Libna Arroyo grew up as the daughter of a missionary pastor and a teacher. She lived in several countries in Central America, Canada, and several states of the United States of America. Libna graduated from Southern Adventist University with a BA in Psychology, a Minor in Spanish, and a Masters in School counseling. For the last 14 years, Libna has worked in all areas of education and counseling, across 7 states, as counselor in elementary, middle/high school, alternative and adult education, mental health centers and taught college in Denver, Colorado.

She is interested in pursuing a PH. D in either counselor education, developmental or cognitive psychology.

Libna has a passion for research in psychology and some of her research interests include: the correlation between child

development and technology, academic achievement among minority students in the USA, the correlation between childhood trauma, fear development and resiliency.

She is married to Jonathan, a hospital and Air Force chaplain and they have two children, Nolan, and Katherine, and live in Angwin.

Rachelle Berthelsen-Davis, D.M.A., specializes in violin performance and violin pedagogy. She has taught at Columbia Union College; been the assistant director and concertmaster of the New England Symphonic Ensemble and assistant director of the New England Youth Ensemble; directed a middle school orchestra program; toured Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, China, Southeast Asia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean as a soloist and orchestral and chamber musician; and continues to participate in local chamber music and solo recitals. She is currently fascinated with alternative musical styles (non-classical music) and how to translate them to violin. She enjoys jamming with any group of instruments, reading, having interesting, meaningful conversations, and raising two young boys.

Katrina Blue specializes in teaching theology and Christian spirituality. Her Ph.D. dissertation is on “Union with Christ in the Writings of Ellen G. White.” She has presented papers at the Ellen G. White Symposium on the Holy Flesh Movement, and has published articles in the Ellen White Symposium Journal, a series on Paul in Galatians for the Compass Magazine, as well as Spectrum magazine. She is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Adventist Society for Religious Studies, and the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. She has worked as a teaching assistant at Fuller Theological Seminary, a hospital chaplain, associate pastor (intern), and as an adjunct professor at Andrews University in the undergrad Religion Department as well as in the Theological Seminary. She is married to David, an anesthesiologist.

Susan Bussell, professor of nursing, started teaching full-time at PUC in 2005 after teaching clinicals as an adjunct professor at Kaiser Vallejo in 2003. With a CNE, she taught pharmacology, pathophysiology, and multiple medical/surgical classes. Between 2014 and 2020, she was the AS program director. Susan was honored to be awarded Educator of the Year in the 2022-23 school year.

She graduated from LLUSN in 1993 with a BSN and received her MSN and acute care nurse practitioner from USCF in 1999. In 2013, she graduated from LLUSN with her DNP. Susan met her husband Ty at PUC, and they have been married for almost 30 years. Napa Valley has been home for 31 years with their four children, including her daughter-in-law. She loves baking, providing food for groups, traveling, and being with her family and dogs. Susan enjoys crafts, sewing, and everything Christmas.

Luke Butler is a native of Angwin. He has a deep connection to the town by attending PUC Elementary, PUC Prep., and graduating from PUC with a B.S. in Aviation. Inspired by his love for aviation, Luke chose to stay with PUC after completing his degree in 2019. With a focus on safety and mentorship, he guides aspiring pilots toward achieving their goals with care and expertise. He has been with PUC since 2021 and has FAA accomplishments, commercial pilot privileges (MEL, SEL, and SES), and is an SEL flight instructor.

As a professor of art history, Jon Carstens brings a breadth of knowledge of the humanities and a passion for art history, with a concentration in American art of the nineteenth century and the work of Winslow Homer in particular. He believes that “looking is not as easy as it looks," and in his courses he employs the visual image as a document to reveal how art and architecture reveal the cultural and historical milieu in which it was created.

Carstens rejoins the college faculty after previously teaching at PUC for 25 years. He lives in Angwin with his wife Claudia. In his free time, he enjoys auto racing, interior and landscape design, and travel.

Merilyn Chaffee received a bachelor's of technology, aviation flight and maintenance from Andrews University in 1997 and a master's degree from Pacific Union College in 1999. She has been the vice president of operations at Dream Flights since 2015, and a real estate broker since 2010. Her FAA ratings include commercial pilot, instrument flight instructor, and airframe and powerplant mechanic. She has been a flight instructor for many years in places such as PUC Flight Center, MI Air in Redlands, CA, and Kaiser Air in Santa Rosa, CA. Merilyn has also taught classes to students in sixth grade up to the collegiate level in subjects such as music, education, and aviation. Flying has always been a big part of her life, and she is excited to share her love of aviation with PUC students and be a part of a program that trains Christ-centered pilots for lives of service. Merilyn is married to Garrison Chaffee, PUC Youth and Associate Pastor and they have 3 teenagers.

Tony Chung, adjunct nursing professor and clinical instructor at Piner’s Nursing Home in Napa, California, joined PUC in 2021. He has a background in geriatric care, and his transition from bedside nurse to educator allows his nursing students to apply their learned concepts to a clinical setting under experienced guidance. He wants to ensure each student nurse has an equal opportunity to deliver care, safety, and comfort to their patients with confidence.

Amy Cronk, MAAT, spent the last two years in the heart of downtown Chicago studying to receive her master's in Art Therapy from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While interning, she had the privilege of working with a variety of populations including children with autism, older adults with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia, ex-prison offenders and women receiving treatment for cancer. Before moving to Chicago, she received her BFA from La Sierra University where she emphasized her art practice in oil painting on wood, incorporating three dimensional elements, as well as welding metal sculptures. When she's not in the studio, she enjoys yoga, reading, and playing with her pets.

Jaymie de la Torre is a fine artist with a passion for texture and found objects. Focusing her artistic practice on sculpture and ceramics, her work reflects both the natural world and landscapes we find within our own mind and heart. She encourages students to explore the ways art-making teaches us about the deeper themes of life. Jaymie brings to her artwork and teaching a broad range of experiences including working with diverse groups in the inner-city, disaster relief and documentary film production. She loves experiencing different cultures and natural wonder across the globe.

Originally graduating from Atlantic Union College with her AS and BS degrees she has been a nurse for 22 years. Kimberly has worked in a variety of Critical Care nursing areas, specializing in Adult, Surgical, Medical, Oncology, Thoracic, Neurology and Cardiac Surgeries. In addition to holding academic teaching positions, both in the classroom and in clinical instruction, she previously taught at her alma-mater, Atlantic Union College as an Associate Professor of Nursing. She has taught in both pre-licensure medical-surgical nursing, nursing research and RN-BS courses in Informatics and Nursing Leadership as well as master's level nursing education and leadership courses. Her doctoral research and publications focus on, "The Empowerment of Nursing Faculty, development, and Orientation." Her core values focus on student outcomes and retention and academic and clinical faculty satisfaction and development.

In addition to her work in academics, Kimberly is a SIGMA Advisor and author for new nursing educators and has served in accreditation roles.

Most recently, Kimberly comes to us from the Fortis Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, where she was the dean of nursing, and provided leadership in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of the nursing program under the president of the college and national VP of Nursing at Education Affiliates.

I come to PUC with 13 years of experience in medical/surgical nursing and two years experience teaching nursing part time. I am happy to return to PUC in this new role, having attended PUC as a student and lived in Angwin as a staff spouse. In my leisure time, I enjoy gardening, cooking, hiking, backpacking, reading, and needle arts. My favorite place to be is outside.

Linda Gill specializes in Victorian England, development of the novel, literary theory and dramatic performance. Gill has written articles for Dickens World, The Journal of Popular culture and Victorian Institute. She has also presented papers on Victorian authors such as Bronte, Dickens and Kipling, in addition to papers on the Harry Potter novels at Popular Culture conferences. She is particularly interested in investigating identity construction, meaning making and power in narratives. In addition to teaching courses in Romantic and Victorian literature, Gill teaches courses in Acting and performs regularly in DAS productions.

Floyd E. Hayes, Ph.D., professor, is a zoologist specializing in the ecology, behavior and biogeography of birds. While an undergraduate student, Dr. Hayes took off a year to teach in an elementary school on the island of Kosrae in Micronesia. He worked for three years as a vertebrate biologist for the US Peace Corps, based in the National Museum of Natural History of Paraguay. He also taught biology for nine years at Caribbean Union College (now University of the Southern Caribbean) and the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, and spent a year working as a wildlife biologist for the Division of Fish and Wildlife in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Dr. Hayes was editor in chief of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology during 2005-2013 and was a Fulbright Scholar to Paraguay in 2012. He enjoys birding, rock climbing and snorkeling.

Michael Jefferson grew up the son of a minister and nurse in the town of Ojai, California. Upon graduating from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, he received his master's degree in counseling psychology from Bowie State University in Maryland. After working two years for Social Services in Loudoun County, Virginia, Michael started working on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at The Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He completed his internship in Washington, D.C., with Shambu N. Banik and Associates, former chair of the Presidents Counsel on Mental Retardation. Michael is currently completing his dissertation on the experience of interpersonal intimacy by the adult children of ministers. He teaches for both the psychology and social work department and ECE program at PUC. His mental health interest and training are in ADHD, depression, and men's issues. Michael and his wife, Kathy, have two boys, Christopher and Nicholas, and live in Angwin.

Jeff Joiner has worked in healthcare as an RN since 1980. He has served as staff nurse, department manager, nursing supervisor, and hospital vice-president. He obtained his MSN as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Critical Care/Trauma. Jeff holds national certifications in Emergency Nursing and as a Wilderness EMT. He has been active in Emergency Management and Disaster Response at the local, state, national and international levels since 2001. He has over 20 years of experience in higher education teaching Nursing and Emergency Management. He has served as a content expert and lecturer in Disaster Response and Emergency Management. He continues to maintain a clinical practice in Emergency Nursing and is a volunteer Firefighter/EMT. Jeff has been married to his wife Judy for over 40 years. They have two grown daughters and four grandsons. Jeff enjoys camping, reading, scuba diving and international travel.

Young-Chun Kim specializes in soteriology (the study of religious doctrines of salvation), Karl Barth and Martin Luther. He has worked as a teaching assistant, lecturer, consultant, and instructor-in-training at Fuller Theological Seminary and has taught English at the SDA Language Institute in Seoul, Korea. Kim has played the violin for over 30 years and enjoys drawing, traveling and learning new languages. The example of his family serves as a constant inspiration in his life.

Helene Linzau teaches fundamentals of nursing. She continues to work occasionally at the St. Helena Hospital. She enjoys shopping for her nieces, quilting, taking pictures, and, if she has time, scrap-booking and traveling.

Emily Logan specializes in creative writing with an emphasis on prose. She is particularly interested in short story, flash fiction, and personal essay forms. Her stories and essays appear in The Roadrunner Review, Reflex Fiction, Watershed Review, and elsewhere, and her work has received support from AWP's Writer to Writer Mentorship Program and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. She teaches courses in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

After graduating from PUC with a B.S. in advertising design and one in studio art, Milbert Mariano acquired his M.F.A. from Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In summer 2019, he shifted into his new role as vice president for academic administration and academic dean. With four years as a student, nearly 25 years of teaching graphic design, and 12 of those as department chair, Mariano’s intimate knowledge of and love for the college goes back nearly three decades.

Taking a deep interest in every area of campus, Mariano has served on several student committees as advisor and sponsor, co-directed the annual Publications Workshop for high school students, and has been part of PUC’s Cultural Engagement Taskforce and Academic Standards & General Education, among others. Mariano’s overarching goal as an educator and an administrator is to provide spaces that spark creative learning, and to innovate curriculum that encourages collaboration between departments.

Tammy McGuire, Ph.D., professor, specializes in organizational communication. She taught English for many years at Sunnydale Academy (Missouri) and Upper Columbia Academy (Washington) and has written and presented extensively on communication topics, with several presentations at the National Communication Association Conventions. However, she is particularly proud of her communication research students winning numerous top paper awards themselves at these conventions. She loves mountain climbing, rock climbing, backpacking, mountain biking, bikepacking, and tennis.

Daniel Navarro is a flight instructor who teaches 1-on-1 flight and ground lessons and program course lectures. He first worked at PUC as a flight instructor in 2016 and 2017, then came back in December 2023.
Before working at PUC, Daniel was an Air Ambulance pilot in Juneau, Alaska. Since becoming a pilot in 2013, he gained experience as a seaplane charter pilot and flight instructor in south-central Alaska, a banner pilot in Maryland, an amphibious aircraft instructor in Vacaville, and an airline pilot based in New York City, Chicago, and Salt Lake City.
Daniel grew up in Los Angeles and now resides in Angwin. He enjoys playing guitar, hiking the PUC forests, skiing, snowboarding, biking, and cooking.

Keith Neergaard, professor, has taught at PUC since 1988. His teaching specialization is in marketing, economics, and management; and his research specialty is consumer behavior and services marketing publications. Dr. Neergaard has worked as a consultant, worked in the health care field and the defense industry, and taught at the college/university level. He enjoys tennis, golf, scuba diving, and traveling, and is a ski patroller at Heavenly, spending about 30 days a year there.

Bryan D. Ness, Ph.D., professor, has been at PUC since 1989. His research interests include plant systematics and genetics. He advises in the areas of biology, natural science, veterinary medicine, medical radiography and occupational therapy.

Marie Pak, Ph.D., professor, began teaching at PUC in 1999. She specializes in biochemistry and spent six years as a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Pak enjoys reading, going to state fairs, and watching movies.

Laurie Parson, DNP, RN-BC, Associate Professor, has worked in healthcare for over 25 years starting as a certified nursing assistant. She has experience in medical/surgical acute care, long-term care, and nursing education. She holds ANCC Board Certification as a medical/surgical nurse and as a gerontological nurse and NLN Certification as a Certified Nurse Educator. Some of her favorite pastimes include, hiking, camping, reading, and traveling with family.

Assistant Professor of Nursing Nicolette Piaubert loves God and lives to serve. Her commitment to service includes a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner, but Nicolette’s impact on her community is widespread. She has been active in serving underprivileged children as the founder and CEO of The Talented Tenth Highlanders Summer Camp, as well as helping others obtain their nursing degrees through her Gab-Nic Excelsior Nursing Tutoring Center, both in Brooklyn, New York.

Nicolette is a published author who is also dedicated to supporting marginalized people to find their voices and make them heard through self-publishing. Her first book, Becoming, was published in 2013 and How to Beat a Rigged School System: 13 Steps to 100% followed in 2020. She is currently working on her third book and maintains an active vlogging presence on Facebook and TikTok.

Nicolette received her BSN from Atlantic Union College and her MSN from Pace University, and her favorite text is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Sylvia Rasi Gregorutti specializes in applied and sociolinguistics, as well as world language instruction. She has worked as Foreign Language Testing Specialist at the Center for Applied Linguistics, and was recipient of the Title VII Fellowship from the U.S. Dept. of Education. During her tenure at PUC, Rasi Gregorutti has taught linguistics, ESL, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (literature and film, Spanish for business and health care) as well as ESL teacher training. She has co-led Honors Program study tours to Italy, presented at international conferences on faith and learning, and serves on the Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA) Board and ACA Curriculum Committee, consulting for the organization internationally. She currently chairs the Latino Campus Council at PUC. Creating bridges across languages and cultures, and equipping others to do so, brings her joy. Gardening keeps her grounded, and travel abroad with family keeps her happy.

Sandra Ringer, MSN, RN, known as Sandy to most, began her career as a Medical-Surgical nurse in Chattanooga, TN. Her clinical experience includes adult medical-surgical nursing, specializing in oncology, gastroenterology and community health. Sandy worked in home health as an IV nurse for 9 years before switching focus to community health. She worked as an RN and lead RN for a preventative medicine clinic in Pennsylvania. She then transitioned into the coordinator for employee wellness programs, working with a team of health professionals to develop employee wellness programs and health screenings for businesses in the greater Reading, Pennsylvania area. She also worked with a clinic that provided healthcare for patients without insurance at no cost. Her most recent clinical experience was with gastrointestinal patients on a medical-surgical unit.
When not working, Sandy loves to cook, travel, camp, watch HGTV and spend time with her husband, David, and their adult sons, Mark and Jonathan and daughter-in-law, Janelle.
Sandy's desire is to share her passion for the nursing profession and Jesus with her students.

Timothy Robertson specializes in data science and partial differential equations. His interests include applying machine learning algorithms to interesting datasets and mathematical models. In his spare time he enjoys sports, games, rock climbing and hiking.