Arts and Humanities welcomes new faculty

Meet CSUB’s latest faculty

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 1^st, 2020

This year the School of Arts and Humanities (AH) welcomes five new faculty members, as well as a faculty member in the Walter W. Stiern Library.

Read below to learn more about each one.

Dr. Joseph Florez

Dr. Joseph Florez's expertise is in contemporary religious movements in Latin America and Latinx religious traditions. He is particularly interested in the relationship of violence and religious change in everyday life. Dr. Florez's current research explores the growth of Pentecostalism in Chile at the beginning of the twentieth century. Before coming to CSUB, he taught at Union College in New York. Dr. Florez received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and B.A. and M.T.S. from Harvard College and Harvard Divinity School respectively. He grew up in New Mexico and is a first-generation college graduate.

Dr. Jared Millson

Dr. Jared Millson joins CSUB from Agnes Scott College—a small liberal arts college for women in metro Atlanta. He taught philosophy for over nine years, served as department chair, and founded a minor in foundations of AI in collaboration with Google.

His areas of expertise are logic, epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of language.

“My partner works as a research dietitian and we enjoy cooking together and trying to survive the pandemic with their two young daughters,” said Dr. Millson.

Dr. Tiffany Tsantsoulas

Dr. Tsantsoulas specializes in feminist and decolonial philosophies as well as the critical philosophy of race. Much of her research approaches questions about how structural oppressions and privileges are both reproduced and challenged within everyday life.

She received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the Pennsylvania State University and holds an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Ottawa. She is passionate about social justice and working in local communities.

Prior to coming to CSUB, Dr. Tsantsoulas helped found the Restorative Justice Initiative and prison education program at Penn State University. When she isn't reading or writing, you'll find Dr. Tsantsoulas outside with her daughter and partner gardening and relaxing in nature.

Kristen Gallant (Library)

Prior to her relocation in California, she was the fine arts librarian at Binghamton University in upstate New York. Her background is in art history, specifically in medieval and Renaissance studies, which she has both B.A. and M.A. degrees. She has a second M.A. degree in library and information science.

“I was drawn to CSUB because of the small campus and diverse student body. I wanted the opportunity to use both of my degrees and being the outreach and user engagement librarian allows me to do that. While I do not teach credit courses, I do provide specialized information and visual literacy instruction on campus,” said Gallant. Gallant is also the department liaison for art, music, and theatre.

“I have made good use of my subject knowledge and background in the arts in this position,” she said.

Gallant said one of the most enjoyable aspects of her position in the Walter W. Stiern Library is creating exhibits emphasizing the library’s role in the community while showcasing its materials.

“I am currently working on a history of voting rights exhibit that will be launched virtually next month. Being a librarian allows me to work with students, faculty, and community members. I really do have the best job and I could not ask for a better academic institution to work for than CSUB.”