Teacher Education Directory

Education
Dr. Alice Hays received her Ph.D. in English Education from Arizona State University in 2017.

Teaching
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.

Research
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, residency programs and teacher education.

Education
Dr. Sawyer holds an Ed.M and Ed.D from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Teaching
Dr. Sawyer is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, Director of Liberal Studies, and Coordinator for the Bilingual Authorization program. He served as a Spanish bilingual elementary school teacher in California and as an academic consultant to the Mexican National Ministry of Education.

Research
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.

Publications
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.

Education
Master of Arts in Education: Elementary Teacher Education from the University of Phoenix, Bakersfield

Bachelor of Science in Communications Media from Fitchburg State University

Teaching
Director of the Single Subject Teacher Credential Program at California State University, Bakersfield.

Co-coordinator for the Black Educator Teacher Residency (BETR) at California State University, Bakersfield.

Instructional Supervisor for the Multiple Subject Intern Program at Riverside County Office of Education.

CalTPA Assessor for NCS Pearson Inc.

Interests

In my personal life, I cherish spending quality time with my wife and son. We have a passion for traveling and discovering new places to explore and enjoy delicious food. I often visit Rhode Island to connect with my family, and our two dogs add joy to our adventures. In a former life, I was involved in theatre, which ignited my love for storytelling. I also have a penchant for horror movies and enjoy bike riding, which keeps me active and engaged with the outdoors.

Projects

BETR Teacher Residency aims to create a pathway and remove barriers for underrepresented students in the teaching profession, ensuring that diverse voices and perspectives are included in our educational system. By focusing on support and mentorship, the program seeks to empower these future educators and enhance the overall quality of teaching in our communities

Education
Amy is CSUB Alumni. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Cum Laude Honors, then went on to obtain her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Masters of Arts in Education from CSUB.

Teaching
For over a decade, Amy has worked in education. She currently serves as the Director and Advisor for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential program at the Bakersfield Campus. She teaches a variety of courses with the Credential program, including the Kern Urban Teacher Residency and Boundless Educator Teacher Residency. She also lends her expertise as a supervisor to teacher credential candidates during their clinical practice.

Interests
She enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids, and their dog. They love just being together. She said, "Our kids keep us on our toes! We are always busy doing something fun and exciting. Education is my passion and I love supporting new teachers. This provides me the opportunity to help create confident future educators, and in turn have a larger impact on K-12 students a whole."

Current Projects
She aims to provide the best support possible to candidates as they enter, experience, and exit our program.

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.

Teaching
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.

Research
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.

Education
Dr. Beck received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Teachers, Schools, and Society in 2017.

Teaching
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.

Current Projects
She is the Project Director and Principal Investigator of The Citizen Scientist Project. This project builds the capacity of K-12 teachers and students to apply their budding competencies in computer science, science, technology, engineering, art, and math (C-STEAM) to identify and address issues of community concern in collaboration with scientists and community agencies. Through this work, we seek to democratize science by including more diverse voices in question posing, data collection, data analysis, and data-informed advocacy. Our ultimate goal is to prepare environmental and climate change literate citizens, who know how to care for each other and our home planet. We use Citizen Science as a way to capture these intersections and many partnerships contour this ever-evolving, interdisciplinary work.

Education
Dr. Shaylyn Marks is an Instructor at CSU Bakersfield and the Director of MS/SS Teacher Credential Program. She received her Ph.D. in English Education from Purdue University in 2013.

Teaching
Dr. Marks was previously a secondary English teacher in Illinois, Indiana, and California prior to moving to the collegiate level. The main focus of her work centers on advancing innovative ways to disrupt the status quo and create more equitable learning opportunities for underserved populations.

Research
With culturally sustaining and historically responsive pedagogy at the core of her work, her research interests include evolving teacher education preparation practices, using literature as a means to support and enact social justice, and exploring equitable structures within classroom spaces.

Education
Holly Gonzales is a first-generation college graduate and CSU Bakersfield alumna. She earned her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and a multiple-subject teaching credential in 2008, and then earned her Master's in Education in 2009.

Teaching
Holly served the students in the Panama Buena Vista Union School District and Bakersfield City School district for 9 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 the Teacher Education Department. She strives to share her love and passion for serving students in Kern County by actively modeling a positive growth mindset, equitable practices, and student engagement strategies.

Education
Anaya holds a multiple subject teaching credential, and a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

Teaching
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. 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.

Education
Anne O'Bannon earned her Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from CSU Bakersfield.

Teaching
She has 11 years teaching experience in 6th and 7th grade language arts and 5th grade in Kern County. Mrs. O'Bannon joined the Teacher Education Department in 2016 as a University Supervisor. She continued supporting students and was named the Program Advisor in 2018. Mrs. O'Bannon has since become a full-time faculty lecturer and university supervisor for the Kern Teacher Residency in Greenfield.