California State University, Dominguez Hills welcomed 18 faculty members appointed to full-time tenure/tenure-track positions for fall 2014. While some are familiar faces, having previously taught part-time on campus, the majority are new. Join Dateline Dominguez in congratulating them on their new appointments and welcoming them to the Toro Family!
College of Arts and Humanities
Brant Burkey, Assistant Professor, Communications
Academic Background:
Ph.D., media studies, University of Oregon
M.S., communication studies, University of Oregon
B.A., communication studies, Sonoma State University
Academic Focus:
New media, online cultural production, networked social interaction, media-memory, discourse/practices, media literacy, media criticism, media history, media ethics, multimedia reporting, media production.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Burkey recently completed his dissertation, “The Future of Remembering: How Multimodal Platforms and Social Media are Repurposing Our Digitally Shared Pasts in Cultural Heritage and Collective Memory Practices,” and is working on several articles from his dissertation for submission to conferences and journals. He has plans to write a book that expands on his research into multimodal memory practices.
Prior to CSUDH:
Doctoral candidate/graduate teaching fellow, University of Oregon; adjunct instructor, California State University, Long Beach; social science teacher/journalism adviser, John Glenn High School in Norwalk; and associate editor and reporter with several publications.
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“Distinguishing myself in the Department of Communications and becoming a contributing member of the CSUDH campus community.”
Interesting/fun fact about him:
“I used to play conga drums in a rock band and Middle Eastern drums for a belly dancing troupe.”
Ki
rstin Lynne Ellsworth, Assistant Professor, Art History
Academic Background :
Ph.D., history of art, Indiana University, Bloomington
M.A., history of art and English, Indiana University, Bloomington
Academic Focus: American art of the 1960s.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Ellsworth’s current research is on Africobra textile artist Jae Jarrell and her use of materials and applications of fashion styles from Africa and mainstream American 1970s fashion. She is also researching activist fashion of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Prior to CSUDH:
Lecturer in the art departments at CSU Dominguez Hills, Cal State L.A., Otis College of Art and Design, and Pasadena City College. Dr. Ellsworth continues to teach in the HUX M.A. in Humanities program on campus.
Justin Gammage, Assistant Professor, Africana Studies
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.A., Temple University
B.A., California State University, Dominguez Hills
Academic Focus:
African American social, political and economic history
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Gammage’s research is in the African American political economy with a focus on the history of social movements, past and present, that address factors challenging the social, political and economic security of people of African descent. He is completing a manuscript that focuses on civil rights movement in Philadelphia and the centrality of demonstrations geared toward community economic development.
Prior to CSUDH:
Lecturer, CSUDH
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“Working with a diverse population of students and contributing to their intellectual, professional, and personal development, also to contributing to the legacy established by my department and the university.”
Kimberly Huth, Assistant Professor, English
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A., Ithaca College, New York
Academic Focus:
English Renaissance, especially Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Huth is currently working on a book project that examines representations of physical pain in the drama of Shakespeare and his contemporaries to reveal how this sensory experience is both corporeal and social. Her research is driven by the question of how this sensation can become a factor in the creation or preservation of social networks.
Prior to CSUDH:
Visiting assistant professor of English, Ithaca College and Knox College; adjunct instructor, Virginia Commonwealth University; education support specialist, VCU School of Medicine.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“I’m excited to become a part of such a vibrant, diverse community. I look forward to working with CSUDH students as they explore their passions and surprise me with new ideas and ways of thinking.”
College of Business Administration and Public Policy
Orie Berezan, Assistant Professor, Management and Marketing
Academic Background:
Ph.D., hospitality administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
M.S., hotel administration, UNLV
Bachelor of Commerce, University of Alberta
Academic Focus:
Corporate social responsibility, customer loyalty.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Berezan co-authored “Sustainable Hotel Practices and Guest Satisfaction Levels” which was published in International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 15 (2), 1-18, February 2014. Another manuscript he co-authored, “Loyalty Runs Deeper than Thread Count: An Exploratory Analysis of Gay Guest Preferences and Hotelier Perceptions,” has been approved for publication in the Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing.
Prior to CSUDH:
Lecturer, CSUDH and UNLV; senior management positions with Duetto, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, and Unicharm Japan.
Shari R. Berkowitz, Assistant Professor, Public Administration: Criminal Justice Administration
Academic Background:
Ph.D., criminology, law and society, University of California, Irvine
B.A., psychology, UCI
Academic Focus:
The interface between criminal justice, psychology and law.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Berkowitz’s research focuses on how people misremember details of events and, in some cases, develop false beliefs and memories of entire events that never actually happened to them, especially as it applies to the legal system. Her other research interests include eyewitness testimony, false memories, false confessions, and wrongful convictions. She is currently working on a number of projects, one in particular is a study that explores what members of the legal system know and understand about scientific evidence and the criminal justice system in general.
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant professor of forensic psychology, Roosevelt University, Chicago
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“I am thrilled to join CSUDH and become a member of the Toro community! I greatly look forward to connecting with students and helping them to think more critically about the world around them, collaborating on research with both CSUDH students and faculty, and honoring and building upon the university’s incredible social justice history.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“During a trip to New Zealand I had the amazing chance to go black water rafting (it’s like white water rafting, but in a cave). And yes, it was as exciting and terrifying as it sounds!”
William David Brice, Associate Professor, Management
Academic Background:
Ph.D., MBA, international management strategy, University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Business
BBA, international business, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Academic Focus:
Dr. Brice is interested in the connection between firm culture and performance with cross-cultural comparisons, particularly between the U.S. and Ukraine, as well as culture and the market entry of culture-based products.
Xuefei Nancy Deng, Associate Professor, Information Systems
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.S., information systems, Carnegie Mellon University
MBA, international business, American University
M.A., American literature, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, China
B.A., English, Zhungshan University
Academic Focus:
Organizational and societal impact of information technology (IT), IT workforce, knowledge management, e-commerce, social media, and crowdsourcing.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Deng has three forthcoming publications that examine IT professionals’ customer-oriented behavior in organizational support for enterprise systems, cross-project knowledge transfer in IT service firms, and the impact of Internet and wireless usage on e-commerce, respectively. Her current research projects focus on the societal impact of Internet technology and social media on crowdsourcing, and on the growth of consumer-to-consumer e-commerce on China’s Taobao.com. Dr. Deng is revising and resubmitting two manuscripts, titled “The Duality of Empowerment and Marginalization in Micro Job Crowdsourcing: Giving Voice to the Less Powerful through Value Sensitive Design” and “Knowledge Boundary Spanning and Productivity in Information Systems Support Community,” to two top information systems journals. Dr. Deng will also co-chair the mini-track ”Social Media and Enterprise: Job and Work Design Issues” at the upcoming Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-48) on Kauai, Hawaii, January 5-8, 2015.
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant professor of information systems, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii; research associate, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Washington, DC.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“I am looking forward to bringing high-impact practices to my classrooms and contributing to the strategic goal of CSUDH to become a high-touch, high-quality institution. I also look forward to opportunities to engage a diverse and dynamic student body in active learning and to collaborate with colleagues across disciplines in research projects. “
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I enjoy watching soccer and tennis games, and love to eat spicy food.”
Jose Martinez, Assistant Professor, Accounting and Finance
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.A., economics, University of California, San Diego
B.A., economics, California State University, San Marcos
Academic Focus:
Applied economics, labor economics,
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Martinez’s research interests are in migration, and migrants’ health. He is currently working on projects related to crime and migration in Mexico and health selectivity of Mexican immigrants.
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant professor of economics, University of North Texas; professor externo, Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico; associate in economics, UCSD; lecturer CSUSM; research fellow at the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies, UCSD
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“Making a difference in students’ lives by showing my sincere interest in their success.”
Jennifer Macy Sumner, Assistant Professor, Public Administration: Criminal Justice Administration
Academic Background:
Ph.D., criminology, law and society, University of California, Irvine
M.A., criminal justice, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
B.A., sociology, Boston University
Academic Focus:
Correctional policy, practice and culture; gender, sexuality, and the criminal justice system; comparative punishment; qualitative research methods.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Sumner is currently working on research that examines criminal justice system policies, practices and culture as they relate to transgender communities in the United States and abroad.
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant professor of criminal justice, Seattle University and Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg.
College of Health, Human Services and Nursing
Maria Avila, Assistant Professor, Social Work
Academic Background:
Ph.D., National University of Ireland, Maynooth
M.A., School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago
Academic Focus:
community-based learning, community-based research, adult eduation, community organizing
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Avila’s work includes adult education with Latino immigrants, community organizing, teaching community-based learning classes and using participatory action research methods. She contributed a chapter,”Reflecting on and Sharing our Stories Can Transform Society,” in Asset-Based Community Engagement in Higher Education (Minnesota Campus Compact, 2014) edited by John Hamerlinck and Julie Plaut. She has several forthcoming publications: a book Transformational Community Engagement Using Community Organizing, Participatory Action Research and Narrative; and book chapters: “Can Civic Professionalism Flourish?” in Democracy’s Education: A Symposium on Power, Public Work, and the Meaning of Citizenship (Vanderbilt University Press); “Organizing for Culture Change Through Community-Based Research,” co-authored with Scott Peters, in Higher Education and Community-Based Research: Creating a Global Vision (Palgrave Macmillan), edited by Ronaldo Munck, Lorraine Mc Ilrath, Budd Hall and Rajesh Tandon.
Prior to CSUDH:
Andrew W. Mellon teaching fellowship, Center for Diversity and Democracy, University of Southern California; founding director, Center for Community Based Learning, Occidental College; 20-plus years in community organizing and civic engagement in Mexico, the United States and Ireland.
Megumi Kuwabara, Assistant Professor, Child Development
Academic Background:
Ph.D., psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington
Academic Focus:
Dr. Kuwabara is interested in cross-cultural differences in cognitive development, particularly in the domain of attention and perception.
Prior to CSUDH:
Visiting assistant professor, Indiana University, Bloomington
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I look forward to working with faculties who are passionate about making changes in students’ lives and community, and working with students who are from very diverse backgrounds.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I am from Japan and came to the U.S. when I was 19, right after high school. I am a first generation college student and first to attain the graduate degree in my family. My relatives keep asking me ‘How much more can you learn?’ every time I see them. My response is ‘so much more’ as always.”
Payman Nasr, Assistant Professor, Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Starting in Spring 2015)
Academic Background:
Ph.D., anatomy and neurobiology, University of Kentucky
B.S., medical technology, clinical laboratory sciences, University of Kentucky
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Nasr is currently researching the epidemiology and evolution of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria resistant to many antibiotics.
Prior to CSUDH:
tenured associate professor of biological sciences at Kent State University.
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
Giacomo Bono, Assistant Professor, Psychology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., applied social psychology, Claremont Graduate University
M.A., psychology, Claremont Graduate University
B.A, modern literature, University of California, Santa Cruz
Academic Focus:
Research methods, positive psychology, social and developmental psychology, with an emphasis on applying psychology to solving societal problems and improving self-discipline, social capital and personal development.
Research interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Bono’s research interests are on determinants and outcomes associated with positive responses to interpersonal harms and benefits, in particular how forgiveness and gratitude are related to health, well-being and success in life. He is currently conducting three research studies that center on the role of these behaviors in positive youth development and their applications for improving character development and academic achievement/adjustment among students and climates in the classroom and in schools.
Dr. Bono recently co-authored a book, “Making Grateful Kids: The Science Behind Character” (Templeton Press, 2014).
Prior to CSUDH:
Lecturer, CSUDH
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to inspiring students to strive for their dreams at CSUDH and to establishing my laboratory, the Positive Social Development and Dynamics Lab. My hope is to help students find their own way to make a difference in the world.”
Interesting/fun fact you would like people to know about him:
“In third grade I had encephalitis and was diagnosed to life in a wheel chair. Not only did this teach me to never accept ‘no’ or give up on yourself, but to always be a fervent fan of finding purpose and defying the odds. I also maintain my Sicilian heritage through cooking and enjoying life to the fullest.”
Alexis Sharon McCurn, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.A., sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara
B.A., sociology, University of San Francisco
Academic Focus:
Qualitative research methods, urban sociology, race and ethnic relations, inequity, intersections of gender, race and class.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. McCurn is currently working on a book manuscript, based on two years of field research in Oakland, Calif., that explores how young African American women and girls negotiate urban public space. The work examines how race, sex, class, violence and the body are experienced, understood, and accomplished through encounters and interactions while negotiating public space in poor inner-city communities.
Prior to CSUDH:
Visiting lecturer, Department of Sociology, UCSB
Erin Merz, Assistant Professor, Psychology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., joint doctoral program in clinical psychology, San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego
M.A., MPH, SDSU
B.A., Miami University
Academic Focus:
Clinical health psychology and epidemiology.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Merz’s research focuses on understanding how and why individual and interpersonal factors influence health and well-being within the context of chronic disease. She is also interested in health disparities and measurement of psychosocial phenomena across populations. Dr. Merz is working with colleagues on a number of studies evaluating a biopsychosocial model of pain in patients with systemic sclerosis. They recently published a paper in Arthritis Care & Research, and she is involved in several projects using data from the Hispanic Community Health Survey/Study of Latinos, the largest epidemiological study of Hispanic/Latino health conducted in the United States.
Prior to CSUDH:
Graduate student at SDSU/UCSD and predoctoral clinical internship, UCLA/Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I look forward to sharing my training in behavioral medicine and public health with the students of CSUDH. These are important fields that significantly impact the well-being of our community; I am excited to participate in turning out the next generation of health psychologists.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I was born in North Carolina, raised in the Midwest, and have lived at 18 different addresses. I am now happy to call Southern California my home.”
Jacqueline Padilla-Gamino, Assistant Professor, Biology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., oceanography, University of Hawaii
M.S., biology, California State University, Northridge
B.S., oceanography, Universidad Autonoma de Baja Calfiornia
Academic Focus:
Oceanography, marine biology, marine ecophysiology, global change biology.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Padilla-Gamino is currently working on research on how ocean acidification and global warming affect the physiology and ecology of marine organism. She is interested in communicating science beyond the scientific community to the local community so that her findings can be applied to conservation and resource management issues.
Prior to CSUDH:
Post-doctoral researcher, University of California, Santa Barbara; marine ecology lab technician, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“Launching the marine biology program at CSUDH.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I just published a children’s book about coral reefs.”
Fang Wang, Assistant Professor, Biology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., developmental biology, Fudan University, China
B.S., genetics, Fundan University
Academic Focus:
Genetics, molecular and cell biology, developmental biology, and developmental neurobiology
Research interests/current projects:
Dr. Wang’s research is in the area of developmental neurobiology, using zebrafish as a model organism to study touch-sensing neurons. She is currently using a genomic approach to investigate interactions between peripheral sensory axons and skin cells in zebrafish. This approach unveils many genes involved in the development of touch-sensing neurons, and provides insight into axon degeneration/regeneration as well as fundamental skin cell biology that is likely relevant to disease.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral researcher and lecturer, University of California, Los Angeles; adjunct assistant professor, Occidental College
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“Joining a diverse and supportive community, and incorporating a model organism (zebrafish) into both teaching and research.”
