Sixth Annual
TENURE RECEPTION Thursday, February 10, 2022 12:30–1:30 p.m. Library Lawn
Welcome Brenda Thames, Ph.D., Superintendent/President
Te n u r e R e c og n i t ion Stacey Allen, M.A., Academic Senate Vice President for Faculty Development Darcie McClelland, Ph.D., Academic Senate President Jacquelyn Sims, Ed.D., Interim Vice President, Academic Affairs Brenda Thames, Ph.D., Superintendent/President
S pe c i a l Th a n k s Office of the President Academic Affairs Academic Senate Marketing & Communications El Camino Bookstore Professional Development & Learning
Char lene Br ew er-Smith Industry & Technology
Charlene Brewer-Smith is a tenured professor with a Masters degree in Education Administration, a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership, and an Associate degree in Cosmetology. With over 15 years of experience at ECC she strives to create an equitable environment for a diverse group of students, with various backgrounds and ages. Ms. Brewer-Smith incorporates all aspects of Cosmetology from fundamentals to advanced skills, as well as disinfection and sanitation. Her passion for creativity and continued education allows her to integrate cutting edge techniques and styles in her salon. She currently serves on various boards and committees which include Academic Senate as a voting member, the ECC Equity- Minded Teaching Institute, and Industry and Technology Curriculum Committee. In addition, she has served on several faculty evaluations and multiple hiring committees. Her ongoing project Engaging Police and Community, aims to develop a positive relationship with the campus community and the El Camino College Police Department.
Veronica Casill as Counseling
Since she was in high school, Veronica Casillas knew her career would involve working with students in some capacity. After graduating from LMU, she began working at a high school where she worked for almost nine years. It was during this time, that she pursued a Masters in Counseling from CSUN. While working at the high school she became interested in working with community college students and began working at various community colleges in 2013. Since then she has worked in various counseling roles and has also obtained an EdD from CSULB in Educational Leadership. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her sons Eli (16) and Ozzie (2). She is excited to be a part of the El Camino College community and be of service to our students.
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Brizset Giles Business
Brizset Giles has been teaching for about 9 years, but really, she has been an educator all of her life. Brizset likes to say that she is a teacher, whose discipline is accounting. She loves teaching because it is meaningful, and impactful work. She came to El Camino 6 years ago, when she was starting law school. Now that she has finished law school, she is eager to spend her time learning more about El Camino governance, and participating in equity work on campus. Brizset is a design team member of the new ECC EquityMinded Teaching Institute.
Le Gui
Mathematical Sciences Le Gui graduated with a PhD Degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Iowa in 2009. She has been teaching mathematics since then. She is excited to be awarded tenure and has always loved to teach students and help them learn. She still remembers her first day at El Camino. During the orientation, she said “we are a big family!” She still feels the same way now! Le Gui is excited to be a part of the El Camino community for many years to come! When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, listening to music, singing karaoke and playing board games. She also enjoys traveling and seeing new places. She hopes that every day can be filled with peace and happiness for herself and the entire El Camino College family!
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J o s e p h H a r d e st y Fine Arts
Joseph Hardesty is excited to share his passion for visual art with the students at El Camino College! He has taught a number of classes at El Camino; recently his focus has been on Drawing Fundamentals and Watercolor Painting. Teaching watercolor has brought him back in touch with painting in recent years, which has been a welcomed and wonderful personal rediscovery that he has been able to share with his students. There have been a number of significant moments so far at El Camino for Joseph, but the highlight has been watching students he mentors get full-ride scholarships to top tier art schools and museum internship programs. According to Joseph, seeing students succeed is truly the greatest reward of this job!
Elayne Kelley Humanities
Reading, writing, and teaching have been Elayne Kelley’s passions for as long as she can remember. She comes from a long line of teachers: her grandmother was a teacher in Cuba, and her mom is an elementary school teacher. After completing a BA in English literature, Elayne decided to pursue a teaching credential and then worked in high schools in the L.A. area and even served as a Dean of Students for two years. Eventually, she pursued an MA in English at CSULB. Go Beach! Out of all the schools she has taught, ECC has been her most memorable and life-changing because she feels we really do have the BEST students. Elayne teaches in the FYE program and some of her fondest memories involve taking students on field trips to Homeboy Industries in DTLA. She counts herself lucky to say most of her colleagues she now calls friends. Being part of the Warrior family is one of her greatest blessings. Outside of work, Elayne delights in her other passions--her twin girls Maeve and Isabel, her devoted husband Matty, and her Goldendoodle Sunshine!
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Ronald Martinez Mathematical Sciences
Ronald Martinez describes himself as a product of inner-city schooling and an example of what unlimited effort can do given access and support (opportunity). He enjoys teaching anything (even how to change a tire) but, specializes in Mathematics. He has enjoyed his time here at ECC as his colleagues have been very supportive of his professional growth. He enjoys spending time with family, going on walks, and watching sports. Moreover, playing basketball is his passion and he even had the privilege of playing basketball with some of his ECC colleagues from different departments. Ronald lives by the saying “I am not concerned about how successful I am, but, on how many doors I open.”
M o r a M a tt e r n Humanities
Mora Mattern earned a BA in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA in English from Marshall University, and an MFA in creative nonfiction from Goucher College. In 2014, Mora was hired to teach part-time at El Camino. Then, in 2017, she accepted her current full-time position. She is grateful for her amazing colleagues, and especially her office mate, Elayne Kelley, for supporting her along this journey to tenure. To Mora, teaching is not just her passion; it is also a privilege.
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Dor a Mir a nda Counseling
Dora Miranda earned a BA in Psychology at CSUDH and an MS degree in Educational Counseling from the University of La Verne. She is a Retention Counselor and is part of the Student Success Program where she assists students to get back into good academic standing by using a case management approach. In addition, she is an ECC Connect Liaison for the Behavioral and Social Sciences meta major. Dora is passionate about motivating and guiding students in their academic, personal and career goals. During her free time, Dora hikes, rollerblades, plays softball, enjoys listening to music and dancing away.
Sa lva dor Nava r ro Counseling
Salvador Navarro is a proud alumni from El Camino College. Upon completing his time at ECC he went on to transfer at USC Annenberg School where he received his degree in Media Communication. He worked in the field of television and film in various capacities in marketing, publicity and production. He also worked in Social Work upon completing his MSW degree at CSULB working with foster youth, parenting teens, senior adults at hospitals and later at the LA LGBT+ Center. His motivation to help other first-generation college students achieve success is what drew him to make a switch and become a community college counselor in our college. Six years later, Sal serves as the LGBTQIA+ lead on our campus and statewide initiatives where he helps uplift the voices and experiences of queer, transgender, non-binary and gender- non-conforming students and staff. His favorite thing to do is spend time with family/friends, meeting new people, staying active, reading self-help books and living life.
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R u b y Pa d i l l a Counseling
Ruby Padilla is a native Angelino and the first in her family to attend college. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Spanish with a minor in Education from the University of California, Davis. She decided to further her education by earning a Master’s degree from USC in Educational Counseling. Her memorable moments at ECC include seeing students successfully graduate and transfer to their dream university. She is constantly thankful for the students who allow her to be a part of their educational endeavors, colleagues across campus that continuously work to serve our ECC Warriors, and the love from her family and friends. In her spare time, Ruby enjoys hiking and exploring national parks.
P o l ly Pa r k s Natural Sciences
Polly Parks was hired at El Camino College in 2017 to teach Biology and Microbiology. She grew up locally in San Pedro and then went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for undergraduate studies in Biology. While at Cal Poly SLO, many of her professors left a large impact on her life. Their teaching strategies were like nothing she’d ever experienced, with the campus motto of “Learn by Doing”. From there, she moved on to her Master’s degree in Biology at San Diego State University. While at SDSU, she fell in love with teaching and began working at multiple community colleges in San Diego right after graduation. While in graduate school, she started pursuing professional development opportunities to learn more evidence-based teaching strategies that she implements in her classroom. She is highly dedicated to student success and reducing equity gaps, especially within the sciences. In any spare time, Polly enjoys hiking and camping with her husband and dog.
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Sidney Porter Business
Sidney is a certified public accountant who holds a Master’s degree in accountancy from CSU Los Angeles and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA. Before coming to El Camino, his career experience included assignments at CSU Los Angeles, Antelope Valley College and Citrus College, as well as accounting and finance positions in the industry.
Dav i d R e e d
Behavioral & Social Sciences David Reed is a professor of political science, avid guitar owner, book reader, and a true “man of all seasons,” or as we say in Southern California: “summer.” He received his PhD from UC Santa Barbara sometime in 2013, and not much is known about him prior to that. Some say he was raised by Mer-people just off the coast of Catalina Island. Others say that he’s a visitor from a “dark oblivion” inhabited by Lovecraftian monsters. Still others contend that they vaguely remember someone who looked like him skulking around the halls of El Camino College in the late ‘90s wearing a Blink-182 T-shirt. But, wherever he came from, he’s here now, and he has tenure. Those responsible will no doubt rue their decision in the years to come, but for now: let’s party!
Or ion Te a l
Behavioral & Social Sciences Orion Teal teaches US History and Introduction to Social Sciences courses, including through the Student Equity and Achievement and the Honors Transfer Programs. He earned a PhD in History from Duke University and specializes in the civil rights and labor history in the modern United States. Orion often assigns family history research projects that center on oral history interviews in an effort to make the past meaningful and personal for students in his classes. He considers this opportunity to learn from our students about their diverse backgrounds one of his most memorable experiences at El Camino.
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B ruc e Tr a n
Industry & Technology Bruce Tran is a hairstylist/barber who has worked in Salon and Barbershop for the past 18 years. He specializes in haircuts, colors, and straight razors for those who like a more traditional shave. Bruce is trained and certified in multiple color and haircutting systems and enjoys using his knowledge to create exactly what his clients are envisioning when they sit down in his chair. In his spare time, he reads anything related to hair, loves to travel, loves to cook, and is obsessed with his children.
Sa ndr a Ur ibe
Behavioral & Social Sciences Sandra Uribe graduated from UC Riverside with a Masters in History. She completed her undergraduate education at the UC Irvine where she double majored in History and Chicano Studies while minoring in Sociology. She began teaching at El Camino College in January of 2016. She teaches History 101, History 102, History 105, History 122, and SSCI 101. Outside of school, she serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Latino Baseball History Project linked with the John M. Pfau Library at California State University, San Bernardino. She is a co-author for Mexican American Baseball in the Pomona Valley. For the last five years, she has collaborated with the Smithsonian Museum on a new exhibit ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues, which showcases stories of Latino/as and illustrates the historic role baseball and softball has played as a social and cultural force within Latino communities across the nation for over a century. Opening Day for “¡Pleibol!” coincided with MLB’s 2021.
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