2024 Faculty Awards Recognize Six Outstanding Educators
The 2024 Faculty Awards Reception was held on April 30, with six members of the CSUDH faculty receiving honors for their contributions to the university. The awards are presented each year to selected faculty members for outstanding achievement in a variety of areas—from research and scholarship to lecturing and service to the community.
The 2024 CSUDH Faculty Award recipients are:
Jenn Brandt
Lyle E. Gibson Distinguished Teacher Award
The founding faculty member in the Department of Women’s Studies, Jenn Brandt has been teaching at CSUDH since 2018. She has been one of the driving forces behind the program, developing the curriculum that serves as the backbone of the bachelor’s degree the university now offers.
During her time at CSUDH, Brandt has taught women’s studies courses at every level—from foundational and introductory classes to the GWAR-certifying capstone course. Brandt prides herself on maintaining a student-centered classroom.
“I always tell my students that they help shape the courses,” says Brandt. “I’m sort of a guide and facilitate them through these specialized topics, but it’s their responsibility to show up and to shape the conversations and the directions that we take those topics. I really try to put students at the forefront of all the planning in my classes.”
Named in honor of Lyle E. Gibson, the late founding Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Distinguished Teaching Award acknowledges faculty who demonstrate a mastery of their subject matter, an understanding of broad areas of knowledge, a deep and active interest in student success, and the ability to engage students in new and creative ways.
On winning the Distinguished Teaching Award, Brandt says, “The reason that I’m here is the students. To win an award that directly acknowledges the work I do with them and my teaching is huge.”
“I’ve been teaching in higher education for over ten years. I’ve met so many wonderful people as students, and I still have those relationships. So to have an award that acknowledges those lives that I’ve interacted with, I think that is incredibly special.”
Jennifer Brodmann
Lyle E. Gibson Distinguished Teacher Award
Jennifer Brodmann transitioned from the fashion business world to higher education, bringing real-world experience to courses that can often be more theoretical.
Brodmann earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in fashion and apparel design from Academy of Art University in 2006. After a few years in the business world, she decided to return to school and attained an MBS, MS, and PhD from the University of New Orleans. She joined the faculty at CSUDH in 2018.
She enjoys teaching at CSUDH because of the team-oriented focus in the College of Business Administration and Public Policy. “I really enjoy collaborating, because that’s what I did when I worked in business,” she says. “That’s one of the main draws when I decided to go back and be a professor—the mentorship aspect. I do that a lot now, and mentor students in their research through the South Bay Economics Institute.”
Brodmann currently teaches courses in business finance and entrepreneurial finance. “I just love it here,” she says. “The collegiality that we have in our college is great. I love my department. We have an amazing department chair. Everybody’s very supportive and there’s a very entrepreneurial spirit to CSUDH, which I love.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brodmann and two colleagues created the Thrive program at CSUDH. The program introduces students to business leaders and helps them navigate the college experience. “We created it here,” says Brodmann. “I love the fact that I get that freedom to really explore and collaborate with different people. And the receptiveness to it is great!”
On winning the Distinguished Teacher Award, Brodmann says, “It’s honestly very humbling because I have some really amazing colleagues around me that are great educators, so it definitely motivates me to do the same. My passion is inspiring and training the next generation. I want to pay it forward. Just being a part of that mission of building a new generation of leaders—that’s why I’m here and that’s what I’m doing.”
Edward Curammeng
Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity
Edward Curammeng is an associate professor in the Teacher Education Division of the College of Education at CSUDH. His research interests include ethnic studies education, Critical Race studies, and justice-centered education.
Collaboration is a critical aspect of Curammeng’s approach to academic work, whether through research with colleagues and students, or through grant applications that support his research interests and attract scholars in Ethnic Studies from across the country to CSUDH. One of the most recent was a $1.59 million U.S. Department of Education grant for the MEND project, which recruits teachers of color and multilingual educators.
In March 2023, Curammeng helped organize a three-day conference on Ethnic Studies education that brought key researchers from California and other states to the CSUDH campus. The conference was made possible by a grant from the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
The Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award was established in 2004 to acknowledge that research, scholarship, and creative activity are essential components to the CSUDH mission.
On receiving the award, Curammend says, “This means we’re doing something right. It’s also humbling. I feel deep respect and gratitude for my mentors and the researchers that have been doing this work. I’m not the first. This is a continuation of what came before me. It feels good to have your work affirmed in this way, and it motivates me to see how we can get others recognized in this way.”
John Keyantash
Excellence in Service Award
John Keyantash joined CSUDH as a professor in the Department of Earth Science and Geography in 2002. He has served two stints as department chair, first from 2010 to 2013, and a second time from 2019 to present.
The Excellence in Service Award recognizes faculty contributions to university governance and development, and acknowledges that service and partnership are an essential component of CSUDH’s mission.
Keyantash was pleasantly surprised by the news of the award. “Once all the supporting documentation was compiled, I was surprised by the volume of activities that I’ve been involved in over the years.”
Those activities include critical support for student and faculty success. “I’ve been pretty heavily involved in student advising as a faculty member,” he says. “Many of us have departmental responsibilities for advising students majoring in the fields we teach, but I’ve also worked for many years with students majoring in other fields as well.”
Keyantash has earned acclaim for his ability to connect with students in and outside earth science. Students might come in seeking answers to everything from nuts-and-bolts questions about a specific topic to broader questions about whether their major was the right fit.
Keyantash also chaired the committee and edited the final report for the “Encounter with Student Success” initiative, working with faculty across departments to improve the undergraduate experience at CSUDH. “It was a pretty big initiative, and we were all proud of the report we produced.”
Brenda Riddick
Catherine H. Jacobs Outstanding Faculty-Lecturer Award
After spending two decades in the telecommunications and dot-com fields, Brenda Riddick decided to follow the path her two daughters followed and became an educator.
“My father was in the military, and he played a big role in the Carson community. He was a social and political activist, and he taught me a lot about the importance of civic engagement,” says Riddick. “If you see something and you can do something about it, then go do it. When I decided I wanted to teach, there was only one place for me, and that was CSUDH.”
Riddick has been a lecturer at CSUDH since 2006, teaching courses in public policy, political science, and social and behavioral sciences. She has also served as the interim director for the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute and the acting director of the Faculty Learning Center.
The Catherine H. Jacobs Outstanding Faculty-Lecturer Award acknowledges and honors a CSUDH full-time or part-time lecturer who has demonstrated excellence in teaching effectiveness to the CSUDH campus community.
“(Winning this award) means that someone has seen value in the work that I do,” says Riddick. “The recognition and acknowledgement is so much appreciated. It’s great to know that I mean something to someone for the work I do at an institution that I truly love.”
Jeffrey Sapp
Presidential Outstanding Professor Award
Jeffrey Sapp has been teaching for over four decades, and has been in higher education since 1988. He joined the faculty at CSUDH in 2006, after seven years spent writing education grants for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama. Sapp and his husband wanted to adopt a child and decided to move to California due to its more accepting environment.
Sapp currently teaches the Introduction to Education courses at CSUDH, the first course that prospective teachers take in pursuit of their credential.
“I really like teaching the introductory courses,” he says. “I love being one of the students’ first experiences in the program. I help set the stage for their whole career. Plus, I really want them to know that they’ve made the right choice and that teaching is a fantastic profession. I am still absolutely in love with teaching.”
Sapp has been awarded the 2024 Presidential Outstanding Professor Award, which honors CSUDH individuals for their teaching, commitment to their desired field, and service to the campus and CSU system. He has previously been honored with the 2016 Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award and the 2018 Lyle E. Gibson Distinguished Teacher Award at CSUDH.
Having been raised in poverty by a single mother in West Virginia, Sapp feels a strong connection to the CSUDH mission. “I really appreciate people who are working so hard to better their lives and situations for their families. For my family, education was a way out. I like the diversity at Dominguez Hills and our mission and vision to help people get a step up that they need. I feel connected to our students.”
Sapp appreciates winning the award, but doesn’t give himself all the credit. “I really love this profession. I love staying with my students as they grow in their careers and through the wonder of social media, I’m able to be connected to students throughout the 45 years of my teaching career.”
“I really give the credit to the students who helped shape me into who I am as a teacher,” says Sapp. “I also want to give a shout out to our daughter. She’s a 14-year-old activist and scholar. I always say that teaching really made me a great parent. But boy, has parenting ever made me a better teacher, too!”
