The Peralta Community College District is proud to celebrate the eleven faculty members granted tenure by the Board of Trustees during their meeting on March 10, 2026, an achievement honored during a vibrant reception before the board meeting that recognized their role in maintaining high academic standards. As these educators officially begin their tenured status in the 2026-27 academic year, they join the ranks of our distinguished faculty, bringing the talent and experience necessary to help students reach their educational goals. Peralta Colleges are full of teachers who love to teach! Congratulations to this cohort for earning this significant distinction and for their unwavering dedication to student achievement.

Dr. Tina Vasconcellos, Vice Chancellor of Educational Services, presided over the event as the master of ceremonies. The new tenure recipients also received congratulations and praise from District Academic Senate President Dr. Leslie Blackie and Peralta Federation of Teachers President Jeff Sanceri.

Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson congratulated the Tenure Recipients and their families, commenting, “I want to acknowledge the community of support from family, friends, and coworkers, and also recognize the college tenure review coordinators and their individual tenure committees. Thank you!”

PCCD Board President Louis Quindlen shared that his favorite events each academic year include graduation ceremonies for students and the tenure reception for faculty, as they are both significant milestones for our community.

The evening concluded with personal introductions of each candidate by their respective college leaders: Dr. Denise Richardson of Berkeley City College, President Melanie Dixon of College of Alameda, Dr. Becky Opsata of Laney College, and Dr. David M. Johnson of Merritt College.

Berkeley City College

Dr. Erika Yeh

Born and raised in Brazil, Dr. Erika Yeh earned her B.S. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of São Paulo. Her Ph.D. in Genetics led her through prestigious postdoctoral training at Stanford and UCSF, where she specialized in craniofacial development and autism-related neural genes. Throughout fifteen years of high-level research, she consistently prioritized student mentorship, a passion that eventually led her to join BCC full-time in 2022. As Dr. Richardson noted, Erika’s student-centered philosophy is perfectly captured by her guiding motto: “You can learn without a teacher, but you can never teach without a student.”

At BCC, Dr. Yeh teaches genetics and biotechnology while serving as the Biotechnology Internship Program Coordinator, overseeing a $3 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. In this vital role, she creates direct pathways for students to gain professional experience at world-class laboratories like UC Berkeley and Stanford. By blending rigorous scientific thinking with genuine curiosity, she provides her students with the technical skills and professional confidence to thrive. Dr. Richardson concluded by celebrating Erika as a transformative educator who builds new opportunities and opens doors that shape the futures of everyone she mentors.

College of Alameda

Dr. Edwin Ochong

Dr. Edwin Ochong joined the College of Alameda in 2022, bringing a distinguished background in scientific research and global education. After earning his Ph.D. from the School of Tropical Medicine at the University of Liverpool and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF, Dr. Ochong taught at several prestigious institutions, including UC Berkeley Extension and SF State. His deep connection to the Peralta District began in 2013 as an adjunct at Merritt College, eventually leading to his full-time role teaching General Biology and Microbiology at Alameda.

Dr. Ochong has been instrumental in expanding the college's STEM offerings, specifically by establishing the Microbiology laboratory course. Beyond his instructional excellence, he is an active leader in campus governance, serving on the Institutional Effectiveness Committee and as a STEM Faculty Representative. Guided by his philosophy of building strong foundations before moving forward, Dr. Ochong continues to inspire his students to approach scientific inquiry with precision, curiosity, and critical thinking.

George Cruz

Professor George Cruz brings decades of technical excellence and military service to the College of Alameda. After serving as a jet engine mechanic in the U.S. Air Force, he dedicated 36 years to aviation maintenance with the Department of Defense, mastering complex systems for aircraft like the C-5 and C-130. His transition into academia was fueled by a personal mission to pass forward the discipline and opportunity that aviation education provided him, a journey that led him from adjunct roles to becoming a full-time instructor in 2018.

Beyond his extensive classroom instruction, Professor Cruz is a highly credentialed industry expert, holding FAA Airframe and Powerplant Certification and serving as an FAA Designated Mechanic Examiner. His tenure recognizes a lifetime of service and a profound commitment to mentoring the next generation of aviation professionals. By drawing on the influence of his own past instructors, he continues to provide life-changing impact and essential technical training for the skilled workforce of the future.

KL Nadeesha Dias

Professor KL Nadeesha Dias’s career is a powerful full-circle story within the Peralta Community College District. Originally from Sri Lanka, she began her American educational journey at Laney College before transferring to UC Davis and eventually earning a Master of Science in Counseling from CSU Sacramento. Her professional return to the district in 2015 saw her supporting the WorkAbility III and College to Career programs, where she focused on helping students with disabilities transition successfully into higher education and the workforce.

Now serving as a counselor for Student Accessibility Services, Professor Dias is a dedicated champion for equitable access and inclusive learning. Her work is defined by her firsthand understanding of the community college experience and her belief in education's power to transform lives. The conferring of her tenure celebrates her tireless advocacy for students navigating disability-related barriers and her inspiring evolution from a Peralta student to a vital faculty mentor.

Laney College

Abraham Reyes

Originally from the vibrant Mexico City, Abraham Reyes joined the Laney Chemistry faculty in the Summer of 2006, shortly after arriving to the United States. He attended the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he earned a BS, MS, and Ph.d.

At Laney, a notable contribution has been spearheading the revamping of department lab manuals and architecting Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) materials to ensure every student has a front-row seat to the wonders of Chemistry. His tenure committee said that ““Abraham gives extremely clear, engaging, and thoroughly prepared lectures. He goes to great lengths to be patient, welcoming, accessible, and flexible with students. Abaham is also doing the hard work of developing an online free textbook for his classes. Chemistry classes are very content heavy, so this is a huge job. Having this resource available will be invaluable for students. Dr. Reyes is an instructor of the highest caliber, and we are lucky to have him as a member of our department.”

Daniel DeVere

Daniel DeVere earned his doctoral and master’s degrees at California State University, Sacramento and his bachelor’s degree at U.C. Davis. He has taught Communication Studies and Speech classes for more than 16 years, as a community college instructor, as a lecturer in the CSU U.C. and, since 2022, as full-time faculty at Laney.

Dr. DeVere is currently co-chair of the Communications Department, a member of the Faculty Senate, and a member of the Professional Development Committee. In his first semester here, he established the Laney Student Storytellers forensic program. Each semester students share stories of their lived experiences at Storytellers’ events to encourage communication, reflection, and connection among students and other members of the Laney Community.

Emily Quach

Emily Quach is a San Francisco native, who began her journey as a scientist when she discovered her passion for Biology and Biomanufacturing at Laney College. After completing her transfer requirements, she earned her undergraduate degree from UC Davis and her Master’s Degree at CSU East Bay.  And now, Emily has come full circle as tenured professor at Laney College! In addition to her teaching, she serves as the Biology department co-chair, an active member of the facilities committee, and an advisor for the Society of Biologists & Chemists.

She is a member of the InnovATEBIO Leadership Team, helping to guide biotechnology education across the country. Emily also serves as a Co-P.I. for a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education project grant.  When she isn't in the classroom, Emily loves exploring the Bay Area’s vibrant food scene.

Jack Smith

Jack Smith lost his sight in 1989 due to a gun shot. Approximately 4 years later he attended the Orientation of the Blind (OCB), which began his journey of acceptance and improvement. He an Associates Degree Los Medanos College and a BS from Cal State, Hayward in Industrial Organizational Psychology. He earned a master’s in social work with the emphasis in Children Youth and Family from Cal State, East Bay. After working in high schools and middle schools as a Behavior Coach and as a counselor in Alcohol and Drug treatment, he began as a part-time faculty at Merritt College. 6 years later, he was hired at Laney.

Jack is active on campus and is on both the Student Enrollment and Equity Development and the Affordable Instructional Materials Committees. His tenure committee noted that, “Both in student evaluations and in the counselor observation evaluation, Jack demonstrates his ability to empower students and make them feel at ease about school life. He interpersonal style was described non-judgmental and his clear focus on the students guided and validated the students' concerns while providing context and alternative perspectives. Students' comments showed an appreciation for Jack's personal stories and guidance on how to communicate with instructors. This appeared to make them feel support and comfortable with the counselor.”

Mariella Thanning

Dr. Mariella Miranda-Thanning's journey in education began in the Andes mountains of Peru, where she spent afternoons in her father’s garden learning how small seeds grow into strong trees, an early lesson that continues to shape her teaching philosophy. Inspired by a family deeply committed to education, politics, justice, and public service, she developed a lifelong dedication to equity, learning, and community. She earned her BA and MA in Communication Studies in Denmark and a Doctorate in Education in the United States with a focus on intercultural communication. Before entering higher education, she worked as a public TV and radio broadcaster and later served as a manager and director for nonprofit media organizations in Oakland focused on restorative justice and community empowerment.

At Laney, Mariella teaches Communication and advises the Speech, Debate, and Leadership Club. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Communication Studies Department, Faculty Senator, Curriculum Committee member, and a member of the Latinx Taskforce. She is passionate about helping students discover the power of their voices and believes communication can inspire confidence, understanding, and meaningful social change.

Rosendo Del Toro

Rosendo Del Toro is a graduate from Laney College Wood Technology Department!  He began his career as a student worker in 2007 in the Carpinteria Fina class that was created for Spanish speakers in wood tech. As a TA, he had the privilege of going to Washington D.C. to be part of the college winning the national Exelencia award which recognized the work in that program.

He became a part time instructor in spring 2011 until being hired full time in fall 2020. You can literally see Rosendo’s great work with students in the cafeteria, where he led the project with students to build out the Eagle’s Nest food panty. Rosendo’s Tenure Review Committee commends him for doing “an outstanding job at maintaining currency in his discipline. His commitment to advancing the advanced manufacturing component of the program is substantial and admirable. The level of commitment to this will substantially benefit the department as well as the students to ensure that they will be better prepared to track into the leading edge of the field of study and have a faster track to high earning potential."  

Merritt College

Andrea Henderson

Andrea Henderson has been teaching English courses consistently at Merritt College since 2013. Andrea is a Bay Area native- born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland where she still resides. While she is a veteran, credentialed educator who has been teaching at various schools throughout the Bay Area region for over 20 years, her experience as an Adjunct English Professor began at Merritt College as an Intern in the Adjunct Internship Program during the 2010-11 academic year. Upon completing her MA Degree at San Francisco State University in English Literature in 2012, she returned to Merritt College where she has been teaching regularly since 2013. When she is not in the classroom, Andrea enjoys reading and writing poetry and fiction,singing, traveling, camping, hiking, practicing Yoga, and studying Eastern Philosophy / Mysticism.

Her persistence over the last decade led to a tenure-track appointment in 2022 and her recent official conferring of tenure. In a statement of praise, Merritt College President Dr. David M. Johnson noted, "Perseverance and her love for Merritt ultimately resulted in her being hired as a tenure-track faculty member in 2022, and I am so pleased that we will have her in the years to come. Well done, Professor Henderson!

More photos from the Tenure Reception are posted here: https://peraltacolleges.smugmug.com/District/Events-/2026-EVENTS/Tenured-Faculty-Reception/n-NL79P4.