Los Medanos College Announces Three New Instructional Deans Hired

Media Contact: Barbara Cella, Director of Marketing (925) 473-7322, bcella@losmedanos.edu

 

From left to right: A'kilah Moore, Natalie Hannum & Nancy Ybarra

 

PITTSBURG: Three new Deans of Instruction joined the Los Medanos College administration on July 1, 2013. President Bob Kratochvil announced the appointments after a thorough and inclusive search process, and the approval by the Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) Governing Board.

 

The three deans include Natalie Hannum, Dean of Career Technical Education & Social Sciences, A’kilah Moore, Dean of Math & Sciences, and Nancy Ybarra, Dean of Liberal Arts.

 

Natalie Hannum comes to LMC from Moreno Valley College where she was a full-time faculty member and Department Chair for the Public Safety Education and Training programs.  Professor Hannum has served on the Faculty Senate, Curriculum Committee, Governance Committee, and as the Chair of the Curriculum Committee for the Riverside Community College District (RCCD).  More recently, she chaired a task force on program review for Moreno Valley College, and worked closely with others on college accreditation for Moreno Valley College.  Prior to her recent faculty post, Professor Hannum served as the Director of the Fire Technology & Fire Academy Programs for RCCD.  Before discovering her passion for higher education, Professor Hannum was a captain with the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection where she worked for 17 years.  Natalie holds a B.S. in Recreation Administration from CSU Chico, an M.A. in Public Administration from CSU San Bernardino, and is currently working on her dissertation for a Doctorate of Public Administration from University of LaVerne. 

 

Professor Hannum commented that she was interested in Los Medanos both for the opportunity to work with multiple CTE programs, but also to work with other areas such as political science, economics and history.  She understands the size and structure of Contra Costa Community College District and specifically the needs of Los Medanos College, having come from a similar structure and student body at RCCD.  Originally from northern California, Natalie feels at home at Los Medanos and welcomes the opportunity to be closer to her family in northern California.  Her personal interests include spending time with her two daughters and enjoying the outdoors. 

 

Dr. A'kilah Moore

Dr. A’kilah Moore has been a full-time faculty member in the Mathematics Department at LMC since 2002.  Since then, she has served in a variety of college leadership roles: Department Chair, Faculty Senate President, Umoja Scholars Program Coordinator, and Faculty Research Lead for the Faculty Inquiry Network Grant.  Dr. Moore has most recently served as the Interim Dean of Liberal Arts & Sciences during 2012-13.  Actively involved at the state level, Professor Moore has provided presentations at the Strengthening Student Success Conference, American Educational Research Association, National College Access Network Conference, and the Umoja Summer Learning Institute.  A’kilah holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Spelman College, an M.S. in Mathematics from Howard University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College.

 

“I am really excited about the opportunity to be part of a new administrative team”, explained Professor Moore. “I believe my unique experiences as a faculty member, coordinator of Umoja Scholars (a successful learning community), and Faculty Senate President will help me facilitate communication among faculty, staff and administrators.  I look forward to helping shape the vision of where LMC is headed while supporting the unique contributions each program can make as we bring that vision to life.”

 

Nancy Ybarra

Nancy Ybarra first came to LMC as a Learning Specialist in 1980.  Professor Ybarra transitioned to teaching Basic Skills courses in the English Department in the 1990s and has since served in a wide variety of faculty leadership roles, including: Professional Development/Nexus Coordinator; Co-Chair of the Developmental Education Committee; Co-Chair of Teaching Learning Project/Assessment Committee; Coordinator of the CCCCD Teaching Academy; and, for the last three years, as Department Chair for English/ESL.  In addition to her contributions to LMC, Professor Ybarra has held several statewide leadership positions; she served as a member of the California Community Colleges Academic Senate Basic Skills Committee and as an instructor in the California Basic Skills Leadership Summer Institute.  Nancy holds a B.A. in Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Education from Saint Mary’s College, a Certificate in Developmental Education from the Kellogg Institute at Appalachian State University, and a certificate in Postsecondary Teaching of Reading from San Francisco State University.

 

“As Dean of Liberal Arts”, stated Professor Ybarra, “I am hoping to support and promote innovation, creativity and the dedicated work of outstanding faculty and staff who are committed to educating our students.  It is an honor for me to have this opportunity to be part of a new administration that values collaboration; I know we’ll all work together to sustain an environment that allows us to stay focused on providing students the opportunities, resources, and education they need to achieve their goals and realize their dreams for themselves, their families and their community.”

 

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Los Medanos College (LMC) is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District. LMC prepares students to excel and succeed economically, socially and intellectually in an innovative, engaging and supportive learning environment. It provides quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities to serve the needs of a rapidly growing and changing East County while enhancing the quality of life of the diverse communities it serves. LMC is located on 120 acres between Pittsburg and Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood.