MiraCosta College, Scott spent three years at Portland State University where he was the Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Sales. In 2004, Scott was an instructor at SUNY-Cobleskill, a small community college in upstate New York, and was also an assistant cross-country and basketball coach.
A native of Hattiesburg, MS, Scott earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from The University of Southern Mississippi. His professional career in education also began there as an academic counselor. Scott's wife, Bridget, is a research counselor at UCSD. They celebrated the birth of their first child, Gavin, in May of 2008.
Valita Jones
Valita Jones is the Coordinator for the San Diego Miramar College Upward Bound TRiO program, where she works to assist disadvantaged high school students gain access to postsecondary education. Prior to accepting the position of Upward Bound Coordinator, Valita worked at the University of California, San Diego as a Graduate Student Affairs & Diversity Officer for the Office of Graduate Studies. Valita coordinated the UC LEADS program, the Alliance for Graduate Education in the Professoriate program (AGEP), and also managed the physical outreach and recruitment for the Student Affairs unit. She is an Adjunct Professor and is currently teaching a Work Experience course for the EOPS program at Cuyamaca College. Valita holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology and African Studies, and a Master's degree in Educational Leadership: Emphasis in Postsecondary Education. She also holds a Community College Teaching Certificate.
Bob Parker
I am Vice President of Administrative Services at San Diego Continuing Education (San Diego Community College District). Prior to joining SDCE in 2005, I worked with California Community Colleges as a Financial System Consultant with Datatel Inc. My previous experience also includes serving as a departmental business manager at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and in the Comptroller's Office at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
I have a MS in Accounting from San Diego State University, a BBA in Accounting from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Communications from Glassboro State College in New Jersey.
Beverly Warren
Beverly Warren is the Program Coordinator for the Educational Opportunity Program and Ethnic Affairs Department at San Diego State University where she has successfully grown and developed residential and commuter transitional programs for first time freshman students. She has worked at all levels of education from grades pre-K through 12 as an educator. Prior to her current position, she served as an Admission Counselor for the SDSU campus, she has taught at Horton Elementary School (San Diego), and the American School of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic where she provided instruction in English Literature to Dominican natives and international students in the country as well as advised students on admissions to institutions of higher learning in the United States. Additionally, she has served as an Outreach Coordinator at Palomar College through the TRiO Educational Opportunity Center of North County.
She is a proud undergraduate alumna of Fisk University (Nashville, TN) where she earned her undergraduate degree in Spanish. Her Master’s degree was received from San Diego State University in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Student Affairs. She is proud of her academic achievements both as a first generation college student as well as a first generation American with parents from the country of Guyana (South America). She actively seeks engage students in their personal and academic development through her commitment to student access and success.
Gabriel Sanchez
Gabriel Sanchez has been committed to working in education since 1997 starting as a College Peer Advisor while attending Southwestern College. After transferring to San Diego State University to pursue a double-major in Sociology and Psychology, he continued to work with educational outreach programs, including Cal-SOAP, Talent Search and Upward Bound.
Gabriel graduated from the Community Based Block counseling program in 2002 and also participated in the SDICCCA faculty internship program. He has worked as a Career Counselor at South Metro Career Center, and as an adjunct counselor at Grossmont College, Southwestern College, and Palomar College.
Before coming to Palomar in 2006, Gabriel also co-founded the Puente program at San Diego City College. He is currently an Assistant Professor/Counselor at Palomar College. He serves on several department committees, as well as on the Palomar College Basic Skills/Title V HSI Committee. During his free time, Gabriel enjoys spending quality time with his wife and two children.