Outstanding Faculty 2016-17

Most Outstanding Faculty 2016-17

  • Dr. Chace Tydell - Biology Dr. Chace Tydell has loved teaching anatomy, biology, and physiology at Cerritos College since 2010. She earned a veterinary degree from the University of California, Davis and practiced pet medicine for 15 years. Fascinated by the role of the immune system in health and disease, Dr. Tydell accepted a post-doctoral post at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where she identified a novel anti-bacterial protein. For this discovery, Dr. Tydell was awarded a National Institutes of Health grant for research she pursued at the California Institute of Technology. She feels she has found her home among the amazing students of Cerritos College. As pre-health advisor, Dr. Tydell is dedicated to student success. She leads two advanced biology seminars each semester. Her Strange Biology seminar has studied animals that can photosynthesize and some that can dehydrate entirely for decades and come back to life.
  • Dr. Steven La Vigne - DSPS Dr. Steven La Vigne provides academic counseling and academic access to students with disabilities. He completed his doctorate in organizational leadership, publishing his dissertation, California Community College Administrators’ and DSPS Directors’ Perception and Understanding of Accommodating Students with Disabilities, in March 2015. He presented his research at the California Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED) conference. He also published two articles in the CAPED Communique: Students with Disabilities get a V.I.P. Experience, and Calling on Your President. Dr. La Vigne’s research furthered his passion toward implementing change in higher education, and civil rights advocacy for all. Additionally, as the Active Minds’ club advisor, he uses his leadership to bring awareness to the stigmas surrounding mental health. Moreover, he helped bring the Send Silence Packing tour to Cerritos College in 2016, an emotionally powerful exhibit that displays over 1,000 backpacks representing the 1,100 suicides committed annually. Dr. La Vigne is passionate about helping all students realize their potential to thrive at Cerritos College and in life.
  • James MacDevitt is Assistant Professor of Art at Cerritos College, Director/Curator of the Cerritos College Art Gallery, and Director of the Foundation for Art Resources, one of the oldest non-profit arts advocacy groups in Southern California, which brought the latest iteration of the FAR Bazaar to the abandoned Fine Arts building at Cerritos College. In addition to founding the multi-institutional SUR:biennial and the collaborative Art+Tech Artist-in-Residency, MacDevitt has also curated numerous exhibitions for the College, including OVER/FLOW: Horror Vacui in an Age of Information Abundance, Architectural Deinforcement: Constructing Disaster, and Decay, and After Image: The Photographic Process(ed). His essay “The User-Archivist and Collective (In)Voluntary Memory: Read/Writing the Networked Digital Archive” was included in Revisualizing Visual Culture, and his essay “The Ties That Un/Bind: On the Enigmatic Appeal of Meta/Data” was featured in the catalog for MetaDataPhile: The Collapse of Visual Information at California State University, Fullerton’s Begovich Gallery. MacDevitt holds a master’s in art history from the University of California, Riverside, where he previously served as Digital Media Associate and Assistant Director of its Sweeney Art Gallery. Each semester, James MacDevitt delights and challenges our senses with his thoughtful exhibitions in the Cerritos College Art Gallery. Recently, James worked on a massive scale with the successful FAR Bazaar exhibit, which captured the attention of the Los Angeles art world and brought thousands of patrons to our campus for a truly unique art experience. James also organizes the highly successful Student Art Exhibition (SAE) and the artist-in-residence program collaborating with the CTE programs on campus and professional artists. James’ wonderful sense of humor and artistic talent is only surpassed by his love of teaching.
  • Dr. Kim Berling - Philosophy Dr. Kim Berling is an adjunct faculty in the Philosophy Department. In her two years at Cerritos College, she has taught world religions, feminism, and critical thinking. She also established a compassion-based Compassion-In-Action Club this year, which has worked on the issues of student hunger. The club won an award in its first semester. Dr. Berling has a holistic teaching approach which connects academic courses with compassionate activities. In her spare time, Dr. Berling runs a small non-profit organization in Nepal. She brings her spirit of volunteerism and altruism into all the work she does on campus. Dr. Berling serves on three committees on campus; Safe Zone, Service Learning Connectedness, and the Incubator Project, a sub-committee of the Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee. She also delivered a TEDx talk on campus this year. Dr. Berling is an active member of Cerritos College.
  • Jeffery Bradbury - Chemistry Jeffery Bradbury loves teaching at Cerritos College and loves the faculty and students. He grew up in Downey, and like many of Cerritos College students, he is the only person in his family’s history to graduate from college. Bradbury earned his chemistry degree from Biola University. He struggled to earn his master’s degree from California Polytechnic State University, Pomona in the evenings while teaching chemistry during the day at Warren High School. Bradbury is married to his wife Lisa and have three children. He loves to backpack and build craftsman style wood furniture. “I simply want to teach the way Jesus, and many of my wonderful colleagues teach. I believe teaching is what can be called a transforming friendship. My personal mission in life is to help others get ahead,” he said.
  • Connie Mayfield - Music In her music career, Connie Mayfield has been a professor, a dean, an author, and a performer. She holds a Ph.D. in music theory from the University of Kansas. Prior to that, she was a Fulbright Scholar to London, England, where she studied for three years. Her textbook, Theory Essentials, originally published in 2002, is in its second edition. It is used by almost 200 colleges and universities in the United States and around the world. As a professor in the Music Department, Connie teaches the four-semester sequence of music theory courses—required for all music majors. She inspires her students by sharing her love of the subject and making her classes a place of joy and lively exchange. After serving as the Dean of the Fine Arts Division for seven years, she considers her move back to teaching as the best decision she has ever made.
  • Ja’net Danielo - English Ja’net Danielo began teaching at Cerritos College as a part-time instructor in 2004 before accepting a full-time position in 2012. Ja’net prides herself on the rapport she establishes with her students, as she believes it is the foundation on which their success is built. It’s also her conviction that the college experience should extend beyond the classroom. Ja’net coordinates several campus events and workshops that help students see that Cerritos College is not just a school but a diverse, inclusive community to which they belong. Ja’net is a member of the Safe Zone Committee and an advisor for the Creative Writer’s Club. Currently, she is working with colleagues to develop a creative writing program to foster a literary culture on campus by inviting writers and promoting student and faculty readings. Ja’net looks forward to contributing to her department and the campus for years to come.
  • Sylvia Bello-Gardner - Counseling Sylvia is a daughter of immigrants – her mother from Mexico, and father from Italy. She grew up in the surrounding community and was a first generation college student. Sylvia has dedicated her career to furthering education for students. She completed her B.A. in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and M.S in education psychology from California State University, Long Beach. Her work at Cerritos College began in 1978 as the EOPS outreach worker, and she later worked as a counselor for UCLA’s Academic Advancement Program. Sylvia joined the Counseling Department in 1987 and serves as a specialist in health occupations majors. She has taught in the Learning Communities FYE program since 1995. She has served as the Counseling Department Instructional Chair, and is on the leadership team for Cerritos Complete/K-16 as one of the lead counselors. She will be completing her 30 years at the College this year.
  • Dr. Miodrag Micic - Mathematics Professor Dr. Miodrag “Mickey” Micic, Sc.D., Ph.D., M.T.M., CSWP, is department chair and instructor of engineering design technology. Before joining Cerritos College, Dr. Micic was a vice president of research and development at MP Biomedicals LLC in Santa Ana, California. Dr. Micic has published books, research, and review articles, and he is an inventor with issued U.S. patents. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in chemistry from the University of Miami; M.T.M. from Washington State University, WA; Sc.D, and M.Sc. in physical chemistry and bachelor’s in physics and fundamentals of engineering from University of Belgrade; and another bachelor’s from Belgrade Polytechnic Academy. Dr. Micic is a Certified SolidWorks Professional, Accredited SolidWorks Educator, and Solidworks Research Partner. He currently holds a few adjunct teaching positions and works as an industry consultant. Dr. Micic is also a commercial pilot, certified flight instructor, advanced ground instructor, and PADI Master Scuba Diver.