Accreditation Visiting Team

The following are photos and biographies of those on the Accreditation Visiting Team.

	Dr. Carole Goldsmith Team Chair, Dr. Carole Goldsmith, President of Fresno City College has been recognized as an expert on workforce development, community collaboration, and career technical education. She believes that great cities include high performing education systems and understands the importance of education in providing opportunity to change lives and communities. Dr. Goldsmith has spent over 20 years in a variety of educational leadership roles, currently as President of Fresno City College. Before taking the helm at FCC in August 2016, she served as President of West Hills College Coalinga. Other positions she has held include Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Workforce Development; a K-12 teacher at a small rural school; and as an administrator at an adult school and at a private post-secondary college. Dr. Goldsmith has served on a number of state and local boards. She served on the Board of Governors Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation and a Strong Economy and was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and reappointed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. to serve on the Board of Directors of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. She has served on many accreditation sites visits as a peer reviewer, as well as Team Chair. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State, a master’s degree from National University and a Doctor of Education from the Joint Doctorate program offered by Fresno State and University of California, Davis.
	Christy Karau Christy Karau (she/her/hers) is a full-time Professor and Department Chair in the Business Department at Sierra College. Christy has 20 years of higher education experience with a special interest in accreditation, curriculum and assessment. She serves on various committees with the ASCCC, most recently on the Faculty Leadership Development Committee. She previously worked as a statewide Guided Pathways facilitator and assessment consultant to community colleges (a graduate of WASC's Assessment Leadership Academy). Ms. Karau is a member of the Presidential Equity Taskforce (at Sierra College), leading the implementation plan titled, The 5 Step Model (for creating equitable learning environments). She is the co-chair of the Educational Effectiveness Committee and a member of the Accreditation Steering Committee. She is actively involved in campus activities including: Guided Pathways Strategic Planning Committee, Professional Development Committee and the Curriculum Committee.
	Dr. Eric Klein Dr. Eric Klein is Dean of Learning and Technology Resources at Grossmont College. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and has held several administrative positions throughout his career. Dr. Klein is actively involved in a variety of professional organizations, and is a strong believer in continuing education and professional development. For example, he has participated in the Management Development Program through the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, as well as the Executive Leadership Academy through the Center for Studies in Higher Education at UC Berkeley. In addition, Dr. Klein has presented at numerous regional and national conferences on the topics of assessment, academic program review, course design, data and decision-making, student retention strategies, and other areas related to teaching and learning.
	Wendy Koenig Wendy Koenig has taught art history as a full-time professor since 2003. I have held positions at Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro) and North Central College (Naperville, Illinois) and I started at Long Beach City College in 2014. She has earned tenure three times! She enjoys teaching at LBCC because of the diverse student population and has a great team of colleagues in the Visual and Media Arts department. She is also the Chair of the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction and as such is directly involved in curricular decisions across campus. She is dedicated to ensuring that our courses and programs serve our students well and help them reach their goals. She holds a Ph.D. in the History of Art from The Ohio State University (Columbus), a Master's Degree in Fine Arts in Art History from Ohio University (Athens), a Diploma in Decorative Arts from the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and Christie's Auction House and a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Art History from the University of Louisville (Kentucky).
	Cyndie Luna Team Assistant, Cyndie Luna is the Dean of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts and the Accreditation Liaison Officer at Fresno City College. Prior to joining administration, she was a communication studies instructor at Fresno City College and a lecturer in communication at California State University, Fresno. She has been with State Center Community College District since 1998 and also serves as a peer evaluator for the Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. She holds an MA in Speech Communication from California State University, Fresno and is currently enrolled in the doctoral program for educational leadership through CSU Fresno where she is focusing on the impact of culturally-competent teacher immediacy in the college classroom. [Read More...]