Biography
I was born in Van Nuys, California and grew up in Woodland Hills, CA. I went to UC San Diego as an undergrad, and UC Santa Barbara for my graduate work. In between UCSD and UCSB I tried my hand in various fields, including the entertainment industry and as the manager of a large drug store chain, but found myself loving Biology. I currently LOVE what I do, and feel very fortunate to be doing it!
My research focus at UCSB was looking at invertebrate communities on offshore oil platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel. If you want to read about my specific study, click here.
After my graduate work, I worked as a research associate for the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans. Read about the important work that they do here. At the same time, I started my career in education by teaching part-time at UCSB and at California Lutheran University.
From 2007-2010, I was a full-time faculty member at Palo Verde College in Blythe, California, where I was exposed to a much different habitat than my marine biology roots (the desert!). Now, I'm very happy to be a member of the De Anza family!
A few facts about me. I'm an identical twin. I'm obsessed with my dogs, H.D. (short for Humpty Dumpty) and Egg. I'm a big San Diego Padres fan (sorry Giants fans!). And, did I mention that I'm obsessed with my dogs?
I'm also the Biology Department Chair (since 2016) and am more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the Biology Department at De Anza College!
Courses Taught at De Anza
- Introductory Biology - Biology 10
- Marine Biology - Biology 13
Education
- B.S. in Sociology
- M.S. in Ecology, Evolution, & Marine Biology