Nathaniel A. Adu, Ph.D., received his undergraduate degree in Mathematics from University of Ghana. He holds an M.S. degree in Mathematics from University of North Florida and University of Central Florida. He completed his Ph.D. in Mathematics from University of Central Florida in 2019. Additionally, he has a Post Graduate Diploma in Mathematics from African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria. Nathaniel has more than a decade experience in teaching high school and undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics. He enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music, taking road trips, storytelling in his free time.

Dr. Eric Anderson has a rich history with PUC. He is the fourth generation of his family to teach at PUC, and has devoted 30 years of his life to teaching at the college on subjects such as Christian history and political studies. In 1912, Anderson’s grandmother, Agnes Caviness, was PUC’s first baccalaureate graduate. He has served as the Walter C. Utt professor of history, the chair of the department of history, and as the college’s president for six months. Previously, Anderson was president of Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas, from 2005 to 2014, where he served one of the longer presidential tenures in the university’s history.

Anderson holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. In addition to 30 years of teaching at PUC and nine years of administration at Southwestern Adventist University, he has been a Fulbright lecturer in Greece and a program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has written on a variety of historical topics, including Reconstruction in North Carolina, philanthropic support of black education, and Progressive Era vice reform. His most recent publication is a chapter in the Oxford University Press study of “Ellen Harmon White: American Prophet.”

Vola Andrianarijaona, Ph.D., specializes in lasers, solid state physics, and AMO physics. He has been an "Assistant d'encadrement" (assistant teacher) at the Universite catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, a " Wissenschaftlicher" (scientist) at the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, and a research associate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Outside of work, he also enjoys playing with his children.

Lance Bain, M.S.N-BC., P.H.N, Assistant Professor, specializes in all phases of mental health nursing with specialized training in the areas of child, adolescent, and military related post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic event management. Additionally Bain is a retired United States Army Major with leadership and command experiences. Pastime activities include spending time with family and operating a commercial salmon boat on the Pacific Ocean.

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.

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.

Chantel C. Blackburn, Ph.D., specializes in mathematical knowledge for teaching at the elementary level. She completed her Master's in Mathematics in the field of computational group theory and her Ph.D. in Mathematics with a Minor in Teaching and Teacher Education at The University of Arizona. From 2009-2011 she worked with teachers in high school and middle school as an NSF Graduate STEM Fellow in K-12 Education (GK-12). In addition to teaching mathematics at the undergraduate level, her professional activities and interests include teacher preparation and professional development for K-12 teachers in mathematics. On campus she enjoys musical activities and participates in the Safe Place program. Her off campus interests include learning to play different musical instruments and spending time with her two cats.

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.

Born and raised in the Napa Valley, primarily in Saint Helena, Julianna Boydston grew up loving and riding all types of horses, and continues to ride to this day—it’s still her favorite hobby. Along with her husband and daughter, she lives on a ranch with chickens, horses, and dogs. Julianna received her BSN and MSN degrees from the University of San Francisco, and comes to PUC with several years of experience working as a critical care nurse, most recently at at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital for the past 5 years. She specializes in the care of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. Julianna is very excited to begin her career in academia here at PUC teaching Pediatrics and Management & Professional Practice.

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.

Keunsang "Chris" Cho began teaching at PUC in 2019. He had previously worked as a flight instructor at Napa Jet Center. He really enjoys teaching students to fly not only in the air but also throughout the whole process towards each student's goal.

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.

Tim de la Torre, Resident Artist for Film & Television, has partnered with his wife, Jaymie, to run a boutique media production company since 2009. With a particular passion for non-fiction storytelling, Tim has produced TV shows for Hope Channel, documentaries, and various projects for many corporate clients. His favorite parts of his work are to have his subjects trust him to tell their stories, and opportunities to travel the world. He is excited to mentor his students and challenge them to take their projects to the next level.

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.

Hobbies: enjoy listening to classical music, reading, travel and swimming.

John C. Duncan, Ph.D., professor, specializes in anatomy, human development and anatomy, and cell biology. He has been a PUC faculty member since 2000, and before that taught biology at the University of Delaware. He is interested in gene regulation during development, reef aquariums, and science fiction.

Smirna Garcia-Ramiez began teaching at PUC in 2019. Prior to PUC she worked at Rio Lindo Adventist Academy for twelve years where she was the Spanish and ESL teacher, as well as the director of the TOEFL iBT test center. Smirna has also taught in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, Sagunto, Spain, and was a principal and teacher in an elementary school in Tulsa, OK. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and Journalism from Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México, and a M.A. of Arts in Spanish from Western Michigan University. She enjoys traveling, swimming, and hiking the PUC trails with her family.

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.

Heather Hamilton grew up around Angwin, and is an alum of PUC Prep and college. Shortly after earning an M.B.A. in 2009, she launched her own business, Zoe Organics, and put her new business skills to work. After running her business for ten years, she began teaching entrepreneurship at PUC, enthusiastic about sharing her own passion and experience. She joined the department of business full-time, in fall of 2019, as assistant professor, with an emphasis in small business, management, entrepreneurship, and innovation. When she’s not teaching or running her business, Heather loves to be outside gardening, doing home projects, and spending time with her husband Lance and their three children; Boyd, Wyatt, and Grace.

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.

Kathy graduated from Columbia Union College, now Washington Adventist University in 1991 with a bachelor’s in elementary education and a minor in English. She completed a master’s in special education at Johns Hopkins University in 2002. For the past 23 years Kathy has taught in a variety of settings ranging from regular education 6th and 1st grade to special education remedial instruction K–8, as well as adjunct professor teaching education courses for Washington Adventist University and Pacific Union College. She served as Special Education Co-Director for Potomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for four years. She received the Zapara Exellence in Teaching Award in 1997. Kathy lives in Angwin with her husband and two boys.

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 10 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. Jeff has been married to his wife Judy for over 30 years. They have two grown daughters and two grandsons. Jeff enjoys reading, scuba diving and international travel.

Jihoon comes to us from the Denver, Colorado area. He is a former ExpressJet First Officer and Former Flight Instructor for Westwind School of Aeronautics. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot – Airplane MEL Certificate, type rated in EMB-145. He also has his CFI and CFII. He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and holds a BS in Aeronautical Science.

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.

Brian Kyle is a multi-disciplinary artist with a background in photography, graphic design, illustration, and printmaking. Brian holds undergraduate degrees in Photography and Graphic Design from Pacific Union College, and an MFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University. Before coming to teach at Pacific Union College in 2011, Brian worked for 6 years as a graphic designer and illustrator in San Diego, California, working for such clients as Disney, Universal Studios, NBC, Urban Outfitters, and Nordstroms. Brian also enjoys mountain biking, cooking, playing music on a variety of instruments, and designing/building/fixing things.

My graduate research included thermodynamic studies of protein-nanoparticle interactions. I enjoy helping our students reach their academic potential. I encourage them to also strive for physical and spiritual health, as they study. I love to hike, travel and watch nature documentaries, especially in 3D. I currently teach general and biophysical chemistry.

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.

William Logan is a historian of technology specializing in post-independence India. As part of his doctoral work on development in India under Prime Minister Nehru (1947-1964), he spent several years in India and learned to speak Hindi. He joined the PUC history faculty in 2018, where he teaches classes on Asian, European, United States, and World History. When not teaching his classes, Willy enjoys riding his bike on Howell Mountain, hiking in the PUC Forest, sketching, and cooking new recipes.

Charaine Lucas, Ed.D, is the Professor for Early Childhood and has been at PUC since 2011. She is the program coordinator for those wanting to specialize in the field of Early Childhood. She has taught in the Education Department for the last 21 years and her past work experience is within the community college sector. She enjoys listening to music and reading.

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.

Lindsay’s primary research area lies at the intersection of ethics and epistemology in literary journalism, with secondary interests in the areas of Children’s and Young Adult Literature. She has authored or co-authored over 16 publications ranging from truth claims in narrative journalism to the representation of agency in YA dystopian worlds. Her additional teaching fields include Renaissance Literature and Postcolonial fiction. Lindsay is on the Board of Advisors for the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies and is currently the Research Chair for the Association.

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.

Jenna Park grew up in the Bay Area most of her life and returns to PUC as a nurse educator. She has experience working in multiple skilled nursing rehabilitation facilities as a charge nurse as well as in acute care settings in mostly in the medical surgical unit. She is passionate about the geriatric population, specifically those diagnosed with dementia, and she hopes to continue on the research to further the community and fellow nurses’ knowledge about dementia. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, trying out new cuisine, and planning her next trip to Disneyland.

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.

Before entering academia, Damaris was a hospice social worker for the top provider in the United States for 4 years. Before entering the world of hospice, she  served as a bilingual therapist, case manager and intake coordinator at a Federally Qualified Healthcare center in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the sole Spanish-speaking therapist on staff, Damaris primarily worked with the Latino and Hispanic population. She provided psychosocial services to survivors of domestic violence, facilitated parenting groups and therapy to individuals, families, and children. Her first work after graduate school was providing services to over 100+ dialysis patients at the #1 Dialysis provider in the United States.  

Damaris' research interests include the correlation of medical ailments and emotional health. One of her greatest passions is empowering social work students and advancing the field of Social Work. Her goal is for her students to be better social workers than her. As Field Placement Coordinator, Damaris is responsible for placing each senior Social Work major in a local community internship where they provide a minimum of 420 hours of work. Popular placements include Domestic Violence shelters, schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and Foster Care. Most PUC social work graduates continue pursuing their education by obtaining a Master's degree. Many gain employment in for and non-profit agencies.

andra 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.

Jim Roy, professor, specializes in secondary education. His doctorate studies focused on the ideas of William Glasser, a renowned leader in the field of Choice Theory and non-coercive leadership practice. As a result of his studies, Roy was chosen as the authorized biographer of Dr. Glasser. He also served 22 years within the K-12 system as teacher, principal, and associate superintendent, with eight of those years as principal of Foothills Elementary School, just down the hill from Angwin. Roy frequently travels to conferences or schools around the country to speak or give workshops on how to implement the ideas in his 2005 book Soul Shapers: A Better Plan for Parents and Educators. His interests include the TLC4 Sabbath School class, which is devoted more to action than talking; developing and nurturing fellow Soul Shapers; writing; Goldwing trips; and golf; though that one's hanging by a thread!

Cliff Rusch, M.F.A., associate professor of art, specializes in graphic design. Rusch worked as a staff designer at Pacific Press Publishing Association and as a senior designer at Lauren Smith Design in Palo Alto, California, before coming to PUC in 1987. He enjoys photography, mountain biking, and camping.