Full-time Faculty Biographies
 Dr. Brian Bansenauer graduated in 1992 from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, which included extensive work in computer modeling. Dr. Bansenauer became interested in learning theory while teaching in the mathematics and computer science departments at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. While at North Seattle Community College, he directed the creation of a new web developer program, which launched in the spring of 1999 and graduated its first students in June 2000.
 Dr. David C. Buchthal received a Bachelor of Science Honors in mathematics from Loyola University (Chicago) and his Master of Science and Ph.D. in mathematics from Purdue University. He joins Cascadia after working in various capacities at the University of Akron for 29 years, including Professor of Mathematics, Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Buchthal has taught mathematics courses at all levels, from elementary algebra to graduate combinatorics and graph theory, as well as courses in statistics and discrete structures for computer science. His pedagogical interests center on collaborative learning and the integration of technology into the mathematics curriculum. Dr. Buchthal's Web site.
 Dr. Chris Byrne received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, a Master of Science in Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, all from the University of Washington in Seattle. The focus of her doctorate work was in the field of Virtual Reality, with an emphasis on its use as an educational tool. She has worked in industry and in research, including IBM, USWest, JPL, Philips Research Labs and a few start-up ventures. Her academic interests include hands-on learning in the fields of physics and math.
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 Dr. Lisa Citron joins Cascadia as a full-time tenure track faculty member in economics. Dr. Citron has been with the college as part-time faculty for the past five years. During that time, Dr. Citron completed her Ph.D. in anthropology and education from Columbia University. She also has a M.S. from the University of Arizona and a B.S. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to her expertise in economics, Dr. Citron is fluent in French and Moroccan Arabic and proficient in Spanish.
 Dr. Catherine Crain
is a founding faculty member at Cascadia. She received a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics and French from San Diego State University, a Master of Arts in linguistics from the University of California at San Diego, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Washington. She has experience teaching psychology, education, linguistics and English as a second language.
Her scholarly interests include educational psychology, especially literacy, assessment, and innovative instruction; as well as developmental psychology,
especially language development and cross-cultural and gender issues in development.
 Dr. Lindsay Custer earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan and her B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining Cascadia
in 2006, she taught courses on social psychology, family, and sexuality at
Bellevue Community College for five years. Her doctoral research focuses on the
negotiation of cross-cultural differences in intercultural marriages between
Americans and Japanese. She spent four years teaching and conducting research in
Osaka, Japan. In addition, she has conducted research on racial/ethnic
differences in marital processes and outcomes at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Her areas of academic interest include marriage, gender, race/ethnicity, and Japanese culture.
 Prior to joining Cascadia in 2008, David Dorratcague taught English as a Second Language at both Bellevue Community College and Lake Washington Technical College for six years. He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Seattle Pacific University and a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Carroll College.
Ms. Robyn Ferret has been teaching at Cascadia since the college opened in September 2000 and is a full-time tenure track faculty member in English. Ms. Ferret has a master's degree in English studies from Western Washington University and a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Puget Sound. She has served as an advisor to the Cascadia Creative Arts Club since 2003 and assisted with Yours Truly (formerly the Wetlands Review), Cascadia's creative arts magazine.
 Bridget Fischer, Fine Arts faculty member, comes to Cascadia from California. She has a rich background in art and sculpture, and she has a studio on Whidbey Island. Her educational background includes an A.A. from West Valley College, a B.F.A. from San Jose University, and an M.F.A. from the University of Arizona. Her teaching has been honed at Skyline College, Mission College, and San Mateo Community College District. She was a founding member of the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, CA and Gallery Director at Skyline College.
 Dianne Fruit joins Cascadia with a strong background in Spanish language instruction. She holds a Master's degree in Spanish from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts from Pacific Lutheran University. Ms. Fruit has been teaching at Cascadia as an associate faculty member since the fall of 2001 and has also taught at Bellevue Community College, Seattle Pacific University and the Washington Academy of Languages. She is a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. As well as teaching, Ms. Fruit is active in the local community having worked with the Lake Forest Park Cooperative Preschool and EarthSave Seattle.
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 Mr. Panagiotis Hatziandreas holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Cumberland College in Williamsburg Kentucky, a Master's degree in Clinical/Community Psychology from California State University Long Beach, and a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University in Los Angeles California. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Organizational Psychology at Alliant International University. Mr. Hatziandreas has taught at Cascadia Community College as an adjunct faculty of psychology, and is also an independent Organizational Development consultant in the areas of project management, and Organizational Change and Transition Management. He is a research fellow at the Ethiopian Institute for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. Additional experiences include his work as the director of a psychiatric hospital serving adult patients, and as a psychotherapist with a client population ranging from children, adolescents and couples, to groups and families through various community-based service providers in southern California.
 Prior to being hired as a full-time tenure track faculty, Mr. Walter Hudsick was a part-time faculty member at Cascadia teaching English composition, developmental English, and college strategies. In addition to Cascadia, Mr. Hudsick has experience teaching at Antioch University, North Seattle Community College, and Edmonds Community College. He has a master's degree in English from Eastern Washington University and a bachelor of science in criminal justice from Excelsior College, as well as an associate's degree from Mercy College. Mr. Hudsick also has received his online teaching certification from Washington Online.
 Marc Hyman has more than 13 years of commercial and investment banking experience, including 8 years in commercial lending and credit management. He also worked as a banking consultant and taught accounting, economics, and finance courses in Estonia, and served as financial advisor on a USAID environmental action project in Poland. The author of American Business, a guide to U.S. business from an international perspective, Mr. Hyman is a full-time accounting and business instructor at Cascadia; he is also an adjunct faculty member at the Estonian Business School in Tallinn and at
the UC Berkeley Extension. He holds an M.B.A. degree from The University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley.
 Ms. Yuko Ito received a master of arts degree in applied linguistics from Georgia State University, a bachelor of science in elementary education from Southwest Missouri State University and an associate's degree in education from Fort Scott Community College. Ms. Ito is a full-time tenure track faculty member teaching Japanese. She relocated to Cascadia from Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta, GA where she
taught for four years.
 Jared Leising received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Houston and a B.A. in English from the University of Puget Sound. As an associate faculty member at Cascadia since the fall of 2000, in addition to his teaching assignments, he has served as an advisor to the Wetlands Review, the college's literary magazine. Mr. Leising has also taught at Highline Community College, Pacific Lutheran University and served as writer-in-residence for Ballard High School and Nathan Hale High School through the Seattle Arts
and Lectures program "Writers in the Schools". Mr. Leising's Web site.
 Megan Luce has a BA in Mathematics from Dartmouth College, and a Masters in Math Teaching from the University of Washington. Prior to coming to Cascadia, Ms. Luce taught high school mathematics for nine years in both Washington and Maine. She is particularly interested in working with students who struggle with mathematics, inquiry based collaborative learning, and addressing issues surrounding high school to college transition in mathematics.
Ms. Adrienne Lugg has a master's degree in education from Antioch University and began teaching at Cascadia as an associate faculty and serving as a Grant Facilitator in basic skills. She is now a full-time faculty member teaching basic skills classes.
 Dr. Todd Lundberg joins Cascadia most recently from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee where he was teaching in the English Department. Dr. Lundberg completed his Ph.D. in English at Washington State University. His Master's degree is from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. As well as teaching at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Lundberg served as program coordinator for the Milwaukee Urban Tree House, an environmental education program, which created and implemented a science, literacy, and community service education program to supplement the Milwaukee Public School curriculum. He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, Writing Program Administrators, and the National Writing Center Association.
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 Ms. Midori Mizuba teaches earth and environmental science classes at
Cascadia. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Soil Science from
California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo where she
concentrated in Land Resources. Her Master of Science degree is in Soil Science
from the University of Idaho where she conducted research on regional tillage
practices as they related to soil erosion. Ms. Mizuba has also conducted
research in soil biogeochemistry, with a focus on the remediation of
chromium-contaminated soils using bacteria. She is a Certified Professional
Soil Scientist and an Associate Professional Soil Classifier, as well as a soil
and wetland consultant. Her professional interests include wetland ecology and
functions; increasing awareness about the soil as a natural resource;
sustainability issues, particularly as it concerns the soil system and
agriculture; and Fair Trade issues, including human and environmental concerns.
Ms. Mizuba started at Cascadia in 2003 as a Scientific Instructional Technician
and taught Environmental Science as an Associate Faculty member before becoming
a full-time instructor in the Fall of 2008.
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 Dr. Nader Nazemi earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from the University of Washington, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Western Washington University, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Washington. Dr. Nazemi has taught at a number of community colleges and universities in the Northwest including Seattle Central Community College, North Seattle Community College, Bellevue Community College, Edmonds Community College, the University of Washington, Willamette University, and Washington State University. His areas of expertise include Comparative Politics, International Relations, Historical Sociology, and Middle East Politics.
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 David Ortiz holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in speech communications from California State University, Long Beach, and an Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts from Orange Coast College. Prior to joining Cascadia, David was the assistant division chair of speech communications and world languages at Shoreline Community College, which is a position he also held at Skagit Valley College. During his career, he has taught such courses as speech communication, media studies, and multicultural issues at Shoreline Community College, Skagit Valley College, Edmonds Community College, Chapman University, and California State University, Long Beach. He has also served as an advisor for student government organizations and student clubs.
Michael Panitz comes to Cascadia from a business background. Mr. Panitz has experience with
Microsoft and Lucent Technologies as a software development engineer. He has
provided instruction in computer programming and mathematics for Cascadia
students for many years. Mr. Panitz has a Master of Engineering, and a Bachelor
of Arts from Cornell University in Computer Science. He has academic experience
as a teaching and research assistant at Cornell University.
Mr. Panitz's Web site.
 Debora Barrera Pontillo received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Senario College. Ms. Pontillo's educational emphases have been in drawing, painting, performance art, installation art, Chicana/o studies, and race, class and social change. In addition to teaching in the art and Chicana/o Studies departments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, she also served as the Director for Ethnic and Cultural Diversity and taught human issues and sociology at Edgewood College. She received the University of Wisconsin-Madison Chicana/o Studies "Faculty of the Year" award in 1997/98 and 1998/99, and the 1999 Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies Award for "Outstanding Contributions to Edgewood College and Women of Color."
Ms. Danielle Powell holds a master of arts degree in communication and a master of divinity from Wake Forest University, as well as a bachelor of science in speech communication from James Madison University. Ms. Powell has extensive college level teaching experience in the communication field, having taught at Wake Forest University, Elon University, Davidson County Community College, and Germanna Community College. In addition to her teaching experience, Ms. Powell has been working with two non-profit organizations and holds a non-profit management certificate from the University of North Carolina.
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 Dr. David Reichgott teaches Chemistry. He graduated from Dartmouth College and has a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Washington. He worked for many years in team-oriented product development research in the chemical industry and holds several US Patents. Dave taught at UW, the University of Illinois, University of Washington, Bothell, and other community colleges before coming to Cascadia. Dave's interests in the classroom and laboratory are collaborative learning, using guided inquiry as a primary instructional method, and helping to launch individual students' science careers.
Ms. Erin Richards joined Cascadia in 2007 as a full-time tenure
track faculty member in political science. She has a bachelor of arts in
international relations from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley,
Massachusetts, and a master of arts in political science from Washington State
University. Ms. Richards is currently working on her Ph.D. in political science
at Washington State University. Her interests include American Government,
State and Local Government, and Women in Politics. Prior to being hired at
Cascadia, she taught at Washington State University, Olympic College and Green
River Community College.
Sadie Rosenthal holds a Master's in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame where she focused on freshwater ecology and invasive species biology. Prior to that she earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and a Minor in Entomology from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to her applied education, she has spent many years traveling across the U.S. as a field and laboratory biologist. She worked on projects including the biological control of schistosomiasis, the biological effects of sun and shade coffee plantations in Puerto Rico, the botanical inventory of USFS lands in Alaska, and the monitoring of fisheries in the Bering Sea. Prior to being hired full time, she taught as an associate faculty for two years at Cascadia Community College.
Ms. Tori Saneda received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toledo
and a Master's degree in Anthropology from The Ohio State University. She is
currently a doctoral candidate in anthropology at The Ohio State University. Her
scholarly interests include Mayan archaeology, Woodlands archaeology, origins of
state level society, globalization, and modern development. Ms. Saneda has
worked on archaeological projects in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Ohio where
she worked as an archaeologist for the National Park Service. Before joining
Cascadia in 2005, she taught courses in anthropology and sociology at Columbus
State Community College and The Ohio State University. She was also a research
associate at the Center for Human Resource Research at The Ohio State
University. In 2008, Ms. Saneda was awarded the Anna Sue McNeill Teaching,
Learning and Assessment Award from the Washington State Board for Community and
Technical Colleges. Ms. Saneda's Web site.
 Sharon Saxton earned a Master of Arts degree in mathematics at California State University, Fullerton and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, with a minor in Art, from Occidental College. In 2000, Sharon received the Department of Mathematics “Outstanding Teaching†award at California State University, Fullerton. Her teaching interests include active learning, integrating technology into the classroom, and encouraging women to seek career opportunities in applied mathematics. Prior to beginning her teaching career, Ms. Saxton worked as a commercial property manager and holds a Real Property Administrator certificate. Ms. Saxton's Web site.
 Ms. Natalie Serianni comes to Cascadia from Lees-McRae College in North Carolina. She holds a master's degree in English from Appalachian State University and a bachelor's degree in political science/English from Greensboro College. Since Fall of 2004, Ms. Serianni has served as the director of the writing center at Lees-McRae College as well as a full-time faculty member.
 David Shapiro has a Master's Degree in Philosophy from the University of Washington and a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota. He is Education Director of the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children, an organization that brings philosophy and philosophers into schools and community centers throughout the Puget Sound Area. His scholarly interests include applied ethics, philosophy of human rights, and philosophy with children. Mr. Shapiro has co-authored several books in the area of personal purpose and meaning and is the author of a book on applied ethics, Choosing the Right Thing to Do: In Life, at Work, in Relationships, and for the Planet (Berrett-Koehler, 1999).
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Mr. Gene Taylor has a master's degree in American Studies
from The Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. Mr. Taylor
taught in southern California and at several Washington community colleges
before coming to Cascadia. He has been associated with the Jefferson
County Clemente Course in the Humanities for several years.
 John VanLeer earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Geography with an emphasis in Geological Sciences from Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Arts in Physical Sciences from West Chester University. Mr. VanLeer has taught as a member of a five person interdisciplinary team at the middle school level and also as adjunct professor at West Chester University and Delaware County Community College. He has also served as an Associate Geoscientist for McLaren/Hart Environmental Engineering Corporation and as Environmental Scientist for McCormick Taylor and Associates. Mr. VanLeer's Web site.
Steve P. Yramategui taught mathematics at South Seattle Community College, Olympic College, and Mount Hood Community College before coming to Cascadia. He has been a part-time instructor for University of Phoenix and Western Washington University. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas, Austin in business administration and master's degree from Western Washington University in mathematics. He also worked as a software developer/programmer and programmer/analyst.
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