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Current Instructors
Instructors are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Melissa Bandy, M.A., is a developmental specialist with a Master’s degree in Early Childhood studies. She has 10 years of experience in early childhood education classrooms with children ranging in age from birth to eight years.
Mary Bennett, M.A., has spent the last twenty-plus years in the field of education, both in and out of the classroom. She is Director of Curriculum Services Associates, which develops and provides graduate-level, professional development courses to elementary school teachers throughout the United States. She holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies, an M.A. in Teaching with an Educational Technology emphasis, and a certificate in Online Teaching and Learning.
Evo Bluestein, considered one of this country’s most accomplished Appalachian-style autoharpists, is also a teacher of folk music and dance in many California schools.
Shirley Bruegman, Ed.D., is former Vice Chancellor of the State Center Community College District and Director of California State University, Fresno’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).
Catherine Caballero, B.S., has been dedicated to the field of forensic science since 1994. Most recently she worked for Applied Biosystems where she was responsible for providing training and troubleshooting support of forensic DNA scientists. She also gained extensive experience developing and delivering hands-on training programs, conducting technical workshops, and presenting on forensic DNA technology at seminars and tradeshows. Catherine is considered to be a leader in this arena and is a mentor to many of her colleagues.
Nazario Carrillo, M.A., has been an educator for 32 years. He has served as an administrator, teacher, counselor, and instructor for college in-service courses. He is currently consulting and conducting training sessions. He is the author of the course Family Achievement Training.
Aumony Dahl, M.Ed., received her Master’s degree in Exceptional Children from Western Washington University. She is certified to teach in K-12 Special Education with an additional endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education.
Darcie Donegan, M.A., Ed.D., received her B.A. at the University of Washington and her Master’s degree from Pacific Oaks College in Human Development, specializing in Early Childhood Education and Adult Education. She has worked with young children and their caregivers for over 25 years in various capacities, including preschool teacher, center director, parent educator, trainer, and consultant.
Imelda J. Golik has a Master’s in architecture and is a practicing architect and educator with over 30 years of experience.
Michael R. Granat, MBA, has more than 30 years of experience conducting domestic and international business for many small and large companies. He has held senior management positions with complete profit and loss responsibility for directing and managing foreign subsidiary/division operations, small business development centers, and trade distribution networks.
Daniel J. Griffin, Ed.D., has more than 25 years of experience in grant writing and administering of grant programs. He has written more than 200 successful grant proposals and has extensive experience with local, state, and federal agencies.
Joan Halverstadt has been a school counselor since 1994, working with at-risk preschool and elementary age students. She has more than 30 years of experience working in early childhood education with children and families, including working with children affected by family issues, abuse, or trauma.
Jaime Handlesman, B.H.S., has over seven years of experience developing training courses, lectures and workshops on the latest forensic DNA technologies. Jaime has trained hundreds of forensic analysts from crime laboratories across the United States and has given numerous technical presentations at industry meetings and conferences. Her experience and extensive understanding of the forensic DNA workflow enabled her to become a domain expert on the development of forensic STR data analysis software at Applied Biosystems where she has worked as part of their forensic team in various roles since 2001.
Marianne Jackson, Ph.D., BCBA, received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Behavior Analysis from the University of Nevada, Reno. During her time there she continued her previous work in the area of Early Intervention for children with autism. She also served as the Associate Direction of the PATH program, serving individuals with severe problem behavior. Since assuming her position at Fresno State, she has continued her research interests in the development of derived responding, the role of derived responding complex human behavior, and the processes of verbal motivation.
Mick R. Jackson, M.S., Ed.D., is a Special Education Teacher/Behavioral Intervention Specialist.
Ida M. Jones, J.D., is currently a Professor in the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno. In 2006, Professor Jones received the Technology in Education Award, awarded by the Provost at Fresno State. She earned her J.D. from New York University and has been teaching a variety of business law courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in Fresno since 1987.
Joseph S. Kaplan, Ed.D., has over 40 years of experience in education as a special education teacher, school psychologist, and teacher trainer at both the pre- and in-service levels.
Karen Lea, Ph.D., has over 12 years of experience teaching in culturally diverse settings in classrooms that reflect every area of diversity. She is the Dean of the School of Education at Olivet Nazarene University.
Florah Luseno, Ph.D., received her doctorate in administration and supervision of special education from Virginia Polytechnic State University. Her background experience is in the area of special education, with special interest in emotional and behavioral disorders, mental retardation, and inclusion.
Jason Marshall, M.A., BCBA, received his degrees in psychology with emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from California State University, Fresno. He has presented research at multiple state and national conferences and has served as a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Kevin Miller, Ph.D., RVT, has worked cases for state and local law enforcement as well as the FBI, and is an Assistant Professor of Forensic Science at California State University, Fresno.
Sylvia L. Miller, Ed.D., is a faculty member in the Nursing Department at California State University, Fresno. She has considerable experience in the areas of Palliative Care Nursing and Faith Community Nursing.
Suzanne M. Moreno, M.Ed., is founding president and CEO of Encourage Tomorrow, providing educational programs to at-risk children. She is a certified teacher and parent trainer.
Balaji Nettimi, M.S., Psy.D., has a Masters in experimental psychology and a Doctorate in clinical psychology. He is a professor of psychology and practices psychotherapy in California. He is a certified hypnotist and a Las Vegas stage hypnosis performer. He is the founder of the Nettimi Hypnosis Model, which is taught as Continuing Education for licensed psychotherapists in the states of California and Texas.
Julie Olson-Buchanan, M.A, Ph.D., is a professor and chair of the Management Department in the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno.
Gozil M. Oxley, Ph.D., has over 30 years of nursing experience in a variety of clinical settings. For the past 12 years, her program of research and writing has focused on the experience of pregnant adolescents, self-esteem, and HIV/AIDS.
Achuthan (Bob) Pillay, Ed.D., is a doctorate level instructor who has been teaching in the field of special education for the past 30 years. He has received numerous national and international awards for his research in the field and has headed boards and committees in more than five countries to develop and strengthen special services.
Archie Rader is the Director and Conductor of New Horizons Band and Orchestra, and has spent the last 52 years teaching instrumental music. He is a professional musician and conductor of public school and professional orchestras. He graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio and received his Master’s degree from Arizona State University.
Peggy Rapp, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience in the field of mental health, substance abuse and the elderly. She currently is the Assistant Dean of Professional Studies at Concordia College, New York and works as a consultant for the Southern Westchester Board of Education. Prior to her career in higher education, she provided services to dually diagnosed individuals through New York University’s program for the homeless in New York City. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at NYU in Clinical Social Work.
Jim Schmidtke, Ph.D., is a professor in the Management Department in the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno.
Michael Sedler, D.Min., has presented seminars and classes throughout the Pacific Northwest and Canada. He has worked as an administrator, behavior specialist, teacher, and social worker within the public school setting. He is an adjunct professor for two universities in the state of Washington and has been a professor for a college in Georgia.
Dianne Sharples, Ed.D., is an educational consultant and trainer. She taught nursing for 15 years at College of the Sequoias and was then Dean of Academic Services for 18 years. She also taught with the CSU Statewide University for ten years. She has been very active at the state level in community college educational issues.
Harold Silvani, M.A., has been involved in the field of education for more than 40 years. He is CEO of Curriculum Services Associates, which provides graduate-level professional development opportunities to teachers throughout the United States. He taught for over 20 years in the School of Education at California State University, Fresno, and is one of the founders and owners of Creative Teaching Associates. He has authored and published more than 100 curriculum manuals and activities that are currently in use in classrooms throughout the nation and around the world.
Kay Sole is extensively trained and experienced in classroom instruction and management strategies for a diverse population. She has completed course work for a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. As a long-time consultant for the Education and Learning Trust, a professional development program for New York State teachers, she is an adjunct instructor for several colleges in New York State and has co-authored several three-hour graduate courses including Inclusion: Education for All.
Laurie Taylor-Hamm earned her MBA with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from California State University, Fresno. She participated in the Craig School of Business Honors Program and earned the “Reighard MBA Award of Excellence” from the Craig School of Business. She completed both undergraduate and graduate research in the area of Contingency Planning practices and attitudes. In addition to her academic achievements, she has over 15 years of experience in supervision and management.
Robert J. Thissen, M.A., is an industry filmmaker and screenwriter. He has worked at several Hollywood-based studios including NBC-Universal, Paramount, and CBS. He is currently in production for a television pilot episode that he has written and directed.
Isabel Van Sicklen, M.S., is a professional life coach, as well as a licensed psychotherapist. Her understanding of the challenges to professional vitality comes from thirty years of experience as a therapist herself and from her experience working with other human service professionals.
Voices For All voice instructors are known for their fun and informative presenting methods. Coaches have many years of experience in the voiceover industry, and are masters at teaching all of the information pertinent to making it in voice acting.
Tomasz Wielicki, Ph.D., is a professor of business at Fresno State and management consultant with 30 years of international experience. He has taught Project Management and conducted Project Management trainings for managers of private corporations and public institutions in the US and Europe.
Criss Wilhite, M.A., BCBA, earned her undergraduate degrees in Art and Philosophy, and a Master of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Fresno. She has taught core courses in Psychology at Fresno State since 1986. In 1998, she developed the department’s Applied Behavior Analysis Program, and has served as the undergraduate program’s director since then. It has grown to include three BCBA faculty members, over 85 active undergraduates, 20 graduate students and is a board-approved program.
Marrea Winnega, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with more than 14 years of experience in the field of autism spectrum disorders. She is a consultant to schools and agencies serving individuals with autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger’s Disorder. Three years ago, Dr. Winnega developed the Autism Dynamic Beginnings classroom, an intensive, multimodel classroom for three- to six-year-olds with autism.
Debbie Young, M.B.A., is a faculty member in the Management Department and directs the internship program for the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno.