Pomona Presenters

Angela Stockman began her career teaching English Language Arts at the elementary level, spent time teaching high school English, and dedicated the bulk of her classroom experience to serving middle level readers and writers. Here, she won citations for excellence in teaching from the New York State Department of Education and served as a Christa McAuliffe fellow. Angela founded the Western New York Young Writers’ Studio in 2008, a learning community comprised of K-12 writers and teachers dedicated to documenting their learning together and disseminating their expertise in the field. She’s published multiple books with Routledge dedicated to multiliteracy instruction, facilitated related system-wide curriculum and assessment design efforts in over one hundred schools internationally over the last twenty years, and remains dedicated to documenting and sharing her own learning. Angela teaches in the Graduate School of Education at Daemen University in Amherst, New York, where recent research and publication efforts focused on using pedagogical documentation to mitigate frustration in asynchronous learning environments and the influence of artificial intelligence in special education teacher preparation programs. 

I was recently a teacher at Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, before retiring from Georgia last month.  I have taught both AP Lang and AP Lit in a dual language model in an academy mixed with native English and Native Spanish students. I have taught in Georgia since 2007 and taught in Miami, Seattle WA area, Cartagena Colombia, and Pusan South Korea. Next year I will teach in a dual language program at Spanaway Middle near Tacoma, Washington. 

Carol Jago has taught English in middle and high school in public schools for 32 years and is associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA. She served as president of the National Council of Teachers of English and as chair of the College Board’s English Academic Advisory committee. She has published many books with Heinemann including The Book in Question: Why and How Reading Is in Crisis. She is also author of With Rigor for All and Cohesive Writing: Why Concept Is Not Enough and published books on contemporary multicultural authors for NCTE. Carol has served on the National Assessment Governing Board and currently serves on the International Literacy Association’s Board of Directors. She chairs the NCTE standing committee on literacy assessment. Carol was awarded the International Literacy Association’s Adolescent Literacy Thought Leader Award and the CEL Exemplary Leadership Award. She has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Association of Teachers of English. Carol is also the recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English Squire Award given to honor an individual who has had a transforming influence and has made a lasting intellectual contribution to the profession.

Caroline Fortuno is a skilled professional in student services, job development, and career services surrounding Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. She is dedicated to aligning education with workforce needs. With extensive experience in collaborating with educators and industry stakeholders, she has developed opportunities that equip students with practical skills for the job market. Her work in the community college, adult school and workforce investment board settings has provided her with valuable insights into the skills employers are seeking.  

Christopher Lewis, Ph.D., is currently a Teacher on Special Assignment supporting multilingual learners at Mountain View High School in El Monte, CA where he has worked for nineteen years. Prior to being a TOSA, he was a Social Science and ELA teacher. Additionally, Christopher is a part-time lecturer at Chapman University in the Attallah College of Educational Studies where he teaches pre-service courses including content area literacy, secondary language acquisition and literacy, and History/Social Studies methods. He regularly presents at conferences including the California Association for Teachers of English, the California Council for the Social Studies, and the California Bilingual Educators Association. His research interests include LGBTQ+ history, LGBTQ+ young adult fiction, Social Studies and ELA methods, and youth voice.

Chris Street is a Professor of Secondary Education at Cal State Fullerton.  Chris has taught English at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Dr. Street serves on the statewide ERWC Steering Committee and authored the 12th grade module, Island Civilization.  He presents and publishes on issues related to ERWC, and he has been facilitating ERWC professional learning sessions for teachers since the inception of the ERWC.  In this role, he has worked with hundreds of English teachers across the California.
 

Christy Kenny Kitchen is an English teacher at Buena Park High School where she has also served as a Literacy Coach and Curriculum Specialist. She has taught English at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Having written one of the i3 modules (The Daily Challenge), she also worked as an academic coach to ERWC teachers for the i3 grant.  Christy has been leading ERWC professional learning workshops for a decade.

Nearly twenty years as an English teacher, first in middle schools in Japan and since in Southern California public high schools in Bellflower and Garden Grove, Erich has dedicated his time toward providing an equitable education for students. He is teaching ERWC and ELD at Bolsa Grande High School in Orange County and leads ERWC training workshops in Long Beach. When he's not conferring with students in the classroom, Erich is pondering the challenges in public education: equitable grading practices, empowering English language learners in all subjects, and sustainable classroom conditions for writing teachers. What's New with Universal Design for Learning? A "Sneak Peek" at the Upcoming 2 Day Intensive Professional Learning

Faye Wong is an Expository Reading and Writing Course Steering Committee team-member and the Early Assessment Program (EAP) Coordinator at California State University San Bernardino.  EAP promotes college readiness, academic preparation, and success.   For the past 18 years, Faye has provided information on academic preparation, college readiness, Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC), 4th year math, Supportive Pathways for First-Year Students (Early Start Program), CSU Placement and Multiple Measures to administrators, counselors, teachers, students, and parents in over 40 high school districts throughout the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.    Faye holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from California State University Fullerton and was previously a Program Administrator in the Orange County Department of Education. She has presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Education and the EWRC Literacy Conference on school-related issues.

Frank Mata has been in the ELA classroom for 20+ years mainly teaching ERWC, AP Language & Composition, and a pilot course titled 12th Grade ELA: Social Justice & Equity. Frank recently co-chaired CATE’s 2024 convention and is a CATE board member. He has written for the California English journal with “Being James Baldwin,” “The Risk of the Internalization of Inferiority: a review of Dr. April Baker-Bell’s keynote address on Linguistic Justice,” and “Caught Slippin’.” Frank is an avid Pickleball player and the proud father of Benjamin 11 and Ivan 8. 

Ginny Crisco teaches courses in writing, literacy, and pedagogy at CSUF and supports professional development of teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  She also works with the Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum as a workshop facilitator, coach, state-wide Chair of Professional Learning certification, module writer, and steering committee member. She has been doing this work across the state and in local high schools since 2013, and this is some of the best professional work that she does! Her current research focuses on integrating Universal Design for Learning into reading and writing practices at the secondary and college level.

Glen McClish is professor emeritus of rhetoric and writing studies at San Diego State University.  He is especially interested in African American rhetoric and pedagogical applications of rhetoric principles.  

Jennifer Fletcher is a Professor of English at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she coordinates the undergraduate program for future English teachers. She also teaches writing courses for first-year college students. Her nearly thirty years of experience in education include a decade as a high school teacher. The author of Teaching Arguments (2015), Teaching Literature Rhetorically (2018), and Writing Rhetorically (2021), Jennifer facilitates workshops and webinars on rhetorical literacy skills for teachers across the country and is a frequent speaker at conferences. She serves as the Chair of the ERWC Steering Committee.

Jen Roberts is a Nationally Board Certified high school English teacher with 25+ years of experience teaching English Language Arts and Social Science and in grades 7-12. She is the co-author of Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning and a Google for Education Certified Innovator since 2011. Her interests include literacy instruction, and leveraging technology to make her teaching more efficient, and effective. She blogs at LitandTech.com.

John R. Edlund is professor emeritus (currently retired) in the English and Modern Languages Department at Cal Poly Pomona. He has a B.A. and an M.A. in English from Cal State LA and a Ph.D. in English (Rhetoric, Linguistics and Literature option) from the University of Southern California (1991).   He has taught Basic Writing, First Year Composition, Professional Writing, Science Fiction, Literary Theory, History of Rhetoric, and many other courses. He founded and directed two writing centers, one at Cal State LA and one at Cal Poly Pomona. He formed the task force that created the ERWC in 2003 and chaired the Steering Committee from 2004-2018.   He is currently playing guitar and writing science fiction and fantasy.   

Joyce Foss, a seasoned educator with over two decades of experience, currently serves as the Coordinator of Curriculum & Instruction and Coordinator of the Central Orange County CTE Partnership at the Orange County Department of Education. In her current role, she facilitates teacher training, guides curriculum development, and promotes high-quality CTE programs. Prior to this position, Joyce was a certified trainer for the Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (ERWC) and a certified facilitator for the University of California Curriculum Integration (UCCI) Institutes. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong dedication to developing engaging curriculum that promotes positive student outcomes and enhances student learning. Joyce holds a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from California State University, Bakersfield, and a Bachelor's degree in English from California State University, Northridge.

Karen Lopez has been teaching for the William S. Hart School District since 1981, with the past 40 years spent at Hart High School where she currently teaches Grade 12 ERWC.  She has served as a consultant and Mentor Coach for both the UCLA Writing Project and UCLA Reading and Literature Project; as a member of the National Advisory Panel for the Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes textbook series and their Grammar and Writing series; as a CSULA RIAP Director; and as an ERWC Workshop Teacher Leader since the course’s inception in 2006. She is also the author of the 3.0 Integrated/Designated ERWC Module titled “Chance Me: Recognizing Merit” designed to prepare students for the CAASPP. 

Dr. Lisa Benham Lewis is a Director at Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, where she conducts research and coordinates teacher professional learning for the Expository Ready and Writing Curriculum (ERWC). Her thirty-four years of experience in education include being a teacher, school principal, district administrator and county administrator. Lisa earned her Ed.D. in Leadership from the University of LaVerne. She earned a Bachelors and a Master’s degree at California State University of Fresno. 

Lori Campbell teaches ERWC for the Kern High School District program, Kern Learn. This course is the first to receive full certification from Quality Matters adhering to the high standards of an effective online course. Ms. Campbell taught ERWC in the classroom for 10 years. She also serves as CATE Membership Chair. 

Dr. Marcy Merrill holds a doctorate in Reading and a Master’s degree in English Education. Dr. Merrill holds teaching credentials in English grades 7-12 and reading grades pre-k-16. She taught high school English for 12 years before becoming a professor at California State University, Sacramento in 2002. She works in the College of Education, where she teaches graduate students and preservice English teachers and serves as the chair of the graduate program in Language and Literacy. Dr. Merrill has been a member of the leadership team for the Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum since 2005 and serves as director of the College and Career Readiness Center at CSUS.

A former high-school English teacher, Nelson taught English Education from 2000-2015 and is now retired from teaching first-year composition and working with faculty across the disciplines in improving reading and writing instruction. He is a member of the steering committee for the CSU Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (ERWC) and the CSU English Council. His research focuses on teaching for transfer of learning, reading and writing pedagogy, and assessment. He has a BA in English from San José State University, an MA in English and American Literature and a PhD in Composition Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Rachel is a Teacher on Special Assignment for the San Juan Unified School District and Academic Literacy Instructor in the CSU College of Education. An ELA educator in the Sacramento region since 2006, Rachel first taught ERWC in 2007. She became a workshop leader in 2017 and was involved in the i3 and NPD grants for ERWC 3.0 as a coach, module revisor, and editor. In 2021, she taught ERWC 3.0 modules at Bella Vista High School, excited by high levels of engagement and excellent student writing. As a result of the writing produced through modules like The Danger (and Power) of a Single Story and The Things They Carried, Rachel began advocating for ways to publish student writing in and out of the classroom. She started the Bella Vista Writing Club in 2022 and supported a digital literary magazine in 2023. She worked with Julia Clauson and Amy Day to publish the San Juan Unified School District Literary Magazine in 2024.

Roberta "Robby" Ching is a Professor Emerita in English at California State University, Sacramento, where she taught in the MATESOL Program and was chair of the Learning Skills Program for 13 years. She was a member of the original 12^th Grade Task Force that created ERWC and has been a continuing member of the ERWC Steering Committee. Most recently, she has been part of the leadership team that developed ERWC-ELD curriculum with Integrated and Designated ELD, first for grades 9 through 12 and currently for grades 6 through 8 funded by two consecutive National Professional Development (NPD) grants. 

Ronald Klemp taught and worked in LAUSD for from 1973 to 2009 as a reading teacher, Dean of Discipline, and Secondary Literacy Coordinator. He has taught at CSUN since 1986 and has published numerous articles and provided professional development for secondary teachers nationally. His tier 2 reading curriculum, "Inside the Text," was published by Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt. Ronald is also a workshop leader for ERWC at CSUN. He also taught developmental reading at Santa Monica College and has taught at National University and California Lutheran University.