BIO I received a B.A. in English from a small state college in rural Pennsylvania where I was a commuting student and the daughter of a working-class family. A college education provided me with the tools for rapid social, geographical and ideological mobility and it literally changed my life forever. Upon graduation I entered the Peace Corps and spent a total of three years in the Caribbean, two years in Montserrat establishing and operating a village preschool, and one year in San Juan, Puerto Rico working for an American radio station. My experience living in two colonial territories which were struggling for economic, political and national identity left an indelible imprint on me. I learned early the challenges and satisfactions of cross-cultural living. On a personal level I learned that initiative, combined with research and determination could produce remarkable results. I then spent ten years in Canada where I became a mental health professional. I earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work and worked in an inpatient psychiatric hospital, a feminist collective mental health referral agency, and a family planning community education program. These years outside of the United States provided me with yet another perspective on cross-cultural relations. Professionally I acquired counseling, assessment, and group work skills, all of which affect my classroom strategies and advising activities. In 1982 I returned to the United States and accepted a position as Director of the Women’s Resource Center at California State University, Long Beach at a particularly contentious time in its history. While at CSULB I honed my political and administrative skills and learned the business of higher education. I was awarded a CSU Administrative Fellowship and served with the VP of Student Services at Cal Poly Pomona for one year, after which I decided to obtain a Ph.D. in Religious Studies. In 1991 I entered a doctoral program in Social Ethics at the University of Southern California. I began teaching Freshman Writing at USC, adjunct teaching at CSULB and Antioch in 1993, and in 1996 I taught my first course at Whittier College. I was awarded tenure in 2004 and took a sabbatical during the 2004-2005 school year. During my sabbatical year I taught for Semester at Sea and traveled around the world, visiting Japan, China, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Tanzania, South Africa, Brazil and Venezuela. I also spent 5 weeks in Fez, Morocco and traveled home through Spain. I currently live in Long Beach with my dog, Willy, and two very old cats. I have one son who lives in Long Beach.