20 Faculty Achieve Tenure
The Board of Trustees, President Cynthia Olivo and Chancellor Byron Breland honored 20 faculty members who achieved tenure.
The North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees honored 20 Fullerton College faculty members who achieved tenure during this academic year. The recognition took place during the April 25, 2023 board meeting where faculty were encouraged to bring their family and loved ones to celebrate their professional milestone.
Jessica Alcala- Counseling (Counseling and Student Development)
Jessica M Alcala joined the Counseling Faculty full-time position with more than five years of experience working as a Counselor and Professor in the community college setting. She worked as an Adjunct Counseling faculty for various community colleges such as Fullerton College and Orange Coast College. In addition, Jessica has worked with a variety of special programs such as EOPS/CARE, STEM, and the Teachers Pathway Program. She received her Associate Degree from Fullerton College and her Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). In addition, she earned her master’s in social work from USC. She is a proud product of the California Community College System and is more than excited to embark on this career journey as a Full-time faculty in General Counseling by serving our diverse student population and community of Fullerton College.
Chad Baum- Physical Education (Physical Education)
Chad Baum has nearly 25 years of coaching and teaching experience. Prior to Fullerton College, he worked at Cal State Fullerton, Santa Clara University and University of California Irvine. While on the Cal State Fullerton coaching team, the baseball program went to the College World Series six times, winning a National Championship in 2004. He earned his master’s degree in physical education at Azusa Pacific University and was a professor in the Kinesiology Department at Cal State Fullerton. Chad has been involved in the local community Little Leagues as well as the Miracle Baseball League of North Orange County.
Porsha Boyd- Counseling (Counseling and Student Development)
Prior to joining Fullerton College, Dr. Porsha Boyd served as a counselor at Santa Monica and Los Angeles Mission College in the General, Athletics, Black Collegians, At-Risk, and Dual Enrollment Counseling programs. Dr. Boyd started her career in the K-12 system. She served as an academic and college counselor, teacher, and athletic director for over 12 years. In addition, Dr. Boyd also worked as a college consultant for UCEazy and an instructor at the University of Southern California in the Rossier School of Education. Dr. Boyd enjoys creating and recording music with her family, woodworking, and all things History.
Ziza Delgado- Ethnic Studies (Social Sciences)
Dr. Ziza Delgado is a proud alumna of the California Community College system and earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley. Delgado conducts research on and teaches about the history of ethnic studies, race, racism, social movements, education theory and praxis, restorative justice, U.S. history, and carceral studies. Her research, teaching and campus leadership emphasizes the potential of education to empower historically marginalized populations through liberatory curricula and pedagogy. Dr. Delgado has been an advocate for reversing the ‘school to prison pipeline’ by developing programs and services for currently and formerly incarcerated students. She sees the mission of her work in this area to transition members of this community from incarceration to higher education while supporting their journey to re-entry and healing. Dr. Delgado is excited to utilize her expertise to support campus-relevant services that benefit the diverse student population, her colleagues and the local community.
Archie Delshad- Political Science (Social Sciences)
Dr. Archie Delshad is a proud alumnus of Fullerton College, having earned his Associate’s Degree in Political Science with honors in 2010. Subsequently, Dr. Delshad earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science (with Honors) and Sociology from UC Irvine, where he graduated summa cum laude. After deciding to pursue his Ph.D. in political science, Dr. Delshad remained at UC Irvine for graduate school, where he specialized in American Politics, Race and Ethnicity, Methodology, and Class Relations. He completed his doctoral program in 2019, the same year he joined the full-time faculty at Fullerton College. He has published research concerning unionization impacts on political participation, state government responses to police brutality, and reception contexts of immigrants to the US. He currently serves on Academic Senate as a senator and in United Faculty as both parliamentarian and division representative. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, all things basketball, and staying active.
Ronald Farol- English (Humanities)
Ronald Farol earned a Master of Arts in English Literature with an emphasis on Rhetoric & Composition from CSU, Dominguez Hills, where he has also served as a supplemental instructor, research assistant and adjunct lecturer. Since 2015, he had also taught at Cerritos College, Compton College, Saddleback College, Cypress College and El Camino College. In addition to teaching, he still enjoys studying rhetoric and composition, mindsets, emotional intelligence, agency, autonomy and reading graphic novels. When he is not teaching, studying, or parenting, he watches all things pro-wrestling.
Richard Ghidella- Business (Business & CIS)
Richard Ghidella holds an Associate of Arts degree from Fullerton College and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Cal State Fullerton. After 15 years in finance and leading several internet start-ups he moved into the teaching arena at the urging of his family and received his first adjunct assignment at Fullerton College. When the opportunity presented itself to teach full-time at Fullerton College he stated “It was like I was returning home.” Richard has taught just about every business class but primarily teaches real estate and personal finance courses. Richard has been married to his beautiful wife Eileen for 23 years and they have three children.
Kaitlin Kroupa – Biological Science (Natural Sciences)
Kaitlin “Katie” Kroupa has more than six years of experience teaching anatomy and microbiology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from UCSD and a master’s degree in biology (focus in molecular biology and immunology) from CSU Long Beach. Her graduate research focused on the influence of recombinant human anti-mannan IgG antibodies on phagocytosis of Candida albicans, for which she was awarded the “Best Graduate Research” award at the 2016 Southern California ASM Conference. She also worked at Science Care, a company specializing in cadaver procurement for scientific research and medical practice. There, she gained extensive experience with cadaver dissection, identification, and even surgical technique.
Jessica Langlois- Journalism (Tech & Engineering)
Jessica Langlois has been working as a journalist, essayist, and college professor for over a decade. She has written for The Washington Post, LA Times, Oakland Tribune, LA Weekly, LAist and more, and she has been a finalist for LA Press Club’s Entertainment Feature award. Under her advisement, the Fullerton College student magazine, Inside Fullerton, won first-place national awards for best feature magazine and best cover, and The Hornet student newspaper won a first-place national award in social justice reporting. For the past two years, she has won a grant from Cal Humanities to fund journalism students to produce in-depth multimedia projects on systemic issues. She is a member of the faculty senate and professional learning committee at Fullerton College, the scholarship coordinator for Journalism Association of Community Colleges, SoCal captain of the Journalism and Women Symposium, and a member of the Los Angeles Journalists Coalition. Before coming to Fullerton College, she taught at Loyola Marymount University, UC Berkeley and Cal State Northridge. She holds an M.F.A. in creative nonfiction from Mills College in Oakland and a B.A. in journalism from New York University.
Allen Menton- Music (Fine Arts)
Allen Menton’s music reflects his many cultural interests, encompassing literature, history, religion, dance, theater, and the visual arts. His compositions have been performed by ensembles across the county and have been recorded professionally. Before coming to Fullerton College, he taught at Pomona College, Charles University in Prague (as a Fulbright Scholar), and at the Long Beach and San Bernardino campuses of California State University. He holds degrees in Music Composition and Comparative Literature from Stanford, Cornell, USC, and UCLA.
Anastasia Nagel- Biological Science (Natural Sciences)
Anastasia Nagel is a developmental neurobiologist who loves teaching and focusing on designing case studies that bring contemporary scientific discoveries into the biology classroom. Her interests include pedagogical research on effective STEM education and how early neural wiring events shape the developing nervous system. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College and a Ph.D. from UC Irvine, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. She began her teaching career at Fullerton and Santiago Canyon Community Colleges and was also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Claremont McKenna College.
Alan Ray- Construction Technology (Tech & Engineering)
Alan Ray brought more than 35 years of experience in the Architectural field specializing in residential, commercial and hospital construction projects before setting off to be a tenured faculty member at Fullerton College. He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a five-year bachelor’s degree in architecture. He is a licensed architect in California and also holds a Class A Hospital Building Inspector Certification. Alan began working at Fullerton College in fall 2016 as an adjunct professor in the Architecture Department.
Rachel Nevarez- Applied Design (Tech & Engineering)
Rachel Nevarez brings over 20 years of experience in the Fashion Industry to Fullerton College. Her expertise includes fashion design, product development, garment manufacturing, pattern making, and sewing, as well as entrepreneurship, marketing, and e-commerce knowledge from starting multiple fashion businesses throughout the years. Rachel has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Pittsburgh as well an associate degree in Fashion Design from the FIDM. Rachel also completed her master’s in education, with a focus in adult education, during the pandemic through the University of Phoenix. Prior to teaching, she was a production manager at a local garment manufacturing facility and spent the last decade skating and coaching roller derby to girls and women ages 8-50. Rachel continues to fuel her love of creativity by running her own small online fashion business called By Rachel Nevarez. She shares her business journey in the classroom in hopes to inspire students to pursue their passions.
Kaylan Rasch- Counseling (Counseling and Student Development)
Kaylan Rasch has more than a decade of experience working with students in higher education as a counselor and professor. As a former community college student, she understands the power of effective counseling. She is extremely enthusiastic and passionate about helping students define and achieve their educational goals and is excited to be part of the FC counseling family. She enjoys creating a welcoming, equitable and inclusive environment for all students. Kaylan earned a Master of Science in Counseling with an emphasis in College Counseling and Student Services from California State Northridge and a BA in Psychology from Cal State Fullerton.
Brain Roach- CIS (Business & CIS)
Brian Roach has more than 25 years of experience in Information Technology and currently serves as a faculty member for the Computer Information Systems Department. Before joining Fullerton College, he worked in the private sector as a Distinguished Security Architect and as Director of Enterprise Architecture. Brian is a graduate of the National Intelligence University in Washington DC where he earned a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence and Cyber Security. He also holds a Master of Arts in CIS from Webster University. Brian was a Commander in the Navy Reserve Intelligence Corps and served in the Defense Intelligence Agency and Special Operations Command as an HUMINT intelligence officer specializing in cyber threat management, open-source intelligence, computer exploitation, and network attack strategies. He was also a former Marine Corps Infantry Platoon sergeant in the 2nd Marine Division and over his 24-year military career has deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Luciano Rodriguez- Computer Science (Math & CSCI)
Luciano Rodriguez has extensive experience in modeling, simulation, computer analysis, data mining, and software engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in computational sciences from Chapman University. He pursued a doctorate degree in computational sciences at Chapman University. Luciano started his teaching career at Chapman University in 2012 and taught a variety of disciplines in mathematics and computer science at Fullerton College before becoming full-time. In addition to teaching, he has conducted research at Rice University and NASA, and collaborated with local fire agencies and electrical companies.
Joel Salcedo- Speech (Humanities)
Joel Salcedo holds a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from Cal State Fullerton with an emphasis in Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Argumentation. Joel served as the Assistant Director of Forensics at Cal State Fullerton and joined FC with over 15 years of experience coaching competitive speech and debate, and training students in research and advocacy. Joel empowers his students to recognize their agency and to use their voices to improve our shared community. His favorite classes to teach include Small Group Communication, Argumentation, and Public Speaking. Joel helps students find their voice and hone their skills to be more effective advocates for themselves and others. He enjoys discussing critical theory and comparing frameworks and methodologies. Joel hopes to build bridges across campus to foster campus collaboration and discover innovative ways to support student success.
Mohammad Shahin- Chemistry (Natural Sciences)
Mohammad Shahin completed his Ph.D. coursework at UC San Diego and graduated with a bachelor’s in Pharmacological Chemistry and a master’s in Chemistry and Biochemistry. While at UCSD, he conducted research focusing on finding alternative therapeutics for cancer and directed academic enrichment programs to support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority community college students. After falling in love with teaching and being recognized for the Outstanding Graduate Instructor award, Mohammad decided to pursue teaching and joined the chemistry department at Fullerton College in 2019. Sharing his technological expertise and advocating for chemistry at-home lab kits during the transition to remote learning solidified the appreciation his colleagues have for him. Currently, he chairs and participates in different committees and significantly contributes to the general chemistry course sequence by serving as the course coordinator. In addition, as a STEM leader, he provides student-centered academic and community-building activities through seminars, workshops, and outreach events. Most recently, he is credited with helping to develop the lecture-lab parity in our district and sign an agreement with Western University to guarantee students admission to the doctorate program in Pharmacy. In his leisure time, Mohammad likes to work out, play ping-pong, and travel.
Anna Shyrokova- Library (Library/Learning Resources)
Anna Shyrokova has abundant experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Prior to joining Fullerton College as a librarian, she was a usability researcher and designer. Anna holds a master’s degree in information science with an emphasis in human computer interaction from the University of Michigan and a dual bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and international political economy from the University of California, Berkeley. When she’s not geeking out about unique books, Anna can be found exploring local parks with her dog or cooking for her family.
Juan Zaragoza- Mathematics- (Math & CSCI)
Juan Zaragoza has extensive experience in the fields of teaching and professional development. He is an avid practitioner of pedagogies that promote active learning and civic engagement. Prior to joining Fullerton College, he worked for six years at Florida South Western State College as a math professor where he contributed to course redesign initiatives and led pilots that tested innovative teaching practices. He graduated from College of the Desert and earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in mathematics from UC Riverside.
