Class Notes

Diverse Issues in Education recently highlighted two CGU graduates. Soua Xiong (PhD, Education, 2019), Asst. Professor at CSU Fresno, was recognized as an emerging scholar. The journal also announced Yvonne Hernandez Friedman’s (PhD, Education, 2013) appointment as Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Elise Fenn (MA, PhD, Psychology) reports receiving tenure in the Department of Psychology at California State University Northridge (as well as welcoming the arrival of baby Ezra!) During her time at CGU, Fenn worked in Professor Kathy Pezdek’s lab and co-authored scholarly articles with her, including 2019’s “Nonprobative Photos Increase Truth, Like, and Share Judgments in a Simulated Social Media Environment” in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.

The Human Side of Management discussion series concluded during Women’s History Month with an energized conversation about “Why Women’s Leadership Matters.” The discussion comprised an all-star panel of female leaders across different industries: Ayca Altintig, assistant professor of finance at the Drucker School; Paola Nava (MBA, 2011), people director at Reformation; Katrina Frye (MAAM, 2013), principal consultant at Culture Shift Collective and CEO at Lauretta Records; and Gina Orozco (EMBA, 2013), vice president of gas engineering and system integrity at SoCalGas and member of the Drucker Industry Advisory Board.

Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza (PhD, Education) has been named the next president of the College of San Mateo, after previously serving over 20 years in the education field. Her tenure begins July 1, 2022. Read more about Taylor-Mendoza in this Skyline View article.

Monica Almond (MA, PhD, Education) and The Almond Group recently hosted a listening session and discussion on the verdict stemming from the murder of George Floyd.

Jordan T. Watkins (MA, History) published his first book Slavery and Sacred Texts: The Bible, the Constitution, and Historical Consciousness in Antebellum America (Cambridge Historical Studies in American Law and Society) in July.

Roberta Romero (MBA, 2009; MSIST, 2020), Jashaina Thomas (MSFE, 2021), and Harvey Mudd College student Amber Hughes teamed up for “Hack for Black Lives” in February. The not-so-traditional hackathon challenged students at the Claremont Colleges to practice active anti-racism by leveraging their interests and skills to develop solutions that support Black communities. Their group worked together to conceptualize a government entity that would oversee and regulate the use of AI software in large, influential organizations and proposed a solution to expose and mitigate algorithmic bias and impart a culture of responsibility for those involved in tech developments of the future.

Jason Rivera (MA, Psychology, PhD, Education) has been named Director of Strategic Research at the Council of Independent Colleges in Washington, DC. Jason is a higher education researcher focused on issues of access and equity in student experience and success.

Arab News recently highlighted the work of Fadi Al-Buhairan (MS, PhD, Information Systems & Technology) who serves as deputy CEO at SPL (formerly known as Saudi Post).

Yvonne Mills (MA, Literature and Film; PhD, English) received tenure at Cerro Coso Community College. Find the story online at Sierra Wave Media.

Janice Adelman (MA, PhD, Psychology) received the 2021 Distinguished Service to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) Award. Adelman is one of Professor Michael Hogg’s former students and a member of his Social Identity Lab. SPSSI has always been Janice’s passion and she has always been centrally involved in SPSSI and other scientific psychology organizations.

Clint Lorimore (MA, International Studies) was re-elected as a council member in the city of Eastvale, CA. Lorimore has a consulting firm.