KIE Faculty Fellowships

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The Kegley Institute of Ethics (KIE) Faculty Fellows Program is designed to support faculty members from the sciences, humanities, engineering, education, social sciences, and business, to develop teaching and/or research projects and collaborations with deeply integrated ethics dimensions. CSUB faculty who have ongoing research projects and collaborations that would be significantly enhanced by this program are also welcome to apply. This call for applications is for four KIE faculty fellowships:

  1. Two faculty fellowships awarding one course release for either the Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 semester, and
  2. Two faculty fellowships awarding a summer stipend ($2,500) for Summer 2025.

One of the course release faculty fellowships will be for the study of the ethical treatment of lecturers in the CSU system, courtesy of a gift from Bruce and Jan Hartsell. For this faculty fellowship, preference will be given to faculty with experience as a lecturer in the CSU system.

KIE is particularly interested in supporting projects with clearly-defined ethical relevance. Priority will be given to proposals on topics that could interface with or complement current KIE priorities and programming, including (but not limited to):

  • Ethics education (in K-12 schooling, on campus, etc.)
  • Dialogue across political and social differences
  • Ethics, race, and identity
  • Ethics and the environment
  • Ethics and incarceration
  • Ethics and STEM
  • Ethics and healthcare
  • Ethics and business
  • Ethics and immigration

Priority will given to applicants who have not previously received a KIE Faculty Fellowship.

Please direct any questions you have about the program to Nate Olson, KIE Interim Director, or Joseph Florez, KIE Associate Director.

Eligibility:

Faculty members at all ranks (lecturers, tenure-track, and tenured) are eligible to apply.

Funding Opportunities:

KIE Faculty Fellowship (course release option): provides funding for a faculty member for a course release (three WTUs) during a single academic year. This fellowship is designed to provide faculty with the time needed to continue a current ethics-related project and/or to identify collaboration partners and to develop and launch their ethics project. We are particularly interested in projects that interface with KIE priorities and programming.

  • In the 2025-26 academic year, one of the course release faculty fellowships will be for the study of the ethical treatment of lecturers in the CSU system, courtesy of a gift from Bruce and Jan Hartsell. For this faculty fellowship, preference will be given to faculty with experience as a lecturer in the CSU system.

KIE Faculty Fellowship (summer stipend option): provides summer funding ($2,500) for a faculty member to continue a current ethics-related project and/or to identify collaboration partners and to develop and launch his/her ethics project.

Application Process:


Applications for faculty fellowships should be submitted in consultation with the department chair of each faculty member who is seeking a course release and should include a statement of support from the chair.

Sample Proposals:


These are two examples of previously submitted and successful (awarded) KIE Faculty Fellowship Applications.

Important Dates:

1. January 10, 2025: Deadline for submitting proposals to KIE .
2. February 10, 2025: Applicants will be notified of fellowship decisions.

Current Faculty Fellows

Allison Evans
Allison Evans, Ph.D.

2025-2026Psychology Lecturer

Email: aevans@csub.eduMore About Allison Evans

Dr. Evans has over 26 years in higher education specializing in courses such as social psychology, abnormal psychology and small group dynamics. She holds a Ph.D. in social/personality psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Dr. Evans is certified in several online teaching programs and has contributed to course development and reviews as a peer reviewer for Quality Matters. She also regularly organizes professional development for the Chancellor’s Office, having served twice as a summer associate.

In addition, Dr. Evans has contributed to various initiatives at CSUB, including creating the Heroic Ambassadors Program, which trains faculty on bystander intervention, reducing bias and developing a growth mindset. She holds multiple leadership roles, including being chair of the Psychology Department’s DEI committee and acting as a faculty advisor for the Psychology Club.

Beyond teaching, Dr. Evans is also engaged in community service and consulting. She has served as a working board member for the Heroic Imagination Project and provided consulting for the Kern High School District.

Dr. Evans' ethics project, titled “Understanding and Enhancing the Ethical Treatments of Lecturers in Academia,” is part of a new fellowship funded by Bruce and Jan Hartsell to support research on the treatment of lecturers in the CSU system.

“I am truly honored and excited to receive this fellowship, especially during these uncertain times, as it emphasizes the importance of equity,” Dr. Evans said. “This opportunity empowers me to further explore and advocate for fairness in academic environments, where every educator deserves the support and recognition they have earned. In a period marked by challenges and change, this research becomes even more crucial in creating a more inclusive and just educational system for a
Tiffany Tsantsoulas
Tiffany Tsantsoulas, Ph.D.

2025-2026Assistant Professor of Philosophy

Email: ttsantsoulas@csub.eduMore About Tiffany Tsantsoulas

 

Dr. Tsantsoulas serves as both an assistant professor in CSUB’s Philosophy Department and also as the director of the interdisciplinary studies program, through which she serves as chair of the Gender Matters program and is leading the effort to develop a bachelor’s program in women’s, gender and sexuality studies.

Dr. Tsantsoulas received her Ph.D. in philosophy from Pennsylvania State University with specializations in feminist and decolonial philosophies, phenomenology and the critical philosophy of race.

Her research focuses on how structural oppressions and privileges are reinforced and challenged within our everyday experience. Dr. Tsantsoulas’ current ethics project examines anti-feminist gender narratives in wellness discourse.

“I have so much gratitude for the KIE and their generous support of faculty research on campus. This fellowship will allow me to complete the next stage of my project on the growing connections between extremist gender and race ideologies and mainstream online wellness content,” she said. “We live in a world where social media’s AI-driven recommender systems are increasingly surfacing content that undermines our shared democratic values. I hope that this work can diagnose the hard to see ethical dangers in online wellness discourse as well as suggest ethical solutions.”
Adeli Ynostroza Ochoa
Adeli Ynostroza Ochoa, Ph.D.

2025-2026Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies

Email: aynostroza-ochoa@csub.eduMore About Adeli Ynostroza Ochoa

Dr. Ochoa worked 14 years as a bilingual elementary teacher and three years as an instructor in curriculum and instruction at the University of Texas in Austin prior to coming to CSUB.

Her research focuses on bilingual education in schools. She also has research experience involving STEM as it relates to Latinx communities. Dr. Ochoa’s current research interests include the intersectionality of teacher identity, critical content analysis of children's books and feminist pedagogies.

In addition to her teaching, Dr. Ochoa is one of the instructors in CSUB’s Kern Multilingual Residency Program at the Lamont and Arvin elementary school districts.

She also serves on the board of directors for the research, development and service agency WestEd and on the executive board of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social, a volunteer organization for Chicana, Latina, Native American, indigenous and gender non-conforming academics.

Dr. Ochoa’s fellowship will support her ethics project on Latino representation in children’s books.

“It was an honor to be selected for the fellowship,” Dr. Ochoa said. “I am very thankful for KIE initiating and sustaining this fundamental award, supporting faculty in their research projects and collaborations and inspiring ethical understandings in our community and beyond. With much work ahead of us, I humbly receive the award in the name of all the colleagues, students, familias and the community I have worked with and learned from over the last 20 years.”
Kyung Jung Han
Kyung Jung Han, Ph.D.

2025-2026Associate Professor of Communications

Email: khan1@csub.eduMore About Kyung Jung Han
Dr. Han joined CSUB’s Communications Department in 2016 and teaches upper-division courses such as Strategic Social Media, Public Relations and Communication in the Organization.

She holds a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in strategic communication from the University of Missouri.

Dr. Han’s research focuses on health communication and can be read in journals such as the Journal of Health Communication and Health Informatics. She also serves on the editorial board of the Korean Journal of Communication by University of Texas Press.

“I am so excited about developing AI-focused educational materials to discuss ethical challenges and boundaries in my discipline,” she said. “I will examine when ethical values are purposely discussed and considered in class and how their following decision-making will be differentiated.”

Past Faculty Fellows

Kamala Boeck
Kamala Boeck, M.F.A.

2024-2025Theatre Education, Applied Theatre

Email: kboeck@csub.eduMore About Kamala Boeck
Boeck has been a faculty member at CSUB since 2005. Originally from New York, she holds a bachelor’s in theatre performance from Niagara University and a master’s in theatre for youth from Arizona State University. She has developed a diverse career in theatre as an educator and performer. Boeck has written plays for young audiences and adults including “Dustbowl Dreams,” “The Water Play, “Becoming Flux” and “When Niagara Falls.”

Boeck draws inspiration from the folklore, mythology and history of different cultures and people for her work. She believes that the purpose of theatre artists is to give voice to those whose stories need to be told.  

Boeck will use the fellowship to further her work on “Cataract House,” a musical that tells the story of an Antebellum hotel in Niagara Falls, New York, and its African American wait staff who led double lives as secret Underground Railroad agents helping countless freedom seekers escape to safety in Canada. 

“Receiving the Kegley helps to honor that this project is more than an entertainment — it carries weight in telling a history, through the medium of drama, that has been largely buried from the public,” she said. “Black history is American history. Too often when it is shared, it is altered through a white lens. I am working with historical experts and black artists to make sure the voice of the play is centered on the Black characters and reflects their hope, resolve, resilience and heroism.”
Sunjin Pak
Sunjin Pak, Ph.D.

2024-2025Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing

Email: spak2@csub.eduMore About Sunjin Pak

Dr. Pak holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and specializes in human resource management. He researches the efficacy of work-family practices such as parental leave and telework alongside leadership’s influence on employees’ work and family domains. Dr. Pak’s work also involves the career advancement of dual-earning couples and female employees.

He serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of Vocational Behavior and has been published in that journal as well as the Journal of Organizational Behavior and the Human Resource Management Journal.

Prior to joining CSUB, Dr. Pak was an automation engineer at Hyundai Motor Company. This role involved designing and developing automation manufacturing facilities in South Korea and India.

His ethics project for fellowship aims to highlight the challenges faced by female employees who are planning for childbirth amid demanding work cultures.

“As a recipient of this fellowship, I feel honored, excited and deeply motivated to pursue this critical area of study,” Dr. Pak said. “The support from the Kegley Institute of Ethics validates the ethical significance of exploring the intersection of leader workaholism, menstrual health and career progression for female employees. It is incredibly gratifying to have the institute recognize the value of this research in advancing ethical leadership and promoting gender equity in the workplace.”
Nora Cisneros
Nora Cisneros, Ph.D.

2024-2025Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies

Email: ncisneros9@csub.eduMore About Nora Cisneros

Dr. Cisneros earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her master’s and Ph.D. in social sciences and education with a specialization in ethnic studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests involve Chicana feminist and critical race studies to examine issues such as educational inequity and Latinx educational pathways.

Her work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Educational Foundations, Language Arts and Feminist Formations. She is the co-editor of the book “Like a Path in Tall Grasses: Race and Refusal in Higher Education,” which is being published this year. Her poetry has been published in various online feminist magazines such as Ginger Zine.

“So much of my professional and personal life’s work aligns with the core values and mission of the Kegley Institute of Ethics,” Dr. Cisneros said. “This faculty fellowship will support my research to envision and cultivate graduate school preparation for students of color at CSU Bakersfield that is transformative and culturally sustaining. I want to extend my deep appreciation to the KIE board of directors, faculty fellows and staff, and the Ethnic Studies Department for this opportunity.”
Maryann Parada
Maryann Parada, Ph.D.

2023-2024Associate Professor of Spanish

Email: mparada1@csub.eduMore About Maryann Parada
Dr. Maryann Parada is an Associate Professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at California State University Bakersfield, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Spanish language and linguistics. She received her Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Parada’s research interests are in the areas of bilingualism, language/dialect contact, and heritage language acquisition and development. Using multiple approaches, she also studies naming practices and name-based experiences in the Latin American diaspora, including how Hispanic names are portrayed in news and other mainstream U.S. media. Other interests are translation/interpreting and language policy, specifically around language access in public services and dual language education. She has published in a number of interdisciplinary journals such as Heritage Language Journal; Journal of Language, Identity and Education; Journal of Intercultural Communication Research; and Names: A Journal of Onomastics. Dr. Parada has been consulted for pieces on names-related topics in the New York Times, Gothamist, and Parents Latina Magazine, among others.
Jeremiah Cho Sataraka
Jeremiah Cho Sataraka, Ph.D.

2023-2024Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies

Email: jsataraka@csub.eduMore About Jeremiah Cho Sataraka
Dr. Jeremiah Cho Sataraka is a full-time lecturer in the Ethnic Studies Department at CSUB. He teaches Pacific Studies, Asian American Studies and Ethnic Studies courses and is the co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Pride Faculty & Staff Affinity group. Dr. Sataraka’s primary research interests include conceptualizing an emergent Ocean Critical Race Theory and increasing the visibility of QTPI (Queer and/or Transgender Pacific Islander) activists and communities like U.T.O.P.I.A. (United Territories of Pacific Islander Alliance).

Dr. Sataraka received his Ph.D. in Cultural Studies & Social Thought in Education from Washington State University (Pullman, WA). Prior to coming to CSUB, he worked with a non-profit organization in Fresno serving primarily Southeast Asian communities to increase COVID-19 education and vaccination rates, and the Central Valley Pacific Islander Alliance (CVPIA).
Phil Chang
Phil Chang, M.F.A.

2023-2024Assistant Professor of Reproducible Media

Email: pchang10@csub.eduMore About Phil Chang
Phil Chang received his M.F.A. from The California Institute of the Arts and his B.A. from the University of California, Irvine. Solo exhibitions include The Fulcrum (2023), M+B (2022, 2017, and 2014), The Suburban (2019), Praz-Delavallade (2015), The California Museum of Photography (2015), and LAXART (2012). Chang’s work has been included in group exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Eastman Museum, and Transformer Station. His work has been written about in Artforum, The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, Artforum.com, nonsite.org and has appeared in Aperture, Blind Spot, Photography Is Magic, and The Photograph as Contemporary Art. Chang’s publications include Four Over One, an artist’s book published by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in association with Jonathan Maghen. Chang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Art History at CSU Bakersfield.
Gitika Commuri
Gitika Commuri, Ph.D.

2022-2023Professor of Political Science

Email: gcommuri@csub.eduMore About Gitika Commuri
Dr. Gitika Commuri has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California and has been teaching at CSUB since 2006. Her research interests are varied and span political identity and its impact on foreign policy, soft power in international politics and more recently American child labor policy. She has published articles and a book exploring how political identity discourses impact India's foreign policy in Kashmir, on India-Pakistan-China relations, as well as on the ambiguity of soft power as a concept. She is currently working on projects related to theorizing the significance of historically traumatic events as soft power with a focus on Holocaust, exploring India-Afghanistan relations with the resurgence of Taliban, and the prevalence of child labor in American agriculture. She teaches courses in Food Policy and Politics, Senior Seminar on The Human/Machine Worlds, International Relations Theory and Theories of Power.
Di Wu
Di Wu, Ph.D., CPA, CMA

2022-2023Associate Professor of Accounting

Email: dwu2@csub.eduMore About Di Wu
Dr. Di Wu is associate professor of accounting and was interim chair of the accounting and finance department. Dr. Wu’s teaching interests include managerial accounting, financial accounting, and data analytics; his research interests include accounting ethics, executive compensation, applications of big data and data analytics, and cost accounting issues.

Dr. Wu also serves as a board director of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA); past president, president, vice president, treasurer of the IMA Wild West Council; and treasurer and financial literacy chair of California Society of CPAs (CalCPAs) Bakersfield Chapter.

His passions include not only engaging students in learning, but also supporting student success outside of classroom. In 2019, Dr. Wu advised an accounting student on the accounting ethics study, titled "Arthur Anderson: The Rise and Fall of the Accounting Industry's Gold Standard" that later won the first prize award in the CSUB research day and that competed at the state level. Dr. Wu also advised a team of four CSUB accounting students in the 2019 IMA National Student Case Competition, who won the finalist award and became the first team from the West Coast making into the final round. In 2021, Dr. Wu was a faculty co-organizer of the 2021 CSUB Digital Marketing and Business Analytics Hackathon, which attracted many student participants and made CSUB the first university in the central valley promoting digital marking and business analytics through the student case competition.

Dr. Wu is also a recipient of several prestigious awards, including CSUB 2020-2021 Promising New Faculty Award, the 2019 IMA R. Lee Brummet Distinguished Award for Educators, and the 2019 PBD Yvonne Captain Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Education.
Lindsay Nelson-Burkert
Lindsay Nelson-Burkert, M.S.

2022-2023Lecturer of Criminal Justice

Email: lnelson11@csub.eduMore About Lindsay Nelson-Burkert
Lindsay Nelson-Burkert is a full-time lecturer at California State University of Bakersfield in the Criminal Justice Department. She is an Idaho native and moved to California in 2006. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree at CSUB in Criminal Justice, and then went on to earn her Master of Science from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Criminal Justice, with a double concentration in analysis of criminal behavior and corrections and offender rehabilitation. She is an alumna of the Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honors Society, and the current chapter advisor for CSUB’s Zeta Iota chapter. Lindsay is currently teaching research methods, criminological theories, and introductory criminal justice courses with other teaching interests being correctional treatments and rehabilitation. Her most recent research includes identifying concerns Latina college graduates have when pursuing careers in policing and how growth mindset training can offer a solution.
Amin Malek
Amin Malek, Ph.D.

2021-2022Associate Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Email: amalekm@csub.eduMore About Amin Malek
Associate Professor Amin Malek graduated in 2002 in Computer and Electronic Engineering. He obtained his Master’s in Electronics Engineering in 2006 and his Ph.D. in 2009 specializing in Computer Systems Engineering from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and University Putra Malaysia (UPM), respectively.

Following his Ph.D. in 2009 he worked in the industry for one year as a senior optical engineer at Significant Technologies. In Jan 2010 he moved to the University of Nottingham as an Assistant Professor. In 2012 he was promoted to Associate Professor, and in 2017 to Professor of Optical Communication Systems. In 2020 he moved to the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the California State University, Bakersfield, California, USA.

Dr. Malek is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a Senior Member of IEEE, a member of Engineering Council (CEng), IET and Optical Society of America (OSA), and has published over 100 scientific research papers, a postgraduate textbook, as well as delivering keynote speeches at different international scientific conferences around the Globe. Up to now, he is the holder of 4 patents on Optical Fiber Communication Systems.
Adriana Cervantes-González
Adriana Cervantes-González, Ph.D.

2021-2022Lecturer of Teacher Education

Email: acgonzalez@csub.eduMore About Adriana Cervantes-González
Dr. Adriana Cervantes-González is a full-time Lecturer with the Department of Teacher Education in the College of Social Sciences and Education, where she serves as the lead Faculty for the Teacher Residency for Rural Education (TRRE) Project.  

She comes to our campus with 21 years as an educator serving faculty, students, families, and communities in both K-12 and higher education settings. Dr. Cervantes-González is a proud first-generation graduate of the CSU earning her Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Counseling and Student Services, with distinction - and her Doctorate of Education in the area of Educational Leadership at Fresno State. Dr. Cervantes-González’s primary research interests include the praxisof culturally responsive teaching pedagogies and culturally relevant practices as she supports teacher candidates and teacher leaders in embracing their full social identities in their teaching. She maintains an intentional focus on serving Latina/o/x aspirational educators and in advocating for an assets-based approach to education that affirms the diverse demographic groups represented in schools. Dr. Cervantes-González also works with graduate students who are working towards their Master’s Degree in Education with an Emphasis in Curriculum & Instruction.
Sumita Sarma
Sumita Sarma, Ph.D.

2021-2022Associate Professor of Management

Email: ssarma@csub.eduMore About Sumita Sarma
Dr. Sumita Sarma is an Associate Professor of Management at California State University, Bakersfield. She received her PhD in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the University of Missouri Kansas City, where she simultaneously completed a two-year Certificate Program in College and University-level teaching. Dr. Sarma completed her Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications in India, where she was a University topper and a gold medalist. She completed her Master’s in Project and Program Management and Business Development from France. She has lived and worked in three countries – USA, France, and India, and has rich industrial work experience in multi-functional roles. Her main teaching and research interests include entrepreneurship and innovation, and strategic management. In addition, she is engaged in research on social entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurship. Dr. Sarma has published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Business Horizons, Entrepreneurship Research Journal, and Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics on areas of firm-level strategies, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and entrepreneurship. She has presented several of her research papers at international-level conferences such as the Academy of Management, Babson Conference, Sustainability Ethics and Entrepreneurship (SEE), and USASBE. Dr. Sarma is a member of the Academy of Management and has served as ad-hoc reviewer for multiple journals such as Research Policy, Journal of Small Business Management, Asian Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Asian Journal of Management Science and Applications, and for conferences such as Academy of Management, SEE and USASBE. She has recent publications in the Journal of International Consumer Marketing and in the Sustainability Ethics and Entrepreneurship Handbook.
Mandy Rees
Mandy Rees, M.F.A.

2020-2021Professor of Theatre

Email: mrees@csub.eduMore About Mandy Rees
Mandy Rees is a Professor of Theatre in the Music & Theatre Department at California State University, Bakersfield where she teaches acting, voice, movement, directing and improvisation. She received her MFA in Acting from the University of California, Davis and her BA in Theatre from Pomona College. Her book, Between Director and Actor: Strategies for Effective Performance, was co-authored with John Staniunas and published by Heinemann. She served as Editor-in-Chief for two issues of the serial monograph Voice and Speech Review (Shakespeare Around the Globe and Voice and Gender), and served as an Associate Editor for three additional issues. She has worked with Cornerstone Theater Company, Madison Repertory Theatre, CSU Summer Arts, and the Los Angeles Actors Theatre, and is a past president of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. She was selected as a 2020-2021 Faculty Fellow with the Kegley Institute of Ethics.
Ji Li
Ji Li, Ph.D.

2020-2021Professor of Accounting

Email: jli7@csub.eduMore About Ji Li
Dr. Ji Li earned her Ph.D. in Accounting from Arizona State University before joining The Department of Accounting and Finance at CSUB in 2014. She was selected as a 2020-2021 Faculty Fellow with the Kegley Institute of Ethics. Dr. Li’s research interests focus on executive compensation, dual-class firms’ performance, corporate social responsibility, and accounting ethics. Her research has been published in journals such as Advances in Quantitative Analysis of Finance and Accounting, Review of Accounting and Finance, International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, and Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance. Dr. Li received the 2019 Literati Award for the Outstanding Paper in recognition of her scholarship in the area of accounting from the Emerald Publishing Group. During her service as the President of the CSUB chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years, the CSUB chapter was awarded the High Honors Recognition and Highest Honors Recognition, respectively, first ever in the CSUB history. Dr. Li was advisor to the CSUB student team which attended the 2019 Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) National Student Case Completion and was recognized as one of four National Finalists, making CSUB the first school named a finalist from the West Coast. Dr. Li has also overseen many students’ research projects. Her students have won the 1st place award in the2017 Student Research and Creative Activity Poster Competition and the 1st place award in 2019 CSUB Student Research Completion.
Jeanine Kraybill
Jeanine Kraybill, Ph.D.

2019-2020Associate Professor of Political Science

Email: jkraybill@csub.eduMore About Jeanine Kraybill

I am an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Pre-Law Program at California State University, Bakersfield. I teach courses in our pre-law curriculum, American Politics, Politics and Religion, and Research Methods.

My research interests are in the fields of politics and religion, gender, government institutions (with particular attention to the the presidency and the courts), and political rhetoric.

Within the field of politics and religion, I am interested in religious elite influence on public opinion, female religious leadership, and the legal elements and arguments surrounding religious liberty and conscience protection.

Regarding presidential and political rhetoric, I examine how leaders’ language changes during times of crisis and  how religious rhetoric is utilized by elected officials in order to sway and/or garner public support.

I also study constitutional law and judicial decision-making behavior.  My current work as a Kegley Institute of Ethics Faculty Fellow, analyzes the different voice debate among male and female judicial offers and how this impacts the language of court opinions, judicial discretion, and behavior.
Alice Hays
Alice Hays, Ph.D.

2019-2020Associate Professor of Teacher Education

Email: ahays2@csub.eduMore About Alice Hays
Dr. Alice Hays is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at California State University, Bakersfield. She taught secondary English for 19 years prior to pursuing her PhD in English education at Arizona State University. She currently teaches Methods and Strategies of Teaching and Literacy Across the Content Areas for the single subject credential program. Additionally, she is a member of the design team for the newly implemented Kern High Teacher Residency program. Her research interests are focused on the use of young adult literature and its power to inspire both empathy and agency through an intentionally developed curriculum that focuses on pro-social behavior. Dr. Hays was selected as a 2019-2020 Faculty Fellow with the Kegley Institute of Ethics to work closely with educators in order to develop curriculum that honors student voice, results in a community-based action plan, and also meets required state standards in the secondary classroom. This curriculum will incorporate young adult literature as a jumping off point to support students as they consider innovative approaches to solving community issues. Dr. Hays is also working with the CSUB Quality of Life Center Literacy Council to develop a focal point for improving literacy across Kern County in concert with various community organizations. Dr. Alice Hays was also selected to serve as a TeachingWorks Fellow for the 2019-2020 academic year, a program that integrates high leverage teaching practices that encourage social justice into teacher preparation programs.
Brittney Beck
Brittney L. Beck, Ph.D.

2018-2019Associate Professor of Teacher Education

Email: bbeck4@csub.eduMore About Brittney Beck

Dr. Brittney L. Beck is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at California State University, Bakersfield. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, a Master’s Degree in Science Education, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, and Teacher Education from the University of Florida. Currently, she teaches social studies, literacy, and socio-cultural foundations of education courses for the multi-subject elementary credential program and science methods courses for the Kern Urban Teacher Residency. Her research interests reside at the intersections of teacher education, democratic education, and the development of K-12 educators and students as public intellectuals. In keeping with these interests, Dr. Beck also serves as a Faculty Fellow with the Kegley Institute of Ethics. In this role, she is the co-founder and co-director of the Social-Emotional, Ethical, and Democratic Education (SEEDE) Institute, which is designed to build the capacity of Kindergarten through Fourth-grade teachers to educate the whole child and engage their students as civic agents in the community. More information about the SEEDE Institute can be found here: https://www.cs.csubak.edu/~kie/seede/. Most recently, TeachingWorks has selected Dr. Brittney Beck to serve as one of the TeachingWorks Fellows for the 2018-2019 academic year. Together with the S.D. Betchtel Jr. Foundation and the California State University system, the fellowship comes with a $10,500 stipend to support the redevelopment of courses in teacher education through the integration of high leverage teaching practices known to foster academic a
Kyle Susa
Kyle Susa, Ph.D.

2018-2019Associate Professor of Psychology

Email: ksusa@csub.eduMore About Kyle Susa
Dr. Kyle J. Susa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Bakersfield. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Master of Arts and Doctoral degrees (Ph.D.) in Experimental Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso. Prior to coming to CSUB Dr. Susa held academic and federal government positions conducting research for the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service. At CSUB Dr. Susa’s research connects psychology with legal practices with a primary focus on the social and cognitive influences of eyewitness memory error. Dr. Susa’s research in Legal Psychology has been featured in the Washington Post, and Politico. He is also published in several top-tier academic journals of Psychology such as, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Visual Cognition, Social Cognition, and Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.