Tessa Hicks Peterson
Assistant Vice President of Community Engagement
Assistant Professor, Urban Studies
Avery 106
909.607.3061

Tessa Hicks Peterson is the Assistant Vice President of Community Engagement at Pitzer College and as such acts as the faculty director of the Community Engagement Center as well as an Assistant Professor of Urban Studies. Before arriving to Pitzer five years ago, Tessa worked with communities throughout Southern California on human relations and civil rights issues as Associate Director at the Anti-Defamation League and, prior to that, as the Youth Programs Director at the National Conference for Community and Justice. She has a Masters and PhD in Cultural Studies from Claremont Graduate University and a BA in Psychology, Sociology and Spanish from UC Santa Cruz. She has traveled widely, lived in Brazil and Spain, and has led seminars and trainings nationally and internationally on issues ranging from hate crimes and race relations to empowerment through movement and art. Her scholarship includes the study of social movements, intercultural relations, indigenous studies, border studies, poverty, and community-based pedagogy involving participatory-action research and civic engagement. She currently teaches courses in Social Change and Community-based Research within the Pitzer in Ontario program. Aside from dancing, yoga and hiking, Tessa finds her ultimate peace and joy with her new love, Isaiah James, born in spring of 2011. Tessa and her husband, John, along with baby Isaiah and their old Lab, Chaney, reside in the canyon of Sierra Madre.

Martha Bárcenas-Mooradian
Associate Director, Community Engagement Center
Avery 105
909.607.3301

Martha Bárcenas-Mooradian has a Ph.D. in Education from The Claremont Graduate University and a M.A. in Spanish Literature from Ohio University. She also completed a doctoral program (ABD) in Latin American Literature at the Ohio State University. She received her B.A. from the Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico with a double major in English and French. After a 27 year long career teaching Spanish language, literature and culture in the United States, Puerto Rico and México, she is now Associate Director of the Community Engagement Center with teaching responsibilities in the area of professional development and ethics for community engagement. Throughout her career Martha has spearheaded various action research projects and service learning programs in relation to indigenous, and underserved migrant populations. Her research includes but is not limited to second language acquisition, indigenous literatures and preservation of indigenous languages and culture. She has served in the board of various non-profit organizations and also has been faculty advisor to various college student groups. She has used innovative and popular education methodology and service learning theory, student-center approaches in her teaching and engagement with local and global communities. Through her classes Martha created a number of community-based, cultural events such as the annual Día de los Muertos Celebration. Prior to joining CEC Martha was the Manager of the Fletcher Jones Language and Culture Lab.

Tricia Morgan
Office Manager
Bernard Core
909.607.8184

Tricia Morgan first joined Pitzer College as a New Resources Student in Spring 2006. After graduating in Spring 2008 with a BA in Sociology (and a minor in History), she joined the staff of CEC as Administrative Assistant. Tricia is responsible for all CEC budgets and finances, payroll, grant reporting, student intern assistance, and general office supervision. She is also unofficially charged with keeping all juggled balls in the air at all times, which is no easy task. In addition to her role at CEC, Tricia also serves on committees as a Staff Council Representative, on the Academic Planning Committee, and on the Changemakers Committee. Outside of work, Tricia is an expert homework-helper, boo-boo-kisser, make-believer, and more to her two children, Miranda and Sam. She loves spending time with her family and her rambunctious yellow lab, Maggie, and is always game for some Three's Company (and other) trivia.

Jenessa A. Flores
Urban Fellow
Bernard Core
909.607.8502

Jenessa Flores came to Pitzer College as a New Resouces student in the fall of 2008 and received her B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Chicano Studies in 2010. It was during a class that she had taken with Professor Jose' Calderon that she started doing community engagement work with the Pomona Day Labor Center as well as organizing the Encuentro lunches for two years. During her last year at Pitzer she was a Glikbarg intern in which she assisted in the planning and organizing of the annual trip to La Paz in which students were able to have an in-depth lesson about the life of Cesar Chavez and the UFW. Over the past two years she has also been on the planning committees for the 5K Day Labor Run/Walk, the Cesar Chavez Pilgrimage, the Fernando Pedraza Community Coalition, and is a member of the Latino/Latina Roundtable. Outside of work, Jenessa enjoys laughing and spending time with her family, singing and dancing with her daughter Elliah and channeling the spirit of Cesar Millan in order to train her dogs, Mundo, Mandy and Luna to be the best Chihuahuas that ever lived.

Daria Nuñez
Urban Fellow
Avery 105
909.607.8183

Daria has over 25 years involvement in global performing arts as dancer, director, choreographer, instructor, producer and fundraiser for community based programs.  Performed and toured professionally within different countries such as in the USA, Mexico, Cuba, Peru Brazil, Denmark, Germany, England, France, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. Lived and worked ten years in France, sponsored by the French Minister of Culture for over eight years working with dance collective, Lolita Dance Group, performing Qui a tue Lolita? She produced and performed co-productions between France/Italy for the International Polverigy Festival, as well as partnerships for artistic productions between France/Austria for the International Salzburg Festival. For two years performed La Diva du Tennis, in France, Switzerland and England during Wimbledon, and Rolland Garros World Tennis Championships. With the Lolita Dance Group she performed over 100 performances in Europe and South America with Qui a tue Lolita? Daria choreographed award winning video, Marcia Baila with French rock musical group Rita Mitzouko. Today she teaches Spanish and French languages for private tutoring and for Community Departments in Covina, Glendora, and Claremont. She is a NRS 2011 Pitzer graduate, and is a full-time graduate student pursuing her masters in the Executive Arts Management Program at Claremont Graduate University (CGU). Her profession is the arts, her passion is politics, and community engagement her interest. Daria will be working at Prototypes to help enhance the programming to provide the necessary educational tools for the women to become successful individuals. 

Debbie Lieberman
Jumpstart Site Manager
Atherton Hall 415-417
909.607.9290

Debbie graduated from Pitzer College in 2007 with a double major in Sociology and International Intercultural Studies. She joined the Community Engagement Center in 2008 as the Changemakers Urban Fellow, administering a three-year grant promoting social justice on campus and in the local community. She facilitated CEC's Pitzer in Ontario Program for a year and half, and in 2009, Debbie managed the CEC partnership with the Camps Afflerbaugh-Paige probation camp. She taught and facilitated the teaching experience of Pitzer students within the probation facility, worked to build a library at the facility and expanded the Borrowed Voices program.

Debbie now serves as the LA County Jumpstart Site Manager for the Claremont Colleges, serving low-income preschool children through a progressive curriculum focused on literacy and sustained school success. She manages, trains and coaches forty college students in a year-long intensive community-based teaching program and directs supplemental programming to engage families and communities in advocating for early education. As site manager, she is able to pursue her interest in teaching as social justice and capacity-building through community partnership.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Debbie loves of the Pacific Northwest. In her free time she enjoys running and hiking, biking around Claremont, cooking ambitious vegetarian meals, creating craft projects, and feeding her fish, Chocolate. She hopes to pursue work in the non-profit sector, combining her interests in juvenile justice, youth empowerment and public health issues.

Scott Scoggins
Native American Program Coordinator

My name is Scott Edward Orellaña Ingles Scoggins and I am proud to be of Pipil Nahuat, Pocoman Maya, and Scottish ancestry. I am a Native of Los Angeles and was born into a family that was deeply invested in various political and social movements in El Salvador and the United States. This background instilled in me an internal drive, desire, and sense of duty to work towards social justice for all. I implement multicultural education programs that challenge, inspire, support, and motivate young people to pursue higher education. At the same time, I strive to educate non-Native communities on traditional cultures and protocol, as well. My current work at the Claremont Colleges connects Native American youth to higher education opportunities that will enable them to take on leadership roles within their tribal communities. My personal motto, “Tradition for Life - Education For Our Future” cuts to the core of my belief in a dual focus on traditional learning and academic preparation for success in both local and global networks. My comprehensive programs are designed to support students and community members on intellectual, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. I am the Native American Program Coordinator for the California Campus Compact-funded Social Innovations Projects.