Fullerton College Celebrates Tenure of Five Faculty
Fullerton College is pleased to announce the tenure of five faculty members during the 2023-24 academic year. We look forward to supporting our newly tenured faculty as they continue to excel in teaching, scholarship and service. Congratulations to the following faculty members:
Dr. Americo Fraboni
Chemistry Department (Natural Sciences)
Dr. Americo Fraboni is a professor of organic chemistry at Fullerton College where he has been teaching since 2020. Before joining the college, he taught at the New York Institute of Technology and was an adjunct faculty member.
His passion for education fuels his commitment to making organic chemistry as accessible as possible for every student. Dr. Fraboni earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and his doctoral degree in organic chemistry from Rutgers University. His postdoctoral research focused on developing new antibiotic leads at Temple University and Emory University.
Dr. Chris Persichilli
Physics Department (Natural Sciences)
Dr. Chris Persichilli is an adjunct professor of physics and astronomy at Fullerton College, where he began teaching in 2019. Dr. Persichilli serves as an advisor for Fullerton College’s Science Club, is a member of the instructional success team and participates in the building users’ group for the upcoming STEM center.
His research has notably contributed to the ARIANNA project involving several field expeditions to Antarctica to deploy and test radio-based detectors for ultra-high energy cosmic neutrinos. Dr. Persichilli earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his doctoral degree from UC Irvine, where he specialized in experimental astroparticle physics.
Dr. Martha Smith
Religious Studies Department (Social Sciences)
Dr. Martha Smith serves as a professor in the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department at Fullerton College. She specializes in religion’s role in culture and the diversity of religious traditions around the world.
Dr. Smith’s scholarly work delves into North American religious pluralism, intersections of race and ethnicity, new religious movements and antiracist pedagogy. An active American Academy of Religion member, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Missouri State University and a doctoral degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Nadia Gabaldon
Counseling Department (Counseling and Student Development)
Nadia Gabaldon has served Fullerton College as a disability support services counselor and learning disabilities specialist since 2015. Gabaldon has background as an elementary teacher, school psychologist, education consultant and advocate for educational stability for foster youth.
Additionally, she served as an adjunct learning disabilities specialist and counselor at El Camino College and Pasadena City College. Gabaldon earned a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology and physiology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and holds a master’s degree in counseling and in educational psychology.
Thydan Huynh
Counseling Department (Counseling and Student Development)
Thydan Huynh began at Fullerton College in 2014 as a classified professional and transitioned to counseling faculty in 2020. Before Fullerton College, she was an adjunct counselor at El Camino, Coastline and Cypress colleges and taught at the kindergarten and high school levels.
Huynh’s dedication to first-generation college students inspired her focus on community college education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human development and communication from UC San Diego, a master’s degree in teaching from Chapman University, and a master’s degree in educational counseling from National University.
Our newly tenured faculty were honored at the 2024 “State of the College” presentation on April 24 by President Dr. Cynthia Olivo and North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) Chancellor, Dr. Byron Clift Breland. Fullerton College expresses undeniable gratitude for the commitment, resilience and expertise that our faculty members bring to further cement what it means to be a student-ready institution.
