Alumni Profiles
Elliott Vest (2019)
As of Fall 2023, Elliott Vest is a PhD mathematics student finishing his last year
at University of California, Riverside. Born and raised in Visalia, California, he
began his college journey at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, then transferred
to Fresno State in 2017 as a mathematics major. He graduated from Fresno State in
2019. It was the inspiration of many of the Fresno State faculty, such as Dr. Comlan
De Souza and Dr. Katherine Kelm, that led him to apply to a PhD program in mathematics
in the first place. From tutoring, to facilitating labs at Fresno State, to now teaching
mathematics at UC Riverside as well as mentoring incoming graduate students, Elliott
has a strong passion for teaching and hopes to obtain a teaching position after graduation.
He enjoys going to his family cabin at Bass Lake, playing piano, going to the gym,
destroying opponents at ping pong, and roleplaying in Dungeons and Dragons with his
friends.
Zachary Emerzian (2018)
Zac graduated from California State University, Fresno with a BA in Mathematics and
History in the spring of 2018. He is currently a masters student in UC Santa Cruz's
Masters of Science program in Serious Games. Zac is putting the strong reasoning and
problem solving skills he developed at Fresno State to good use as a designer and
developer of interactive experiences.
Kelsey Friesen (2016)
After graduating from Reedley High School, Kelsey enrolled in the Honors Program at
Reedley College and completed her associates degree in math in May 2012. She then
continued her study of mathematics at Fresno State and finished her B.A. in May 2014
and M.A. in May 2016. Currently, she is a full-time math instructor at Clovis Community
College.
Jennifer Elder (2016)
Jennifer earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Mathematics at Fresno State.
Her Master’s Thesis was on Generalizations of the Futurama Theorem,” a problem related
to cycle decompositions of permutations. After graduating in 2016, she went on to
earn a PhD in Mathematics from Arizona State University in 2021. Her Dissertation
research was in Combinatorics, also on permutation properties. After her PhD, she
spent two years as a Visiting Professor of Mathematics at Rockhurst University in
Kansas City Missouri, and was a Postdoc TA for the 2022 Summer@ICERM Undergraduate Research Program at Brown University. As of Fall 2023, she is an Assistant
Professor of Mathematics at Missouri Western State University in Saint Joseph Missouri.
She is focused on teaching General Education Math classes, and is an active researcher
in Combinatorics.”
Araceli Ramirez (2016)
Araceli is currently in the credential program at Fresno State. She will by teaching
mathematics by August 2016. Here is what she has to say about her teaching experience:
"I love working with students. I am very patient with my students. I don't mind modifying
my lesson if students do not understand the material. I hope that I can teach my students
to be critical thinkers. I want them to enjoy math. As a student I was not very sharp
but I am a hard worker. You can too reach your goals!"
David Burks (2015)
David received his BA in Mathematics from CSU Fresno in May 2015 and his MA in Mathematics
from CSU Fresno in December 2016. He taught as an adjunct mathematics instructor for
both Fresno City College and Clovis Community College. He then received a 1 year temporary
position at College of Southern Nevada from fellow CSU Fresno alumni Patrick Villa
for the 2017-2018 academic year. He is now a full-time instructor for College of the
Mainland in southeast Texas.
Monica Cuevas (2015)
Monica Cuevas received her Master’s degree in Mathematics with a Teaching Option.
She is currently an adjunct math instructor at Reedley College. Her future plan is
to obtain a full-time position at a community college.
Monorasmey Arun (2014)
Upon completing his BA in mathematics from Fresno State in 2014, Monorasmey had joined
the Fresno Unified/Fresno State Teacher Residency Program. Through the 14 months program,
he had completed his multiple subject credential, his single subject credential in
mathematics as well as his masters in education with an emphasis in curriculum and
instruction. Monorasmey is currently teaching 8th grade math at Fort Miller Middle
School. "Teaching middle school is by far the most challenging group. You don't only
teach them the math but you are teaching them the social skills, and respect. It's
not all about the lessons but it is about getting them to be college and career ready."
Monorasmey plans to teach for another two to three years before moving into a management
position.
Katherine Urabe (2014)
Katie Urabe holds Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and Linguistics from Fresno State,
where she was the 2012 President's Medalist. She received her Master's Degree in Mathematics
from Fresno State in 2014. After graduation, she taught math at the local community
colleges, then went into educational publishing as a curriculum expert for DataWorks
Educational Research and Edmentum. In 2016, Katie became an operations research analyst
for the Department of Defense in Kansas City. She has worked on military studies using
optimization, graph theory, and statistics. Her most notable achievement was a study
on the creation and implementation of a Soldier Credentialing program that was presented
to Congress and recently passed legislation. In 2018, Katie was nominated for the
Barchi Prize for her work on Future Megacities. She is currently pursuing a Master's
Degree in Operations Research from Kansas State University and a Data Science Certificate
from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Anthony Bringetto (2013)
I got my B.A. in mathematics with the goal to pursue high school teaching and coaching.
After two years in the classroom, I decided that I preferred to work with students
individually. I kept teaching Integrated Math 1, Math 2, and Math 3 while I obtained
my master's degree in school counseling. My master's project was a quantitative study
on the effects of parent involvement on student achievement in mathematics. When my
5th year as a teacher ended, I transitioned into the counseling office and really
enjoy the personal connections I can make with some of our most at-risk students.
In the future, I may pursue a Ph. D. in educational research and statistics. My goal
is to make a long-lasting positive impact on the education system.
Dionne Kunkel (2012)
Dionne Kunkel (Ibarra), born and raised in Fresno, CA, obtained her Bachelor's and
Master's degree in mathematics at Fresno State in 2010 and 2012, respectively. She
is currently a PhD student and teaching assistant at George Washington University
pursuing a degree in mathematics with a focus in knot theory and low-dimensional topology.
She worked full-time for the U.S. Department of Justice prior to her accepted at George
Washington University.
Michael Fenton (2011)
Michael joined the Desmos Teaching Faculty in August 2015. Drawing on his experience
as a classroom teacher, graduate school instructor, curriculum writer, and professional
development consultant, Michael loves exploring how to use technology in ways that
foster curiosity and creativity in the math classroom. He graduated from UCLA with
a Bachelor of Science in General Mathematics and holds Master of Arts degrees in Mathematics
from Fresno State. He also holds Master of Arts degrees in Education and Mathematics.
Michael currently lives in Fresno, CA, with his beautiful wife Heather and their four
energetic children.
Kaitlyn Fiechtner (2011)
Kaitlyn Fiechtner, now Kaitlyn Sanchez, graduated Cum Laude with the class of 2011.
She earned her secondary math teaching credential in 2012 and has been teaching ever
since. She is currently teaching at Hughson High School.
Saori Jansen (2011)
Saori Jansen is the IT Coordinator at Fresno Unified School District and a founder
of CoderGirlz, an after school coding club for girls. She works in the district's
Information Technology department, organizes the annual Tournament of Technology which
is over 600 middle school students from across the district to compete against each
other in a variety of technology-based events. She is deeply invested in addressing
the underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM fields. She is originally
from Japan and worked at a software company at Redmond, WA before coming to CA. She
earned both a B.A. in Mathematics and a M.A. in Mathematics with Teaching Option from
Fresno State. She has taught at Clovis Community College, Fresno Community College
as well as Fresno State as an adjunct faculty.
Kevin Skeels (2011)
Currently, I am the senior financial analyst for Sound United in Vista, CA, which
is a consumer electronics company, particularly audio products, that owns Polk Audio,
Definitive Technology, and BOOM by Polk. I've been doing very well here; I was hired
as a financial analyst and was promoted to my current position this past September.
When I was pursuing a Masters in Mathematics I never thought I would end up in corporate
finance!
Ana-Cristina Runnalls (2011)
Cristina received her B.A. in Mathematics from CSU Fresno in 2011, her M.A. in Mathematics
from the University of Iowa in 2013, and ultimately her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education
in 2018. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at
Cal Poly Pomona. Her current research focuses on equitable access to mathematics for
culturally and linguistically diverse students, as well as both pre-service and in-service
teacher education. Cristina was recently featured on the Lathisms website, where
she shared more about her story, background, and motivation for her work: https://www.lathisms.org/calendar-2022s/cristina-runnalls
Lucas Ross (2009)
Lucas Ross teaches AP Calculus and Geometry and is the head coach of the men’s volleyball
team at Hoover High School. He says “The kids here are fantastic. I've seen many of
my students graduate and go on to various universities as first generation college
attendees. They impress me so much every day. I love teaching math, coaching, and
mentoring young people. It truly is an honor and privilege to work in education.”
Paul Savala (2009)
Paul graduated from Fresno State in 2009, then went on to get his PhD from the University
of Iowa in 2016. He is now a visiting assistant professor at Whittier College in Whittier,
CA. His specialties include analytic number theory and data analysis.
Veronica Andrade (2008)
After receiving her Bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential internship, Veronica
began her career as a high school math teacher. After earning her Master’s degree
in Mathematics with a teaching option from Fresno State, she began to work part-time
at Fresno City College as a math instructor. She is pursuing a full-time position
at a community college. She says, “Teaching is a lot of fun and you get to touch many
lives.”
David Martin (2006)
David Martin Graduated from CSU Fresno in December, 2006 with a MA in Mathematics.
After spending a few years teaching mathematics in a part time and temporary capacity
at Fresno City College, College of the Sequoias, and the Clovis Center, he went on
to teach high school full time for one year, at Buhach Colony High School, in Atwater.
Afterward, he entered the graduate program at UC Merced to pursue a PhD in applied
mathematics. He completed his doctorate in the summer of 2015, studying computational
fluid dynamics, under Dr. Blanchette, and specializing in surfactant effects on multiphase
flow. His dissertation was titled: "Accounting for Surface Concentrations Using a
VOF Front Tracking Method in Multiphase Flow". As of 2016, he works as a lecturer
in mathematics at UC Merced and is looking for a tenure track position at a four year
teaching university.
Mike Chamberlain (1998)
Mike Chamberlain obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Fresno State in
1998, and taught at the high school level for 12 years. In 2005, Mike became involved
with the San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project through participation in a 3-year
grant opportunity. Following that experience, Mike continued to stay actively involved
in the project, and returned to Fresno State in 2008 to work on a Master's Degree
in Mathematics, that he received two years later. Since receiving that degree, Mike
has worked as an adjunct mathematics instructor at the West Hills College, Lemoore
campus. He resigned from an 11 year stint as a math teacher at Caruthers High School
in 2012, and took a position with the Fresno County Office of Education as a Mathematics
Consultant. As a part of that work, Mike also is the current Director of the San Joaquin
Valley Mathematics Project at Fresno State. He seeks to serve the student population
in the Central San Joaquin Valley by providing professional learning opportunities
for mathematics educators that support access for all students to an engaging mathematical
education. Mike's vision is to support the growth of teachers who advocate for rigorous
and relevant mathematics; one that allows students to make sense of the world quantitatively
and to appreciate their own power to reason.
Brian Riley (1985)
Brian graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics, cum laude, in 1985, then obtained an M.A.
in Linguistics at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. in 1987. After operating
a math tutoring business for 17 years (Apollo Tutoring), he enrolled in the PhD program
in Education at UC Davis with an emphasis in higher education policy (including service
as a teaching assistant in the math department) and is currently a PhD candidate,
working on his dissertation.
Chris Brownell (1985)
After graduating from CSU Fresno in 1985 with a BA in Mathematics and a Single Subject
teaching credential, Chris went on to teach high school mathematics for 14 years.
During this time, he earned a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics Education from
the Fresno Pacific University where he focused on integration of new technologies
in the mathematics classroom. In 2000 he came on the mathematics faculty at Fresno
Pacific and taught undergraduate mathematics and graduate mathematics education courses.
In 2011 he was hired by the Claremont Graduate University to coordinate a federal
grant assisting teachers in San Bernardino County to earn Master’s degrees in Applied
Mathematics from one of the premiere graduate applied mathematics institutions in
the US. While there, he earned his Ph.D in Mathematics Education, focusing on the
mathematical preparation for teaching of secondary mathematics teachers. He is presently
back in Fresno, CA where he directs the Mathematics and STEM Education Master’s degree
programs and is currently under tenure and rank review to be named an Associate Professor
at Fresno Pacific University. He is also a Senior Researcher at the AIMS Center for
Mathematics & Science Education.
Steve Zapata (1984)
Steve Zapata is entering his 30th year with CalStars, and is currently working with
Lancaster School District. He received his teaching credential from CSU, Sacramento
in 1986, and his Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in
Math Education in 1990. In 2014, he completed his Administrative Credential from CSU,
Dominguez Hills. He has taught from grade 6 through community college as a math instructor
and coach. While working as the District Math Coach for Lancaster School District,
he drastically improved the number of federal/state qualified and credentialed math
teachers, increasing the Algebra 1 proficiency in the district. He also worked as
a Migrant Education teacher in Los Angeles County. A fond memory from his time in
L.A. County is driving into the fields of the Antelope Valley looking for students,
recruiting from the homesteads, and driving to a school site and teaching them. He
says, "Having the math degree has allowed me to travel as an educator throughout California,
as it seems every town/city is advertising for math teachers for every level. I have
worked for no less than 8 school districts, receiving site Teacher of the Year at
two of them."
John McFann (1984)
After graduating from CSU Fresno in 1984 with a BA in Mathematics / Computer Science
Options John went on to be a mainframe computer programmer, with Chevron, in the San
Fransico area for 26 years. During this time, he wrote Mainframe VM/NOMAD for the
first 24 years. In 2009, he took a severance package. Retirement was short in 2010
he worked on the 2010 US Census and then transferred over to become a letter carrier
with the USPS. Married for 27 years, John and his wife have two sons. One who is a
2016 UCLA graduate with a BA in Civil Engineering and another son in his 3rd year
at University of Washington and going for a BA in Mathematics.
Lori M. Hamada (1984)
Lori Hamada has served as the Executive Director of the AIMS Center for Math and Science
Education since its inception in 2014. After teaching math for 14 years in middle
and high school, Lori spent 12 years as the Mathematics Coordinator for the Fresno
County Office of Education (FCOE). She was named a finalist for Administrator of the
Year in Fresno County in 2007 after designing and serving nine years as the Executive
Producer of Math on Call – FCOE's mathematics homework hotline for students that incorporated
a live daily television broadcast with a call center staffed with credentialed mathematics
teachers. Lori worked two years as CEO of the non-profit CPM Educational Program.
Before coming to the AIMS Center, Lori also served as a principal in the Central Unified
School District. She is a former Director of the San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project
and the current Past-President of the Central Section of the California Math Council.
Lori received a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from CSU Fresno in December 1984.
She also holds a Master's Degree in Education from Fresno Pacific College, with a
dual focus in Curriculum & Instruction and in Math Education. She has been a professional
development consultant for over 25 years, 18 as national consultant for the College
Board.
Dr. Anthony Barcellos (1974)
When Anthony Barcellos graduated from Fresno State with a master's degree in mathematics
in 1974, Burke Zane was math department chair (and Barcellos' advisor) and the department
was located in a temporary building on San Ramon Avenue. He then went on to UC Davis,
dabbled in journalism (Albuquerque Journal, 1978, on a AAAS Fellowship), and joined the legislative staff in Sacramento on a State Senate Fellowship, where
he worked for Sen. Albert S. Rodda. After a stint in civil service as part of the
office of State Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh, Barcellos was appointed to the math faculty
of American River College in Sacramento, where he served multiple terms as department
chair. In addition to his Fresno State master's degree, he holds a Ph.D. in math education
from UC Davis. His dissertation is Mathematical Misconceptions of College-Age Algebra Students. Barcellos' novel, Land of Milk and Money (Tagus Press, 2012), is a fictionalized memoir of family travails on an Azorean-immigrant
dairy farm in Tulare County.
James Nickel (1973)
James graduated from Fresno State in 1973 with a BA in mathematics. Some of his favorite
math professors were Dr. Labarre, Dr. Lindae, and Dr. Wagoner. He is currently retired. After
graduation, he immediately worked as a Mathematical Analyst at the Pt. Mugu Naval
Airbase, Pt. Mugu, California. That job introduced him to the world of information
technology. He worked in IT for a publishing company in Bloomington, Minnesota, and
also for a Natural Gas Utility in Shreveport, Louisiana. He held positions from programmer
to Senior Technical Analyst. He also spent many years working as a math educator in
Hawaii, Australia, and Washington State. James taught high school mathematics for
the most part. Upon retirement, he completed a middle school/high school mathematics
curriculum entitled “The Dance of Number” in 2018. In 2001, the second edition (first
edition: 1990) of a study on the history and philosophy of mathematics was published.
James Nickel would like to thank Fresno State for its excellent math program. It gave
him the mindset to experience success in multiple fields of endeavor. www.biblicalchristianworldview.net
Harlie Smith (1973)
Harlie Smith graduated in 1973 with a major in Mathematics and minors in Business
and Physical Education. He served in the Peace Corps in Ghana from 1974-1976 teaching
Math Ed at Akrokerri Teacher Training College. Upon returning to the US, he was hired
at Clovis West High School in 1977. He earned the cluster 3 teacher of the year in
1981, and helped write the district's computer education manual in 1982. He also taught
the Advanced Placement Computer Science classes at Clovis West and Introduction to
Programming (Pascal) at Fresno Pacific College. In 1986, he was hired by the Department
of Defense Dependents School (Alconbury High School) in England. In the summers of
1987 and 1988, Harlie taught teacher training classes in England and Fresno. In 1988,
he returned to Fresno to teach math and computer science at Hoover High School, where
he served as the department chair in 2003 until 2005 and helped the school win the
Siemen's award for improvement in advanced placement in 2001. Harlie is currently
retired, but still works with high school students as an assist coach of the Clovis
Rugby Club.
Jesse Wang (1969)
Jesse Wang graduated from Fresno State in 1969. In 1974, he graduated from Washington
State University with a Ph.D in Computer Science, and received his MBA from the University
of Chicago in 1995. He worked in several national level laboratories and established
the error analysis of the well-known weighted Simpson rule (basic concept of numerical
integration) which can handle certain singular functions in 1976. He also has a background
with the Argonne National Laboratory, where he researched and developed scientific
subroutine libraries and work on code development in the area of Nek5000. Jesse Wang
served as professor and chair for the Department of Math and Computer Science at The
Chicago State University from 1983-1996. He is currently the founder and CEO of Enosh
Company, an information technology company that provides peak performance software
subroutine libraries to serve scientific, research and gaming communities.
Donna Hudson (BS 1968, MS 1972)
Upon completion of a B.S. degree in Mathematics at California State University, Fresno
Donna Hudson joined the Boeing Company in Seattle as an Associate Engineer in Wind
Tunnel Computing. In 1971 she returned to CSUF and completed an M.S. degree in Mathematics
in 1972. Beginning in 1975 she taught at CSUF while pursuing her studies in engineering
and computer science at UCLA where she received her Ph.D. in 1981. Since that time
she has been a Professor at University of California San Francisco where she is Chair
of Academic Research and Technology at UCSF Fresno, Faculty in Clinical and Translational
Informatics at UCSF, and Faculty in the Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering (UCSF-UC
Berkeley). In 1987 Dr. Hudson received the Faculty Research Award at UCSF Fresno.
She became a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering
in 1995 and Fellow of the IEEE in 2001. She was honored by CSUF in 2003 as Alumnus
of the Year in the College of Science and Mathematics. Dr. Hudson has published over
250 research articles spanning a broad range of subjects including the use of computers
in medical applications.
Charles Riden (1965; 1969)
Charles graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Fresno State in 1965. After a
year as a YMCA Program Secretary in Hanford, CA, he began his teaching career on a
provisional credential in the Lemoore Elementary School District as a middle school
math teacher. By 1969, he had completed his certification and completed his master's
degree in educational theory from Fresno State. In 1973 his family moved to Tempe
Arizona, where he did one year of graduate work. His family liked Arizona so well
that they did not return to California. In 1976 he began teaching in the Mesa Public
School District, first as an elementary math specialist and later as a high school
math and computer science teacher. In 1984 Charles was honored as State award winner
in mathematics teaching. In that same year he began a 24 year career teaching Computer
Literacy at Arizona State University (ASU). In August of 1990, he began his year as
a Fulbright Exchange Teacher to Szolnok, Hungary. Charles retired from the Mesa Public
School in 1998 and continued to teach at ASU until he retired in 2008. In 2010 he
was elected into the Lemoore High School Hall of Fame. In 1995 he started a small
software company selling databases to musical organizations which keeps him busy in
his retirement years.
Peter Li
Upon completion of a B.A. degree in Mathematics at the California State University,
Fresno, Peter Li enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Mathematics at the University of
California, Berkeley. Realizing that his interest was in Differential Geometry, Peter
subsequently wrote his Ph.D. dissertation in that field under the tutelage of Prof.
Shiing Shen Chern. Immediately after graduation, Peter spent a year as a research
post-doctoral fellow under the mentorship of Professor Shing Tung Yau at the Institute
for Advanced Study in Princeton. His first employment as an educator and researcher
was at Stanford University as an Assistant Professor where he stayed for three years
before moving to Purdue University as an Associate Professor. Two years later, he
moved to the University of Utah as a Professor and then again relocated to the University
of Arizona after living in Utah for four years. Peter finally moved back to California
after a full circuit around the country and was recruited by the University of California,
Irvine, where he spent the remainder of his academic career. While at UC Irvine,
Peter served as Department Chair for 5 years and was later awarded the Chancellor’s
Professorship.
Peter Li had a rewarding and fulfilling career as a research mathematician as well
as an educator. Nonetheless, after thirty-four years of research, he decided to retire
and devote more attention to his family, especially his special needs daughter. He
now has ample time to also pursue his hobbies and side interests in reading, gallivanting
around the world, and participating in culinary and oenological adventures as well
as automobile events.
