We have thirteen wonderful new Residential Faculty colleagues on campus this year.
If you have a chance to meet them, please say “Hi” and welcome them to our amazing GCC family.
Christina Bell • Library Faculty
Christina Bell returns to her Arizona roots and comes to GCC after ten years living in Maine and New York City. She has been with the GCC Library as an OYO since 2020 and is thrilled to continue as Residential Faculty. Her research interests focus on the accessibility of information and she is currently contributing to research on diversity in children’s books. She currently teaches in the library instruction program and IFS 201: Information in a Post Truth World. Before becoming a librarian, Christina worked in human rights and is deeply committed to information access and equity. Christina completed an MA in Humanities and Social Thought at New York University, an MLIS at Long Island University, and a BA in History and Classics at the University of Arizona.
Stephanie Couture • Nursing Faculty
A former Chief Nursing Officer, Stephanie Couture joins the Nursing Department team as GCC’s Nurse Assisting Program Coordinator. Her background in leadership helps her to work closely with a team of colleagues to keep the Nurse Assisting Program running smoothly and in compliance with Arizona State Board of Nursing regulations. Additionally, you can find Stephanie serving as Residential Faculty for the Nursing Department. She originally joined GCC in 2022 as adjunct nursing faculty that helped with Block 1 RN students in the skills lab and clinical settings. Currently, she teaches an evening course that focuses on developing foundational caregiving skills that are necessary to provide high quality care. She believes in sharing stories and experiences with students to help them see their potential to have a positive impact on their community. Stephanie is a Maricopa Community College graduate, and also holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Nursing. In whatever capacity you find yourself interacting with Stephanie, know that she is enthusiastic about welcoming students and helping them to have a smooth and successful start in healthcare.
Dr. Benjamin Hedquist • Director of Jazz and Popular Music Studies
Benjamin Hedquist is Residential Faculty for the Performing Arts Department at GCC. He has bachelor’s degrees in Jazz and Classical Performance as well as a Master’s and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Double Bass Performance. Ben teaches the Jazz Big Bands, Jazz Combos, and Popular Music Ensembles. He also teaches Jazz Improvisation, Popular Music Orchestration and Arranging, and American Jazz and Popular Music History courses. Ben has been teaching in higher education since 2012 at Arizona State University and as an adjunct faculty member in the Maricopa Community Colleges. Outside of GCC, Ben continues to be involved with and partner with community music programs like The Nash Education, Arizona MusicFest, and The Phoenix Conservatory of Music. He is a prolific performer and composer in the Valley and beyond.
Gina Lilley • FON Faculty
Gina Lilley is a Registered Dietitian with over 14 years of experience in health and wellness. Originally from Maine, Gina got her degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of New Hampshire. After traveling around for a bit she decided to go back to school and become a Registered Dietitian, getting a degree from Arizona State University. Gina has a diverse nutrition background including; private nutrition counseling, menu planning for schools, teaching nutrition at the collegiate level and counseling for a government subsidized program. A 200 hour yoga certification complements her nutrition degree nicely. After 13 years teaching
nutrition as Adjunct Faculty under the Maricopa Community Colleges umbrella, Gina has followed her teaching passion to a full time Residential Faculty position at Glendale Community College. She currently teaches FON 241:Principles of Human Nutrition and FON241LL:Principles of Human Nutrition Laboratory. She teaches both classes in various modalities, including online and in-person. When Gina isn’t in a classroom she enjoys finding new and fun local restaurants, working out at favorite Crossfit gym, attending her kiddos various sporting events, reading for fun, and traveling.
Kerissa Le • Nursing Faculty
Kerissa is a residential faculty for the Nursing Department at GCC. She graduated from a diploma nursing program at a local community college in 1997 in Ontario, Canada. She moved to Phoenix, AZ right after becoming an RN to escape the snow! She has a master’s degree in nursing with an emphasis on education (MSN-Ed). She has been teaching nursing students for 10 years with 9 of those years as an adjunct within Maricopa Community Colleges. Kerissa’s experience as an RN has primarily been in obstetrics and women’s health (surgery). She has worked in a variety of roles including hospitals, clinics, and education (academia and outpatient). In her free time she loves to hike, spend time with her family, and plan her next vacation. Her favorite places to travel have been Banff (Canada), the Pacific Northwest, Montana and Iceland! Kerissa is excited to join the block 1 nursing faculty team at GCC to inspire new nurses to pursue their passion to care for others and to become exceptional leaders in the nursing profession.
Chad Merrell • English Residential Faculty
As an Arizona native, and a former community college student, Chad is excited to join the GCC family as Residential Faculty in the English department. Chad holds a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing. Previously, Chad taught at GCC as an adjunct and an OYO. This year, in addition to teaching English courses, Chad is serving as co-advisor to the LGBTQ+ club.
Jena Remy • BHS Program Director and Counseling Faculty
Jena Remy is Residential Faculty for the Counseling Department at GCC. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Health and a Master’s degree in Counseling. Jena teaches Behavioral Health Science (BHS) courses, currently Ethics and Professional Issues in Counseling, as well as Counseling courses such as First Year Experience and Intro to Multiculturalism. Jena has 10 years of experience as a Mental Health Therapist and Clinician and 9 years of teaching experience as Adjunct Faculty. In the field, she has worked in crisis evaluation, Serious Mental Illness (SMI) assessment, as well as both inpatient and outpatient mental health care. As the new BHS program director at Glendale, Jena is involved in partnering with Community Agencies through our Advisory Board, connecting students with Career fairs, internships, and work opportunities, and continuing the development of our 3 Behavioral Health Sciences programs (Foundational Behavioral Health CCL, Advanced Behavioral Health CCL, and AAS in Behavioral Health Science).
Charles Van Liew • Psychology Faculty
Charles Van Liew is part of the Residential Faculty in the Psychology Department at GCC. He has a Bachelor’s in Social Psychology, a Master’s in Behavioral Medicine, a Master’s in Psychology emphasizing Physical and Mental Health Research, a graduate certificate in Applied Statistics, and a Ph.D. from the interdisciplinary program at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. Charles teaches Introductory Psychology, Cultural Psychology, Introduction to Statistics for Psychology, and Research Methods for Psychology. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Charles has been involved in numerous areas of psychology and health, including health psychology, neuropsychology, drug and alcohol addiction, education, and research and statistical consulting. Charles is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Charles has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles with an equal number of conference presentations and has taught at numerous colleges and universities, including being part of the GCC community in some form since 2016.
Autry Cheatham • Fire Science Faculty
Phillip Petty • Physics Faculty
Nick Shumaker • Automotive Faculty
Joseph Margolias • Business Accounting Faculty
Dale Wierenga • CAD Interior Design Architecture Faculty