branding AND Design
Dr. Donna Templeton is an inspiring faculty member in the Graphic Communication Department, where she’s been lighting the way for students for over 15 years!
With a rich background in courses ranging from digital publishing and emerging digital technologies to magazine and book design, Donna is dedicated to helping students unleash their creative potential. With a Ph.D. in Strategic Media, her research explores exciting topics like cross-media engagement and disruptive technologies.
Passionate about innovation and student success, Donna is eager to guide students on their journey to becoming.
Digital Advertising
Dr. McDonald-Liu specializes in how organizations communicate to publics using a tonality similar to that of humans on social media. She began her career working in digital communications at Walt Disney Studios and as an assistant to the Vice President of International Marketing. She also worked as a digital sales specialist for Valpak and ran her own cosplay catering business after spending time in Japan as an ESL instructor.
Energy for a Sustainable Society
Dr. Kuwahara is an Assistant Professor in the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department. Her research integrates environmental microbiology, bioenergy, and controlled environment systems to advance sustainable agriculture and renewable energy production. She has conducted extensive work on microalgae photobioreactors for biodiesel and on ultrafine bubble oxygenation to improve plant and microbial processes. She served as a Visiting Plant Scientist at NASA Kennedy Space Center, contributing to crop system design for future space missions.
Environmental Science
Dr. Yu Cao is an Assistant Professor in Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development. Her research focuses on resource governance and sustainable energy transitions. Her work integrates community engagement and policy analysis to advance equitable energy solutions. She has worked at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) for three years.
Experience Design
Dr. Keri A. Schwab is a Professor in Cal Poly’s Experience Industry Management Department, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate students in experience design, event planning and management (formerly recreation, parks, and tourism). Her research examines motivations, retention, and benefits associated with recreation participation, and has conducted research on youth engagement. More recently, she has explored physiological responses to nature in a study on physiological changes while crafting a ‘selfie’. Her applied work has supported public agencies with recreation planning, visitor studies, and park trend analyses.
Innovation AND Entrepreneurship
Dr. Christiane Schroeter is a TEDx speaker, bestselling Author, and University professor who brings more than two decades of expertise in marketing, innovation, and student success. She holds a Ph.D. in Health Economics and teaches at Cal Poly, where she is known for making complex ideas clear, practical, and engaging for young learners.
Dr. Schroeter is the creator of Petite Practice®, a simple framework that helps students build confidence and momentum through small, intentional steps. She also hosts the Happy Healthy Hustle podcast, ranked in the top 1 percent globally, where she shares evidence-based strategies for mindset, clarity, and achieving goals in a healthy, sustainable way.
Marketing Bootcamp
Dina Vees earned her Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communication from Carroll University and a Master of Fine Arts in Media Design from Full Sail University. Her teaching and research interests are Prepress, workflow automation, variable data, marketing, and HTML/CSS/JavaScript. She spent many years in the integrated marketing communication profession prior to teaching. Dina currently teaches Orientation to Graphic Communication, Consumer Packaging, and Applied Graphic Communication Practices.
Nutrition & Food Science
Dr. Susan Hawk has over 25+ years of experience in clinical nutrition, working extensively to teach future dietitians how to care for patients. She has a PhD in Nutrition from UC Davis with a minor in Endocrinology, and is also a Registered Dietitian. She is fascinated with the field of medicine and how nutrition can be a treatment course for medical conditions and improve longevity. Dr. Hawk takes an all-foods fit approach to nourishing the body. Taking the time to truly understand the ‘why’ behind a health issue or behavior matters. For fun, she loves all things space-related which comes from working on a space-flight project with NASA during college. Her love for science grew from working with astronauts and sending frog embryos into space. Outside of research, she loves traveling, growing vegetables and being a dog and cat mom!
Political Science
Tyler Johnson graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with an MSc in Comparative Politics with a specialization in Comparative Political Economy. Tyler's research focused on voter behavior and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. He lived in China studying Sino-Iranian Relations. Additionally, Tyler has worked on several political campaigns varying from U.S. Presidents, U.S. Congress (as grassroots organizer and strategist) and the California State Senate.
Public Health
Professor Kara Samaniego holds a Master’s in Business Administration. She has over 13 years of experience in public health related fields, spanning from college health and violence prevention, to end-of-life care. She teaches Health Psychology and the Psychology of Gender within the Psychology & Child Development Department, and Public Speaking in Communication Studies. Beyond teaching, she conducts research in partnership with the Kinesiology & Public Health Department regarding sexual and reproductive health among college-aged populations. Prior to becoming faculty, she held leadership roles within the university health center, developing programs and key initiatives that supported student wellness, particularly concerning patient advocacy, health equity and access, trauma-informed care, and relationship health.
US History
Dr. Roger Hall teaches United States and California history at California Poly and Allan Hancock College, where he is chair of the Social and Behavioral Science Department. He is the author of the textbook, West of the West: Perspective on California State History, currently in its 4th edition. Three times he was accepted into the National Endowment of the Humanities, Landmarks in American Democracy program. He has earned numerous teaching awards including the EOPS, CARE, CalWORKS Instructor of the Year, and Outstanding Faculty Award, at Hancock College.
Robotics
Dr. Bo Liu is a Professor in the BioResource & Agricultural Engineering Department.He specializes in mechatronics, robotics, and automation, applying these technologies to address challenges in agriculture. Dr. Liu teaches courses that prepare students for the future of agricultural innovation, including agricultural robotics and automation.
His research focuses on AI and mechatronics applications in precision agriculture, advancing technologies such as crop disease detection, hyperspectral imaging, and smart farming systems. Dr. Liu’s work has attracted significant funding from many agencies, including the USDA, NSF, and leading industry partners, enabling projects that enhance agricultural sustainability and productivity.
Web DevelopmenT
April Elliott is a Cal Poly alumnus, earning her BS in Graphic Communication with a concentration in Web and Digital Media, and her Master of Arts in Education with specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. April's specialty is graphic design using the Adobe Creative Suite. She entered the field 20 years ago in Las Vegas, prepressing graphics for large format printing at Global Experience Specialists. She has since worked as a graphic designer for screen printing and embroidery at J. Carroll Corporation and does freelance work. She currently teaches Digital Publishing Systems and Intro to GrC at Cal Poly.
