Heather Kelley is a full time instructor in the Communication Studies Department and has been teaching at Golden West College since 2014. She began her college career as a community college student at Orange Coast College where she discovered her passion for the discipline. She then transferred to California State University, Fullerton, to earn her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication Studies. She previously taught classes at Cerritos College, Orange Coast College, Santiago Canyon College, and CSUF. Heather strives to create a welcoming environment for all students to learn. She loves teaching and watching her students grow as effective communicators. In her spare time, she enjoys walking along the beach, having conversations over coffee, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Rachel A. Wegter, M.A.
rwegter@gwc.cccd.edu
Rachel A. Wegter has taught at Goldenwest College for nearly a decade and is excited to be one of the Communication Studies Departments full time instructors. Her major areas of focus include public speaking, mediation and negotiation, organizational communication and social media; she is working to foster local internship opportunities for GWC COMM majors and is also active on the GWC IPD Committee. An alumnus of CSULB, Rachel taught communication courses at CSULB, L. A. Valley College and Coastline College, developed distance learning classes for military personnel and ran speech and journalism programs at a large urban high school in Long Beach for many years. She is a published author of a public speaking textbook and currently enjoys regularly contributing to a variety of digital outlets. She has a passion for teaching communication due to its unmitigated relevance; everything learned in a communication course can be applied in daily life! In her spare time, she loves antiques, silent cinema, writing, photography, traveling and spending time with her family and pup, Jethro.
Part-Time Faculty
Chathi Anderson, M.A.
canderson22@gwc.cccd.edu
Katie Bruns, M.A.
kbruns1@cccd.edu
Katie Bruns began teaching at Golden West in Fall 2015 after graduating with a M.A. in Communication Studies at California State University, Long Beach. With a B.S. in Business Administration from Chapman University, Katie also has experience in management, marketing, and event planning. In addition to teaching at a variety of local colleges, Katie loves running, making lists, advocating for social justice, and adventuring with her husband and two kids. Katie thrills in helping students give voice to their passions in her Public Speaking classes and teaching students how to build successful and satisfying relationships in her Interpersonal Communication courses. Her utmost goal as an educator is to help students pursue their passions. She agrees with Howard Thurman when he said, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Katie’s goal in teaching is to help others come alive.
Michelle Dinger, M.A.
mdinger@gwc.cccd.edu
Jamie LeNoir, M.A.
jlenoir@gwc.cccd.edu
Melissa Lyon, M.A.
mlyon@gwc.cccd.edu
Deborah McPherson
dmcpherson@gwc.cccd.edu
Debby McPherson has taught communication courses for 22 years (at GWC for 11 years), with her major areas of concentration being Argumentation Essentials, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication and Organizational Communication. In addition to her course instruction, she was a Debate Coach for a local high school for 5 years. In her spare time, she loves watching her son play soccer and traveling.
Shelley Natale, M.A.
snatale1@gwc.cccd.edu
Shelley Natale began teaching at Golden West in Fall 2017 and is excited to be a part of GWC. She was also a part of the community college system as a graduate of Fullerton College, and continued on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree from Cal State University, Fullerton. Following her BA, she joined the corporate world and had a 10-year career in the advertising and marketing industries. During this time she completed her Master’s Degree and graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Communications and Leadership with the goal of becoming a professor. Shelley has also taught at Fullerton College, Santa Ana College, Mt. SAC, and Cal Poly Pomona. Before becoming a college instructor, she also taught English in Japan and has a passion for intercultural communications. When she is not in the classroom, Shelley enjoys going on hikes, attending concerts, and live theater. She has performed in plays and musicals since high school and currently volunteers at a small theater in Orange County during her free time. Shelley loves seeing her students grow within her classes and helping them find their voice and confidence in public speaking.
Michael Owens, M.A., J.D.
mowens33@cccd.edu
Justin Perkins
jperkins26@cccd.edu
Franklin Ragg, M.A.
fragg@gwc.cccd.edu
Tiffany Ruggeri-DiLello, M.A.
tdilello@gwc.cccd.edu
Tiffany Ruggeri-DiLello has been with Goldenwest College since 2016. Professor Ruggeri is an alumnus of California State University, Fullerton, and currently teaches the essentials of argumentation, public speaking, and interpersonal communication. Professor Ruggeri believes in student-centered learning, and that coursework should be designed so that what is learned in the classroom will aid in student success in all facets of life, in real time.
Darby Van Dam
dscott61@cccd.edu
Emily Vu
evu16@gwc.cccd.edu
Emily Vu has been an adjunct faculty at Goldenwest College for almost two years now, though she has been teaching Communication Studies courses for over ten years. She started out at Santiago Canyon College and moved to Highline College in Washington State for a tenure-track position but found out that there’s no place like California. Currently, she is an adjunct faculty at GoldenWest and Fullerton College teaching in areas of Interpersonal, Intercultural, and Public Speaking courses. Emily is also working on a doctorate in Community College Leadership at Oregon State University. Her areas of interests are equity, critical race theories, and remediation education – and the lasting impact it has on higher education. Emily volunteers her time at the Maple Center after-school program in the city of Fullerton, teaching elementary children on topics like self-advocacy, community building, anti-bully with her colleagues. Her group present a workshop at the Western State Communication Association about the after-school program learning collaboration efforts. In her spare time, she loves to hang out with her four-year daughter and traveling.
Summer Wagner, M.A.
swagner@gwc.cccd.edu
Summer Wagner received a M.A. in Communication Studies in 2009 from California State University, Long Beach. Since then she has taught students in high school (Inglewood City Honors and Compton Early College) and college (El Camino College Compton, Cerritos, Santa Ana, CSULB). Her course offerings center around lower division communication courses; including Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Discussion, and Argumentation and Debate. Her passion for teaching stems from her own communication apprehension, which is the way she relates to the anxious student. She has attended faculty trainings and is constantly looking for ways to keep students engaged. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, practicing yoga, and exploring new places.
