Administrative Staff
Our administrative staff members train Writing Consultants, teach courses, develop curriculum, research and publish, initiate new programs, answer questions about Center policies and practice, and maintain the day-to-day operations of the Center.
Director: Dr. Marcus Weakley
Administrative Team
Administrative Lead: Joshua Mendez
Administrative Assistant: Chelsea Liu
Anti-Discrimination Committee:
Anti-Discrimination Committee Chair: Anisha Ahuja
Anti-Discrimination Committee: Gongju Cha, Lorise Diamond, Gabrielle Fox, Sam Gardner, Chelsea Liu, Allison Maladore, Lauren Shaffer, Ayoub Touti Arline Votruba
Media Team
Media Coordinator: Lauren Shaffer
Media Team: Sam Gardner & Randall Niessen

Writing Consultants
Anisha Ahuja (she/her) (Senior Consultant)
Anisha Ahuja is a PhD student in Cultural Studies with an emphasis in Women’s and Gender Studies and completed her Master’s in the Cultural Studies program at CGU. She received a BA in Political Science and Feminist Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interest interests include feminist and queer theory, critical theory, and subaltern and postcolonial studies.
Alexandria Bingham (she/her)
Alexandria Bingham is a second-year dual Masters Candidate studying for her MBA and Master of Art Business. She also has a B.A. in Art History, and has a professional background working in nonprofits, art museums, and galleries. Her studies have focused on art, history, anthropology and cultural studies, and English.
Gongju Cha (she/her)
Gongju Cha is a PhD student in Cultural Studies with Media concentration. She completed her Master in Cultural Studies at CGU. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Media & Communications, and Humanities and Justice at Korea University, South Korea. Her research interest is in visual studies including Cinema, Television, and Digital Media.
Virgil Clark (he/him)
Virgil is a PhD student in the History department with a concentration in American Studies. His research focuses on the history of race, power, and American politics. In addition to being a full-time student he is also a professor of sociology at the university of LaVerne.
Anne Cormia (she/her) (Senior Consultant)
Anne Cormia is a 5th year PhD student in Cognitive Psychology at CGU. She perviously earned her MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology at the University of York and her BAs in Psychology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the Mills College. Her research focus is long term memory, specifically how beliefs and processing fluency affect metamemory judgments. She has done UX research internships at Facebook and Lyft. Anne joined the Center for Writing & Rhetoric in January 2019.
Jessica Delgado (she/her)
Pialli! Natoka Jessica Delgado (Hello! My name is Jessica Delgado) and I welcome you in the ancient language of my people, Nahuatl. I am finishing my Dual Degree for English with a Concentration in Transatlantic and Hemispheric Studies and for Cultural Studies with a Concentration in Museum Studies and have also completed the Preparing Future Faculty program. My areas of interest and responsibility are Queer and Gender Studies, Central American/ Latine y Chicane Studies and Poetry. I have had the pleasure of working the Writing Center since 2018 and have mentored through QQMP at the Queer Resource Center and IGNITR program at the Student Life, Diversity and Leadership Office. She also is working on a book chapter publication in which she explores her experience as a queer Salvadoreña on Turtle Island (North America).
Katrina Denman (she/her) (Senior Consultant)
Katrina Denman is a PhD candidate in History. She also received her MA in History & Archival Studies from CGU and has a professional background in archival work. Her main research interests focus on Victorian Britain and include the careers of women historians, the creation of history as a professional discipine, and the experiences of women of color. When not at the CWR, she is usually working on her dissertation and hanging out with her dogs Evie and Phineas.
Lorise “Rise” Diamond (she, her, they, them)
Rise Diamond, a Ph.D. student in Cultural Studies, holds an M.A. in Rhetoric and Writing Studies and a B.A. in Communication with minors in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies from San Diego State University. Her work explores how power influences spiritual, intellectual, and aesthetic evolution in material and symbolic ecologies at the nexus of race, gender, and sexuality. She uses a prism that integrates radical Black feminism, multimodal rhetoric, and intercultural communication. Rise is an experienced university teacher, editor, and social justice entrepreneur who directs an education-centered non-profit organization.
Gabrielle Fox (she/her)
Gabrielle Fox is an Applied Gender Studies master’s student. Gabrielle received her BA as a double major in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies as well as Society, Ethic, and Human Behavior with a minor in Diversity Studies. Fox is a Chicana feminist writer. She also created the College App Coach, which is a small business that assists high school students in finding their voice and developing impactful college applications.
Samantha Gardner (they/them)
Sam Gardner is a PhD student in CGU’s Applied Social Psychology program. Sam completed their MA in psychology at Humboldt State University and completed their BS at Texas A&M University. Sam’s research interests consist of social identity, leadership rhetoric within extreme groups, and the use of internet memes to foster a collective group identity. In addition to their work for the CWR, Sam is the current lab manager for CGU’s Social Identity Lab and an adjunct professor at Chapman University.
Allison Maladore (she/her)
Allison Maladore is a doctoral student of public health at the School of Community and Global Health with a concentration in Leadership & Management. She is a former K-12 educator, principal, and non-profit executive director. She has a BS in Pathobiology from UConn and an MS in Biomedical Sciences from Midwestern University. Her research interests are merging critical public health issues into the education sector, children’s health equity, racial and social justice, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, Asian American mental health, and community health work in Southeast Asian populations. She is the proud daughter of Lao refugees.
Joshua Mendez (he/him)
Joshua is an interfield PhD student in Cultural Studies and Religion. His research interests include religion and the colonial encounter, philosophy and radical politics, and critical theories of contemporary culture.
Lauren Shaffer (she/her/they/them)
Lauren Shaffer is a Doctoral Candidate in the department of International Studies at CGU. She holds a B.A. in Government and Religion from Smith College. Her main research interests include foreign and development aid, poverty and inequality, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. Her hobbies include hanging out with her (many) pets, exploring the outdoors, and cooking new recipes.
Chelsea Shi-Chao (she/her)
Chelsea Shi-Chao Liu is an MA student in History & Archival Studies. She received her BA in English Literature from Sarah Lawrence College. Her research interests include Asian American studies, gender and sexuality, and alternative archives.
Therasa “Terry” Topete (she/her)
Terry is a PhD student in the department of Religion at CGU with a concentration in Critical Comparative Scriptures, Coptic Studies, and Transdisciplinary Studies. She holds a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Religion from the University of California, Irvine. Her research interests include textual analysis and comparative scriptures, Gnosticism, mythology and cosmogony, New Religious Movements, philosophy and religious theory, Quantum theory, transdisciplinary theory, and Transdisciplinarity.
Ayoub Touti (he/him)
Ayoub Touti is a Phd Student from Italy currently enrolled in the Cultural Studies program at CGU.
Arline Votruba (she/her/they/them) (Senior Consultant)
Arline Votruba is in the quals phase of the Cultural Studies PhD program here at CGU. Arline’s research contributes to the medical humanities through ethnographic exploration of how culture impacts endometriosis patients’ healthcare experiences. Arline holds a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Keene State College and an MA in English: Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication from Iowa State University. Arline’s scholarship engages feminist theory, medical humanities, and reproductive justice.