Professor of Computer Science

• Jul 2020 - Present

Awards* Exceptional Faculty of the Year, 2022* Tenured as Professor of Computer Science, 2020Highlighted activities and projects:- Faculty rep for the state-wide Faculty Council (FACTC), 2023-present- State-wide Equity Lead for SBCTC's development and implementation of a new Bachelors of Science in Computer Science degree, 2022-present- Guided Pathways, Course Sequencing Equity Project, Faculty co-lead, Winter 2023- Anti-racist Pedagogy Institute, Faculty co-lead, Spring 2022- Guided Pathways, Equity Team, Faculty co-lead, Winter and Spring 2022- Search Advocate for Equitable and Inclusive hiring practices, ongoing Show less

Chair, Faculty Senate

• Feb 2023 - Present

Chair of Faculty Senate Council (FSC) - Faculty Senate Council is the elected body which represents and leads the entire Faculty body (Faculty Senate).Faculty Senate:- plays an integral role in supporting teaching, learning and academic excellence;- serves the campus community by promoting rigorous academic standards;- promotes discussion and deliberation of academic standards that broadly affect the college;- serves as a forum for exchanging ideas and making recommendations on academic standards and faculty concerns; and- acts as an advisory body to the VP of Instruction, and to groups and other individuals on campus when input from the entire faculty is appropriate Show less

Second Vice President, AFT Local 1950

• Jan 2022 - Jun 2022

Served as the Second VP for our college's American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 1950 (SCCFT) Union Leadership Team. Responsibilities included external affairs and contract grievances.

Acting Executive Dean of STEM and Workforce

• Jul 2021 - Nov 2021

Provided consistency, service, and leadership to the division and campus during leadership changes and a return to campus transition. Umbrella of division supervision included: ~15 academic disciplines, 4 Director/Dean reports, 6 Faculty leaders, ~30 Full Time Faculty, ~40 active Part Time Faculty, and ~15 classified personnel. Self-imposed assignment highlights:- Instigated the development and execution of a variety of proactive campus-wide communications related to return to campus (from COVID remote work) efforts, including a student feedback survey, Faculty and instruction information, and course scheduling guidance- Advocated and instigated procedure changes related to better serving our most vulnerable students, including changing drop for non-payment process, prioritizing the reopening of testing accommodation services, serving late enrolling students, and special case course placements- Facilitated consistent and frequent communications on rapidly evolving campus-wide changes to division leaders and personnel- Encouraged forward planning on annual schedule offerings, budgets, and hiring needs- Advocated for empathetic, participatory planning and feedback, recommending input from the ground to be heard and incorporated into decision making and leadership choices Show less

Acting Associate Dean of STEM and Workforce

• Jul 2020 - Jun 2021

Worked with the Executive Dean to serve the division and campus through the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the shift to primarily remote operations. Duties included: co-planning division meetings, facilitating and promoting professional growth, providing onboarding and coaching for new associate faculty, handling over 100 student complaints across the year, and generally supporting the division through a rapidly changing and stressful time.Chair of STEM/WF Division Planning CouncilCo-lead of Guided Pathways Equity TeamCo-lead of Black Lives Matter Action and Accountability Grassroots GroupScreening Committee Search Advocate; Cognitive Errors in Hiring FacilitatorDEI in WA CTCs - Black Solidarity and Support Data Team Regular MemberSpecial Projects:- Developed, piloted, and scaled a scaffolded "first quarter teaching" Faculty onboarding experience- Co-Developed an Equity Toolkit for exploring change initiatives, using data as evidence- Co-Developed an Equitable, Inclusive, and Anti-Racist Teaching Pedagogy Institute- Intentionally designed and facilitated monthly division meetings (reg attendance 50-70 employees) to facilitate continuous professional growth, informal connections amongst peers during remote work, and strategic building of conversations related to the impact of the pandemic on work operations Show less

Tenure-Track Computer Science Faculty

• Sep 2017 - Jun 2020

Served students in the development of appropriate skills and habits related to coding and critical thinking. For me, this manifested as connecting with students empathetically, establishing high academic expectations coupled with appropriate and equitable support structures to achieve success, advising students outside the classroom individually and through the CS Club, and developing a streamlined CS program that meets the needs of our diverse learners. Outside of the classroom, I also connected with Faculty and Staff across the college through intentional development of self and as a community of educators.Leadership roles:- Served on the Science Division Planning Committee as Computer Science Faculty Program Coordinator (January 2019 - January 2020)- Participant in the Faculty of Color Mentorship Program (2018 - 2019)- Computer Science Club Advisor (2018 - 2020)- Developed and facilitated several Professional Development opportunities on campus (Equity and Inclusion sessions, Student Engagement sessions, book clubs)- Committee member on several DEI focused work groups: Opportunity Gaps Research Team, DEI Learning Delivery Team, Search Advocacy Hiring Process Team, Cognitive Errors Screening Committee Training Team, Black Lives Matter Organizing Team- Created and manages a digital communication stream for regional and local CS Educators to network (currently 100+ participants) Show less

Director

• Jul 2016 - Jun 2017

Provided critical leadership during the startup phase of the organization. Had a heavy hand in growing Ada both in employees (5 to 15) and number of students served annually (48 to 96). I oversaw the instructional team and worked on programmatic policies and direction to help iterate our Ada program and address program sustainability and growth needs. I also taught CS Fundamentals in the classroom about once a week.Community Management Related Duties:- Oversaw instructional team, guiding teaching & learning practices, curriculum goals, and instructor development- Oversaw involvement with the community, volunteers, and partner organizations- Oversaw and advised the delivery of Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) for both students and instructors- Worked with every person on staff to create a holistic program for students end-to-end, including admissions, pre-coursework, core curricula, internships, and alumni-relations centering empathetic and differentiated services- Redefined org culture: transitioned a hostile environment between admin and students into a strong, connected community Special Projects:- Independently collected, analyzed, and published success outcomes for all students who had been through the program, including graduation rates, job placement rates, and salary offers broken down by race, in order to identify institutional inequities and opportunities for program improvement- Founded and taught social justice curriculum for students, board members, and partner sponsors; including Ada’s Inclusion Summit (D&I training for dev managers and team leads)- Founded a tutoring program, student accommodations process, and other support systems- Founded the program’s freely available pre-coursework in order to better support the newest-to-code students who were traditionally the most systemically marginalized students entering the program- Founded a workshop for Applicants of Color to better understand and support in the application process Show less

Program Manager

• Mar 2015 - Jun 2016

My colleague once said "If Ada's Executive Director is the captain of our program, Crystal is the boat." I managed the Ada program and drove execution of internal projects. I worked heavily on developing routines and practices for culture, instruction, and program growth needs. I worked with instructors on big-picture curriculum improvements and modifications in order to create a holistic graduate. I managed involvement with the community, volunteers, and partner organizations. I provided end-to-end program support and guidance, working with every staff member to promote success for the program. Show less

High School Computer Science Teacher

• Aug 2005 - Jul 2015

I formed relationships with students that drove them to push to their limits with the understanding that I was there to support them and help them become independent learners and workers. I developed my own curriculum that teachers around the country still use. I strategically grew a successful Computer Science program with dramatic increases in total number of students enrolled in my courses, and, perhaps more importantly, even more dramatic increases in participation by girls. I redefined the way our Tahoma Community viewed Computer Science and coders. Classes Taught: Computer Science I, II, and III, Multimedia Design, Digital Graphic Arts - Developed curriculum for each of the above courses - Supports/Mentors several teachers who use this curriculum (http://mshess.com) - University of Washington in the High School Lecturer (http://www.uwhs.washington.edu/uwhs/) - National Board Certified Teacher (http://nbpts.org/) Leadership Roles: - Instructional Teacher Leader 2014 - 2015 - Career and Technical Education Department Head 2008 – 2011; 2014 - 2015 - School Webmaster (http://tahomahigh.com) 2006 – 2015 - Programming Club Advisor 2013 - 2015 - Technology Student Association Advisor 2006 – 2013 - District Technology Leader 2008 – 2013 - Founding Member of the Puget Sound Computer Science Teacher’s Association (http://pscsta.org) Show less

President

• 2011 - 2014

I joined the Renton Moms Group while I was pregnant with my first child and became the president before he turned 6 months old. I facilitated meetings, organized events, created community and relationships, trained replacements, and directed vision of the 100+ member group for 3.5 years, all while playing, smiling, and loving on my children. I joined the Renton Moms Group while I was pregnant with my first child and became the president before he turned 6 months old. I facilitated meetings, organized events, created community and relationships, trained replacements, and directed vision of the 100+ member group for 3.5 years, all while playing, smiling, and loving on my children.

High School Computer Science Teacher

• Aug 2004 - Jul 2005

President

• 2002 - 2004

I was President of the 300+ member (40+ officer) chapter of ACM at UT Austin. I helped meet the needs of members, train and mentor members into officer roles, create a sense of community and belonging, organize big events, create relationships between the chapter and businesses, create relationships between members and faculty, and grow the officer group in numbers and activities. I was President of the 300+ member (40+ officer) chapter of ACM at UT Austin. I helped meet the needs of members, train and mentor members into officer roles, create a sense of community and belonging, organize big events, create relationships between the chapter and businesses, create relationships between members and faculty, and grow the officer group in numbers and activities.