CLU welcomes 17 new faculty members

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Sept. 1, 2011) California Lutheran University welcomed the following 17 new faculty members at its Opening Academic Convocation on Aug. 30:

Chad L. Barber, assistant professor of biology, conducted research in immunology as a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Pepperdine University, a master's in biology at California State University, Northridge, (CSUN) and a doctorate in molecular biology at UCLA.

Elizabeth Brennan, associate professor in the Graduate School of Education, was an associate professor at Saint Mary's College of California. She holds a bachelor's in social work from Colorado State University and a master's and doctorate from Kent State University in Ohio.

Nicole Brown, visiting assistant professor in graduate psychology, served as a Pepperdine postdoctoral fellow and founded a nonprofit community resource organization called Learning Dynamics. She completed her bachelor's and master's in psychology and doctorate in clinical psychology at Pepperdine.

Peter Carlson, visiting assistant professor in religion, has researched material texts and religious practices in Christianity. He earned a bachelor's from Wheaton College and a master's and doctorate in the history of Christianity from Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University, respectively.

Amber Engelson, assistant professor of English and Writing Center director, was a State Department English Language Fellow in Indonesia. She earned a bachelor's from Occidental College and a master's in English composition and doctorate in rhetoric and composition from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Michael Gagliardo, assistant professor of mathematics, won the Excellence Award in Teaching at Jacksonville University in Florida. He earned his bachelor's in mathematics at Southwestern University and his master's and doctorate in mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin.

Monica Gracyalny, assistant professor of communication, completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in communication at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and doctorate in communication at Arizona State University. Her dissertation was on how remorse leads to forgiveness in close relationships.

Kristopher Karsten, assistant professor of biology, was recognized by the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society for teaching service at the University of Central Oklahoma. He has a bachelor's from Truman State University, a master's from Texas Christian University and a doctorate in zoology from Oklahoma State University.

Jacqueline Lyons, assistant professor of English, has taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Colorado State University (CSU). She earned her bachelor's at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, her master's in creative writing at CSU and her doctorate in literature and creative writing at the University of Utah.

David Nelson, assistant professor of history, comes from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., where he was recently recognized for excellence in teaching. He earned his bachelor's in Asian studies at Utah State University and his master's and doctorate in Asian history at Indiana University.

Michael Quinlan, visiting assistant professor in chemistry, returns to CLU after serving as a lab coordinator and research associate at the University of Southern California. He earned his bachelor's in chemistry at West Chester State College and his master's and doctorate in physical chemistry at University of California, Berkeley.

Judith Richards, visiting lecturer in the School of Management, has more than 20 years of experience working for Fortune 200 corporations as a vice president of marketing. She holds a bachelor's in English from CSUN and an MBA from Pepperdine.

Mary Jo Shane, lecturer in the School of Management, has been an adjunct professor at CLU since 2005. She earned a bachelor's from DePaul University, a master's from Antioch University and a master's in organizational development and doctorate in human and organizational systems from The Fielding Graduate Institute.

Jeffrey Speakes, Executive in Residence in the School of Management, is a former assistant professor of economics at the Claremont Graduate University. He received a bachelor's in economics from University of Washington and master's degrees in statistics and economics and a doctorate in economics from UC Berkeley.

Victor Thasiah, assistant professor of religion, has taught at Oxford University and Elmhurst College. He earned a bachelor's in psychology at University of California, Santa Cruz, a master's in divinity at Princeton Seminary and a doctorate in theology at Oxford.

Rafaela Fiore Urízar, assistant professor in languages and cultures, taught at the Catholic University of America. She earned her bachelor's from Universidad Católica in Paraguay, her master's at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her doctorate in contemporary Latin American literature at the University of Chicago.

Sheridan Wigginton, associate professor and chair of the languages and cultures department, chaired the Spanish department at Briar Cliff University. She earned her bachelor's at Eastern Kentucky University and master's in Spanish and doctorate in foreign languages curriculum and instruction at the University of Missouri, Columbia.