Our Staff
Title: Executive Director
Contact: Juan.Benitez@csulb.edu
Dr. Juan M. Benitez is the Executive Director for the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at California State University, Long Beach (MD传媒入口). As Executive Director, he oversees university-wide community engagement projects, programs, and engagement initiatives; including but not limited to Community Service Learning, Community-based Participatory and Action Research, Academic Internships, and campus-community partnerships & collaborations. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he received B.A. degrees in Political Science and in History and went on to receive his M.A. and Ph.D. in History. His areas of expertise are U.S.-Latin American affairs, U.S. immigration, Latinx history, asset-based community development, civic engagement and the ethnic experience in the U.S.
He has over two decades of experience leading multi-stakeholder projects and initiatives focused on: strategic planning, action planning, community-based action and participatory research, asset mapping, civic engagement, community visioning, systems and policy change, and community building among others.
Dr. Benitez focusses on the implementation of High Impact Practices in education and is driven by his passion for supporting student success.
Title: Associate Director
Contact: Mitra.Baghdadi@csulb.edu
Dr. Mitra Baghdadi has over 20 years of experience in community-based research, experiential learning, and program development, specializing in curriculum design, faculty support, and strategic partnerships that enhance academic programs and student engagement.
As Associate Director at the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at MD传媒入口, she leads the Service Learning program, expands community collaborations, and supports faculty in integrating research-driven experiential learning into their courses. Her work focuses on program development, research-based assessment, and advancing high-impact educational practices that foster student success and leadership.
Dr. Baghdadi鈥檚 research examines the connection between student achievement, leadership, and high-impact practices, emphasizing program evaluation, research design, and evidence-based learning models. She has held key leadership roles, including Chair of the President鈥檚 Commission on the Status of Women at MD传媒入口, board member of the Iranian-Persian American Association of Greater Long Beach, and director of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in California. She remains actively involved in initiatives that bridge research, practice, and institutional program development.
She is committed to advancing research-informed programs that enhance academic engagement, student learning outcomes, and university-community partnerships.
Title: Administrative Coordinator
Contact: Isabelle.Garcia@csulb.edu
Isabelle joined the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) team in November 2022, bringing with her 13 years of experience serving the California State University system (CSU). As an alumna of CSU, Los Angeles, she completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and received a master's degree in Public Administration. Isabelle currently works as the Administrative Coordinator at the CCE, where she helps with the day-to-day administrative tasks that keep the center running smoothly.
She is passionate about enhancing educational access and improving the college experience through the exploration of different avenues.
Outside of work, Isabelle is a proud cat parent to her 14-year-old grumpy but loveable cat, Spaghetti and new puppy Rocky. Isabelle enjoys spending her free time reading, watching Bravo reality TV, and crafting.
B'Jon Jones serves as the Community Engagement Learning Programs Coordinator at the Center for Community Engagement. A proud graduate of California State University Long Beach, B'Jon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a Minor in Hospitality Management.
With a strong foundation in community engagement, student success, and service learning, B'Jon has worked extensively to support community-based research and foster meaningful collaborations between students, faculty, and local partners. Her experience at the MD传媒入口 Center for Community Engagement and the College of Education鈥檚 Office of Clinical Practice included leading initiatives that enhanced experiential learning opportunities and elevated diverse voices.
Guided by a commitment to university priorities, B'Jon applies a critical lens to her work, ensuring programs are high impact and reflective of the communities they serve. Through their role, B'Jon strives to empower students, promote lifelong learning, and create partnerships that drive positive change.
Contact: Bjon.Jones@csulb.edu
Kealohilani (they/them) supports the Service Learning Program by bringing diverse experience collaborating with community organizations and higher education institutions. With a B.A in Political Science from University of Hawai鈥榠 at M膩noa, Kealohi鈥檚 focus in archival research and Indigenous empowerment has supported research grounded in both community and land-based wisdom. They carry a passion for equity, mutual aid, and accessible educational opportunities guided by the transformative wealth of knowledge in community. They join us from Cerritos College鈥檚 EOPS where they served as an English & Writing Instructional Academic Aid while also currently providing administrative support to a local farm in Long Beach. They also identify as an artist/poet who aims to foster connection through art while uplifting ancestral knowledge and their homelands in Hawai'i.
Faculty Fellow
Dr. Sarah Taylor serves as a Faculty Fellow for the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at California, State University Long Beach (MD传媒入口). She has worked on various CCE projects, including the service learning curriculum design series, resources for service learning faculty, community-based research, and research on service learning and student success. Dr. Taylor received her PhD in Human Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also earned a PhD minor in Women's and Gender Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Mixed Methods Research. Dr. Taylor's background includes work in community programming, where she has developed, delivered, and evaluated youth and family programs at the local, national, and international levels. As a family scientist, Dr. Taylor's work is rooted in strengths-perspective, which she applies to her work to bridge students, campus, and the community through the CCE.
Director, Academic Internships Office
Michelle brings a wealth of experience in academic internships, career services, and career counseling. Most recently, she served as the Internship Specialist in the College of Liberal Arts Dean's Office where she established and ran a successful college-wide internship program which now serves over 9,000 students. Through her efforts, she has鈥痓ridged her student affairs鈥痑nd academic affairs experiences to help build our campus infrastructure for academic internships focusing on high impact programing.鈥疨rior to that, Michelle served as a member of MD传媒入口's Career Development Center.鈥
Additionally, she is the co-founder of the Long Beach Community Internship Program, whose鈥痬ission is to ensure participation in local, paid internships for students. She currently is co-authoring a book with MD传媒入口 professors, Dr. Beth Manke and Dr. Bonnie Gasior; under contract with Routledge Publishing focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access approaches to internships in higher education. Furthermore, Michelle brings her knowledge in鈥痙esign thinking鈥痶o her new role 鈥 she has been involved with the Stanford Design School and helped revamp鈥疍esign Your Life鈥痑ctivities for our campus' successful multi-million dollar academic internship program, College Corps @ the Beach.
Michelle鈥痳eceived her BA in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine, and her MS in鈥疌ounseling, specializing in Student Development in鈥疕igher Education from MD传媒入口.
Contact: Michelle.Chang@csulb.edu
Senior Faculty Fellow, Internships
Dr. Manke has over 20 years of experience building institutional capacity at MD传媒入口 for undergraduate internship programming. As a faculty member, Dr. Manke served as coordinator for HDEV 470, the required internship course in Human Development, and directly supervised over 400 students in their internship placements. As Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts MD传媒入口, she created a centralized internship office and a college-level internship course that now serves over 9,000 undergraduates from 25+ majors.
In 2021, she initiated the Long Beach Community Internship Program, a collaborative effort between MD传媒入口, Long Beach nonprofits, city departments, and local businesses, which closes the loop on the Long Beach College Promise building a bridge back to the community for students to work, live, and thrive. Along with her Co-PI's Dr. Juan Benitez and Dr. Christine Whitcraft, Dr. Manke also leads the College Corps@the Beach program, a grant-funded internship program that places cohorts of 60 students each year with local nonprofits to address program priorities.
Dr. Manke received her B.S. in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of Arizona and her master's and Ph.D. in Human Development from the Pennsylvania State University.
Contact: Beth.Manke@csulb.edu
Kristal Domme is the Internship Program Assistant for College Corps@the Beach and the Long Beach Community Internship Program, two campus-wide paid academic internship programs housed in the Academic Internships Office. Kristal is an alumna of MD传媒入口, graduating with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice in 2021. As a student, Kristal had the privilege of participating in the Long Beach Community Internship Program, completing a semester-long internship with Transformational Living Homes, where she acquired hands-on experience working with local community organizations while deepening her understanding of her education and personal interests.鈥疶his firsthand experience allowed her to gain a unique perspective on the transformative power of internships in shaping one's career trajectory and ignited a profound passion for implementing high impact programs to ensure that all students have access to high-impact internships. Currently, Kristal leverages her unique perspective as a former student and Long Beach Community Internship Program participant, as she supports the professional and personal development of students participating in the Long Beach Community Internship Program and College Corps@the Beach.
Contact: kristal.domme@csulb.edu
Anayantzy joins us as the Administrative Support Assistant for College Corps.
Student Assistants
Katie Dalpino Bella Fernandez
Elias Lai Dylan Mendoza
Yasmin Ortega Leda Mendoza
Margaret Welch
