Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership
Current Students
Learn about some of our current students.
Current Students
Learn about some of our current students.
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Vincent Alcantar
He/Him/His
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: School improvement and instructional leadership, Latinx school leaders
- Professional Role: High School Math Teacher
- Hometown and Current Location: Porterville, CA
Amy Allen
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Engagement and support on campus for students who identify as multi-ethnic or multi-racial
- Professional Role: Interim Associate Dean - Student Involvement at Fresno State
- Hometown: St. John, Virgin Islands
- Current Location: Fresno, CA
Ariana Amaro
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 16: Class of 2025
- Research Interests: Social Emotional Learning and Teacher Sustainability
- Professional Role: 2nd Grade Teacher
- Hometown: Kerman, CA
- Current Location: Fresno, CA
Sara Baramy Constantinescu
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Graduate student achievements (access and success) and higher education institutional effectiveness
- Professional Role: Professional Services Consultant, Graduate Education Manager
- Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
- Current Location: Oceanside, CA
Stephanie Briones
She/Her/Ella
Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Hispanic Serving Institutions, Grant-based cultural initiatives, Intersectional cultural identity representation within higher education leadership and belonging initiatives
- Professional Role: Title V Project Director
- Hometown and Current Location: Sanger, CA
Edie Brown
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Advising students of color in a predominantly white 4 year higher education institution, Diversity, equity and inclusion in Student Affairs with a focus on student services, How unions and universities can co-exist while serving students
- Professional Role: Union President
- Hometown: San Francisco, CA
- Current Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Cynthia Cervantes
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Facilities staff impact on residential students, affordable housing for students, first-gen students
- Professional Role: Executive Director, Office of Housing Administration at San Diego State University
- Hometown: San Lorenzo, CA
- Current Location: San Diego, CA
Floridia (Flo) Cheung
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025
- Research Interests: Student Success
- Professional Role: Middle College High School Principal
- Hometown: Hacienda Heights, CA
- Current Location: Fresno, CA
Kathleen Cifuentes
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 14 : Class of 2023
- Research Interests: English Language Development, Latinx Students, Equity & Access for Long Term English Language Learners
- Professional Role: Elementary School Principal
- Current Location: Madera, CA
Corry Colonna
He/Him/His
Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Mid-level Lead Staff Development Studies in student well being to increase joy and mental thriving
- Professional Role: Executive Director, Housing & Residential Life
- Hometown: Punxsutawney, PA
- Current Location: Long Beach, CA
Eleanor M Esqueda
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Early Childhood Education, Equity and Access to programs and SEAL support
- Professional Role: General Ed Teacher, Kindergarten
- Hometown and Current Location: Fresno, CA
Venissia Garcia
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 15 : Class of 2024
- Research Interests: School Administration Preparation Programs; Special Education; At-Promise Youth; School Law
- Professional Role: Lead Teacher
- Hometown: Visalia, CA
- Current Location: Fresno, CA
Dai Guerra
He/Him/His
Online Cohort 6 : Class of 2024
- Research Interests: LGBTQ+ students of color in STEM
- Professional Role: Student Academic Advisor
- Hometown and Current Location: Los Angeles, CA
Omar Gutierrez
He/Him/His
Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: The role of management in equity design: A case study for possibilities to embed equity-led goals within resource allocation models.
- Professional Role: VP Administrative Services
- Hometown: El Paso, TX
- Current Location: Visalia, CA
Andrea Hall-Cuccia
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Academic factors impacting time to graduation at California Community Colleges (major switching, academic load, summer sessions, DFW, math/writing placement, total credits), particularly pre- and post- AB705 and Guided Pathways
- Professional Role: Institutional Researcher, UC Merced
- Hometown and Current Location: Merced, CA
T'Nesia TJ Hurley
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025
- Research Interests: Equity focused financing and student achievement.
- Professional Role: Assistant Superintendent of Business
- Hometown: Oakland, CA
- Current Location: Redding, CA
Erika Ireland
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Educational pipeline of dietetic students in higher education
- Professional Role: Faculty & Dietetic Internship Director
- Hometown: Fresno, CA
- Current Location: Clovis, CA
Gus Leonard
He/Him/His
Online Cohort 3
- Research Interests: Language and Culture learning; technology-enhanced learning. Dissertation Topic: Understanding Intercultural Competence in Civic Engagement/Citizenship through Photovisual Elicitation of Study Abroad Student Photoblogs
- Professional Role: CSU Monterey Bay, Language Lab Coordinator
- Hometown: Burlington, VT
- Current Location: Del Rey Oaks, CA
Sierra Lewis
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Professional Role: Associate Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Hometown: Boise, ID
Cruz Madrigal Trejo
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Success of migrant students in higher education, Early Childhood Education and the importance of SEL
- Professional Role: School Psychologist
- Hometown and Current Location: Madera, CA
José A Maldonado
He/Him/His
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Undocu Students, Transfer Success, Student Resources, Collaboration Between Community and Campus, Connecting Students to Opportunity
- Professional Role: Full-time faculty
- Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
- Current Location: Ventura, CA
Ricardo Marmolejo
Cohort 11
- Research Interests: Social justice and equity in higher education
- Professional Role: Student Equity & Success Director, Porterville College
- Hometown: Visalia, CA
Kymbee McKay
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Early literacy; literacy practices; teacher efficacy
- Professional Role: Teacher
- Hometown: Amherst, TX
- Current Location: Valley Center, CA
Lupe Mendoza
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Impact of dual enrollment in Latinx community; Latinas in leadership roles in higher eduction
- Professional Role: High School Vice Principal
- Hometown: Dos Palos, CA
- Current Location: Clovis, CA
Tasneem Mohamed
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Professional Role: Academic Advisor
- Hometown: Oakland, CA
- Current Location: Marina, CA
Gretchen Monke
She/Her/Hers
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Using YA literature to discuss contemporary social justice issues and build academic discussion skills, Positive psychology in education, Building positive teacher-student and peer relationships to support students academically and emotionally
- Professional Role: English Teacher
- Current Location: Clovis, CA
Karla Montenegro Gonzalez
She/Her/Hers/Ella
Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Black and Latino Men Transfer Journeys
- Professional Role: Academic Advisor and Freshman Seminar Instructor
- Hometown: La Libertad, El Salvador
- Current Location: Los Angeles, California
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Oronne Nwaneri
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Black Student Success, Experiences of Black International Students, Affects of COVID on low income college and university students
- Professional Role: Director, Upward Bound Programs, Pasadena City College
- Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
- Current Location: Pasadena, CA
Roy Orosco
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Special Education Teacher Burnout MTSS Systems and Development
- Professional Role: Assistant Principal
- Hometown: Dinuba, CA
- Current Location: Visalia, CA
Edgar Parrilla
He/Him/His
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: The impact inmate education has on the Latino male population in our community. Finding correlations between this inmate education population and recidivism.
- Professional Role: Grants and Research Analyst
- Hometown: Woodlake, CA
- Current Location: Visalia, CA
Raquel Piña-Holmstrom
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: HSI servingness - Latinx faculty and staff retention
- Professional Role: Assistant to IDEA, Research, and Grants
- Hometown and Current Location: Oroville, CA
George Rodriguez
He/Him/His
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Superintendent longevity and school district success
- Professional Role: Director of Educational Services
- Hometown: Selma, CA
- Current Location: Kingsburg, CA
Cynthia Rodriguez
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Providing access to culturally relevant social-emotional learning opportunities as well as making the educational space more equitable for all students.
- Professional Role: School Counselor
- Hometown: Reedley, CA
- Current Location: King City, CA
Jolene Sagan
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024
- Professional Role: Case Manager
- Hometown: Westwood, CA
- Current Location: Long Beach, CA
Yadi Sanchez
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Professional Role: Manager of Outreach and Academic Services
- Hometown: Fort Bragg, CA
Kaitlyn Sedzmak
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023
- Dissertation Topic: Reducing biases in managerial decisions around salaries
- Professional Role: Chief of Staff, Student Affairs
- Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Current Location: Oceanside, Ca
Mike Snell
Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023
- Research Interests: Exploring youth workers in expanded learning programs and the role they play in teacher quantity, quality and diversity
- Professional Role: CEO
- Hometown: Fresno, CA
- Current Location: Sanger, CA
Thatcher Weldon
Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025
- Research Interests: K-12 success connection to adult education program success
- Professional Role: Director of Adult Education at Kern Community College District
- Hometown: Fresno, CA
- Current Location: Burbank, CA
Michael Williamson
He/Him/His
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and secondary trauma in teachers and administrators
- Professional Role: Teacher
- Hometown: Fresno, CA
- Current Location: Clovis, CA
Ia Xiong
Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024
- Research Interests: AsianCrit and males in community college
- Professional Role: Adjunct Counselor
- Hometown and Current Location: Fresno, CA
Khou Yang-Vigil
She/Her/Hers
Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025
- Research Interests: Mental health, Advocacy and support for underserved at-promise students in Higher Education, AsianCrit - particularly Southeast Asians in Higher Education, Culture and Leadership
- Professional Role: Director of Equity and Access Programs
- Hometown and Current Location: Santa Rosa, California