Area A: Michelle Macfarlane of Sierra College has been a lecturer and assistant professor of agriculture for more than seven years, also serving as Agriculture and Natural Resources Department Chair since 2002. As an educator, she sees it as her duty and passionate aim to provide “students with the ability to live autonomous lives, anticipate a future with a life-sustaining income, and participate in their communities as full and equal citizens.” Macfarlane is keenly aware that diverse student populations require support that is tailored to their needs, and she responds appropriately; for example, because of the large number of single mothers enrolled in her program, she works closely with Equal Opportunity Programs and Services counselors to better assist their success. She has established crucial internships and partnerships with local businesses, trained students to be science-savvy in order to thrive in this era of exponential technological developments, and acted as a consultant on both transfer and career goals. She is a further asset to her campus as a member of its academic senate and Accreditation Committee, vice-chair of the Career and Technical Education Committee, a facilitator of the Instructional Skills Workshop and Collaborative Process training.
Area B: Angelica Buendia-Bangle, counselor and Division Chair of Student Services at West Valley College contributes to greater understanding and problem solving in the many facets of her professional academic efforts and duties in community college administration. Her educational philosophy is results driven and involves an iterative process of reflection, strategy, action, and evaluation that regularly generates solutions to complex problems. Often these solutions require communication and recognition of diverse perspectives, which can, with objective and deliberate leadership, result in collaborative, comprehensive approaches that best serve the interests of the students and the community. Buendia-Bangle is greatly appreciated by her colleagues for her ability to provide a clear, yet thorough and inclusive, exposition of a given problem, with possible solutions in sight. At West Valley College, Buendia-Bangle has been a member of her academic senate since 2002, serving as Vice President from 2003 to 2005, and more recently taking on the responsibilities of the President. Her systematic and organic leadership style has served her well as chair of numerous committees and task forces.
Area C: During his more than 35 years as a community college counselor and career development instructor, Richard J. Manley of Antelope Valley College has remained dedicated to assisting students on the path to self-awareness and the realization of their potential. He passionately engages in teaching students critical reasoning and goal orientation skills, guiding them to utilize these capabilities to pursue rewarding careers and to overcome obstacles that may lie in their path. He has been instrumental in establishing the Career Center and Career Development Program on his campus. In addition, Manley puts on workshops for new counselors and has developed a Counselor Resource Manual to ensure that all his colleagues are well-prepared to benefit students. As a champion of the community college mission, Manley embraces the duty of shaping his institutional environment. He has been a member of his local academic senate for 15 years, during which he has occupied all Executive Committee positions, including president; served on a variety of committees; and developed a Senate Operating Procedures Handbook.
Area D: Dibakar Barua has been chair of the English department at Golden West College since 1996. He has also been a classroom instructor for nearly 25 years, teaching composition, creative writing, and literature. His experience with and commitment to students has led him to make curricular innovations in English. He has created self-paced mini-courses for the Reading and Writing Center and championed the cause of improved supplemental instruction for ESL and Basic Skills students. In addition to the canonical texts, he draws from varied perspectives such as post-colonial, feminist, and post-structural pedagogy to enrich his students’ literary experience, as well as to impart global scope and understanding. Barua holds that a personal connection with the student is fundamental to learning. He strives to develop a "genuine intellectual, emotional, or … spiritual" engagement with his students, in order to imbue them with a love of learning and a love of life. Barua is deeply committed to open access, student equity, and student success, and his commitment and dedication to his students and to the community college system is not limited to the classroom. He continuously serves on many committees on both the local and statewide level, especially with regard to matters of equity and basic skills. He has also served as on the Executive Committee of the State Academic Senate.