Meet the Team – Center for Academic & Faculty Excellence

Director

M. Gloria González-Morales
Director (she/her/ella)

M. Gloria González-Morales is an associate professor of psychology and director of the Worker Wellbeing Lab at CGU. The WW Lab is a feminist research lab focused on employee health, flourishing, and belonging.

Associate Director

Esmé Taylor
Associate Director (she/her/hers)

Esmé Taylor is the Associate Director of CAFE. She has a BA in Gender and Women’s Studies and is pursuing a PhD in Organizational Behavior at CGU. Her research focuses on inclusive practices in education and organizational culture.

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Adjunct Faculty

Lizbeth Bayardo Cardenas
Adjunct Faculty

Lizbeth is a public health professional and educator focused on leadership development and health equity. She holds a Doctor of Public Health from CGU.

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Tamar Salibian
Adjunct Faculty

Tamar is a scholar-educator and media artist who teaches at the intersection of media literacy, ethical pedagogy, and experiential learning. She holds a PhD from CGU.

Teaching Fellows

Violet Luxton
Teaching Fellow

Violet is a PhD student in Cultural Studies and a nonprofit leader focusing on social justice, equity, and community-based learning strategies in higher education.

Brittany Mejia

Teaching Fellow

Brittany is a PhD student at CGU with 20 years of education experience. She currently works at Cal Poly Pomona supporting faculty grant initiatives.

Harry Sun
Teaching Fellow

Harry Sun is a PhD student in Positive Developmental Psychology. He is interested in the fundamental questions in flow research.

Teaching Assistants

Founding Director (2013–2022)

Shamini Dias
Founding Director

Emeritus Director (2019–2025)

Shelby D. Lamar
Emeritus Director (they/them)

Shelby is a co-founder of CAFE and an experienced educator and researcher whose work centers on AI in pedagogy, equitable teaching, and departmental evaluation.

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Emeritus Teaching Fellows

Juan Carlos Parrilla
Emeritus Teaching Fellow