The Institute for Professional Development has announced the promotion of several faculty members promoted to full Professor effective the Fall 2023 semester.
Faculty members at GWC can have one of four titles. Tenure-track faculty are first hired as instructors and after having been granted tenure, they will be promoted to assistant professors or may petition for a higher rank. From assistant professor, individuals can be promoted to associate professor and to full professor. [Eligibility criteria.PDF]
List of GWC Faculty Academic Rank 2023-24
PROFESSOR
Bud Benneman
Geology
B.S., M.S., University of Nevada Las Vegas
Maxim Brinkman-Marheine
Automotive Technology
A.A., Citrus College, B.S., University of California, Los Angeles
Dawn Brooks
Music
B.M., M.M., California State University, Long Beach; D.M.A., University of Southern California
Dr. Brooks has worked as an educator, conductor, and vocal soloist in Southern California for over twenty years. She was formerly the Supervisor of Voice and Choral Studies at CSU Dominguez Hills but is delighted to officially call Golden West College her permanent educational home. She earned her BM and MM in Vocal Performance from CSU Long Beach and a DMA in Choral Music from the University of Southern California. She has extensive experience leading choirs of all ages and training the next generation of choral music educators. Dr. Brooks has performed in musical theater productions and operas, with professional choirs, and as a classical and jazz vocalist throughout Southern California. At GWC, she teaches choir, private voice, all levels of group voice classes, and Voice for Musical Theater, as well as history and theory courses. She is also the Director of Music at Riviera United Methodist Church in Redondo Beach, where she leads music in worship and conducts the Chancel Choir and Chancel Bells.
Annamaria Crescimanno
Biology
B.A., Ohio State University; M.S., University of Indianapolis
Annamaria Crescimanno received her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Criminology from The Ohio State University and her master’s degree in human biology from the University of Indianapolis. After moving to California in 2010, she started teaching part-time at Golden West College as well as other local community colleges. In 2012, she was hired as a full-time tenure track instructor with Golden West. She has taught Introduction to Biology, Biological Anthropology, Human Anatomy, and Human Physiology. While she loves each of these classes for different reasons, her heart lies with Human Anatomy. She is finishing her 13th year of teaching and enjoying life with her husband, Alex, and their two children, Ophelia (6) and Everett (4). Outside of school, she loves cooking, baking, crafting, and spending time with her family.
Cecelia Galassi
English
B.A., Occidental College; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
William Lawler
Health/Physical Education and Women’s Volleyball Coach
B.A., San Diego State University
Cristian Racataian
Computer Science
B.S., Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest, Romania; B.S., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; M.S., California State University, Fullerton
Brian Thill
English
M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
Dr. Brian Thill is Professor of English. He earned his MA and PhD from the Department of English and Comparative Literature at UC Irvine, where he was a Jacob K. Javits National Fellow. He is the author of WASTE (Bloomsbury), which has also been published and translated into Mandarin, Turkish, and Korean, and he is a contributor to VEER Ecology (University of Minnesota Press), an anthology of eco-criticism. His published work has also appeared in The Atlantic, Salon, Jacobin, 3AM Magazine, and elsewhere. Currently, he is at work on several manuscripts, and is also studying advanced bonsai techniques under sensei Ted Matson, curator of the Bonsai Collections at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Cristina Tiernes Cruz
Spanish
Ph.D., University of Huelva; B.S., Pontificia Comillas University of Madrid
Ayesha Zia
English
B.A., M.A., California State University, Fullerton
I’ve always had a passion for literature, education, and communication which motivated me to get my Master's degree in English from California State University Fullerton. Since 2011, I have been working with students as an English professor here at Golden West College, where I am an involved member of the campus community, currently serving on the Council for Curriculum and Instruction and the Dual Enrollment Committee. Outside of my professional endeavors, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends, traveling, and exploring boutiques in beach cities.
