Meet the Team
Deborah Cours
Interim Associate Vice President, Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Cours was a professor in the Department of Marketing after completing her PhD. at UCLA with teaching and research interests in consumer influence, consumption meaning, and small business. Before joining Undergraduate Studies, she has served in various roles at CSUN including Director of Graduate and Evening Programs in Business, Director of the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Director of Community Engagement, and Interim Dean of the Nazarian College of Business and Economics. She currently serves on the USU 21st Century Workforce Group and the executive board of the APLU Commission on Economic and Community Engagement. She is the mother of two college students and enjoys being walked by her big dogs and cheering for LA teams.
Kandace HarrisInterim Assistant Vice President, Undergraduate Studies
With more than 15 years of experience in higher education, Kandace L. Harris, Ph.D. is extremely knowledgeable about an array of institutional priorities and best practices for teaching, learning, and preparing students for lifelong success. A media and communication studies scholar, Dr. Harris previously served as the Associate Dean in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication at CSUN and has served as an administrator at three HBCUs. Her most recent honors include selection as a 2022 HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Fellow and being recognized as a 2019 Pearls of Purpose Foundation, Inc.'s “Women Making a Difference: Sustaining the Legacy of HBCUs” Honoree. In 2019, she co-edited the book Being Mara Brock Akil: Representations of Black Womanhood on Television. Dr. Harris holds triple degrees from Howard University and is one of the first graduates to receive a Ph.D. in mass communications & media studies.
Whitney Scott
Director, Faculty Development
Dr. Whitney Scott is an expert faculty developer and conflict resolution specialist with nearly two decades in higher education cultivating spaces for transformation and connection. Her craft of employing dynamic workshops through empathetic facilitation has bestowed her with awards such as CSUN’s Distinguished Teaching Award; provided unique experiences like serving as a California certified superior court Conflict Mediator; and leadership roles such as the CSU President of Faculty Development Council. But serving the CSUN faculty through the office of Faculty Development has been a career highlight. As a tenured Professor in the Child & Adolescent Development Department, her educational mastery is rooted in human development (PhD in Education, UCSB) and communication theory (BA in Communications).
Shelly Thompson
Director, Undergraduate Studies
Shelly Thompson is an alumna of California State University, Northridge (CSUN) holding degrees in English Literature (BA ’90) and Educational Administration (MA ’10). Shelly’s professional career at CSUN began in 1990 in the area of student services. She served as an academic advisor and later Director of the Student Services Center/EOP Satellite in the College of Humanities. She transitioned into the Director of Undergraduate Studies role in 2012. In Undergraduate Studies, Shelly is the system administrator for our e-Advising technology, she responds to student inquiries and she serves as a liaison to the campus community on matters related to academic advising and degree requirements. Her areas of expertise are academic advising and helping students navigate campus policies and procedures. When not at work, Shelly enjoys reading, spending time with her husband, hanging out with her dog, and building LEGO.
Marcy De Veaux
Associate Director, Faculty Development
Dr. Marcella “Marcy” De Veaux is Associate Director of Faculty Development, a tenured Professor for the Department of Journalism at CSUN and a Depth and Liberation Psychologist.
She facilitates workshops for building equity in the classroom as well as creates strategies around diversity-related initiatives, including approaches to eradicate unconscious bias.
Shally Dhiman
Administrative Analyst
Shally Dhiman started her career at CSUN in Academic Resources and Planning and then transitioned to a position in the Office of Undergraduate Studies. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Master’s in Educational Administration from CSUN. She works very closely with students, assisting them with understanding different academic policies and procedures. In her role, she tries to make a positive impact on students by actively listening and guiding them with various resources on campus. In her spare time, she is passionate about her quilling: paper-art work. She has quite a display of her artwork in her office.
Rachel Guerra
Articulation Officer
Rachel Guerra was born and raised in Southern California. She started her career at CSUN in the Developmental Math Program and moved on to a position in Faculty Development. She provided program leadership, analysis, and support for all Faculty Development programs and events. In her new position, as the Articulation Officer, she is responsible for coordination of the undergraduate course articulation process. She manages articulation agreements between CSUN and California Community Colleges, other CSU campuses and maintains articulation records and data. She also maintains the ASSIST, TES (Transfer Evaluation System) and CSUN Roadmaps.
Julie Hunter
Catalog Editor
Julie Hunter is the editor of the University Catalog. She is a proud CSUN alumna, holding a B.S. degree in Business Administration (’06). In addition to the catalog, she helps facilitate the undergraduate curriculum review process, oversees the OnBase Curriculum Review Workflow, maintains the department’s websites, and mentors student assistants and interns. She participated in the CSUN Shine from Within 2015 cohort, and is presently the recording secretary for the Educational Policies Committee and a member of the Staff Service Awards Committee. Prior to Undergraduate Studies, Julie served as assistant to the associate dean in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics from 2006-2014.
Hillary Kaplowitz
Senior Instructional Designer
Hillary Kaplowitz is the Senior Instructional Designer for Faculty Development at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She leads campus efforts to meet the needs of faculty using technology in their teaching and collaborates on programming focused on evidence-based engaging teaching practices. Hillary came to CSUN in 2008 as an Instructional Designer in Academic Technology and served as Lead for Instructional Design and Multimedia Services for the Faculty Technology Center from 2012-2019. In addition, she has concurrently served as a faculty lecturer at CSUN. Formerly teaching in the Multimedia Production option in Cinema and Television Arts for 8 years, she’s joined the Masters in Instructional Design program to develop and teach the "Introduction to Instructional Design" course. Prior to coming to CSUN, Hillary spent 14 years producing multimedia medical education for Zephyr Medical Enterprises, leaving as the Director of Educational Projects. Hillary holds a PhD in Instructional Design and Technology from the Darden College of Education & Professional Studies at Old Dominion University.
Debbie Ma
Director, General Education Honors Program
Debbie Ma is the Director of the General Education Honors Program. Debbie joined the CSUN community in fall 2011 after completing her PhD at the University of Chicago in experimental social psychology. Debbie is a Professor in the Psychology department where she teaches research methods, social psychology, and introduction to psychology. She also maintains and active research lab studying stereotyping and prejudice and biracial face perception through a social-cognitive lens. As the Director of General Education Honors, Debbie aims to provide an intellectual home for some of CSUN's highest academically achieving students through rigorous coursework and enrichment opportunities.
Susana Marcelo
Instructional Designer
Susana Marcelo, M.A., is an Instructional Designer for Faculty Development at CSUN. Since 2014 she has also served as a faculty lecturer (Central American and Transborder Studies Department and Educational Opportunity Program), where she models equity and culturally responsive teaching. Her expertise is in designing courses that use data-informed inquiry to inspire students in their journey as life-long learners. Her research interests include student-centered practices, Digital Pedagogy, Central American transnationalism, and the links between technology and equity to eliminate digital redlining.
Kristy Michaud
Director of Special Projects, Faculty Development
Kristy Michaud, PhD, is a professor of Political Science at CSUN. She joined Faculty Development as the Associate Director in 2015. From 2016-2018 she served as the Director of the Office of Student Success Innovations, where she worked with faculty, staff, and students to develop innovations to close the equity gaps among our students. She re-joined FacDev in 2021 as the Director of Special Projects.