Welcome New Dean and Interim Associate Dean

In July, we said goodbye to former Interim Dean Hend Gilli-Elewy and Interim Associate Dean Joanne Van Boxtel. We thank them for all they did for the college during their time here and for their extrodinary leadership.

The college welcomed new leadership, Dean Jenelle S. Pitt-Parker and Interim Associate Dean Neilan Chaturvedi. Welcome to CEIS! 

Dean Jenelle S. Pitt-Parker, began her role in July of 2023. In her previous role she was associate dean at Fresno State’s Kremen School of Education and Human Development. Dean Pitt-Parker has 14 years of experience in working in the CSU in various role such as faculty, coordinator chair, associate dean, and now Dean.  

Dean Pitt-Parker has a has an extensive record of community engagement and leadership toward access and inclusion. Her dedication to community engagement at Fresno State makes her an outstandig leader. At Fresno State, she helped develop the university’s first diversity, equity and inclusion plan. She served as a member of the university’s Respect, Civility, and Inclusion Resource Team; the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute; the 2020-21 President’s Leadership Task Force; the African American Student Resource Center; and the Humanics Advisory Council. 

Her passion for community engagement goes beyond the university. In 2010, she has advised the City of Fresno as a member of its Disability Advisory Commission. She also serves on the Fresno Unified School District African American Academic Acceleration Task Force. In 2020, the Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce honored Dr. Pitt-Parker with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Things That Matter” Award.  

After she earned her bachelor’s from the University of California, Riverside in Psychology, Dr. Pitt-Parker moved to Michigan State University to obtain her master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling and, in 2009, a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counselor Education. 

Welcome Dean Pitt-Parker! 

Interim Associate Dean Neilan Chaturvedi, began his eighth year at Cal Poly Pomona. In his previous role he served as Interim Associate Dean for Academic Personnel and Resources in the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS). Associate Dean Chaturvedi has been a faculty member of the Cal Poly Pomona in the Department of Political Science since 2015. He is a a scholar of American politics. His research and teaching interests include Congress, the presidency, elections and voting behavior, and race and ethnicity. His book, Life in the Middle: Marginalized Moderate Senators in the Era of Polarization — focuses on the role of moderate senators in the lawmaking process — is published by Oxford University Press.