February 2023: Accomplishments of the CSULB community
Nancy de Haro named January Employee of the Month
Nancy de Haro, lead academic advisor for Liberal Studies, has been named Employee of the Month for January. De Haro ‘14 received a master’s degree in social and cultural analysis of education from the College of Education, and has been working with CED students for the past five years.
She has served as an academic advisor and program coordinator since 2017, developing and running second-year workshops, transitioning first-year advising and orientation to online platforms, serving as college liaison for the Beach Pledge Program and university-wide re-enrollment campaign, coordinating biweekly email newsletters for Liberal Studies, and supporting students who are pursuing the Spanish Bilingual Authorization. She also trains and supervises Liberal Studies peer mentor and has served as a part-time lecturer since 2018.
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Nancy as a colleague for years, and I recognize that she is and always has been an outstanding employee of the campus based on her involvement and leadership as both a staff member and lecturer, as well as due to her own personal demeanor and ambitions,” said Aleah Garnica, de Haro’s previous supervisor and the prior lead academic advisor for Liberal Studies.
John Hamilton to receive Heritage Award at aquarium
Dr. John Hamilton, associate vice president of student success & equity, will receive the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Heritage Award on Feb. 26 at the aquarium’s Honda Pacific Visions Theater. The 1 p.m. ceremony will occur during the aquarium’s 21st annual African American Festival, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 25-26. A separate African American Scholar Program award ceremony is happening at 1 p.m. Feb. 25, and will be livestreamed on the festival webpage and on YouTube.
Hamilton is recognized for his dedication to equity and strengthening communities. Hamilton serves as co-chair of the CSULB President’s Equity and Change Commission, and is also an executive board member of the Long Beach Branch of NAACP.
English associate professor nominated for National Book Critics Circle Award
David Hernandez ‘98, an associate professor in English who teaches creative writing, has been nominated for a prestigious National Book Critics Circle Award for his fifth book of poetry, “Hello I Must Be Going.” Hernandez, a graduate of the English department, is only one of five nominees nationwide in the poetry category.
The nominees for best books of 2022 are chosen by a jury of working critics and book review editors. The awards ceremony will be held March 23 at the New School in New York City.
Also in the English department, Professor Patty Seyburn recently had a poem published in the Los Angeles Times. The work is titled “Ode to the Santa Anas,” and appeared in the Op-Ed section of the publication.
Alumnus named new fire chief for Long Beach Fire Department
Dennis Buchanan ’09 was appointed Feb. 8 to be the 19th fire chief at the Long Beach Fire Department. He’s the first Black/Latinx fire chief for Long Beach, according to the department. As chief, he will oversee about 545 sworn and civilian staff over four divisions, with an annual operating budget of $154 million.
Buchanan received his Bachelor of Science in vocational education from the College of Health and Human Services. Before becoming chief, he was deputy chief of support services since January 2021. Before that, he served many roles within the department, including firefighter/paramedic, fire captain, battalion chief and assistant chief of support services. He has been with the Long Beach Fire Department since November 1993.
Resident life coordinator wins outstanding new professional award
Hannah Elliott, a residential life coordinator for the Parkside South community, has won the outstanding new professional award from the California College Personnel Association (CCPA). The award recognizes a new professional who has made outstanding contributions to student affairs. The recipient cannot have more than five years of professional experience in student affairs.
Elliot’s supervisor, Sara Drischler, wrote in her nomination: “Hannah has met the many challenges (e.g., departmental restructure, “post”-COVID reintegration, and the first year of the Black/Pan-African Scholars thematic community) with insight, work quality, efficiency, and an ethic of love that surpasses many seasoned practitioners.”
Film professor’s documentary gets theatrical and VOD release
“Body Parts,” a feature-length documentary produced by film associate professor Helen Hood Scheer, had a nationwide theatrical release this month, with screenings in Long Beach, Glendale, Riverside and 17 other cities. It is also available on video-on-demand on Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play and Vudu, and will be broadcast and streaming on Starz in March.
The documentary, which traces the evolution of sex scenes in television and movies from women’s perspectives, made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2022.
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