Faculty and Staff

Department Contact:

Department Chair:  

Kathryn Perkins_ Kathryn.Perkins@csulb.edu

Department Coordinator: 

Janine Rodriguez_ Janine.Rodriguez@csulb.edu

Dept Admin Assistant: 

Sherie Muro_ Sherie.Muro@csulb.edu 

Department Phone: (562) 985-4704

 

Tenure/Tenured-Track Faculty

 NameOffice Contact
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Anand Commissiong

 

Anand Commissiong
Ph.D, Rutgers University
Political Theory
 
SS/PA:231Email: Anand.Commissiong@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4961

 

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Darin DeWitt
Darin DeWitt
Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles
American Institutions, Political Parties, State Politics
SS/PA: 227Email: Darin.Dewitt@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4711

 

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Matthew Mendez Garcia
Matthew Mendez Garcia (on leave for Fall 2026)
Ph.D, University of Southern California
American Politics, with a Focus on Representation, Legislative Behavior, Race and Ethnicity, Political Behavior, Intersectionality, and Immigration
SS/PA: 237
Email: Matthew.Garcia@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4702

 

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Cora Goldstein
Cora Goldstein
Ph.D, University of Chicago
Graduate Coordinator
Comparative Politics, Military Occupations, Democratization by Force, Politics and Culture 
SS/PA: 247Email: Cora.Goldstein@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4852
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Liesl Haas

 

Liesl Haas
Ph.D, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Latin American Politics, Gender and Politics, Religion and Politics
SS/PA: 233Email: Liesl.Haas@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-5860

 

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Rich Haesly
Richard Haesly
Ph.D, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Comparative Politics, Nationalism, National Identities, Human Rights, Religion
SS/PA: 245Email: Rich.Haesly@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4700
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Matt Lesenyie

 

Matt Lesenyie
Ph.D, University of California, Davis
American Politics, Political Psychology, Interest Groups, Race Politics, and California Politics
SS/PA: 235Email: Matt.Lesenyie@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4713

 

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Charles Mahoney
Charles Mahoney(on leave for Fall 2026)
Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles
Internship Director
International Security, Terrorism, Insurgency, Private Military and Security Corporations
SS/PA: 229Email: Charles.Mahoney@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-8203

 

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Angela Maione
Angela Maione
Ph.D, Northwestern University
Political Theory, History of Political Thought
 Email: Angela.Maione@csulb.edu
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Kathryn Perkins

 


Ph.D, University of North Texas
Department Chair
Constitutional Law, LGBTQ Politics, Feminist Legal Theory, and Religion and Politics
SS/PA: 257Email: Kathryn.Perkins@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4708
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Amy Cabrera Rasmussen

 

Amy Cabrera Rasmussen
Ph.D, Yale University
American Politics and Public Policy, Health Care, Reproductive and Sexual Health, Intersectionality, and Interpretive Methods
SS/PA: 257Email: Amy.Rasmussen@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4705
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Professor Schugurensky wearing a red sweater in front of flower field

Ana Schugurensky, Ph.D. 

Ph.D. University of California, Irvine

Public Policy, Political Communication, Public Opinion, and Health Care

SS/PA:246 Email: Ana.Schugurensky@csulb.edu

 

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Kevin Wallsten

Ph.D, University of California Berkeley
American Politics, Political Behavior, Mass Media and Internet
SS/PA: 225Email: Kevin.Wallsten@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4709

 

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Jason Whitehead
Jason Whitehead
Ph.D, University of Southern California, J.D., Willamette University
Director of Legal Studies Program
Law and Courts, Judicial Politics, Judicial Decision Making, Constitutional Law, Legal Theory, Religion and Law
SS/PA: 251Email: Jason.Whitehead@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4712

 

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Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright
Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley
PSGSA Advisor
Comparative Politics, China/Taiwan, Social Movements, Capitalism and Democracy
SS/PA: 241Email: Teresa.Wright@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4897

Full-Time Lecturers

 NameOfficeContact
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Christopher Metaxas

 

Christopher Metaxas
Ph.D (ABD), University of California, Riverside
Comparative Politics and International Relations 
SS/PA:354Email: Christopher.Metaxas@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-2720

 

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Lewis Ringel
Lewis Ringel
Ph.D, University of Maryland
Moot Court Director 
Judicial Internship, Media and Politics, and Constitutional Law
 
SS/PA:336Email: Lewis.Ringel@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-5682

Part-Time Lecturers

 NameOfficeContact
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Aaron Agramon

Aarón Agramón

 J.D., University of Idaho College of Law; M.P.A., California Baptist University

Constitutional Law, Critical Race Theory, LatCrit Theory, UndocuCrit Theory

SS/PA:344Email: Aaron.Agramon@csulb.edu
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Debito Beamer
Debito Beamer
Ph.D, Meiji Gajuin University, Tokyo, Japan
International Relations, Racial Discrimination, Japan
 Email: Debito.Beamer@csulb.edu
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Som Chounlamountry
Som Chounlamountry
M.A., University of Southern California
American Government, California Government, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Movements, Terrorism and Genocide
SS/PA:346Email: Som.Chounlamountry@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4746
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Nathan Cruz
Nathen Cruz
M.A., California State University, Long Beach
United States Government and the Interaction between Ideology and Media Consumption
 Email: Nathen.Cruz@csulb.edu
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Marshall Goodman
Marshall Goodman
M.P.A., California State University, Long Beach
Public Administration, Public Policy, Urban Affairs
 Email: Marshall.Goodman@csulb.edu
 
Grant Harting
PhD, University of California, Riverside, B.A., California State University, Long Beach 
 LGBTQ Politics, Trans politicians, Law and Legal Institutions 
  
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Alex Lohman

Alexandra Lohman
J.D., Northwestern Law (2014); B.A., ºÚÁÏÍø (2011)

Constitutional Law (Civil Rights and Government Powers), Children's Law, Criminal Law 
 Email: Alex.Lohman@csulb.edu
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Missy Maceyko

Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Virginia; M.A., Anthropology, University of Virginia; M.A., General Linguistics, University of Virginia; B.A., Political Science and English Literature, Allegheny College

Anthropology of Democracy; Language, Culture, and the Practice of Politics; Impacts of Systemic Gender & Language Biases; Critical (Legal) Studies; Langauge Discrimination; Discourses of Corruption; Political Polarization; Communicating Across Difference; Semiotics of Advertising and Media; Metalinguistic Awareness in DEIB training; DEIB research and metrics; Building Inclusive Organizational Cultures; Allyship Practice; The United States; Papua New Guinea; Mixed-Methods Research

 Email: Melissa.Maceyko@csulb.edu
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Grace Malinao

Grace Malinao

M.A., California State University, Long Beach

American Politics, Political Theory, Post-Colonial Theory, Environmental Political Theory

 Email: Grace.Malinao@csulb.edu
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Matthew Mcgarvey
Matthew McGarvey
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
Body, Space, Perception, and Power. Marxism, Anarchism, and Post-Structuralism. Ideology and Media Systems. Revolutionary Movements.
 
 Email: Matt.McGarvey@csulb.edu
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Vahid Niayesh
Vahid Niayesh
Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
Comparative Politics and International Relations
 
 Email: Vahid.Niayesh@csulb.edu
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Mona Shadia
Mona Shadia
Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University
The development of the Women’s Legal Rights Index: A New Approach to Measuring Women’s Autonomy
 Email: Mona.Shadia@csulb.edu
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Robert Shurtz
Robert Shurtz
 
SS/PA:340Email: Robert.Shurtz@csulb.edu
Phone: (562) 985-4716
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JoAnn Victor
JoAnn Victor Email: Joann.Victor@csulb.edu