College of Continuing Education at Sacramento State

Tim Aldinger is the director of Workforce Development Services at the Foundation for California Community Colleges, supporting the economic and workforce development for the 113 Community Colleges of California. He designs and facilitates trainings for the California Workforce Association (CWA) and brings his expertise in communication to CCE’s Workforce Development Professional Certificate and Apprenticeship programs.

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.

Professor Chia-Jung Chung will bring her passion in education to the Future Teachers Academy, where high school students will explore teaching careers and gain hands-on experience in inspiring the love of learning in children. She’s been a professor at Sacramento State since 2004 and specializes in educational technology.

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.

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. 

Steve Jones is a certified interior designer with designTECH Interior Design Services, Inc. in Sacramento and brings more than 30 years of experience designing projects that include hospitality, restaurants, healthcare, education, retail and residential.

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. 

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.

Keithia Kirkaldy has a diverse background that spans information technology, project management, LMS administration and eLearning instructional design and development. She has had careers in several industries including engineering, technology and healthcare. 

Her passion for eLearning developed after joining the global online learning department of MWH Global Inc., now Stantec. Keithia says it was refreshing after all the years of IT support to formalize the learning she had been sharing for many years. 

As as a director in Student Affairs at Sacramento State, Haley Myers Dillon has worked tirelessly to help students in realizing their goals. She founded and chairs the annual, campus-wide entrepreneurial pitch competition called STRONG: Hornets Imagine Tomorrow’s Solutions, where Sac State students compete to win one of four $1,000 cash awards by presenting a 15-minute pitch to regional employers. 

Carl Rabun, Ph.D., has over 25 years of experience in customer service, with more than 10 years of experience in government agencies, He has over 10 years’ experience managing teams in various public and private sector organizations and is a Leadership and Management consultant for Sacramento State College of Continuing Education, Rabobank N.A. and UC Davis Extension.

Diane Schoendienst has been part of the Sac State Paramedic Program since 2017. Her primary focus is introducing paramedic students to anatomy and physiology, and how these relate to human disease processes. She is a lead instructor during dissection labs at the Sacramento Coroner’s Office, where paramedic students further connect concepts of A&P with disease.

Whenever he travels, Abhijeet Shirsat takes along a long a list of recommendations. He likes to know if a place lives up to its reputation, like the time in Philadelphia where he stood in line for three-and-a-half hours for a Philly cheese steak sandwich. “I’m passionate about travel and food. Hospitality is my life,” said Shirsat, professor in Sacramento’s State Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management, who’s leading the Hospitality and Tourism Academy.

Heather Tanfani, a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), joined Sacramento State in 2004, teaching in the Meeting and Event Planning Certificate program at the College of Continuing Education. She is currently president of events!, which she started in 1995.

Nicole Welch joined Sacramento State in 2012 teaching in the Train-the-Trainer Certificate Program. She is currently the principal consultant and executive coach with Transformation Catalysts.

Nicole has provided training, coaching and organization development strategies to public and private clients in California and has worked with the California Department of Public Health, California Employment Development Department and the California Department of Transportation. She currently teaches a management and leadership course at American River College.