2023–24 LFM Team  

Ethan received his PhD in communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2016. His research examined political identity and perceptions of credibility and bias in news media.

Toni received her EdD in community college leadership from San Diego State University in 2020. Her dissertation focused on the degree aspirations of STEM majors who begin their postsecondary education at a community college. Outside of the professional realm, Toni is a mother of two, Nicolas and Maralyn, and enjoys riding in the desert and watching all sports.

Ghada is a passionate leader in advancing student success through equity and social justice and continues in her life-long commitment to create opportunities to serve students, faculty, and staff in their educational and professional goals. As an undocumented child immigrant to the US, she grew up in fear after crossing the Mexico-US border with her parents and siblings. Her dream of education as an essential path for freedom and justice was instilled in her by her mother.

As a first-generation student, Ghada was eventually able to study biology and anthropology at University of California, Irvine, and later earned her master’s degree in anthropology and her PhD in geography from University of California, Davis.

Phyllis received her doctorate in higher education leadership at California Lutheran University in 2018. In her 20 years in the California Community Colleges system, Phyllis has served in various leadership roles including vice president and dean of student services at colleges within LACCD. Phyllis has been extensively involved in leading student success and equity efforts such as developing design models for Guided Pathways; developing college success curriculum; creating first-year experience programs; and developing assessment and program review models for both academic affairs and student services. She also has served as an adjunct faculty member teaching undergraduate counseling and psychology courses as well as graduate courses in counseling and leadership.

Currently, Phyllis serves as a member of the planning and program committees of The RP Group’s Strengthening Student Success Conference. She also serves as a member of the Partnership Resource Team of the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative. Phyllis began coaching for LFM in 2018 and in 2019, joining the LFM facilitation and evaluation teams before taking time to serve in administrative roles. She recently re-joined LFM and is eager to serve as a coach again.

Brandi believes that success is achievable by students and staff and will come as a result of demonstrated reciprocity and by highlighting the importance of collaboration and professional development through consistent, focused work and commitment to the overall mission of our education system.

Brandi began her participation in LFM as a member of the Laney College team in 2017 and joined the coaching team in 2018. She enjoys working in education and considers collaborating with LFM a rewarding experience because it gives her a new perspective on how the overall work of education can intentionally benefit both staff and students.

She was also a member of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) legislative committee and was an ASCCC-appointed member to the California Community Colleges Curriculum Committee (5C).

Currently, Jennifer is a consultant for the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the California State University Office of the Chancellor. Her work is focused on creating opportunities for intersegmental engagement and developing four-year (2+2) degree maps using the Program Pathways Mapper. Her engagement at the varied levels of governance represents her commitment to understanding and improving systems that will enhance a student’s educational experience.

Jennifer began her participation in LFM in 2018 as a member of the Bakersfield College team, participating in the first academy specifically for Central Valley Colleges. She joined the LFM coaching team in 2019 and, after a short hiatus, is returning to the coaching team.

Curtis passionately believes that higher and career technical public education are instrumental in helping create a more just and equitable society, and he believes in facing challenges head-on by promoting engagement and advocating for actionable policies and initiatives. Curtis grew up in Cuba and migrated to the United States at age 18, first attending community college in Oakland Navigating the cultural, linguistic, and social differences in the United States was the most challenging part of integrating and adapting to his new surroundings. He transferred to University of California, Berkeley, where he completed a history degree, and later became a doctoral candidate in history at University of California, San Diego. Throughout his long journey to complete those degrees, he worked to help pay the bills.

Curtis first participated in LFM in 2015, helping his institution organize a transformational four-day retreat around equity and student success in Asilomar. One hundred faculty attended in 2015, and one hundred fifty in 2016. A few years later, he again joined LFM to discuss possible ways to use data to inform decisions at his institution.

Curtis is a people person and enjoys deep and vibrant conversations, especially while sharing a meal with colleagues and friends.

Prior to SCC, Holly led the Mexico wing of an international cross-cultural education grant between Mexico, Canada, and California. In recent years, she taught study abroad in Italy in 2019 and, in 2021-22, she was a Global Studies EPIC Fellow with Stanford University. In an effort to connect students to community public history, Holly has just begun serving on the Education Advisory Committee for the Sacramento Historical Society. In addition to this rewarding work, Holly’s eyes really light up around her two young boys and the prospect of traveling again!

Over the years, Josh has also served in a variety of leadership roles at the college, district, and state levels. He served as the chair of the English Department at SCC, on their Academic Senate, and on multiple district-level committees for the Los Rios Community College District. In 2014, he was appointed by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to serve as the statewide representative for English faculty on the Common Assessment Initiative, and he served on the Faculty Association for California Community Colleges’ Legislation and Advocacy Committee.

Josh first joined LFM in 2018 as a member of SCC’s Guided Pathways team. He has served as an LFM coach since 2019.

Select awards include state-level recognition as a holistic student support Leader by Guided Pathways 2.0 and the Ada Center, as well as the 2021 OER Faculty Award, the 2019 Robert J. Cardoza Excellence Award, and the 2018 Online Instructor of the Year Award at MJC. Recent scholarly awards include National Endowment for the Humanities Institute fellowships to study South Asian culture in New Delhi, India, and to study Islam in Asia at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii; a fellowship from the Korea Society at the Academy for Korean Studies in Seoul, South Korea; and the Dar al Islam Teachers’ Institute. In 2019, he was an organizer of the “Establishing Indonesia’s Place as a Global Center by Updating Ideas About Its Past” conference and presented at three Indonesian universities: Universitas Mataram, Lombok; Universitas Sebelas Maret, Suryakarta; and Universitas Muhammadiyah.

Rob began his participation in LFM in the 2018 as a member of the MJC team and became a coach the following year. He has coached for Grossmont College, Fresno City College, and the Hoopa Higher Education Program. In 2023, he will be serving LFM in a different capacity as a Facilitator.

Michael played a key role in establishing the structure for the initial Pathways student cohort and implementing many of its key elements, including a new and comprehensive first-time-student orientation and the FCC Common Read.

Using his experience at LFM, Michael is now part of the official workgroup that will manage the campus-wide implementation of Guided Pathways.

He has led the charge for pre-collegiate course acceleration, including membership on the FCC Pilot team for The RP Group’s Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP) and Common Assessment Initiative.

In addition to his academic responsibilities at Fresno City College, Michael has co-organized a series of annual events to celebrate Asian culture. In his current role as President of the Asian American Faculty and Staff Association, he has fought for the disaggregation of demographic identifiers for Asian students, and founded events to celebrate achievements and connect the campus to the community.

More recently, Angella was an early adopter of Guided Pathways at LPC and has been the Student Services Co-Lead of Guided Pathways since the program’s inception in 2017. Her Guided Pathways work has focused on pillars one and two (“clarifying the pathway” and “entering the pathway”) and her accomplishments have included the identification of academic and career pathways, program mapping, and career coach implementation.

It was through Angella’s Guided Pathways implementation work that she became involved in LFM, serving as a member of the Guided Pathways team in 2019-2022. At the time, LPC’s entire administrative leadership team was in flux, so it was up to the college’s “middle leaders” to implement Guided Pathways.

For the past two years, Toren has been focused on piloting and launching a program to use Canvas district-wide for assessment. A major goal of this transition was to better use disaggregated student data to recognize and attend to equity gaps.

Toren believes in intersectionality on many levels—in particular, as it relates to relationships at the community college level. He hopes to bridge the gaps between faculty, administration, classified employees, and—most importantly—students. He completed his general education at Fullerton College and earned both a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from California State University, Long Beach.

Toren first participated in LFM in 2021 as a member of the Norco College team and joined the LFM coaching team in 2023.

In 2019, Artour earned his PhD in political science from Claremont Graduate University. Artour first participated in LFM in 2018 as a member of the CHC team. In 2019, he joined the LFM coaching team.

Reagen received her bachelor’s degree in history from University of California, Berkeley, and her master's degree in educational counseling with a concentration in student affairs from CSUB. She also has a professional certificate in grant writing from San Diego State University, College of Extended Studies.

Reagen was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. She is a middle child with seven brothers and sisters. Reagen has two dogs (one is a German Shepherd mix and the other is a Shih Tzu and Poodle mix) named Yoshi and Marshmallow. She is a champion for adult learners, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Reagen enjoys museums, traveling, and musicals.

In her current role, LaKisha collaborates with individuals and programs across the college to develop programs and resources for students and employees, designed to improve student success. LaKisha firmly believes in the power of education to open avenues for success in one’s life. Of particular importance to LaKisha is providing the additional support resources to students that are often necessary for their ability to succeed and reach their educational goals. She continues to support inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racist, and accessibility (IDEA2) through her work at the college and as a member of the Board of Directors for The Village Demands Statewide Coalition on Black American Affairs.

LaKisha first participated in LFM in 2017 as a member of the Monterey Peninsula College team.

Angela participated in LFM as a member of a Chaffey College team in both 2016 and 2019. At Chaffey, Angela has served as a faculty leader for program review and student learning outcomes, and she is currently the Curriculum Chair, an Academic Senate officer, and a Guided Pathways facilitator.

Angela is a champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism efforts and is particularly passionate about projects that focus on institution-wide systemic changes that positively impact the student experience and promote student success.

Ray has dedicated his career to serving diverse communities in various sectors, including early childhood education, secondary and post-secondary education, economic and employment development, and non-profits. He has secured millions of dollars in federal, state, and philanthropic funds for equitable efforts across the nation. His unique strength is building sustainable community-academic-economic partnerships that empower underrepresented populations. Ray believes in grassroots program planning, involving communities in developing solutions, and creating future leaders to ensure program sustainability.

Ray is known for creating dynamic and interactive work environments that foster team networking and inclusivity. In addition to leading the Grants Development and Management Office at Chaffey, he currently oversees Strong Workforce and Perkins efforts, and he provides guidance and strategic planning input on various college committees. In the nine years he has been with the college, he has also overseen the acquisition of over $175 million in competitive grant funding, contracts, and fee-for-service awards aimed at improving learning, student achievement, and equity at Chaffey College.

Ray’s leadership and expertise have been recognized by the Chaffey College community, and he was invited to participate as a member of the Chaffey College LFM team in 2017. In 2023, Ray joined the LFM coaching team, further demonstrating his commitment to developing future leaders in the field.

As a middle leader at MJC, Hans has served on the Academic Senate Executive as Legislative Analyst, Parliamentarian, Adjunct-at-Large Senator, and Senate Representative for the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences. In this capacity, he has collaborated with the Senate, Office of Instruction, and the District in redesigning onboarding and professional development for part-time faculty, implementing a new campus-wide shared governance framework, and reviewing district policies and procedures. He has also served as the faculty co-coordinator for MJC’s First Year Experience course and as the Guided Pathways Communication Coordinator, and he is an active member of the college’s Pathways Implementation Team and Steering Committee.

Hans participated in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Central Valley LFM Academies as a member of the MJC team and as a coach for El Camino College in 2020-21. Hans’s work with his LFM teams helped facilitate campus-wide discussions on the development of Guided Pathways and developed communications and marketing for campus-wide implementation of Guided Pathways. In 2021-22, Hans helped to redesign and facilitate a new LFM curriculum that continued its focus on leadership, equity, and social justice.

Tenisha led the implementation of Guided Pathways and integration of student equity. Her work included the launch of meta-major/trailhead student supports, onboarding revisions, creation of student engagement centers, the integration of holistic student supports, scaling the pillars of Guided Pathways using equity programs as models, and the creation of faculty-led project teams to tackle critical issues related to student success and equity. Her most recent effort is co-leading the Pathways and Enrollment Workgroup using the Loss Momentum Framework as a guide for dismantling institutional barriers that disrupt student success.

Tenisha believes in leading teams through a commitment to interpersonal communication skills and cultural competency in order to bring institutional change with a focus on student equity. As such, she has prioritized ongoing equity and diversity training, such as CORA trainings in racial microaggressions, and Black ally, the USC Center for Urban Education Student Equity Institute, USC CCC Equity Leadership Alliance, and the Counseling in the Era of Equity Institute. Tenisha is currently serving as a board member on the Community Engagement Advisory Board for the state of California’s Cradle to Career launch.

Tenisha first participated in LFM in 2015 as a member of the Riverside City College team, assembled a college team to participate in LFM in 2022 at Norco College, and is joining the LFM Coaching team in 2023.

When the opportunity arose to share his knowledge and experience as a coach to other LFM attendees, Brent became a member of the LFM team in 2019 without hesitation.

Brent Monte considers himself first and foremost a teacher, currently teaching primarily statistics and calculus. Having obtained his PhD in Higher Education Leadership, he is currently serving as o-chair of the Mathematics Department at Irvine Valley College. Previously, Brent has been co-coordinator of Guided Pathways, Basic Skills Initiative (BSI) Coordinator, academic senate representative, faculty association representative, and a member of the curriculum committee. In his spare time, Brent enjoys spending time with his three children, and running marathons.

Currently serving as the Faculty Senate President, Nelson has also helped lead the college’s Guided Pathways project. Her contributions include leading difficult discussions, developing meta-majors, coordinating the development of program maps, and implementing the Palomar Mapper Tool. Additionally, she has participated in important discussions around registration and enrollment and helped create the Palomar Excellence in Teaching and Learning Course.

Wendy has also served as the Media Studies Department Chair for over six years, overseeing the scheduling of courses for five disciplines, hiring of both full-time and part-time faculty, evaluation of faculty, and coordination of events and advisory meetings for career technical education programs.

As a participant in the 2022 LFM program, Nelson worked with the Palomar College team to begin developing a plan for the implementation of Student Success Teams.

Kurt is highly involved in Guided Pathways implementation at FCC. He is currently focusing on targeted outreach and engagement activities to promote retention, support persistence, and move the needle on closing equity gaps.

Kurt first participated in LFM in 2018 as a member of the Reedley College team. In 2019, he joined the LFM coaching team.

Elizabeth earned a graduate degree in business with an emphasis on leadership and organizational development. Elizabeth first participated in LFM in 2019 as a member of the Reedley College team. LFM conferences taught Tina the skills she needed to enhance her holistic approach to working with all partners on campus. She hopes she can inspire those she is coaching to embrace the gift of leading others to achieve positive impact. In her free time, Tina enjoys spending time with her husband, Israel, and cat, Faith.