Main Contents
Full Time Faculty
Mark Ainsworth, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Plant Biology, University of California, Davis
- Subjects Taught
- Biology, Biotechnology
Mark Ainsworth grew up in Cleveland, Ohio but headed west for graduate school at UC Davis. After working for a time as a research scientist at CombiMatrix Corporation he changed career paths and became an instructor at SCCC. He currently teaches biology and biotechnology classes, in addition to acting as the faculty coordinator for the Biotechnology Program.
Liz Campbell, M.A.
M.A. Biology, Boston University
- Subjects Taught
- Biology, Oceanography
Liz Campbell, before coming to Seattle in 1980, taught non-majors biology at U.Mass. Boston. Her education includes a B.A. in music from Smith College (plays the oboe) and M.A. in biology from Boston University where she worked with invertebrate marine parasites. Among the programs at SCCC that have contributed to her teaching style are CSPs. She has found teaching with and learning from colleagues in other disciplines motivating in terms of expanding her curriculum and appreciating other ways of looking at the world. She currently teaches 2 non-majors biology lab courses- biological principles and marine biology as well as oceanography.
Daniel Gong, M.S.
M.S. Biological Structure, University of Washington
- Subjects Taught
- Anatomy & Physiology
As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley Daniel became fascinated with the miracle called life. Through experiences in graduate school as a teaching assistant he developed a desire to help students, particularly those planning to go into the health sciences. His goal is to prepare students for their future academic pursuits, careers, and life. For pre-nursing students and other students whose goal is to enter a health related profession he wants to help them establish a strong anatomy and physiology foundation so when they enter their respective programs or afterwards, their practices, they will be knowledgeable and capable. He teaches primarily his specialty, human anatomy and physiology.
Wendy Rockhill, Ph.C.
M.S. Vertebrate Morphology & Zoology, Washington State University
Ph.C. Developmental Biology; University of Washington
- Subjects Taught
- Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Nutrition
As a continual lifelong learner, Wendy Rockhill has returned to graduate school at the University of Washington to work on a PhD in Development Neurophysiology. While it has been difficult for her to juggle the timing of classes at two institutions, the benefits have been tremendous. Through professional connections, she has become a valuable resource for student considering transferring to the University of Washington and other four-year institutions. In addition to teaching Anatomy and Physiology, Biology courses, and the Science and Math Seminar Series, she is the faculty coordinator for the Biology Department.
Grace Sparks, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Ecosystems Analysis, University of Washington
Grace Sparks earned a B.S. in Environmental Science, with minors in Biology and English, at Allegheny College. She moved to Seattle in order to pursue graduate studies in forest ecology at the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources. Her doctoral dissertation research focused on the effects of forest-clearcut edges on the fruiting patterns of fungi in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Before beginning to teach at Seattle Central, she was a laboratory teaching assistant and a summer instructor at the University of Washington. In addition, she has also done some teaching in martial arts and self-defense classes. She teaches plant biology and biology courses.
DeeDee Tilley, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Molecular Biology, University of Southern California
- Subjects Taught
- Biology, Biotechnology
DeeDee Tilley began her education at Edmonds Community College. She received her BS in Biology from The College of New Jersey and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California. She worked as a post doctoral candidate at the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation where she characterized novel tumor antigens and receptors utilizing standard immunological and mammalian cell culture techniques. She currently teaches biology and biotechnology classes.
Lauren Yasuda
Ph.D. Genetics, University of Washington
- Subjects Taught
- Genetics, Microbiology
Lauren Yasuda earned a B.S. in Biology at UCLA and a Ph.D. in Genetics at the UW. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Lauren began her teaching career at SCCC. She greatly enjoys the diversity of her students and appreciates their motivation and eagerness to learn. Lauren teaches microbiology and genetics, attempting to continually update her courses to keep up with the rapid changes in these areas of biology.
Part Time Faculty
Michael Boyle, Ph. D.
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
- Subjects Taught
- Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Environment Science
Natasa Kesler
M.A., Hunter College, City University of New York
- Subjects Taught
- Anatomy & Physiology, Biology
Natasa Kesler joined SCCC in 2003 after working for a Redmond-based nanotechnology company Micronics, Inc. Before moving to Seattle, Natasa worked as a Research Coordinator in Neurology Department of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in NYC and received her MA degree in Biology from Hunter College. She teaches biology, anatomy and physiology and nutrition classes.
Jay McLean-Riggs, M.D., M.P.H.
M.D., M.P.H., Yale University
- Subjects Taught
- Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Nutrition, Health
Jay was born and grew up in South Africa, immigrating to the US in 1985. She did her BS in Zoology at WSU in Pullman, and headed to Connecticut to Yale for her MD and MPH in International Health. In addition to teaching Health and ANP at Central she is spending time raising to daughters. Jay loves to teach and enjoys learning new and different pedagogical techniques, and the diversity of students at Central.
Deborah Ocken
M.S., Kansas State University
- Subjects Taught
- Nutrition, Biology, Health, Anatomy & Physiology
Gillian Schultz, Ph.D.
Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
- Subjects Taught
- Botany, Nutrition, Biology, Health, Environmental Science
Gillian Schultz grew up in Washington, D.C. about 2 blocks from the National Zoo, and spent an enormous amount of time as a child in that zoo and at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. She received her B.A. in English Literature and Anthropology from the University of Rochester in upstate New York. After graduating with her PhD in Botany she decided that while research was enjoyable, her true passion was for teaching. She teaches at several community colleges in the Greater Seattle Area and enjoys teaching at Seattle Central because the diverse student body provides many different perspectives and experiences in the classroom, even in science courses that can appear to be cut and dried. She teaches numerous nutrition, health, and biology classes.
Instructional Staff
Becky Barney
B.S., Portland State University
Jeff Rash, B.S.
B.S., University of Washington
Jeff Rash, Program Support Supervisor at Seattle Central Community College, is a transplant from Lorain, Ohio. His passion for marine mammals brought him to the Pacific Northwest in 1979 to pursue a degree in Zoology at the University of Washington. He worked as Research Coordinator for a volunteer group based in Seattle, The Marine Animal Resource Center, and became involved in rehabilitating, rescuing and researching our resident marine mammal population. During the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, he worked with many other researchers to assist in rescuing oiled sea otters. He is also a certified Master Gardener and Seattle Mariner Expert Extraordinaire.
Sarah Salzer
M.S., Hokkaido University