Advisory Board
Estella Atekwana, PhD
Dean of L&S
lsdean@ucdavis.edu
Dean Estella Atekwana is a visionary leader and ardent champion for diversity, firmly believing that diversity defines our greatest strengths. As Dean of the College of Letters and Science — the largest and most comprehensive college at UC Davis — she provides academic and administrative leadership to 37 departments and programs across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and the mathematical and physical sciences, supporting more than 900 faculty members, 300 staff, 14,000 undergraduates and 1,500 graduate students. Her priorities include enhancing student success, fostering equitable outcomes across all student demographics, and amplifying the transformative impact of faculty and alumni.
Since beginning her tenure in August 2021, Dean Atekwana has drawn on her experience from prior roles as Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment at the University of Delaware and Head of the Boone Pickens School of Geology at Oklahoma State University. An internationally renowned geophysicist, her research focuses on bio-geophysics, near-surface geophysics, tectonics, geodynamics and continental rifting.
Dean Atekwana is also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, American Geophysical Union, the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, the Geochemical Society, and the National Association of Black Geoscientists, and Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in geology from Howard University and a Ph.D. in geophysics from Dalhousie University. Her leadership is rooted in inclusive excellence, propelling the College of Letters and Science toward new heights in advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration and creating a lasting societal impact.
Harry Cheng, Ph.D.
College of Engineering
hhcheng@ucdavis.edu
Dr. Harry H. Cheng is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Graduate Group in Computer Science, and Graduate Group in Education, and Director of the Integration Engineering Lab at UC Davis. He founded and directs the UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM). Over the last 10 years, he has pioneered the work on systemically integrating computing and robotics into K-12 formal math education with a focus on Algebra, the gatekeeper for STEM fields. He has taught computer programming, robotics, and engineering software design at UC Davis since 1992, authored and co-authored more than 180 papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings, and holds two U.S. patents.
David Gold, Ph.D.
Faculty Director of CalTeach/MAST
dgold@ucdavis.edu
Dr. David Gold graduated with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolution from UC Irvine (2007) and a Ph.D. in Biology from UCLA (2014). He went on to do postdoctoral research at MIT and Caltech before joining the faculty at UC Davis. The Gold lab uses molecular paleontology — or the combination of geologic, genetic, and developmental tools — to study the early evolution of animal life. The lab is currently involved in two areas of research. The first focuses on the evolution of genes relevant to important geobiological processes, including biomineralization and geochemical biomarkers. The second direction involves studying early-branching animals, such as jellyfish and sea sponges, to see how these animals develop and respond to changing environmental conditions. In particular, the lab uses the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) as a model organism for questions surrounding animal development, tissue regeneration, and cell type evolution. Dr. Gold has significant experience working with first-generation students and others from diverse backgrounds, and is interested in developing teaching and mentoring techniques that increase representation in the sciences.
Loraine Hernandez-Covello
Advocacy Relations and Communications Manager
Government and Community Relations, Office of the Chancellor
lcovello@ucdavis.edu
As Advocacy Relations and Communications Manager for Government and Community Relations at UC Davis, Loraine works to identify, engage and mobilize third party volunteer advocates to support UC Davis and UC budget and legislative priorities.
Loraine coordinates UC Davis participation in system wide advocacy communications campaigns and also develops and manages communications collateral, content and applications to enhance the service experience for internal and external constituents. Loraine is also responsible for developing and managing GCR’s information tracking systems, databases and web tools for advocacy, and improving business systems.
As the primary campus liaison to UC Davis’ longest running support group, University Farm Circle, Loraine serves as an ex-officio board member and partners to support the organization’s mission of Friendship, Enrichment and Scholarship as it relates to staff, faculty and students.
An alum of UC Davis, Loraine joined UC Davis administration in 2003, since serving on campus wide project teams and holding previous positions as Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for University Relations, Manager for the UC Davis Foundation and Manager for the Chancellor's Board of Advisors.
Prior to UC Davis, Loraine served as an Associate Relationship Manager for Franklin Templeton Investments where she also completed the Management Trainee Program specializing in business operations and system conversions, retirement services and staff development.
Susann L. Keen, PhD
Professor of Teaching
slkeen@ucdavis.edu
Susan L. Keen is interested in activities that promote academic success for STEM undergraduates, in particular first-generation students. She teaches two of Introductory Biology courses (Evolution and Ecology; Phylogenetics and Tree of Life), as well as associated co-classes. As Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs for CBS (2012 to 2018), she hypothesized that gaps in academic performance could be reduced by a combination of support structures. Working with Joel Ledford, they created successful co-classes for first-generation students (2016 to present). Other collaborations with colleagues in Classics, Philosophy, and History led to expanded offerings to support STEM students within the General Education program. The role of visual media in teaching biology underpins her NSF-funded Research Collaborative Network VISABLI (with Jodie Jenkinson and Gael McGill), and she focuses on using images and text to increase student understanding as lead author for two textbooks (Animal Diversity and Integrated Principles of Zoology) and their associated lab manuals.
Adrian Lopez
Senior Director of Government Relations
Government and Community Relations, Office of the Chancellor
adnlopez@ucdavis.edu
Adrian Lopez is the Senior Director of Government Relations at UC Davis, where he serves as the chief advocate, representative and spokesperson for the University on all state matters. He is responsible for implementing a comprehensive state relations and advocacy program that engages and mobilizes the Chancellor, senior campus leadership, faculty, students, alumni and third party advocates for the purpose of increasing the campus’ visibility, involvement and support from state agencies and elected officials. He also handles tribal affairs and is a proud Aggie, having received both his undergraduate and law degrees from UC Davis.
KT O’Conner
Development Program Manager
College Relations and Development
ktoconnor@ucdavis.edu
KT O’Connor is the development program manager for the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. She is responsible for managing projects within the college development team, managing all expense and gift accounts, administering annual fund solicitations for the college, and supervising all administrative functions and projects including gift processing, stewardship, travel and entertainment, purchasing, events, alumni engagement and prospect research. KT formerly worked as an assistant director of development for the college. Prior to joining UC Davis, she spent over a decade working in humanitarian programming, nonprofit development and corporate aviation consulting. KT holds a B.S. in human environmental sciences from the University of Alabama.
Susann Pinter
Academic Coordinator/Lecturer
spinter@ucdavis.edu
Susann Pinter is an Academic Coordinator and Lecturer for the CalTeach/Mathematics and Science Teaching (MAST) program at the University of California, Davis. She specializes in teaching science concepts and inquiry-based science to pre-service teachers. With nearly two decades of experience teaching integrated science, earth science, and chemistry in Illinois schools and at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, she is committed to instilling a passion and deeper understanding of science and mathematics teaching in her students at UC Davis.
At UC Davis, Pinter teaches MAST III: Teaching High School Mathematics and Science, a course designed to prepare students for effective instruction in secondary-level math and science classrooms. She also leads innovative projects like “Project Ecosystem,” a community art-science initiative that uses fiberarts to depict marine ecosystems and highlight the effects of climate change.
Pinter's dedication to science education and community engagement continues to inspire students and educators alike.
Tom Smith, PhD
Dean, School of Education
tomsmith@ucdavis.edu
Tom Smith joined UC Davis in June 2024 as its dean of the School of Education. He is a highly accomplished researcher, educator, and leader with more than 30 years of experience in education, and has held several leadership roles at UC Riverside, including interim provost and executive vice chancellor, dean of the Graduate School of Education, and interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs. Prior to joining UC Davis, he was a professor of public policy and education in Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.
Smith’s research focuses on partnering with schools and districts to improve student learning and college and career readiness. He is currently collaborating with researchers at Vanderbilt, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and the University of Washington and practitioners in San Francisco to develop, test, and implement a system of practical measures and routines for instructional improvement in mathematics (PMR2). He is also Co-PI of the California Teacher Education Research and Improvement Network, working with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the California Department of Education to develop a state-wide data system to follow individuals who earn a teaching credential from their teacher education program through their experiences in the teaching workforce.
Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from UCLA, a Master of Arts in economics from Columbia University, a Master of Arts in sociology from Catholic University of America, and a Ph.D. in educational theory and policy from Pennsylvania State University.
Matt Wallace, Ph.D.
Education
mtwallace@ucdavis.edu
Matt has taught high school mathematics in California public schools, and has worked as a lecturer at UC Berkeley and California State University, East Bay. He has also served as the Director of Math for America, Berkeley, a professional development program for secondary math and science teachers. Currently, Dr. Wallace works as the secondary mathematics lecturer and supervisor in UC Davis’ Teacher Education Program. Dr. Wallace’s research and teaching interests include classroom assessment and formative assessment in particular, reform-based mathematics curricula and pedagogy, and teaching and learning with technology.