Task Force Members
Presidential Task Force on Student Activities and Safety
Task force group members may identify additional participants based on experience
and expertise. Member bios are listed below.
Presidential Task Force on Alcohol and Substance Misuse
Task Force Member Bios
Randy Timm
Dr. Randy Timm, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at SDSU, is responsible for student life, student development and academic success initiatives at the University.
Since arriving at SDSU in 2003, Timm has held several leadership roles on campus, including Director of Residential Education, Director of Student Life & Leadership and Co-Founder of the SDSU Leadership Summit. Timm also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Education and teaches in the SDSU Leadership Minor.
Timm is an Aztec for Life. He received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from SDSU.
Caitlin Roberts
Caitlin Roberts currently serves as the Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life at the University of Oregon. She has worked in a variety of roles with fraternities and sororities, student organizations, and alumni relations at Chapman University, Long Beach State University, and University of North Georgia.
Roberts served as the first Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values, and has volunteered in numerous roles for the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors and her own organization, Kappa Delta.
Roberts is a graduate of California State University, San Bernardino and has a master’s in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Caitlin resides in Eugene, Oregon.
Antionette Marbray
Antionette Marbray serves as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. Marbray has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, primarily in Student Affairs and higher education law and risk management.
Prior to joining SDSU, Marbray held administrative leadership positions at the University of Florida and Bowie State University. These positions included serving as Assistant General Counsel and Interim Vice President and General Counsel, respectively. Immediately prior to joining SDSU, Ms. Marbray served as Director of Title IX and Equal Opportunity Employment Programs at the University of San Diego.Ms. Marbray joined SDSU’s Student Affairs leadership team during summer 2015.
Marbray’s professional experiences working in student development, as well as in capacities as a Title IX director and general counsel at several universities, give her a unique perspective as she embarks in the Associate Vice President role.
Marbray holds a Juris Doctorate from Duke University, a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Florida, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of South Florida.
Jessica Rentto
As the Associate Vice President of Administration, Jessica Rentto develops, recommends
and
implements university policies and strategies to manage safety, risk, legal and human
resource
issues facing San Diego State University. Rentto oversees University Police, Risk
Management, the Center for Human Resources, Employee Relations and Compliance, and
Environmental Health and Safety.
Rentto also acts as SDSU’s Title IX Coordinator and is responsible for coordinating the university’s efforts to comply with its obligations under Title IX and the Title IX regulations. These responsibilities include co-chairing the SDSU Sexual Violence Task Force, as well as coordinating investigations of complaints of sexual assault and sexual violence. She regularly provides trainings, consultation and technical assistance to students, faculty and staff on various subjects including risk management, employment and labor issues, Title IX and legal issues.
Prior to coming to SDSU in 2006, Rentto was a practicing attorney, specializing in discrimination and harassment law. Rentto graduated from Duke University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies and she obtained her Juris Doctorate from University of San Diego School of Law.
Christy Samarkos
Christy Samarkos, whose professional career in Student Affairs spans more than 20 years, served in a number of progressively responsible roles at SDSU before being appointed Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. She has a broad range of leadership achievements and expertise in academic preparation; student advising, counseling, leadership training and development; co-curricular and multicultural programming; and staff development.
Samarkos is an advocate of student leadership development and success. Driven by collaboration and authentic leadership, Samarkos has devoted her career to advancing and adopting research-driven and data-informed practices that help ensure that programs and initiatives drive each student's propensity for personal, academic and, ultimately, career success.
Under Samarkos' leadership, the Division has continued to grow and also introduced a number of initiatives to build a community of support and leadership participation aimed at improving students' overall persistence and graduation rates.
Samarkos holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Concordia College in Minnesota, a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Science in Counseling with a specialization in College Student Personnel from Shippensburg University.
Lee Abed
Biographical information is forthcoming.
Rana Sampson
Biographical information is forthcoming.
Bobby Smitheran
Bobby Smitheran is in his 12th year at San Diego State University, the past five serving as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Academic Support Services. Smitheran manages a comprehensive academic support program, which includes academic advising, academic mentoring, tutoring and a holistic student-athlete development program.
As a member of the Division of Student Affairs management team, Smitheran serves as the athletic department’s liaison to various campus partners. He has served on the University’s Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Task Force the past five years and is the lead administrator for the athletic department’s institutional drug testing program.
In his current role, Smitheran developed a summer orientation and retention program,
"Healthy Start” and "Wellness Wednesdays", for first-time freshman and transfer student-athletes.
He also conceptualized and implemented a four-year leadership and life skills program,
"Aztecs Going Pro", to foster student-athletes' academic, personal and professional
development.
Erik Johannesen
Erik Johannesen is a member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, having served as President. Johannesen was later employed by the fraternity's national organization for two years as its expansion director. For the last 10 years, Johannesen has served as an member of the Alumni Corporation Board and currently serves as Chapter Adviser.
Johannesen graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1981.
Karly Nolan
Karly Nolan is a fourth-year San Diego State University student in the School of Journalism & Media Studies, with an emphasis in Public Relations. Nolan is currently employed by Associated Students as an event programmer for Union events and, during the 2019-2020 academic year, coordinated Homecoming and GreenFest week. Nolan has also served on the Leadership Team for Dance Marathon at SDSU, the largest philanthropic organization on campus. Recently, Nolan ended a term as the Vice President of Membership for the College Panhellenic Association.
Ben Clay
Ben Clay has retired as a founding partner with Carpi and Clay, a government relations
firm with offices in Sacramento, San Diego and Washington D.C. For 35 years he specialized
in legislative and administrative advocacy at the State of California, representing
public agencies, private companies and not for profit organizations.
Currently, Clay serves on the boards of the San Diego Symphony, the Qualcomm Stadium
advisory Board where he was appointed by the Mayor of San Diego, the San Diego River
Conservancy, where he was appointed by the Governor and where he has served for 10
years as Board Chair. He also serves as the Chair of the USS Midway Foundation Board
and serves on the USS Midway Board of Directors. He is also a member of the San Diego
Economic Development Corporation Strategic Roundtable.
Clay is past President and current member of the San Diego Rotary Club, and a former
past President of the San Diego Symphony. He has served on the boards of the California
State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, The Maritime Museum of San Diego, the San Diego
Natural History Museum. He and his wife, Nikki Clay, co-chaired the San Diego State
University Centennial Celebration, and the City of San Diego`s Balboa Park Centennial
Celebration and Ben chaired the SD Rotary Club Centennial Celebration.
A graduate of SDSU, Clay holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and was
recognized as one of the 50 top graduates for the school. The Clays were recognized
for their contributions over the years at SDSU by having the entrance to SDSU named
the Clay Gates. Nikki and Ben Clay were honored as SDSU's "Alumni of the Year" in
1998.
Ben Clay is a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, was active in student government while
at SDSU and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps from 1969-1972.
Mike Pack
Biographical information is forthcoming.
Rachel Gregg
Rachel Gregg joined SDSU in 2017 as the Community Relations Manager. In that position, she worked to strengthen the relationships between SDSU and the communities that surround our campus. Gregg, Director of Government and Community Relations, acts as the liaison between SDSU and its San Diego delegation. Additionally, she works with the Associated Students to help improve student and community relations and sits on the College Area Planning Group as well as the College Area Business District Board of Directors.
Prior to SDSU, Gregg worked for nearly 10 years in the California State Legislature, it was here she became active in many of the diverse communities in and around San Diego County. She cultivated relationships with elected officials, staff and community leaders. She began her career in former State Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny’s district office, was Communications Director for Assemblymember Mary Salas, and most recently she was a Senior Field Representative for Speaker Emeritus Toni Atkins.
Gregg is a third-generation native San Diegan and proud alumna of SDSU, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2006.
Christian Holt
Christian Holt is currently serving in several leadership positions at SDSU establishing
himself as a well-respected campus member and supportive community ally. Holt's service
committments include the Student Director of the Black Affinity Group, the Co-director
of Tijuana Home-Build, the President of the Collegiate Black Caucus of SDSU, a member
of Rotaract, a Community Assistant in Residential Education, and a Student-At0Large
on the Associated Students Board of Directors.
Christian Onwuka
SDSU Associated Students President Christian Onwuka is a senior from Southeast San Diego, California. He is pursuing a Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Finance, accompanied by an Honors minor in Interdisciplinary Studies through the Weber Honors College.
Onwuka’s involvement with Associated Students began in 2016 when he served as a delegate on the Fowler College of Business Council. During his time on the council he saw the potential impact he could have on the lives of students both on and off campus, and this served as the start of his A.S. service.
Josh Mays
Police Chief Josh Mays has 20 years of law enforcement experience and has been working
at the San Diego State University Police Department since late 2003. He has served
in all ranks, and was appointed to Chief of Police in May 2016.
Chief Mays holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and master’s degree in Negotiation,
Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding. Part of his leadership philosophy encompasses
focusing on people by creating opportunities where all feel comfortable expressing
their thoughts, perceptions, and ideas. Mays further believes that developing long-lasting
relationships with the community is integral to improving the safety and quality of
life for all who live, study, work and visit SDSU.
Frank Churchill
Biographical information is forthcoming.
John Clapp
Dr. John D. Clapp is a nationally recognized expert in issues related to alcohol use among college students. Clapp is former Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug and Violence Prevention. He also served on the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse’s National Advisory Council (2012-2015). With over $30,000,000 in extramural funding, Clapp’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education and the Conrad Hilton Foundation among numerous other sources.
Clapp is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in top tier substance use journals. Based on his work, Clapp was named the 2018 Research Laureate for The American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB). He is currently Professor of Social Work and Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California.
Richard J. Moyer III, PsyD
Richard J. Moyer III is a licensed psychologist and one of the founding developers of the eCHECKUP TO GO Programs, created in 2001 at SDSU Counseling & Psychological Services (C&PS).
Moyer has worked with psychologists and researchers in four countries to develop alcohol and other drug prevention and intervention tools for more than 600 universities, high schools, community centers and U.S. military bases. He has also served the SDSU community in myriad roles for the last 20 years, including as a counselor at C&PS and as an advisor in the University Honors Program and Academic Advising Center.
María Luisa Zúñiga
Dr. María Luisa Zúñiga is a Professor in the School of Social Work at San Diego State University (SDSU) and Associate Adjunct Professor in the Division of Global Public Health and Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego (UCSD). She serves as the Campus Director of the SDSU-UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use.
Zúñiga is an epidemiologist who conducts transnational and Community-Based Participatory Research to study the intersection of alcohol and drug use, mental health, TB/HIV and sexual risk behaviors in order to reduce problems that contribute to poor health. She is the co-faculty advisor for SDSU's Aztecs for Recovery, a student-led program to reduce stigma and provide suport to students and other members of the SDSU community in their journey to heal from addition to substances. Zúñiga supports principles of harm reduction to address substance use prevention, treatment and recovery where respect, dignity and autonomy of each individuals is at the core of her collective work and research.
Mark Reed
Dr. Mark Reed is the Associate Dean for Research in the SDSU College of Health and Human Services and a Professor in the School of Social Work. He is a founding faculty member in the SDSU/UCSD Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use doctoral program.
Reed’s research focuses on alcohol and other drug use etiology and prevention as well
as Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) approaches to
alcohol misuse. He is well published in top substance use/public health journals and
has served as Principal Investigator,
Co-Principal Investigator, or Co-Investigator on grants and contracts funded by the
National
Institutes of Health (NIAAA), the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program,
California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, the Flight Attendants Medical
Research Institute, and The Ohio State University.
Reed is the immediate past-President of the American Academy of Health Behavior as well as the past Co-Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research.
Ron Smith
Ron Smith is an alumnus of San Diego State University. He worked for the Escondido Union School District for 33 years, 22 of which were as Elementary School Principal. He was active with the Association of CA School Administrators (ACSA), serving Region 18 as President and as Representative to the State Board of Directors. ACSA Region 18 awarded Ron with the Exemplary Site Leader Award. While Principal at Bernardo School, Bernardo was recognized as a California Distinguished School.
Since 2000, Smith has been a volunteer with Sigma Phi Epsilon and the SDSU Chapter, CA Delta. The SDSU IFC recognized Ron as Alumni Volunteer of the Year and Sigma Phi Epsilon awarded Ron the Distinguished Alumnus and Exemplary Service awards.
While an undergraduate, Smith was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He received his CA Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, Master of Arts in Education and a CA Life School Administrative Credential – all from SDSU.
Jim Lange
Dr. Jim Lange holds a faculty position as the Coordinator of Alcohol and Other Drug
Initiatives within the Well-being and Health Promotion department in San Diego State
University’s Division of Student Affairs. Also, through a reimbursement relationship
with The Ohio State University, Lange serves as the Executive Director of the Higher
Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery (HECAOD), an
academic center of OSU’s College of Social Work. The HECAOD serves as a technical
advising resource for colleges and universities across the United States on topics
concerning the continuum of issues involving student alcohol and drug misuse.
From his various research grants, Lange has authored more than 60 scientific publications
that have been cited within more than 3,500 publications. Lange is also currently
serving on the Advisory Board for SAMHSA’s Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC)
Network Coordination Center. This service fits within his history of advising many
State and Federal efforts, including: the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education
Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention; California State Prescription
Drug Task Force; San Diego County Alcohol Policy Panel; and RADD – Rockers Against
Drunk Driving.
A San Diego native, Lange received his undergraduate education at Pitzer College,
and his doctorate in Social Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Before coming to SDSU in 2001, he was a Senior Research Scientist with the Pacific
Institute for Research and Evaluation.
Andrea Dooley
Dr. Andrea Dooley, Ph.D., serves as an Associate Vice President for Student Affairs.
Dooley, who
has more than 15 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education administration,
joined SDSU’s Student Affairs leadership team in January 2017.
Prior to her appointment, Dooley served as an Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs
at University of California, Berkeley. In that role, Dooley provided oversight for
the Division of Student Affairs; administrative and financial operations, information
technology, communications and learning and development.
As an Aztec herself, Dooley is passionate about serving SDSU. Dooley was Chief of Staff for then-SDSU President Elliot Hirshman from 2011 to 2015 and also spent five years at University of California San Diego as the Director of Research Administration for Health Sciences.
Dooley’s current position at SDSU includes oversight for Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Student Ability Success Center, Well-being and Health Promotion and the Economic Crisis Response Team.
Dooley earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Science, a master’s degree in Education
with an
emphasis in Postsecondary Leadership and a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership
– all from
SDSU.
Jen Rikard
Dr. Jennifer Rikard is a licensed psychologist and the Director of SDSU’s Counseling & Psychological Services (C&PS). An expert in substance use prevention and intervention and co-occurring mental health issues, Rikard was hired initially to implement the innovative ASPIRE alcohol and other drug program for students who violate policies or laws on or around campus. Her career has focused on translating research into innovative practice to create behavior change in students and others, supporting their movement toward healthier and safer behavior.
For many years, Rikard has been an active member of the SDSU’s Alcohol and other Drug Task Force, Collaborative Incident Management Team, Economic Crisis Response Team and was a past Co-Chair of the Sexual Violence Task Force.
Rikard is a co-developer of the eCHECKUP TO GO suite of programs, which utilize theoretical models and personalized feedback to create behavior change in participants. The Alcohol eCHECKUP TO GO is recommended by the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism as a highly effective program. Versions are culturally/linguistically translated for use around the world, on military bases, at community colleges, and high schools.
Rikard received degrees at George Washington University, California School of Professional Psychology, and trained at the University of Miami-School of Medicine.
Christina Checel
Christina Checel is the mother of three college students, two of whom attend SDSU.
Checel is an attorney who who handles employment litigation. She has handled cases
where employees were under the influence in the workplace, where alcohol and/or drugs
played a part in off duty sexual harassment and in which substance misuse impacted
attendance and work performance. Checel is personally familiar with issues surrounding
substance misuse and its impact on a family. For more than 40 years, she has navigated
the battles of addiction and recovery with a close family member.
Jeremy Garcia
Jeremy Garcia is a first-generation college student in his senior year at SDSU. Garcia is enrolled in the College of Sciences studying Psychology with a minor in Counseling & Social Change.
Over the past three years, Garica has worked to foster community and connection on
campus as a student leader. Such roles have included working for the Residential Education
Office as a Community Assistant, volunteering with Counseling & Psychological Services
and serving as the Mental Health & Wellness chair for his social fraternity.
Currently, Garcia acts as a Peer Educator for two different programs within Counseling
& Psychological Services. Coming from a background of knowing and witnessing both
friends and family struggle with substance misuse and recovery, Garcia is grateful
for the opportunity to serve as a task force member and hopes to bring a multi-dimensional
perspective as a mental health advocate, Greek Life member and SDSU student.
Liana Marin
Biographical information is forthcoming.