I am one of three full-time faculty teaching the "Geo" courses at Ventura College. The other faculty members are Philip Clinton and Chloe Branciforte. A number of part-time faculty, also help teach the courses in Geography/Geology/GIS. I commonly teach Physical Geography, World Regional Geography and the Geographic Information Systems courses. I also teach our Introduction to Environmental Science course (ESRM V02)
I am the co-advisor of our Environmental and Outdoors Student Organization (EOSO club) at Ventura College. We learn about and engage in Environmental projects and Outdoor activities (hikes, camping, restoration projects, climbing, ....)
This is my twenty-third year at Ventura college. Besides teaching geography and serving at the Geosciences Department Chair (in the past), I give oversight to our GIS program and our Environmental Science program. I also am the co-chair of our campus facilities committee (FOG). This committee has been actively involved in all the new buildings on campus and deals with all the campus facility issues that come up.
In the Spring Semester of 2006 I was able to take a 4-month sabbatical in New Zealand. I was a sabbatical visitor at the University of Auckland (at the time the unit I was in was called the School of Geography and Environmental Science.) I was able to repeat this sabbatical experience in Spring 2015. I again was a visiting educator at the University of Auckland (in the renamed School of Environment.) This 2nd visit of 5-months was also an excellent opportunity to grow in my career. I am on sabbatical again in Spring 2022 updating our GIS program.
I have been on a few cycles of our campus Faculty Academy where a group of faculty along with educational trainers explore teaching strategies with a focus on equity practices. This has been a wonderful addition to the excellent teacher education program I was in back in the 1980s.
All through the 1990s, I taught or helped teach a number of different courses at Santa Barbara City College and UCSB. These included: Cultural Geography, Economic Geography, Physical Geography, Physical Geography Lab, Environmental Studies: The Physical Earth; Solar Energy and the Environment, Introduction to Mapping and GIS, and GIS: Software Applications.
I worked for the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) from 1991-1999 primarily as the Education Projects Manager.
In the late 80's I taught High School math (Pre-Algebra through Calculus)
I am married with two young adult children. I love to travel and have been to many parts of our planet. Things I enjoy are mainly outdoors like hiking and bodysurfing (did BIG waves in my youth, but now am happy to just body wamp). Activities that were more a part of my life but I still on occasion engage in are beach volleyball, soccer, ocean diving, and skiing. When needing a mental break, I am often designing something in my head (houses, buildings, neighborhoods, transportation networks and the like) ... don't hesitate to ask what my latest dream project is. Just need some money!