Leadership & Fellows

Co-Directors

Alex Madva

Co-Director

Alex Madva

His work explores the intersections of social science, ethics, and policy. He co-wrote the forthcoming Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change and co-edited An Introduction to Implicit Bias: Knowledge, Justice, and the Social Mind and The Movement for Black Lives: Philosophical Perspectives. He won an NEH writing award for faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions to write a book on misinformation and belief in 2025, and collaborates in the production of CCEP’s student-driven podcast.
Rachel Tamar Van

Co-Director

Rachel Tamar Van

Specializing in American merchant capitalism in the late 18th to early 19th centuries with a particular emphasis on family capitalism and Americans in the Pacific. She is author of the forthcoming Family Capital: Yankee Merchant Networks and the Shaping of the Global Economy. She teaches Digital History at CPP, including regular collaboration with the WikiEdu Foundation and supervising student podcasts and documentaries in oral history, family and genealogical history, and more.

STEERING COMMITTEE

The Steering Committee includes the Director(s), Faculty Fellows (3), Student Fellows (2), and volunteer affiliates. The Steering Committee meets during the academic year to oversee current and future planning.

Faculty Fellows

Brady Collins

Associate Professor of Political Science

Brady Collins

Brady Collins will be producing this year’s California Center for Ethics & Policy podcast on the “Future of Work”—apply in Fall to take the Spring course! Dr. Collins specializes in the intersection of the spatial, sociocultural, and political aspects of urbanism, and seeks to forge new relationships between the built environment and local politics in Los Angeles.
Gyasmine George-Williams

Assistant Professor of Race, Sports and Social Justice

Gyasmine George-Williams

Gyasmine George-Williams is the visionary creator of SportsCrit™, a groundbreaking pedagogy that merges critical race theory, athlete activism, and intersectional justice to challenge dominant narratives in sport and society. With her amazing students, she is applying this pedagogy to her new podcast, the SportsCrit Lab, breaking down athlete activism, media narratives, and how race influences every play on and off the field, so check it out!
Eileen Wallis

Professor of History

Eileen Wallis

Eileen V. Wallis is building a community archive with the Friends of Rockhaven, a private, women-owned and women-operated mental health facility located in Glendale, California that operated from the 1920s until the 1980s. Dr. Wallis teaching & research range from Public and Digital History and Museum Studies; California and US Women's History; and Disability and US Medical History, and in Spring, her HST 3391S class produced a digital history project on Rockhaven.

Student Fellows

Sophia Gallardo - Student Fellow 2025

Sophia Gallardo

Sophia Gallardo is a transferred student majoring in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations. She was a finalist for the Kate Spade New York WindowsWear Mentorship Program, where she created a Kate Spade rebrand, developed marketing strategies, and executed organizational campaigns. Also, she is involved in the Mexican American Student Association multicultural club as Internal Affairs, and she is a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Sophi aims to provide the necessary tools for students to create online portfolios, enabling them to share more resources with employers. She believes that DHC will create good opportunities to help students grow

Brian Tran - Student Fellow 2025

Brian Tran

Brian Tran is a Marketing Management major with a minor in Entrepreneurship. He was the winner of the 2025 Bronco Startup Challenge and has since participated in several entrepreneurial activities at Cal Poly Pomona. He has served in several marketing positions developing a passion for storytelling and persuasive media. As one of the newest DHC Student Fellows, Brian is committed to exploring new technologies and AI to better understand ways humans can ethically benefit from such advancements.

Tam Tran

Tam Tran

She is a Major in Computer Science, with minors in Data Science and Mathematics, demonstrating an interests in research and the potential for AI to enhance human capabilities and transform industries. She is the DHC’s Web Editor. She formerly served in this role for the TOM Department. In 2019, she worked as an Editor and Designer for Vietmedia TV.
Josh Widby - Student Fellow 2025

Josh Widby

Josh Widby is a Computer Science student and acts as a Student Fellow with the CPP Digital Humanities Consortium. His work focuses on game development, artificial intelligence, and software engineering, with additional experience in video editing. He previously served as an intern for the U.S. Department of Defense, where he contributed to software and machine learning projects.

AFFILIATES & PAST FELLOWS

The Digital Humanities Consortium is supported by a community of contributors, including transdisciplinary tenure-track and lecturer faculty who serve as affiliates, as well as past faculty and student fellows. Affiliates engage in research, teaching, and co-curricular initiatives, while our fellows have contributed in meaningful ways across many academic years. Together, their efforts have helped guide activities, shape resources, and advance the mission of the DHC at Cal Poly Pomona. See Our Affiliates and Our Past Fellows.