Milo Alvarez
Professor, History
Milo M. Alvarez was born in East Los Angeles, California and raised in Alhambra. He earned a B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in History, with a minor in Chicano Studies, and an M.A. in History from University of California, Riverside, with an emphasis is United States and Native American History. Currently, he is a Doctoral Candidate in U.S. and Mexican American History at UCLA.
Noaquia Banks
Assistant Professor, History
Dr. Banks is a historian of African American Transnationalism, U.S. Women’s, and Modern Germany. She earned a dual BA in Sociology and German Studies from CSU Long Beach, and holds a MA and PhD in History from the University of Iowa. Dr. Banks also attended high school and college in Germany as an international student. She was born and raised in Long Beach, and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School (Go Jackrabbits!). Before joining LBCC’s History Department, Dr. Banks taught at VVC, Mt. Sac, U of Iowa, and Lb-T Languages in Munich, Germany.
SuShuan Chen
Professor, History & Ethnic Studies
I teach a variety of historical subjects at LBCC including U.S. history, Asian history, world history, and American pluralism/ethnic studies. Prior to joining the history faculty at LBCC, I worked at a museum and taught at UC San Diego. I received my B.A. degree in Asian Studies from Pomona College and completed my M.A. and Ph.D. at UC San Diego in the field of Ethnic Studies (the study of race and ethnicity in the United States).
Sean Dinces
Professor, History
I teach American history here at LBCC, including HIST10 (Early American History), HIST11 (Modern U.S. History), and HIST 47 (Facts, Evidence, & Explanation).
Gilbert Estrada
Professor, History & Ethnic Studies
Dr. Estrada is an Associate Professor of History. He attended LBCC and later earned a BA and MA from CSU Long Beach. In 2011, he earned his Ph.D. in History from the University of Southern California. An urban historian, Dr. Estrada has spent twenty years researching the evolution of cities from Mesoamerican civic centers to contemporary global metropolises. He has published over a hundred articles on multiple platforms and gives frequent talks to academic and civic audiences.
Emad Faltas
Professor, History
Professor Faltas is a native Egyptian/African where he was born and lived most of his life. His early education focused on the history of Africa and the Middle East, while his university studies focused on classical civilizations and ancient Egypt. He earned his B.A.
Eugene Goss
Professor, Political Science
Professor Goss has taught at LBCC since 1991 and has been a tenured Full Professor since 1996. In addition to his teaching responsibilities over the years, he has served as History and Political Science Department Head, Technology Committee Chair, President of the LBCC Faculty Association, and Founder of and Faculty Advisor to the Political Science Student Association. Professor Goss also serves on the City Council of the City of Sierra Madre, and served as Mayor of Sierra Madre in 2016/2017. In 2018, he was re-elected and now serves as Mayor Pro Tempore.
Mary Marki
Professor, History
Professor Marki attended Golden West College and then transferred to CSU Fullerton where she completed her BA and MA in History. She continued to study history, language and culture in Switzerland at the Instituto Cultura Italiana and in South America at the Universidad de Vina del Mar in Chile. She also spent a year in Thailand where she taught Western Civilization courses at ABAC University. After five years abroad, she returned to Southern California and began her career teaching at Long Beach City College.
Elisabeth Orr
Dean, Social & Behavioral Sciences
Lisa Orr has deep roots in Long Beach and at LBCC. After growing up in here, she attended LBCC in the 1980s and eventually became a part-time and then full-time faculty member in History. She served as department head for the History & Political Science Department (now History, Political Science and Ethnic Studies) and then eventually Dean of Social Sciences and Arts, a position she held from July 2017 through the spring of 2022. Her current position is Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences where she oversees a variety of programs including Anthropology, Cultural Geograp
Laura Pellegrini
Professor, Political Science
Dr. Pellegrini is an alumni of LBCC & has been teaching here for 21 years. She holds a Ph.D., MA, and MPA from USC. She has worked in all levels of government, and all branches of government, including seven years in Washington DC. She is a graduate of the Presidential Management Program.
Franklin Perez
Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies
Frank was born and raised in Southern California and is a first-generation Latinx college student and professor. He attended Mt. San Jacinto College, CSU Los Angeles, CSU, Fullerton, and UC, Riverside. Frank holds a Bachelors in Sociology: Law and Society and Masters degrees in Sociology and in Ethnic Studies as well as a Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies.
Erika Santizo
Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies
A first-generation immigrant student and product of the community college system. She transferred from Santa Monica College to the University of California Santa Cruz where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American & Latino Studies and History. Her passion for equity and justice inspired her to earn a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in Ethnic Studies and Social Justice from the University of California Los Angeles.
