College of Continuing Education at Sacramento State

Jackie Alcalde Marr joined Sacramento State in 2014 and teaches leadership courses at the College of Continuing Education. She is the founder of Evolutions Consulting Group, providing business consulting, facilitation, and coaching to individuals and teams.

As a data scientist, Professor Anna Baynes looks for meaning from the mounds of information that’s collected every day. From the apps and games on our electronic devices to online shopping and visits to the doctor’s office, “that’s billions and billions of data,” says Baynes, who’s worked with software engineering teams from around the world in understanding big data. During the new Data Science Academy, students will apply computer science techniques to discover interesting trends and insights hidden inside everyday data.

Dr. Brooke Choo started teaching at the College of Continuing Education in 2015 in the learning disabilities (LD) assessment courses. She is a learning disabilities specialist and psychologist and currently works at Irvine Valley College coordinating the Student Success Center. 

If you can decipher “P B & J,” then you can start coding, says Devin Cook, a computer science professor at Sacramento State and instructor of the Coding Academy. “Students might believe that computer science is difficult or complicated or frustrating,” he says, “but if they can write down how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, they can program a computer. It’s the same exact thing.” 

Larry W. Culler joined Sacramento State in 2014, teaching his communication workshop, “The Effective Communicator,” at the College of Continuing Education. Larry is the owner of Culler Consulting, primarily focusing on communication consulting and facilitating his workshop. 

Before starting his own consulting business, he had a long career in the computer industry and held positions with Burroughs/Unisys, Intel and Schoolhouse Software. 

Growing up in China, Jun Dai didn’t own a computer but he was still able to master video games. He got access to computers and the internet through “net bars” that rented machines by the hour. And there, he discovered his passion and a profession, not as a gamer but as a defender. Cyber defense is Professor Dai’s specialty at Sacramento State.

Rachel Dillon has been a graphic designer for over 25 years as well as an art educator and is currently an instructional designer at Franklin Templeton Investments. She has developed instructor-led and web-based training courses for external financial advisers and internal staff, and “micro learning pieces on specific financial topics” for the public, she said..

Dillion joined Sacramento State in 2018, bringing her visual design talents and teaching background to the Instructional Design for eLearning certificate program at the College of Continuing Education. 

Craig Duehring joined Sacramento State in 2002 as an instructor in the Project Management Certificate program at the College of Continuing Education.

Craig is an engineering manager with the California Air Resources Board.  Before joining the Air Resources Board, he held positions with the California Department of General Services, California Department of Water Resources and the California Department of Transportation, where he managed many high-profile projects over his career. 

Brett Gardenhire is a specialist in professional and organizational development with a focus in learning performance, productivity optimization and situational leadership. With over 20 years’ experience in both change management and entrepreneurial growth strategy, he partners with organizations as a coach, consultant and trainer, helping to enhance workplace culture through improved engagement, enhanced communication and the application of creative innovation.

Sacramento State graduate Lance Hastings returns to the University, this time as an instructor in the Exploring Careers in Manufacturing Academy. He’s currently president and chief executive officer of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association and was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve on the Future of Work Commission. That commission, which includes leaders from technology, labor, business, education and other sectors across California, is examining jobs of the future and planning educational and training pathways.

Elena Honeycutt joined Sacramento State in 2015, teaching in the Human Resources Management Certificate program  at the College of Continuing Education. Elena is a senior consultant in the organization effectiveness department with Health Net, Inc.

 Before joining Health Net, Elena held human resources positions with Sutter Medical Foundation, Comcast and AT &T Wireless.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in business, human resources from Sonoma State University and a master’s degree in human resources management from Golden Gate University. 

Brad Hunt has worked as both an EMT and paramedic skills instructor with the Sacramento State Prehospital Education Program since January 2018. In 2019, Brad took on the position of Lead Instructor in the EMT course. Brad started his career in 2002 with a private ambulance company in Stockton, California, where he worked in the 911 system as an EMT for 3 years.

Education: M.A. in TESOL from Sacramento State; M.A. Teaching and Teacher Education, University of Arizona;  B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona

Languages spoken: Some spanish

What do you enjoy most about being an ESL instructor?  

After years of classroom teaching and school management, James Lane turned his attention to instructional design, test creation and e-learning course development. He entered the healthcare industry, where he has been working as an instructional designer, new hire trainer and quality manager at Dignity Health.

He joined Sacramento State in 2018 as an instructor in the Instructional Design for eLearning certificate program. He holds a a master’s degree in instructional systems technology from Indiana University.

Kris Lea joined Sacramento State in 2009, teaching in the Train-the-Trainer, HR, Master Analysis and State Supervisor Basics programs at the College of Continuing Education. Kris is an executive consultant with KAI Partners, a local IT consulting firm.

Before joining KAI Partners, Kris held positions with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Kaiser Permanente and Intel Corporation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems, a master’s degree in organization development (OD), and is finishing up her doctoral degree in OD.

Ingrid E. Lundquist CSEP joined Sacramento State in 2014 teaching in the Meeting and Event Planning Certificate program. Ms. Lundquist is the owner of The Lundquist Company, event design, management and production. She is also founder of The Book-In-Hand Roadshow which presents workshops on topics of interest to writers. Ms. Lundquist holds a Masters of Arts degree in Fine Art, a Bachelors of Art in Fine Art, and a Bachelors of Art in English, all from Sacramento State University (now, California State University Sacramento).

Stephanie McGann Jantzen has delivered expertise and experience in political and policy consulting, crisis communication and public affairs strategies across the political landscape in California for over 25 years. She has managed statewide California races, Congressional, Senate and Assembly campaigns, as well as local campaigns and ballot measures.

Lisa Montanaro joined Sacramento State in 2013, teaching in the areas of productivity, organization, and time management at the College of Continuing Education. Lisa is the owner of Lisa Montanaro Global Enterprises, LLC, which she founded in 2002.

“The dedicated faculty here is like family and our graduates are sought after by employers because of the program’s design that fuses theory and practice.” - Dr. Robert Pieretti.

Katherine Raines has taught writing courses at Sacramento State since 2012, but it wasn’t until 2017 that she taught her first online class for the Bachelor of Science in Career and Technical Studies (BSCTS) degree completion program.

Her challenge was to fold an entire semester’s worth of work – in this case, multicultural children’s literature – into a five-week online course.

Raines picks up the story from there, in her own words:

When Dr. Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin talks about children who struggle with language and learning, she speaks from the heart. Her son had dyslexia and struggled greatly as a young child. She’s helped him overcome those difficulties, as both a speech-language pathologist and a mother.

Professor Heather Sellens is an instructor in the Bachelor of Science in Career and Technical Studies online degree completion program, coordinated by the College of Continuing Education. The online offering began in 2015.

Her class, Assessment and Instruction in Career Technical Education, makes the connection between the teacher teaching and the student learning. ”Teachers must be confident their students have learned what was taught. This class will give future teachers and staff developers multiple ways to measure success.”

Kelly Siefkin knows the value of presentation skills, whether she’s raising money for scholarships, deploying volunteers to disaster areas or publicizing the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country.

Getting the job done requires top-notch communication skills. High school students can hone their abilities during Presentation Skills for College, a summer academy Siefkin is teaching with Sacramento State Professor Rustin Vogt.

Xiaoyan (Sherry) Sun, a computer science professor at Sacramento State, will lead the Digital Forensics Academy and introduce students to one of the fastest growing fields in information security. “The worldwide prevalence of electronic devices has increased the need for digital forensics and created high demand for skilled digital forensics investigators,” said Sun.

Rustin Vogt, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a Sacramento State graduate, has helped us expand our Summer Academies for High School Students. He has also put his expertise to use on a couple of fronts in the community. This year he will be teaching Presentation Skills for College with Kelly Siefkin, a development director at the College of Continuing Education and the Alumni Association.