Committee

Helen Chang

Hostos Community College, CUNY

Helen Chang Helen Chang is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York (CUNY) in the Bronx, New York. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and French and an M.A in Sociology from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the CUNY Graduate Center. Her research interests include municipal election reforms, the structure of local electoral management bodies, and teaching and learning in political science. Helen has been a participant of APSA’s Teaching and Learning Symposiums: Teaching Political Science at Community Colleges in 2022 and De-Centering the U.S. in the Global Politics Classroom in 2024. As part of these symposiums, she has contributed a Community Mapping assignment and  Design Your Own Comparison Indicator assignment to APSA Educate. She is also currently serving as a member of the 2024 TLC at APSA Program Committee.

Josh Franco

Cuyamaca Community College

I am a tenured Associate Professor of Political Science at Cuyamaca College. As a first generation college graduate, introducing political science to the next generation of leaders and scholars is my mission.

Additionally, I serve as the College’s inaugural Open Education Resources (OER) Coordinator from Fall 2022 to Spring 2024 and Chair the OER Committee.

I earned my Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science and B.A. in Public Policy from UC Merced. I also hold A.A. degrees in Economics and Political Science from Cerritos College.

La Della Levy

College of Southern Nevada

Professor La Della Lyn Levy holds advanced degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies in Adult Education emphasis on teaching diverse at-risk learners and in Political Science, emphasis on Political Philosophy, earned at San Francisco State University. She is also an alumna of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) with an earned Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, emphasis on Political Philosophy. She has been a Political Science educator for twenty-one years. A tenured Professor at the College of Southern Nevada, Professor Levy teaches courses in American Politics and Government, American Public Policy, Political Philosophy, Social Justice Movements, Minority Politics and Women in Politics. She has also developed the following readers: Women in Politics, American Public Policy and the current Anthology, Social Justice Movements ©2017, Cognella Academic Publishing and the 2^nd edition, Social Justice Movements ©2023. Professor Levy has chaired a newly formed committee that focuses on serving the needs of Community College faculty and students for the Western Political Science Association and was nominated to serve on the Executive Council for the Western Political Science Association.

Liz Norell

University of Mississippi

Liz is passionate about advancing equitable and accessible education in open-access institutions. She spent more than a decade teaching in community college settings before joining the University of Mississippi. As a first-generation college student herself, Liz understands the transformational power of higher education to improve the quality of life within a community. Among the topics she writes and speaks about frequently are instructor presence, understanding disability in the context of education, and creating supportive classroom community.  

Terry Gilmour

Midland College

Terry Gilmour is a Professor of Political Science at Midland College in West Texas.  She holds a BS and a MA in Political Science from West Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Texas Tech University.  She also serves as Director of the Honors Program and Advisor and District 1 Coordinator for Phi Theta Kappa.  Her research interests include the scholarship of teaching and learning, specifically engaging community college students in undergraduate research, forming community college/university partnerships, civic education and engagement, and teaching critical thinking.  Terry has served on the Executive Council of the American Political Science Association and currently serves on the council for the Southwestern Political Science Association.  She will co-chair the Teaching and Learning Conference in Alexandria, Virginia in February 2025 and has attended all of those conferences since 2008.

Paul Gottemoller

Del Mar College

Paul Gottemoller is a tenured Professor of Political Science at Del Mar College, where he currently serves as Assistant Chair in the Department of Social Sciences. He has contributed to many college-wide projects, including rewriting the college’s academic dishonesty policy, and has served in faculty governance as Chair of the Del Mar Faculty Council. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Southern Illinois University, an M.A. and a B.A. in Political Studies from the University of Illinois Springfield, and an A.A. in Political Science from Richland Community College.