Director
M. Gloria González-Morales (she, her/s, ella)
M. Gloria González-Morales, is an associate professor of psychology and director of the Worker Wellbeing (WW) Lab at CGU. The WW Lab is a feminist research lab that welcomes scholars interested in employee health, flourishing, and belonging through the disciplines of occupational health psychology and positive organizational psychology. Read more…
Associate Director
Shelby Lamar (they/them)
While working on my BA at the University of Oklahoma, I had incredible professors who inspired me to pursue a career in education. Yet, as a queer nonbinary person, I also realized that there was a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in educational spaces. Visibility is incredibly important, especially in academia, and part of my motivation to teach is to help provide other LGBTQ+ students with the inclusivity and visibility that is needed in academic spaces. My teaching-related research interests include higher education assessment methods, grading strategies, and the development of inclusive teaching practices in educational and professional settings. I am fortunate to have experience teaching graduate, undergraduate, and community college students, and enjoy helping emerging and established faculty develop specific practices that increase student engagement and learning. CAFE is a valuable asset to anyone working in an educational culture, and I am proud to be a part of such a skilled team.
Admin. Assistant & Teaching Fellow
Sarah Eckert (she/her)
Sarah is a doctoral student in Religion with a focus on the History of Christianity at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include heresy and orthodoxy, the history of the Devil, and ideas of gender and sexuality in early Christianity. She is currently conducting dissertation research on 1 Enoch and the Book of the Watchers. She earned her Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies from the Claremont School of Theology. Her Bachelor’s degree is in Anthropology from the University of South Florida.
Teaching Fellows
Jonathan Aragon (he/him)
Hi, I’m Jonathan, it is a pleasure to meet you. I call myself a teacher-scholar-leader. The concept of adding the dash between teacher and scholar is borrowed from Kenneth P. Ruscio. I use these dashes to indicate that these are not separate but linked. My scholarship is part of my teaching and my teaching is a part of my scholarship. I add in “Leader” to indicate my advocacy for social justice, and how that too, is not separate from, but a part of my teaching and scholarship. I am tempted to add “artist” since I am always involved in something creative and playful, but that would break the rule of three.
My philosophy on teaching is that student flourishing, and societal good, can be achieved through teaching that is authentic, student-centered, evidenced-based, and community-driven, with an ethical, transdisciplinary future-focus.
I am a doctoral (Ph.D.) student in health promotion sciences and my research seeks to promote well-being through positive professional development, implicit teaching, and transforming education culture.
Working with students and alumni continues to make me a better person and professional. With each class/ coaching session/ webinar, I glean from diverse personal and disciplinary perspectives that enrich my own life and discipline.
I am very proud to be a part of the CAFE team, which continues to provide transformative experiences for our higher education community.
Jessi Knippel (she/her)
Jessi Knippel-academic, writer, and artist who lives in the promised land of Southern California with her partner and child. She holds a BA in Theatre and in Religious Studies, Two MA’s in the intersections of Religion and Media/Art and is currently working on an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Religion, Gender Studies and Media at Claremont Graduate School. Her research includes Post/Ex-Evangelicals, Evangelicalism in the US, New Religious movements, Deviant Sex Cults and NRM, syncretism and folk practices in religion, as well as pop culture and religion.
Holly Eva Allen (she/her)
Holly is a current M.A. student in English with a concentration in American Studies. She primarily focuses on American modern and postmodern literature, especially literature by women or those in the LGBTQ+ community. Holly has also worked in ESL education and is a proponent of breaking down the classist and racist rhetoric inherent in prescriptive grammar in English language education. She received her BA in English and Linguistics from the University of California at Davis. As someone passionate about inclusive pedagogy and creating open spaces, Holly is proud to be working with CAFE.
Sarah Aburaisi (she/her)
Dr. Sarah Aburaisi is an experienced professional in the field of dental education. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Public Health with a focus in leadership and management at Claremont Graduate University. Her educational background includes a BA in Dentistry from King Saud University, an MSc in Prosthodontics from University of Dundee, and a Certificate of Medical Education from University of Dundee.
Sarah has served various leadership and academic roles as an assistant professor in the dental college of REU. She has also made significant contributions to the field of dental education as a researcher, with several publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Sarah’s research interests are diverse, which include dental public health, health outreach for elderly, pedagogy, education, blockchain and healthcare integration, andragogy, equity in the classroom, web3 & education and NFTs in education. She is a passionate academic who is committed to inspiring educators and making a positive difference in the field of education. Sarah is proud to be part of the CAFE team.
Emeritus Teaching Fellows
Founding Director (2013-2022)
