Brittney Beck received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Teachers, Schools, and Society in 2017. Her work resides at the intersection of democratic education, teacher and student activism, and university-school-community partnerships. At these intersections, she explores how school systems can best engage the material and ideological realities of the community to inform curricula and pedagogies in ways that engage teachers and students as active citizens. Currently, Dr. Beck also services as the Project Director and Principal Investigator of The Citizen Scientist Project, which was made possible by a $4,800,000.00 grant from the United States Department of Education in 2018. You can learn more about The Citizen Scientist Project here and more about Dr. Brittney Beck here. 

Rhonda Conte received her Master of Arts Degree in Education, Curriculum & Instruction from California State University, Bakersfield in 1994. Rhonda grew up in Missouri and earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Central Missouri State University in 1986.  She taught various grades in Missouri and Antelope Valley Schools before earning her Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Certificate from California State University, San Bernardino in 1997 which changed her focus to working with struggling readers.  Since beginning her higher education career at California State University, Antelope Valley over 20 years ago, she has focused on literacy instruction and co-teaching models in student teaching.

Holly Gonzales is a first-generation college graduate and CSU Bakersfield alumna. She earned her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies, a multiple-subject teaching credential in 2008 and earned her Master's in Education in 2009. Holly served the students in the Bakersfield City School district for 8 years, as an elementary classroom teacher and Academic Coach. She began her journey in higher education in 2016 and currently serves as the Coordinator for the Kern Urban Teacher Residency and as a faculty member in Teacher Education. She strives to share her love and passion for serving students in Kern County by modeling a positive growth mindset and equitable practices. 

Dr. Alice Hays received her Ph.D. in English Education from Arizona State University in 2017.  Prior to embarking on her PhD career, she was a secondary English teacher in Arizona for 18 years, along with teaching composition for both the local community college and university.  She is currently an Assistant Professor in Teacher Education at CSU Bakersfield.  Her roles include coordinating the Kern High Teacher Residency Program as well as acting as the faculty liaison for Service Learning for the Community Engagement/Career Exploration office. Dr. Hays is excited to share her experiences and learned wisdom with teachers and is passionate about supporting leaders as they consider literacy issues in education. Dr. Hays’ research interests include young adult literature, participatory research, community activism, and teacher education.

Dr. Kristina LaGue is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education specializing in language and literacy studies. Dr. LaGue received her Ph.D. in Education specializing in Literacy and Composition Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Dr. LaGue taught elementary school in the Delano Union School District while pursuing her teaching and reading specialist credentials and her Master of Arts degree from CSU Bakersfield. Dr. LaGue’s research interests explore the impact of various models of teacher preparation programs (primarily teacher residency programs) on teacher candidate preparedness and on diverse groups of students, including those living in rural communities. Dr. LaGue has served in multiple leadership positions including Director of Teacher Credentialing, Chair of Teacher Education, and Coordinator of the Master of Arts and Reading Certificate Programs.

Patricia Lane is the advisor for the single subject/multiple subject teacher credential program. She has been in education for 18 years. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in education from Howard University. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania, and she obtained a master’s degree in education with an English concentration. She also possesses an administrative credential. She has served as a junior high English teacher, a support staff member, and a school administrator in elementary and secondary school settings. She is also currently a student in CSUB’s Ed.D. program, and her focus is Black Student Unions within a large university system.

Anaya Lee has 12 years experience teaching 1st, 2nd, and 5th grade in Kern County.  During her time in the elementary classroom, she participated in curriculum planning committees, professional development trainings, and new teacher support programs at her school.  She holds a multiple subject teaching credential, and a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.  Starting with CSUB in 2016, Anaya was an adjunct lecturer teaching Classroom Management for the Credential Program.  She is now the lead coordinator, university supervisor, and lecturer for the Kern Teacher Residency in Greenfield.  Anaya has a passion for supporting, educating, and motivating future teachers in Kern County. 

Some upcoming publications include:

• Monreal, T. & Floyd, R. “Ain’t no white people have to be cultural ambassadors, right?” How a Latinx teacher in the US South resists ephemeral multiculturalism for political praxis., Theory into Practice.
• Varga, B. & Monreal, T. (Remem)be(r)ing Future Institutional Narratives: Mapping Historical Ghosts in The Threshold of Mastery. Taboo.

Some recent publications include:

• Gamez, R. & Monreal, T. (2021).“We have that opportunity now”: Black And Latinx Geographies, (Latinx) racialization, and “New Latinx South”. Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research (Latinx Research Center Special Issue/Lead article). 7(2). 1-24.
• Monreal, T. (2021) Stitching Together More Expansive Latinx Teacher Self/ves: Movidas of Rasquache and Spaces of Counter-Conduct in El Sur Latinx. Theory, Research, and Action in Urban Education. 6(1). 37-51. 
• Monreal, T. , & McCorkle, W. (2021). Social studies teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about immigration and the formal curriculum in the United States South: A multi-methods study. The Urban Review. 53(1). 1-42.

Dr. Timothy Monreal earned his PhD in Foundations of Education at the University of South Carolina in 2020. Prior to joining CSUB, Dr. Monreal taught middle school for 11 years in California and South Carolina. Tim’s interdisciplinary research interests broadly include Latinx teacher identity and subjectivity, particularly in the U.S. South, Social Studies teaching with an emphasis on Latinx history, and teacher education. He applies and develops post-structural, post-humanist, and (relational) spatial theories with these topics to open up new, more just, potentialities. In addition to many book chapters, Dr. Monreal's work has appeared in journals such as Theory and Research in Urban Education, Latino Studies, Educational Policy, Urban Review, Journal of Latinos and Education, Current Issues in Comparative Education, and The Middle Grades Review. He was a Spencer Dissertation Fellow, a Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Fellow, and a current research fellow at the University of Santa Clara's Latinx Research Hub. He is currently working on two edited books. 

Adam Sawyer is Director of Liberal Studies and Academic Coordinator for the CSUB Bilingual Authorization Program. His research explores the nexus of migration and education with a focus on Latinx children, youth, and families. He is also a specialist in the design and study of bilingual education programs and models for place-based and culturally sustaining pedagogies for historically minoritized populations, especially in rural California. His recent work has been published by Journal of Latinos and Education, International Migration Review, and Teacher Education Quarterly, and he is co-editor of the 2013 Teachers College Press Volume Regarding Educación: Mexican American Schooling, Immigration, and Binational Solutions. Previous to his academic career, Dr. Sawyer served as a Spanish bilingual elementary school teacher in California and as an academic consultant to the Mexican National Ministry of Education. He holds an Ed.M and Ed.D from Harvard Graduate School of Education.