President
Amber Luttig-Buonodono
Amber Luttig-Buonodono was born near Lansing, Michigan but spent much of her childhood in the United Kingdom. She met her husband in fifth grade German class and married him much, much later in life. She studied Creative Writing at Michigan State University’s Honors College before earning her Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin. She has lived in Austin for sixteen years and taught at Austin Community College for the past eleven years and designed and led ACC’s study abroad program to the U.K. in 2014. She currently resides in Austin with her husband and two daughters (ages nine and twelve) and spends her time teaching, writing, traveling, and reading. Currently she is practicing strict social distancing and only leaves her house to pick up groceries curbside.
President Elect/VP
Lisa Marie “LMC” Coppoletto
“LMC” Lisa Marie Coppoletta began her interest in Communication Studies as an academic debater. She is the first and only woman to qualify for the National Debate Tournament from Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University. She taught and coached intercollegiate Speech and Debate at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Texas Lutheran University, and Texas State University. She has taught as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, Central Texas College, and San Antonio College. She has been an Associate Adjunct Instructor – at Austin Community College, Department of Communication Studies, since 2007. She is also a communication consultant and political operative.
“LMC” is known as the Shark Lady for her work as an activist in San Marcos, Texas, for over 30 years. She is passionate about protecting Native American Artifacts, Historic Preservation, and stopping toxic runoff from road projects. She has saved many heritage trees in San Marcos from road and development projects. She is working with the City of San Marcos to establish a repeater infrastructure for GMRS and ham radio operators for emergency communications if flooding or another freeze occurs.
She is practicing strict social distancing and has become a self-proclaimed vegetarian chef. She learned photography, organic gardening, and Ecclesiastical Latin during the pandemic. Her current learning project is “CW,” also known as Morse Code.
Secretary
Chris De La Ronde
(No bio)
Treasurer
Charity Benford
Charity Benford has been an Adjunct Professor at ACC since 2019 but has taught as an Adjunct since 2013. Having earned two Master’s degrees and a dedicated career to higher education; Charity is excited to represent the voices of adjuncts this year.
Communications Officer
Ping Chu
Ping Chu has been teaching in the department of Psychology since 2010. She received both her master and doctoral degrees from University of Texas at Austin. She has served as a campus representative (RGC, NRG, and HLC) since September, 2012. She has also represented AFA on ACC shared governance committees such as the Academic and Student Affairs Council, Faculty Development and Evaluation Committee.
Parliamentarian
Herb Coleman
Dr. Herb Coleman is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Student Development as well as the former (now retired) Director of Campus Technology Services. A doctoral grad of the University of Texas College of Education Instructional Technology program, his dissertation was on gender role personality traits and the use of technology. He also frequently leads discussions on copyright and computer ethics. He is a member of the Consortium College and University Media Centers (CCUMC) and the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA). He has taught psychology at Austin Community College since 1989 including courses in Effective Learning, Introduction to Psychology, Human Growth and Development and Human Sexuality. He is an affiliate member of the APA, and prior member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) and the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapist (AASECT), a current member of the Southwest Psychological Association (SWPA) and the Texas Community College Teachers Association (TCCTA). Fascinated with technology, teaching and gender Dr. Coleman never grows tired of exploring these topics separately and where they intersect.
Immediate Past President
Christie Carr
Christie Carr is an Adjunct Professor in the Student Development Department, but has also taught in the English Department at ACC and at Huston-Tillotson University. She considers herself a guide for her students in discussion-based learning.
Teaching at ACC since 2006, she created all the technology for her department and taught the first classes in online and hybrid formats.
A native Californian, she embraces the Texas lifestyle, great food, and the Austin all-inclusive culture. She and her long-time life partner (she/her) lived in San Francisco before her move to Austin, and today, she lives east of Austin in the country, embracing a different kind of life.
Before returning to school to complete her A.A. (ASL), her B.A. in English (Linguistics), and M.A. in Adult Education, she worked as a magazine photographer and a business owner. Her passions include art, photography, graphic design, as well as Fashion Design and manufacturing. She is a current member of the Lost Pines Art Center in Bastrop, Tx and a former board member of City Art Gallery in San Francisco, CA.
CYP Campus Rep
Becky Villarreal
For 25 years, I’ve taught English at ACC, primarily at Cypress Creek and online. I enjoy spending time with my family, going to the theater and movies, traveling, reading, writing, and swimming. Recently, I’ve focused on advocacy at the capitol: public education, human rights, DEI, and gun safety. About 20 years ago, as secretary of AFA, I spearheaded an effort at the Texas Legislature to allow long-serving adjunct faculty in community colleges to obtain health insurance by joining each college’s group plan. When Obamacare went into effect 10 years later, hundreds of adjuncts at ACC received paid (or partially paid) health insurance and retirement benefits because of our call to action. As a campus rep, my goal is to continue fighting for adjuncts– whether it’s access to benefits, fair pay, campus safety, diversity, equity, or inclusion.
EGN Campus Rep
QueenSamantha Ackers
(No bio)
EVC Campus Rep
Franklin Marciales
Franklin is a native of Colombia, South America, where he began his career in the hospitality and travel industry. He has traveled extensively throughout the world as well as throughout most of the United States; he has a substantial knowledge of global tourism and geography. Franklin move to Venezuela after he completed his Associate’s degree in Airlines Services Management and worked as a travel agent in the city of Valencia. He later moved to Houston, TX where he completed his Associate’s degree in Hospitality Management. He has also lived in Seattle, WA and Chicago, IL where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. In 2016 he completed his Master’s degree in Sustainable Tourism and developed his thesis on the behaviors of tourists towards sustainability in Austin. In his free time Franklin loves to read, cook, travel and watch different television shows, especially those focused on geography, travel and tourism. He is married and has two “spoiled” cats.
Education:
MBA in Sustainable Tourism. University of Salamanca. Salamanca, Spain
Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Purdue University Calumet. Hammond, Indiana
Associate’s Degree in Airlines Services Management. Politecnico Grancolombiano. Bogota, Colombia
Associate’s Degree in Hospitality Management. Houston Community College. Houston, Texas
HLC Campus Rep
Amy Rostvold
(No bio)
HLC Campus Rep
Shih-Ting Lee
(No bio)
HYS Campus Rep
Angela Smith
(No bio)
NRG Campus Rep
Kevin Clark
Kevin Clark is a consultant and professor of Communication Studies at Austin Community College who helps students and professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds become more proficient and comfortable with communication on a daily basis.
Before teaching and advising in communication, Kevin studied math and philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and the Institut Supérieur de Philosophie at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. He was then a doctoral fellow both in Linguistics at the University of Illinois and in Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Ph.D. in Critical and Cultural Studies, with a focus on social interactions as they are formed in cultural times and spaces. He has worked as a translator, proofreader, editor, software trainer, and university course developer, and has taught at Rhode Island College, Oregon State University, and Texas State University.
In his current projects, Kevin is fascinated by the ways that older Modern and Midcentury design and typography may apply to his own formulation of EBIxD, or Empathy-Based Interaction Design, which seeks to create more human-friendly digital products and environments. He is also exploring the intersection of genius, creativity, and culture to predict the boundaries of design. Traveling to islands around the world with his husband, Mark, a composer, singer, and university music librarian, he is mapping out a topology of tourism. He is also writing trade-press books on intercultural versions of the Danish hygge, or “coziness,” and on public speaking and manners, a work tentatively entitled In a Manner of Speaking, which he hopes will bring back the word nice to its proper place as a means to living daily life.
RGC Campus Rep
Don Morris
(No bio)
RRC Campus Rep
Qaiser Imam
(No bio)
RRC Campus Rep
Kathleen Shapely
Kathleen Shapley has been teaching in the department of Business, Government, and Technical Communications at ACC since 2016. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.
RVS Campus Rep
David Albert
No bio
Riverside Campus Rep
Christina Michura
(No bio.)
SAC Campus Rep
Adrián de la Rosa
Adrián de la Rosa is a mitigation specialist currently with the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs (OCFW), which is a Texas state public defender office located in Austin, Texas that represents individuals sentenced to death in state post-conviction proceedings. Before joining OCFW, Adrián led the community education efforts at the Texas Fair Defense Project (TFDP), a nonprofit legal advocacy organization in Austin, Texas. At TFDP, he worked with partners across the state to educate low-income communities about their rights in the criminal justice system. Adrián is an assistant adjunct professor in the Sociology Department at Austin Community College and previously worked as a community organizer on immigrant labor and community development issues. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, a Masters degree in Sociology, and a law degree from Texas Tech University. He is fluent in English and Spanish and actively volunteers with several nonprofits in the Austin community. Adrián was recently appointed by the Austin City Council to serve on the Commission on Immigrant Affairs which advises the city council on issues of common concern to immigrants, particularly in the areas of health and human services, education, and the demographic makeup of the Austin immigrant community.
SGC Campus Rep
Marissa Burrell
(No bio)
Distance Education Rep
Valeria Flint
(No bio)
Distance Education Rep
Roy “Luke” Garza
(No bio)
Distance Education Rep
Michelle Iskra
(No bio)
Distance Education Rep
Paula King
As your AFA Campus Representative, I’ve dedicated over two decades to Austin Community College (ACC), contributing significantly to the institution’s growth and excellence.
I began at ACC teaching Art Appreciation college-wide through Distance Learning, following prior experience teaching Art and Technology Applications at Dripping Springs H.S., DSISD.
My distance learning journey began at the Pinnacle Campus, pioneering the Interactive Video Classroom, which evolved into a hyflex/hybrid model. Versed in technology, I have been teaching fully online for over 15 years. The pandemic intensified my commitment to creating quality online learning spaces and experiences for all students, mentoring fellow instructors nationwide, and solidifying my desire to serve fellow adjuncts of Austin Community College in AFA.
I’ve been an active advocate, presenter, and leader in online learning and distance education, instruction, and course development at various conferences, including TAEA, TCEA, TxDLA, and ACC faculty training. Additionally, I’m a dedicated member of Quality Matters, serving as a Nationally Certified QM Peer Reviewer since 2019, conducting DL course reviews for ACC and other colleges.
As a lifelong educator, I promise to serve the Adjunct Faculty with the same passion, drive, and commitment that I bring to teaching our students whether it be in the online space or the face-to-face classroom.
Dual Credit/ECHS Rep
Jim Christianson
Jim Christianson is a retired attorney and CPA. He has taught as an adjunct for Austin Community College for 39 years teaching all sections of Accounting courses and Business Law in the Management Department. He has represented the Hays Campus on Adjunct Faculty Association Executive Committee (AFAEC ) for 4 years. During his time on the AFAEC he has served on the AFAEC Bylaw Committee and during the last year served on the AFAEC Compensation Committee. Presently he represents the AFAEC on the Austin Community College Curriculum Committee.
Dual Credit/ECHS Rep
Aimee Irene Finney
Aimee Irene Finney joined Austin Community College in the Communication Studies department in 2016. Aimee taught high school in Austin for 23 years. Aimee has been a member of the AFAEC for four years serving the South Austin and Eastview campuses. With ACC, Aimee has participated in The Celebration of Great Teaching Retreat, Faculty Intellectual Feasts, Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence Division Riverboat cruise, TLED Social Media Takeover, National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development International on Teaching and Leadership Excellence Conference, ACC Summer Institute on Active & Engaged Teaching.
Dual Credit/ECHS Rep
Kathryn Statos
Since 2009, Kathy Statos has served at Austin Community College as an adjunct professor of Psychology. Kathy earned a Bachelors in French from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. She earned a Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology with a focus on leadership, teams and organizations from Louisiana Tech University, and a doctorate in higher education administration with a specialization in community college leadership from National American University. Kathy has been faithfully serving as a campus representative since 2016 and has participated and chaired many committees and work groups including: administrative rules, bylaws, compensation, and estaffing. Additionally, Kathy is an active member in community affairs, local service organizations, and the arts. She volunteers for CASA, ECHO, and Brides against cancer. Kathy also volunteers as a job coach for autistic young adults. Since moving to Austin, she has given lectures within the community and is a strong advocate for children, citizens with disabilities, and education.
Back to Top