Faculty
Advanced Spanish Language Studies
Dr. Marion Hart is an experienced educator and program coordinator specializing in language instruction, bilingual advocacy and civic engagement. With almost two decades in language education, Marion is also the Director of Spanish Language Debate. Her work focuses on building students’ skills in argumentation, public speaking and cultural awareness, preparing them for success in academic and civic spaces. Marion has a Master’s and Doctorate from UC Irvine and is a dedicated advocate for programs that support bilingual education and community engagement across California.
Adobe Graphic Design Bootcamp
Ivan Bradley has been an educator for 30 years, receiving several educator awards during that time. The past 15 years, he has taught various courses as a lecturer professor for the Graphic Communication department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. This follows nearly 20 years in the graphic arts profession. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art from Humboldt State University, and a Master of Education, Computers in Education degree from Lesley University of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has published three digital books, and a 234-page textbook “The Graphics of Communication: Exploring the Graphic Arts and Design.”
branding AND Design
Dr. Donna Templeton is currently serving as a faculty member in the Graphic Communication Department at Cal Poly. Having taught a diverse array of courses over the past 15 years, ranging from digital publishing technologies to magazine and book design, Donna is deeply passionate about guiding students toward their fullest potential. Equipped with a recently earned Ph.D. in Strategic Media, Donna's research delves into the realm of cross-media engagement-based communication and disruptive technologies. Driven by a commitment to innovation and student success, Donna looks forward to teaching opportunities that shape the next generation of graphic communication professionals.
Communication AND Society
Dr. Christina Kaviani is a lecturer in Communications Studies and Women's, Gender & Queer Studies (WGQS) at Cal Poly and has over a decade of experience in the field of gender-based violence prevention education and response. She currently teaches public speaking and theories, approaches, and debates on gender and violence, with an emphasis on the complex intersections of sexuality with race, ethnicity, class, nation, age, religion, and/or able-bodiedness. She has a PhD in Human Development a Master of Arts in K-12 School Counseling and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology.
Digital Advertising
Dr. McDonald-Liu specializes in how organizations communicate to publics using a tonality similar to that of humans on social media. She began her career working in digital communications at Walt Disney Studios and as an assistant to the Vice President of International Marketing. She also worked as a digital sales specialist for Valpak and ran her own cosplay catering business after spending time in Japan as an ESL instructor.
Film Studies
Emily Ryalls is an Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary Studies. Dr. Ryalls is a recipient of the 2022-2023 Distinguished Teaching Award. Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of critical/cultural studies and feminist media studies. Dr. Ryalls's research has explored issues of age, race, class, gender, and sexuality in media sites such as Scream Queens, Gossip Girl, 13 Reasons Why, and The Hunger Games. Her book, The Culture of Mean: Representing Victims and Bullies in Popular Culture, is the first sustained feminist critique of the contemporary bullying narrative in media.
Geography AND Technology
Dr. Fricker is a Biogeographer who teaches in the Social Sciences Department. He specializes in different mapping technologies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, LiDAR mapping, urban forests, deep learning and artificial intelligence. He applies his mapping skills to his teaching and research. Some current projects include mapping wildfire risk, the spatiotemporal distribution of eelgrass in the Morro Bay Estuary, Urban Trees in CA, and Agroforestry in the Amazon Basin. Dr. Fricker enjoys bringing technical skills to non-technical CLA students; showing them how to explore geographic data through their own interests and how a passion for geography can lead to careers.
Innovation AND Entrepreneurship
Dr. Christiane Schroeter is a Professor in the Agribusiness Department at Cal Poly. With a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, her work has earned her numerous accolades, including the Outstanding Dissertation Award. Dr. Schroeter's research has appeared in prestigious journals like the Journal of Health Economics, and she's known for her inspiring teaching style. As the first Faculty Fellow at Cal Poly's Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), she encourages students to explore entrepreneurship. Recognized for her excellence in teaching, she has received awards from various national and international organizations. In her class on Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Agriculture, Dr. Schroeter guides students to bridge theory and practice, emphasizing customer development and connecting them to CIE innovation programs. Beyond her academic pursuits, Dr. Schroeter enjoys quality time with her family on the Central Coast and traveling. She's also a fitness enthusiast, teaching classes at the Cal Poly Rec Center and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Marketing Bootcamp
Dina Vees earned her Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communication from Carroll University and a Master of Fine Arts in Media Design from Full Sail University. Her teaching and research interests are Prepress, workflow automation, variable data, marketing, and HTML/CSS/JavaScript. She spent many years in the integrated marketing communication profession prior to teaching. Dina currently teaches Orientation to Graphic Communication, Consumer Packaging, and Applied Graphic Communication Practices.
Political Science
Tyler Johnson graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with an MSc in Comparative Politics with a specialization in Comparative Political Economy. Tyler's research focused on voter behavior and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. He lived in China studying Sino-Iranian Relations. Additionally, Tyler has worked on several political campaigns varying from U.S. Presidents, U.S. Congress (as grassroots organizer and strategist) and the California State Senate.
Spanish Language Studies
Claudia Gwinn is from Barcelona, Spain. In addition to lecturing at Cal Poly, she teaches ESL to migrant workers through The Field Institute as a substitute and does translations and interpretations for local schools, like Family Partnership Charter School. Claudia speaks Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.
Theatre Arts
Brian Healy holds an MFA in Theatrical Design and a B.A. in Theatre. He has taught lighting design, scenic design, stagecraft, and dramatic theory for 23 years. He is an Associate Professor of Stage Design and Technical Production, and Department Chair of Cal Poly Theatre and Dance. Between the Pacific Coast and the Great Lakes, Brian has worked at or with such companies as Sundance Resort (Utah), Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center (Seattle), Long Beach Opera (CA), Windy City Music Theatre (Chicago), and Hot House Theatre (St. Louis).
UX Design
Christine Lee is an Assistant Professor with over two decades of industry experience at companies such as IBM, Amazon, and Dell EMC, she has led teams of designers and researchers in the U.S., Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and the Philippines. Her role as a design executive has fueled her passion for aligning corporate business objectives with human-centric design. She is also experienced in building teams and credibility with executive management, key clients, and employees through excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Web DevelopmenT
April Elliott is a Cal Poly alumnus, earning her BS in Graphic Communication with a concentration in Web and Digital Media, and her Master of Arts in Education with specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. April's specialty is graphic design using the Adobe Creative Suite. She entered the field 20 years ago in Las Vegas, prepressing graphics for large format printing at Global Experience Specialists. She has since worked as a graphic designer for screen printing and embroidery at J. Carroll Corporation and does freelance work. She currently teaches Digital Publishing Systems and Intro to GrC at Cal Poly.
World history
Dr. Matthew Hopper is a Professor of History at California Polytechnic State University. His book, Slaves of One Master: Globalization and Slavery in Arabia in the Age of Empire was a finalist for the 2016 Frederick Douglass Book Prize. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, a Member at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, the Smuts Visiting Research Fellow in Commonwealth Studies at the University of Cambridge, a British Academy Visiting at King’s College London, and the Ali Mazrui Senior Fellow at the Africa Institute in Sharjah. He has received fellowships from Fulbright (IIE), the Social Science Research Council and Fulbright-Hays.
