FYRE or the First Year Residential Experience Program attempts to welcome and orient new faculty to Glendale Community College.  First year faculty start the semester a day early with a tour of the campus and orientation to syllabus elements and  important polices.  They are also greeted by the GCC president, vice presidents, and deans and faculty senate president over a light lunch.  The rest of the year, the first year faculty attend monthly meetings and learn about such topics as faculty professional growth, the Center for Learning, student disability services and employee wellness.  This year twelve new faculty joined GCC in Fall 2007 and one joined in Spring 2007.

Information in the biographies was taken from the Convocation 2007 packet. 

New Faculty	2007 2008
	Brandon Cleworth is a new faculty in the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department with a BA in anthropology, a BS in history, and an MA in Religious Studies , and he is anticipating his PhD in Religious Studies, all from ASU.  He is a faculty associate at ASU, where he teaches courses on ritual, symbol, myth and comparative mysticism.  An avid traveler, Brandon has been able to enrich his religious studies curriculum with recent trips to Iceland, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Peru, and Poland.  Itineraries for travel to India, Egypt, and Finland are in the future.
	David Nelson has been an adjunct faculty member in the GCC English Department for the past several years.  He comes to GCC with a BA in English from Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, and an MFA in Creative Writing from ASU.  He previously taught English at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix. While at Xavier, David also taught in the Honors English and Great Books programs.  Apart from writing, his interests include backpacking , direct metal sculpture, and gardening.
	Raul Muniz, a new faculty in the Fire Science Program, comes to GCC from the Portales, New Mexico Fire Department where he was the Chief of the Department.  He also is a former New York City Fire Officer and served in that position for almost 24 years.  During his career in the fire service, he has been awarded several medals and commendations for bravery and excellent duty.  He is also a recipient of the FDNY Survivor Medal for the attack on September 11, 2001.  Raul has a BS degree from Excelsior College in Albany, New York.  He enjoys exercise and sports.
	Dr. Fernando Romero's teaching experience spans a variety of age levels and educational settings including elementary, undergraduate teacher-training programs, and acting as adjunct, Maricopa Faculty Intern and One-Year-Only faculty at GCC's Psychology Department.  He completed his Doctorate at ASU.  Fernando's instructional style emphasizes critical thinking and applying information to everyday life decision making.  His academic interests include cultural psychology and best practices in the delivery and assessment of instruction. Outside of the academic world, he enjoys playing tennis and spending time with his family.
	Phong Chau is a PhD candidate in mathematics at ASU.  He holds a Master's degree and a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, both from ASU.  In prior years, Phong taught mathematics courses at ASU as a graduate teaching associate, and was nominated twice for an award for excellence in teaching.  He has previously taught mathematics courses at GCC as adjunct. In his most recent position, Chau taught various math courses at Arizona Western College. He also has expertise teaching mathematics using technology, including the web-enhanced and web-based structure.
	Gregory Privatera joins the GCC Psychology Department from ASU where he managed human and animal research laboratories on the psychology of eating as a Postdoctoral Research Associate.  Born in Buffalo, New York, he served four honorable years in the United States Marine Corps before entering college and two additional years with the New York Army National Guard while attending college.  He received his Associate's degree from Erie Community College and Bachelor's, Master's and PhD degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo.  Other proud accomplishments include running two Marine Corps marathons with his father, being a lifetime member of the American Legion, and having his biography recently listed in the 2007 edition of Who's Who of Emerging Leaders.
	Jason Steward joins the residential faculty in the Chemistry Department at Glendale community College after recently earning his PhD from Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) in the Chemical Education division. His experiences with two National Science Foundation-funded programs working with secondary science teachers and undergraduate students engaged in authentic research experiences was the basis for his dissertation titled: Research Experience and Inquiry: Uses and Effects of Authentic Environments in Science Education.  Jason earned a BS in Biochemistry from Lee University (Cleveland, TN) although he originally majored in music for several years.
	Linda Benjamin,a faculty in Clinical Nursing, earned her associate of science degree in nursing at Mesa Community College. She earned her BSN from the University of Phoenix and then completed her Masters of Science degree in nursing from Walden University. She has been a nurse since 1992 and started teaching nursing clinical in 2003 after obtaining my BSN from U of P.  She has been married for 33 years and has raised three children. Her sons Daniel and Brent are currently serving in Iraq and her daughter Laura is a school teacher in the Dysart school district. She has 9 grandchildren and a rescued greyhound named Faron. She loves traveling, crafts and exercise.
	Lynn Brysacz, Counselor, has extensive experience counseling and teaching college and university students.  For many years, Lynn worked at ASU West, where she counseled, taught and mentored the students. Lynn has also worked for MCCD as an adjunct faculty member in psychology at GCC and on a grant at PVCC.  She is presently working with the First Year Experience Program in a learning community which combines ENG 061 and CPD 150. Lynn enjoys hiking, biking, baking and exploring the national parks with her husband.  Lynn has a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Santa Clara University in California and a Master's degree in counseling from ASU.
	Edward [McKennon][],GCC's newest service faculty librarian, graduated from the University of Arizona with an MA in Information Resources and Library Science.  He worked as a librarian at the West campus of ASU, and during his tenure there, led the development of the Fletcher Library website, participated in the formation and growth of the Fletcher Library Diversity Initiative Team, supported reference and instructional services, and actively served as the adviser to the Amnesty International student organization.  His professional conference presentations and publications have investigated the interrelationship between language and information systems and advocated for an increased role of librarians in mentoring and co-curricular campus programming.  Prior to his academic library career, he taught social studies, philosophy, journalism and cultural studies at River Valley High in Mojave Valley, AZ.  Ed has lived in the northeast and enjoys desert hiking, travel, and promoting human rights.
	Nelia (Nelly) Peterson, a faculty in clinical nursing, has transferred from Phoenix College, where she spent many years as nursing faculty. With an MNEd from the University of Phoenix and BSN, she will be coordinating the hybrid part-time evening program and the Nursing World Exploration Program and is faculty for the Banner Fellowship Nursing Program.  Nelly migrated from the Philippines and has received recognitions and awards as an active leader of the Philippine Nurses Association of Arizona and the Philippine Nurses Association of America, Inc.  She received the 2007 Nurse Educator of the Year, has been inducted into the Minority Nurse Hall of Fame at ASU Nursing Museum and is an active community volunteer and mentor.
	Karina Horowitz joins GCC from MCC, where she taught as adjunct faculty in the Psychology Department.  She completed a BA in Psychology at Oregon State University and an MA from NAU.  She is currently finishing her dissertation in Developmental Psychology at ASU.  Karina is a dancer, Phoenix Children's Hospital volunteer, and competes in Splash Dog (dock jumping) competition with her two Labrador retrievers.  Karina is a Phoenix native and is excited to be a GCC Gaucho!
	Jason Serin joins the Chemistry Department with a PhD in Chemistry (emphasis in Organic, Physical and Polymeric Chemistries) from the University of California, Berkeley, and BS in Chemistry from NAU.  His experience includes working as a Biomaterials Technical Specialist with Synthes, where Jason's responsibilities were the research, coordination, and conducting of technical and educational presentations to surgeons, hospital staff, and internal Synthes consultants.  Jason served four years in the United States Marine Corps as a Military Policeman and Special Reaction Team member.  He values personal development and existential studies, and enjoys piloting single-engine aircraft, playing soccer, running, weightlifting, and gardening.