College of Continuing Education at Sacramento State

Keith Mahoney has spent two decades in information design – encompassing web and instructional design as well as technical writing and training. He has worked for NASA, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, Cisco and other Silicon Valley start-ups and currently is a manager with Intel.

He joined Sacramento State in 2018 as an instructor and curriculum co-developer for the Instructional Design for eLearning certificate. A graduate of the program, Mahoney says the certificate led to a new professional role and “provided credibility” when he applied for a graduate program at Sacramento State.

Professor Seung Bach not only teaches entrepreneurship at Sacramento State, he turns theory into action and success. As director of the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship, his expertise has helped launch local startups including Silk Road Soda, Safer Lock, Activity Jungle and Sacramento Eco Fitness. Students in the new Entrepreneurship and Innovation Academy will visit business startups and learn how to turn an idea into action, whether it’s for a new product, a better service or a social cause.

Jeannie Benoist joined Sacramento State in 2007 teaching in the Project Management series at the College of Continuing Education. She took a break after the birth of her daughter and rejoined the team in 2015.

A choreographer, performer, activist and educator, Professor Bernard Brown will bring his talent and creativity for the first time to the Summer Academies for High School Students. He will lead the Theater and Performing Arts Academy in 2018. He teaches dance in Sacramento State’s Department of Theatre and Dance and serves as artistic director of the modern dance company, Sacramento/Black Art of Dance.

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. 

Jeff Cooke has been with the Sac State Paramedic program since its start in 2009 and has always been a student favorite. Jeff spent the first 10 years of his career in EMS as an EMT and later a Paramedic with a private ambulance company in Stockton, California. In 1994 he was hired with Sacramento City Fire Department and has been serving the community of Sacramento as a Firefighter/Paramedic since. Jeff has worked in multiple capacities for Sacramento Fire Department including Rescue and Hazmat specialties.

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. 

Lindsay Curtis holds a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Sacramento State. She taught English as a foreign language for two years at an elementary/middle school in the Republic of Azerbaijan. She has tutored several English learners to help improve their speaking, reading, and writing skills, and has interned in two college composition classes for multilingual learners.

Julie Davis-Jaffe has spent 25 years on employment services for youth, adults and dislocated workers. She manages the Sacramento Works America’s Job Centers as a workforce development manager at the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) and also provides staff development and training. She brings an extensive background in career coaching to CCE’s Workforce Development Professional Certificate and Apprenticeship programs.

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. 

Michael A. Hodge joined Sacramento State in 2014, teaching in the online supervisory program at the College of Continuing Education. Michael is the owner of Organizational Development Services and teaches at the Los Rios Community College District Government Training Academy.

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. 

Stewart Knox’s dedication to workforce development has defined his career. He is currently executive director and a governor appointee to the state Employment Training Panel. He has also served executive roles for a number of partnerships and municipalities and brings his strategic and practical leadership to CCE’s Workforce Development Professional Certificate and Apprenticeship programs.

Professor Laurie Kubicek has been teaching law to undergraduate students in the California State University and the University of California systems since 1998. She has taught in the Division of Criminal Justice at Sacramento State since 2002. A member of the State Bar of California, her areas of interest include criminal law, judicial process and legal research. 

“Leadership is providing direction and focus to an individual or group of individuals that is so inspiring or compelling that it guides them down a path of excellence. It is communicating their worth and value to the point that it inspires self-growth beyond what they expect for themselves.”

Education: B.A. in TESOL from BYU-Hawaii; working towards M.A. in TESOL at Sacramento State

Languages spoken: Ukrainian, Russian, English

What do you enjoy most about being an ESL instructor?

“I love sharing my knowledge with students and helping them achieve their goal of acquiring a new language. At the same time, I love learning about their cultures and creating friendships.”

Born and raised in Dortmund, Germany, an industrial mining city destroyed in World War II, Ulrich “Ulli” Luenemann developed a strong sense of wanderlust at a very young age. As a young adult, he pursued military service as his ticket to freedom and volunteered with the German Luftwaffe (air force). “I’m like Top Gun, I have a need for speed,” says Luenemann. Flying fighter jets across Europe and the United States furthered his passion for world travel.

Education: B.A. in English, M.A. in English/Creative Writing, Sacramento State and M.A. in TESOL, Sacramento State

Languages spoken: English and Japanese

What do you enjoy most about being an ESL instructor?

“I’ve always enjoyed studying English, and so teaching it gives me a chance to learn and enjoy it even more, and learning about the different students’ languages and cultures is a wonderful added value that deepens my appreciation of everything.”

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.

Dr. Ernie Olson, known for his creative approach to teaching and his humorous delivery style, received an outstanding teaching award from the College of Health and Human Services at Sacramento State. Throughout his tenure, he consistently earned top marks from his students and now, he’s now inspiring a new generation of students as an instructor in the Fashion Academy.

Robin Purdy has planned and implemented federal workforce legislation, developed customer-centered workforce policy, engaged businesses and other partners in developing a one-stop system for job seekers and is now, preparing the next generation of workforce leaders in California as an instructor in CCE’s Workforce Development Professional Apprenticeship Program.

Professor Drew Reams brings his students into the “real life” world of criminologists as an instructor in the Summer Academies for High School Students program. He is a professor of biological sciences at Sacramento State and heads the Forensics Academy, showing students how forensic biology can solve crimes and how CSI really works.

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.

Christina Strandgaard has been a lecturer with the Department of Biological Sciences at Sacramento State since 2011 and is an instructor in the Summer Academies for High School Students program. In the Health Careers 101 Academy, students will learn whether a career in the health profession suits their interests, talents and skills by researching various health professions and developing academic and career goals.

Rustin Vogt is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Sacramento State and an instructor in the Summer Academies for High School Students program. He opens up the world of robotics in the Engineering and Robotics Academy, where students build and program their own “Boe-Bot.”