Nov. 2014 Advocate – Introducing new Exec. Committee members

Introducing new AFT 1493 Executive Committee members


Rob Williams, Skyline College Chapter Co-Chair


RobW
Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for the warm welcome. I feel great pride in being your Skyline College Chapter Co-Chair (Co-Chairing with the wonderful Janice Sapigao). I was born and raised in San Diego and received my B.A. in English from Arizona State University and my M.F.A. in Fiction from Columbia University. In my spare time (what spare time?!) I enjoy writing—yes, I am writing the next great American novel, creating art, hiking, and spending time with my dog, Hal Holbrook.
I recently celebrated an amazing first year as a full-time faculty member in the English Department where I teach Creative Writing and Composition.  Before coming to Skyline I taught for 7 years as a part-time instructor at various San Diego Community Colleges, where, in addition to teaching, I worked on curriculum development, SLO committees, Literary Arts Festivals, Learning Communities and Community Service Learning. I have also served as faculty advisor to the Gay/Straight Alliance at both of my previous community colleges and here at Skyline College. Currently I am the co-faculty advisor for The Dead-Beat Writers Club, a new club at Skyline College for Creative Writers.
In addition, for four years in San Diego I was the Program Coordinator for San Diego Writers, Ink, a non-profit writing and arts organization that served as a hub for the literary community and provided artistic development for writers at all levels.
I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you. Please contact me or come by my office if you need anything.

 


Doniella Maher, Cañada College Executive Committee Rep.


DoniellaMHello!
I am excited to represent Cañada faculty as part of the Executive Committee. I have been working at Cañada as an adjunct in the English department since 2009 and feel honored to be part of the San Mateo Community College family.  I have also taught at Chabot and City College of San Francisco over the last few years, but I am thrilled to narrow it down to Cañada, where I’ve begun teaching full-time this fall.
I started getting involved in activism in high school and never stopped! Here, in the Bay Area, I have been very involved in immigrants’ rights work, anti-war work, and issues in education.  I am a California local and a fierce advocate of California public schools (I received my BA from Sac State and my MA from SFSU). My graduate work was in Comparative Literature with an emphasis on contemporary Italian fiction and I can often be found with an espresso in hand. Besides coffee, I love reading, hanging out in the mountains and cooking.
I look forward to representing my colleagues at Cañada!