School of Social Sciences and Education celebrates new faculty members

Nine educators join university this academic year

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 15^th, 2023

The School of Social Sciences and Education at California State University, Bakersfield is welcoming nine new faculty members for the 2023-24 academic year.

All of the new faculty are starting this fall except for Dr. Jose Villagran, who will be joining CSUB in the spring as an assistant professor in the Ethnic Studies Department. The school is also celebrating two professors who have been promoted to tenure track.

This year’s new SSE faculty are:

School of Social Sciences and Education celebrates new faculty members

Dr. Pavneet Bharaj, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education

Dr. Bharaj is joining CSUB after working as the postdoctoral researcher in a STEM equity project at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics education from Indiana University, Bloomington, and has a double master’s in mathematics and education from India. Her research interests include investigating how the interplay between cognitive and psychological constructs influence teachers’ instructional decisions.

Dr. Bharaj is excited to start a new step in her career by working at CSUB.

“Right now, I feel really overwhelmed as I am trying to adjust into this new environment and new set of responsibilities, but I am thoroughly enjoying my conversations with everyone and looking forward to the future endeavors,” she said.

Dr. Nora Cisneros, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies

Dr. Cisneros’ research involves how indigenous and Chicana/Latina youth can be engaged to help create more just education policies, more meaningful social movements and, ultimately, more empowered ways of living. She is a founding member of the Mothers of Color in Academia collective and also serves as secretary for the Bakersfield chapter of the California Faculty Association.

“I am honored to join the ethnic studies community at CSUB because the students and their families, as well as the ethnic studies faculty, are amazing changemakers. I want to co-create and imagine with them!” Dr. Cisneros said. “As many of our students face distresses due to health inequities, gentrification, climate change, environmental toxins and ongoing violence in our schools, the teaching of ethnic studies is necessary to create more just relationships with each other. Ethnic studies departments are spaces of refuge, healing and empowerment.”

Dr. Maria Gutierrez de Jesus, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies

Dr. Gutierrez de Jesus is a postdoctoral scholar coming from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She received her Ph.D. in Native American studies from the University of California, Davis. Her teaching and research interests include indigenous-based teaching practices, community-based education, community media and indigenous cultural and language revitalization.

Dr. Gutierrez de Jesus is part of the P’urhépecha people from Michoacán, Mexico, and takes P’urhépecha language classes in her free time.

“I am passionate about teaching ethnic studies and indigenous studies courses from a hemispheric perspective,” she said. “I am excited to join Ethnic Studies at CSUB because of their broader vision of Native American studies that fosters intellectual dialogues.”

Dr. Heidi McLaughlin, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Dr. McLaughlin comes to CSUB after working as a professor of developmental and cultural psychology at the Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. She holds a Ph.D. in cognitive development with a focus on cultural contributions from UC Riverside. She has spent much of her time conducting research in East Africa, studying how youth there learn about health concepts such as germs.

Her interest in research on the relationship between culture and the way people think began while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Russian language and literature at the University of Illinois, Chicago. She had the opportunity to study abroad in St. Petersburg and work in a research lab there, which sparked her interest in studying cognition.

“I've loved getting to work here with the faculty, staff, and students,” Dr. McLaughin said of joining CSUB. “My favorite part of being at CSUB has been how warm and welcoming everyone is! It’s made the transition to our new home very easy.”

Dr. Maruti Mishra, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Dr. Mishra has taught at institutions including Harvard Medical School in Boston, the University of Rochester, New York, and the University of Richmond in Virginia. She has a Ph.D. in cognitive science from the University of Allahabad, India. Her research revolves around consciousness, face blindness and the impact of cultural factors on visual perception.

Dr. Mishra is the director of the Mind–Sight Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory on campus, which explores how the brain perceives the physical world and how these perceptions interact with attention, memory, consciousness and other aspects of visual cognition.

“I am excited to be a part of the `Runner family and get involved with the Department of Psychology in contributing to the mission of CSUB,” she said. “I was drawn to this position due to my strong interest in teaching, my unique research background and my motivation to train, share knowledge and inspire the next generation of students.”

Lupita Reyes-Garcia, Social Work Lecturer

Reyes-Garcia is a licensed clinical social worker who works in school settings. She has helped coordinate mental health services for students and implement programs such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at various school sites.

Reyes-Garcia is a CSUB alumna who received her master’s degree in social work from the university. She also holds a bachelor’s in sociology from CSU Long Beach as well as a credential in school social work from CSU Sacramento.

She is excited to be able to give back to CSUB with her new role.

“It is a great honor and pleasure for me to serve as a faculty member at CSU Bakersfield!” Reyes-Garcia said. “For me, this is so much more than a job. I’m here to pay it forward and to continue to legacy of an institution that is embedded into the well-being of its community.”

Dr. Jake Womick, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Dr. Womick earned his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he studied how people derive meaning from political attitudes and beliefs such as authoritarianism. His research goals are to understand how society can leverage its scientific understanding of politics to bridge political divides and strengthen democracy.

“I'm thrilled to be joining the CSUB community,” he said. “I was excited to accept this position for a number of reasons: We have a Psychology Department that is both strong and welcoming, we have a really wonderful and unique population of students that we serve and we have a commitment to making a positive impact on the surrounding Bakersfield community through our work.”

Dr. Adeli Ynostroza Ochoa, Assistant Professor for Liberal Studies

Dr. Ochoa joins CSUB after spending the past couple of years as an assistant instructor at the University of Texas in Austin. She also has 14 years of experience as a bilingual elementary school teacher and spent five years training pre-service elementary school teachers.

Dr. Ochoa received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas in bilingual curriculum and instruction. Her research focuses on elementary pre-service and in-service teachers’ cultural and linguistic practices in the classroom.

“As a first-generation graduate, working at CSUB is a thing of dreams,” she said. “I am extremely happy to be here at CSUB and look forward to my new community — it is home.”

PROMOTED TO TENURE TRACK

Dr. Jeremiah Sataraka, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies

Dr. Sataraka teaches Pacific studies, Asian American studies and ethnic studies courses at CSUB and is the co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Pride Faculty & Staff affinity group. His primary research interests include Ocean Critical Race Theory — a type of critical race theory that focuses on oceanic populations, such as Pacific Islanders — and increasing the visibility of Queer and/or Transgender Pacific Islander (QTPI) activists and communities.

Dr. Sataraka received his Ph.D. in cultural studies and social thought in education from Washington State University. Prior to coming to CSUB, he worked for the Central Valley Pacific Islander Alliance as well as a nonprofit organization in Fresno that serves primarily Southeast Asian communities.

“I am excited and honored to work alongside my ethnic studies colleagues to continue building on the field’s 50-plus years of academic rigor, activist origins and communities of color-centered traditions,” he said. “I am grateful for this opportunity to expand the presence of critical Pacific Islands & Oceania studies, Asian American studies, and queer & trans ethnic studies at CSUB, and hopeful that even though I may be one of few Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander faculty, I won’t be the last.”

Tamarah Williams, Assistant Professor of Human Development and Child, Adolescent and Family Studies

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s in education with an emphasis in leadership in early childhood education from Brandman University. She is in the process of completing her Ph.D. in education with a specialization in leadership and advocacy in early childhood.

In addition to her teaching duties at CSUB, Williams is the site manager for the Jumpstart program at the university and is part of the Uplift grant, which is building pathways for a pre-K credential for students.

“I am excited to venture into this new journey to help develop students at CSUB while providing experiences that implement diverse, inclusive, and equitable opportunities,” she said.