Six new teachers are going to be joining the Los Medanos College team this fall, while two teachers will transition from part-time to full-time.

The biology, chemistry, fire technology/EMS, English, math and nursing departments are going to be gaining new colleagues.

LMC President Bob Kratochvil said, “Over the course of the searches, hundreds of hours were dedicated to the task of seeking out exceptional, highly-qualified individuals,” he added, “more than 500 applications were received and evaluated, resulting in more than 100 interviews.”

The teachers are: Briana McCarthy, Dr. Melinda Capes, German Sierra, Jill Buettner-Ouellette, James Noel, Rick Estrada, Maria Perrone and Dr. Barbara Snyder.

McCarthy comes from the California Academy of Sciences. She was the Science Teacher Educator and Instructional Coach. She also has a B.A. in Environmental Systems from UC San Diego and a M.A. in Biology from San Francisco State.

Biology Department Chair Durwynne Hsieh is excited about the new addition “I am looking forward to the many interesting things that I will learn from my new colleague and the contributions that she will make to our new curriculum and to our collective knowledge about how best to get the students to learn about biology,” she said.

Dr. Capes will be coming from Diné College and Mira Costa College, she holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from CSU San Marcos and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland.

Sierra will be making his way from Foothill College. With his wide-ranging experience, he will be a good fit for the Fire Technology/EMS department. He holds an A.A. in Psychology from Foothill College and is currently working towards a Bachelor’s at CSU East Bay. Fire Technology/EMS department chair Mike Grillo is looking forward to new promise his colleague will bring to his department.

“I have only met German once, he appears to me to be a very energetic individual who will bring a wealth of potential to our programs,” said Grillo and continued, “I will especially be leaning on German to expand our EMT department.” Grillo is looking at future prospects such as offering a Paramedic program at LMC.

Buettner-Ouellette is making her way from West Valley College. She holds a B.A. in English from CSU Fresno and a M.A. in Literature from CSU Sacramento.

Noel is coming from DVC. He has had prior experience in teaching here at LMC as well as Modesto Junior College. With an A.A. in General Studies, a B.A. in English and a M.A. in English Literature, he will be a great fit for the English department.

Estrada will go from his part-time teaching role into a full-time position in the LMC math department. He has an A.A. in General Studies from Modesto Junior College and he gained both his B.A. and M.A. in mathematics from San Francisco University.

Perrone is coming from Bakersfield College, where she was a full-time faculty in the math department. She has taught both math and science at a middle school in Italy and she received her M.S. in Mathematics from the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Brescia, Italy.

Dr. Snyder is currently teaching part-time in the LMC nursing department. Previously a nurse and nurse practitioner at John Muir Medical Group, Alta Bates Hospital and Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Snyder will bring extensive experience from her time in the field.

She holds a B.S. in Nursing from San Jose State and a M.S. in Nursing from UC San Francisco and a Ph.D. from the Wright Institute. Nursing/Allied Health department chair Joanne Bent is pleased that Dr. Snyder has been hired to teach nursing she said, “Dr. Snyder is an expert in maternity nursing, she will help our nursing students learn to care for pregnant women, new moms and newborn babies,” and added, “she’ll also be teaching all nursing students strong therapeutic communication skills, and ways to cope with patients who have physical and mental health issues.”

These new teachers will all bring something new to each department as they all have had their share of experience in their field of choice and in teaching, but their educational backgrounds demonstrate their expertise and qualifications.