The President's Awards for Outstanding Faculty Achievement
The President’s Awards for Outstanding Faculty Achievement were created to recognize the sustained effort of faculty across the university, and to reward their exceptional work. These awards support and acknowledge that faculty work is essential to ensuring that CSULB fulfills its vision, mission, and promise to students. The awards are also meant to acknowledge the work of our faculty that aligns with the strategic initiatives reflected in Beach 2030.
2025-26 Recipients
Jermie Arnold is the Director of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music. He was appointed Director of Bands in 2022. Prior to these appointments he served as Associate Director of Bands beginning in 2012. He is the principal conductor of the Wind Symphony and teaches courses in conducting, wind band literature, and music education. Dr. Arnold completed his DMA in 2014 from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He received his master's and bachelor's degrees in music education from Brigham Young University.
Dr. Arnold has presented at state and national conferences around the country. He is published in the Journal of Band Research, The Instrumentalist, and the National Band Association Journal. He has been a guest conductor in South Korea, England, California, Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New York, Utah, Nevada, and Virginia. He has served as an adjudicator at marching and concert band contests throughout the United States. Dr. Arnold conducted the First Trumpeters concert at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in 2016, where he collaborated with principal trumpet players from across the globe, including Tom Hooten, Justin Bartels, Andrea Giuffredi, and Kazuaki Kikumoto. In 2014, Dr. Arnold received the Most Inspirational Professor Award from the CSULB Alumni Association.
Dr. Arnold’s public-school teaching experience includes seven years as Director of Bands at American Fork Junior High School in American Fork, Utah. His ensembles performed at the National MENC Conference and the Inaugural Music for All National Middle School Festival. The UMEA recognized Dr. Arnold twice: first with the Superior Accomplishment Award in 2006 and second with the Outstanding Junior High–Middle School Music Educator Award in 2008.
He and his wife, Amber, enjoy spending time with their family.
Banafsheh Behzad is a Professor in the Information Systems Department in the College of Business, at CSULB. She joined the department as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2014 and was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in Fall 2020. She was promoted to full Professor a year early in Fall 2024. Banafsheh earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (2006), her M.S.from Northern Illinois University (2008), and her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (2014).
Her research examines applications of Operations Research and Management Science to public policy questions, such as mitigating the spread of fake news on social media and negotiating pricing contracts for vaccines. She has several publications in elite journals. She is the co-PI of a $2 million National Science Foundation grant titled “An Active Learning-based Educational Program (LEAP) for Hispanic STEM Students through Industry-University Partnership”, which is a multidisciplinary initiative involving multiple colleges in CSULB.
In COB, Banafsheh taught both undergraduate and MBA courses in business statistics, business data analysis and programming, and quantitative methods in managerial decision making. She developed multiple courses for both undergraduate and graduate programs.
Banafsheh served as the Interim Department Chair of the Information Systems Department in Fall 2025. She has been the Chair of the Faculty Council of the College of Business since 2024. She is representing the COB in the Academic Senate and is the COB representative in the Academic Senate Nominating Committee. She is actively involved in INFORMS, the largest professional association for analytics and operations research. She was the President of the Women in OR/MS and the Chair of the INFORMS Membership and Member Services Committee and is currently the Chair of the INFORMS Professional Recognition Committee and the Chair of the INFORMS Ambassadors Programs.
Ming Chen is a Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management in the College of Business and serves as Director of the International Business Program. He joined CSULB in 2011, earned tenure in 2017, and was promoted to full professor in 2022. Dr. Chen holds a B.A. from Tsinghua University, China, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park.
During his tenure at CSULB, Dr. Chen has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in supply chain management, management, international business, and information systems, making substantial contributions to curriculum development and program growth.
Dr. Chen’s research focuses on dynamic pricing, revenue management, scheduling, and supply chain management, with an emphasis on optimization and simulation models to help firms increase revenue and reduce costs. His work has been published in leading journals, including Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, European Journal of Operational Research, Transportation Research Part E, IISE Transactions, Computers & Operations Research, and International Journal of Production Research. Among these, MSOM and POM are widely recognized as the most impactful journals in the field.
Dr. Chen has made significant service contributions at the department, college, and university levels. He chaired the department RTP committee and served on the college’s Undergraduate Program Committee, Graduate Program Committee, and Strategic Planning Committee. During COVID-19, he led the Faculty Champions initiative to support faculty transition to effective online teaching. At the university level, he served on the General Education Governing Committee and the International Education Committee, chaired the review committee for the Vice Provost for Academic Planning, and currently serves as CSULB’s representative on the CSU Academic Council on International Programs. As program director, he revitalized the International Business program through new tracks, curriculum updates, and securing funding to support student travel.
Jessica Robinson was granted tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in May 2020 and promotion to Professor in May 2025. She earned a BS in Business Administration from Central Michigan University (Triple Major: Marketing, Logistics Management, & Production/Operations Management), an MS in Agribusiness (Minor in Supply Chain Management) from Arizona State University, and a PhD in Logistics/Supply Chain Management from Georgia Southern University. Prior to graduate school, Dr. Robinson worked for TNT Logistics, first as a cross-dock dispatch supervisor on General Motor’s domestic supply chain (Spartanburg, SC), and subsequently, the senior supervisor and then operations manager for General Motor’s international supply chain (Detroit, MI and Antwerp, Belgium).
Reo Song,Ph.D., is a professor of marketing in the College of Business at California State University, Long Beach, where he also serves as the director of the Master of Science in Marketing Analytics program. In this role, he leads curriculum development and program initiatives that integrate advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and data-driven decision making to prepare students for rapidly evolving digital markets.
His academic research centers on machine learning, AI, and business analytics, with emphasis on their applications in digital marketing strategy, pricing, and international business contexts. His work bridges theory and practice by demonstrating how computational methods can generate actionable insights for firms operating in data-rich environments. His research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Marketing and Production and Operations Management, as well as other top outlets in business. He is also the coauthor of the forthcoming book, Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence: An Advanced Guide to Data-Driven Decision Making, to be published by Palgrave Macmillan (Springer Nature). His research agenda has been supported by numerous competitive grants and awards, including recent funding for projects on generative AI in education, product design, and accessibility.
In recognition of his scholarly and pedagogical contributions, he has received honors from Emerald Publishing and the California State University system for research productivity and teaching excellence. He is a frequent invited speaker at universities, academic conferences, and industry forums around the world, delivering talks across Asia, Europe, and North America on topics such as AI in marketing, digital transformation, and innovation. He regularly writes newspaper columns on AI and innovation, contributing to public discourse on emerging technologies. He earned his Ph.D. in marketing from Texas A&M University, an MBA from the University of Rochester, and M.A. and B.A. degrees in philosophy from Seoul National University.
Lindsay Pérez Huber Once a first-generation college student, Dr. Lindsay Pérez Huber is an internationally recognized scholar of race, immigration, and education whose research has significantly shaped the fields of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Chicana/Latina feminisms, and critical qualitative methodologies. She is Professor in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach, where she leads the Equity, Education, and Social Justice (EESJ) master’s program and serves as Faculty Equity Advocate. Her scholarship advances critical race studies and both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, expanding research on institutional racism, racial microaggressions and microaffirmations, campus mental health for Students of Color, and the educational experiences of undocumented Latinx students.
Dr. Pérez Huber is a recipient of the prestigious Derrick Bell Legacy Award from the Critical Race Studies in Education Association, recognizing her influential theoretical and methodological contributions that bridge CRT with Chicana feminist epistemologies. Her extensive body of work includes dozens of peer-reviewed articles, widely cited books, and collaborative projects that inform educators, policymakers, and community advocates nationally and internationally.
Equally distinguished for her service and mentorship, she has chaired and/or served on more than 100 dissertation and thesis committees, mentoring multiple generations of students and scholars of color into academic, policy, and community leadership roles. Her leadership extends through national professional service, editorial work, and sustained institutional advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is also the incoming Editor-in-Chief of Race Ethnicity and Education, a leading international journal in the study of race and education.
Grounded in community engagement, Dr. Pérez Huber serves as an Ambassador for the Yes We Can World Foundation, making annual trips to Tijuana, Mexico to volunteer with children living in migrant shelters. Through rigorous research, transformative mentorship, and community-rooted advocacy, she continues to advance educational justice and expand pathways for equity in higher education.
Niloofar Bavarian Ph.D., M.P.H., is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Health Science at CSULB. Prior to joining the faculty at CSULB, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the NIH-funded Prevention Science Research Training Program at UC Berkeley and the Prevention Research Center. As a Professor at CSULB, Dr. Bavarian considers it an honor and privilege to serve in a position that has the potential to positively impact the personal and professional trajectories of students and their families. With respect to teaching, she uses her experiences as a Health Educator and Prevention Scientist to help bring to life concepts taught in the classroom. Her teaching philosophy conceptualizes students and teachers as co-learners, and emphasizes learning and growing from mistakes. Her research applies health behavior theory to understand, develop, implement and evaluate behavioral interventions, with a particular emphasis on the prescription drug abuse epidemic. Her interdisciplinary scholarship has been supported by over $1,000,000 in federal funding, allowing her to mentor student researchers, working collaboratively to publish and present extensively in peer-reviewed platforms. With respect to service, she is a committed mentor, having pursued activities to support undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and early career faculty. Since joining CSULB, she has been the recipient of the Academic Affairs Award for Outstanding Faculty Mentor for Student Engagement in Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity (2015-2016), the Office of Alumni Relations – CHHS Most Valuable Professor Award (2018-2019), and the President’s Commission on the Status of Women – Advancement of Women Award (2022-2023).
Tiffany Brown is a Professor of Child and Family Studies in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at California State University, Long Beach. She holds a Ph.D. in Child and Family Studies from Syracuse University, an M.A. in Social Sciences, and a B.S. in Psychobiology from Binghamton University. With over two decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Brown’s work reflects a sustained commitment to equity, student success, and institutional leadership.
Dr. Brown’s research examines contextual influences on the development of adolescents of color, fatherhood experiences among Black and Latino men, and the impact of study abroad programs on college students. Her scholarship bridges theory and practice, emphasizing research that directly benefits students through curriculum design, mentorship, and applied learning experiences. She teaches undergraduate courses in family development across the lifespan, development during middle childhood and adolescence, and family stress and coping.
A first-generation college graduate and woman of color, Dr. Brown centers mentorship and relationshipbuilding as foundational to student persistence, belonging, and professional identity development. She has mentored countless students, particularly students of color and first-generation students, supporting their academic, professional, and leadership trajectories.
At CSULB, Dr. Brown has led and supported major diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including the inaugural Family and Consumer Sciences DEI Day and the Race-Related Cultural Taxation Summit. She has served as a member of the President’s Equity and Change Commission and as a facilitator for the Inclusive Excellence in Pedagogy Faculty Learning Community. She currently serves as Co-Director of the President and Provost’s Leadership Fellows Program, supporting faculty and staff leadership development across the university.
Beyond CSULB, Dr. Brown serves on the national board of directors for The All Stars Project and has held editorial leadership roles with Marriage and Family Review and the Journal of Family Theory and Review.
Christine Scott-Hayward I am a Professor in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management (CCJEM). I also serve as the Director of the M.S. in Criminology & Criminal Justice (Online) and the Director and Graduate Advisor for the M.S. in Emergency Services Administration. From 2022-2025, I served as the Director of the School of CCJEM.
Prior to joining CSULB in 2013, I was a post-doctoral research fellow at Columbia Law School, law clerk to Magistrate Judge James Orenstein of the Eastern District of New York, and a research associate at the Vera Institute of Justice. During the 2016-2017 academic year, I served as a Supreme Court Fellow, assigned to the United States Sentencing Commission. I am a member of the New York Bar and the Supreme Court Bar.
My research focuses on courts and criminal procedure, with a particular focus on the practical implications of law and policy in the areas of bail, pretrial justice, and sentencing. I have published more than 30 articles and books, and my book Punishing Poverty: How Bail and Pretrial Detention Fuel Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System was named as a “Best of 2019” by the Vera Institute of Justice. In addition to being regularly cited by other academics, my research has been cited in legal opinions by both state and federal judges, and I have served as an expert witness in several cases.
Kamiar Alaei is Chair and Professor of Global Health in the Department of Health Science. He also served as an External Evaluator at the University of Oxford and is the PI of a $10.3 million federal grant supporting the development of interdisciplinary degree programs in Public Health Informatics and Technology (PHIT), with a strong emphasis on equity-driven workforce development.
Dr. Alaei has earned five graduate degrees, including two doctorates, in medicine, health policy, epidemiology, international health, and international human rights law from leading institutions such as Harvard University and the University of Oxford. He also holds an advanced certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare from MIT.
A physician and global health advocate, Dr. Alaei co-founded innovative telehealth education initiatives in conflict settings, enabling more than 500 internally displaced medical students in Syria to continue their education remotely using smartphone-based platforms at no cost. He currently leads a network of over 200 physicians providing pro bono international telehealth services in support of peaceful human rights advocates.
His scholarship and public health leadership have been featured in leading academic journals including Nature, Science, and The Lancet, and he has been widely interviewed by major media outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, some of the previous awardees include seven U.S. Presidents, and Nobel Prize laureates.
At the CSU system level, Dr. Alaei serves as Co-Chair of the CSU Council of Public Health Chairs and Directors, advancing collaboration across 23 campuses. Locally, he has built enduring partnerships with the Long Beach and Los Angeles County Departments of Public Health, city agencies, and community clinics to modernize data systems and expand high-impact student internships.
H. Isabella Lanza is a developmental psychologist, public health scientist, and professor of human development. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in addictive behaviors at UCLA, and earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Temple University, a master’s in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University, and a BA in English and psychology from Williams College.
Dr. Lanza finds immense fulfillment in teaching CSULB undergrads. She particularly has a passion for teaching courses in the behavioral/social sciences that students may not be as eager to take as other offerings. She is most happy teaching introductory statistics, quantitative research methods, and her upper-division quantitative reasoning course Pseudoscience vs. Science. Observing students develop confidence in their abilities and erase anxiety/fears about “math” is an unparalleled reward.
Dr. Lanza’s research examines co-occurring health-risk behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood. She recently completed a National Institutes of Health funded longitudinal study of 1,500 CSULB undergrads to assess the relationship between weight status and substance use behaviors like nicotine/tobacco and cannabis use. For the past 20 years, Dr. Lanza has been focused on understanding the developmental pathways and processes by which co-occurring health-risks occur.
Apart from teaching and research, Dr. Lanza has an extensive service record in both supporting students and faculty. She just stepped into the role of student advisor and is striving to directly engage with every Human Development major and minor. Dr. Lanza served as a student training director and faculty mentor for the BUILD and UROP programs. She also has found great satisfaction supporting faculty while chairing the college RTP, Sabbatical, and RSCA committees, as well as being CLA’s Director of Research.
Outside of CSULB, Dr. Lanza enjoys pickleball, trivia, baking, and visiting her favorite place, London, where she had an unforgettable semester leading the CSULB London Semester Abroad program in Spring 2022.
Richard Marcus Ph.D., has served as a professor of Global Studies at California State University, Long Beach since 2006. His career integrates academic institution-building, globally engaged scholarship, and public-facing service. Over three decades, his work has been anchored in a sustained commitment to understanding how democratic life is experienced at the community level with an emphasis on how conditions of environmental stress, weak state capacity, and political volatility.
A recognized global expert on Malagasy politics, Dr. Marcus has maintained continuous research with Madagascar since the 1990s, helped shape policy engagement, and, through his role on the UNDPA team, Madagascar peace talks. His scholarship includes more than 70 articles, chapters, and major reports, and three book-length projects that mark the evolution of his intellectual agenda: early work on community, conservation, and local governance; The Politics of Institutional Failure in Madagascar’s Third Republic (Lexington, 2016); and his new book Two Decades of Democracy in Madagascar (Brill, 2026). Across this body of work, he has advanced an empirically grounded account of how communities negotiate authority, participation, and legitimacy, and how those dynamics shape democratic endurance and breakdown.
That community-centered work bridges to Dr. Marcus’s recent focus on political pluralism. Tracking the erosion and rebuilding of social cohesion in fragile contexts, his attention increasingly turned to the institutional and normative conditions that make diverse societies governable: trust, civic norms, and the infrastructures that allow disagreement without dehumanization. This trajectory now drives his leadership as Co-Founding Director of CSULB’s Institute for Pluralism Studies. His new book project, At the Edge of Peoplehood (contract offer from De Gruyter/Brill; others pending) is a study of how communities negotiate belonging across global hierarchies before turning to unpack how these groups reframe “authenticity” and widen the boundaries of Jewish peoplehood in Madagascar, Kenya, Uganda, Guatemala, and Peru.
Lijuan Li is Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Long Beach. She earned her B.S. (Honours) in Chemistry from Jilin University, China, and her Ph.D. (with distinction) in Organometallic Chemistry from McMaster University. After completing a Research Associateship at the Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences at the National Research Council of Canada, she joined McMaster University as an Assistant Professor. In 1998, she moved to CSULB, where she was promoted to Full Professor in 2005. She is currently serving as Department Chair.
Dr. Li is an internationally recognized scholar in bioinorganic chemistry with 30 years of research and teaching experience. She has secured over $3.7 million in external research funding as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator from agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Beckman Foundation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Materials and Manufacturing Ontario. Her research program has resulted in 56 peer-reviewed publications, one issued patent, more than 130 conference presentations, and over 50 invited talks worldwide.
Her honors include the CSULB Outstanding Professor Award (2025), the CSULB Distinguished Faculty Scholarly & Creative Achievement Award (2010), the CSULB Alumni Association Class of 2009 Favorite Professor Award (2009), the CNSM Research Excellence Award (2008), the AAAS Women’s International Science Collaboration Award (2001), the IUPAC Travel Award (1998), the NSERC Women’s Faculty Award (1995–2000), and a National Research Council Research Associateship (1993–1995).
Dr. Li has supervised 29 Master’s thesis students, over 80 undergraduate researchers, and has mentored students through programs such as NIH-BRIDGES, NIH-RISE, NIH-BUILD, MARC, and Beckman Scholars. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of Aggregate and regularly reviews manuscripts, grant proposals, and national award selections.
