Lomacast: A Point Loma Nazarene University Podcast

#25 - Professor Nathan Gibbs, MFA

Professor of Media Communication Nathan Gibbs specializes in audiovisual storytelling and media strategy for on-demand, live streaming and broadcast media. Prior to joining PLNU in 2022, he taught multimedia and broadcast news courses as a faculty member in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He directed KACU, the city’s NPR station, introduced live ESPN+ streaming, created podcast studios, and ushered in curriculum revisions during his tenure. Prior to his time in Texas, Gibbs worked for nine years at KPBS in San Diego, California. His project management credits include mobile apps, branding and digital strategy, workflow standards for daily news audio and video content, and custom web apps for feature news stories. 
Gibbs grew up in Escondido and now lives in San Diego with his wife, Rosario, and their five children. In his off time, you can find him on and off the trail in the California wilderness. Follow his family’s adventures on Instagram. 
Any Links
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/nathan-gibbs-mfa

#24 - Dr. Brandon Sawyer

Dr. Sawyer is a Professor of Kinesiology and Biology in addition to serving as the Associate Dean of Operations in the College of Health Sciences. He graduated from PLNU with a B.A. in Athletic Training and became an ATC shortly after graduation. Over the years he spent time practicing as an athletic trainer for the San Diego Chargers, high schools, PLNU, and an arena football team in Fresno, CA. While Dr. Sawyer loved working as an athletic trainer his true passions are studying, teaching, and researching physiology, exercise and disease. Both his masters and doctoral degrees were in exercise physiology. Dr. Sawyer loves teaching a wide variety of anatomy physiology courses across all levels of health science curriculum including lower division A&P, upper division physiology of exercise, advanced exercise physiology for the MS in Kinesiology program and medical physiology for the PA program.
Dr. Sawyer’s spouse Monique Sawyer is also a faculty member and associate dean at PLNU in the school of nursing. They stay busy with their 3 children Soren, Christian, and Eve!
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/brandon-sawyer-phd
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty-spotlights/brandon-sawyer-phd

#23 - Profesor Guimel Sibingo, MA

Guimel Sibingo is an Angolan-Portuguese journalist and writer. Her academic and professional background spans a range of journalism disciplines, with a particular emphasis on radio and multimedia storytelling.
Sibingo’s work in radio journalism has earned her several prestigious awards, including an Edward R. Murrow award for her contribution to Mizzou at a Crossroads, a long-form audio documentary from NPR-member station KBIA that explored racial tensions at the University of Missouri. She also earned a 1st Place Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI) award and a National Headliner Award for the same project.
Guimel’s research interests include critical discourse analysis in journalism, media coverage of global health crises, and the intersection of media and cultural identity.
Born in Angola and raised in Portugal, Guimel’s multicultural experience has influenced her interest in the global dimensions of journalism, particularly the field’s coverage of Africa. She brings a global perspective to her teaching and encourages students to think critically about the role of journalism in a complex, interconnected world.
In addition to her professional work, Guimel is passionate about mentoring students to become thoughtful, ethical, and innovative journalists who engage meaningfully with the world around them.
Any Links:
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/guimel-sibingo-ma

#22 - Dr. Amy Nantkes

Dr. Amy Nantkes serves as Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the B.A. in Public Administration. She teaches courses on public policy, state and local government, race, ethnicity, and politics, and group and organizational behavior. Her research interests include immigration policy and social welfare policy and inequality, with an emphasis in efficacy-developing policies and sustainable reduction of poverty in the United States. Amy's recent work includes a qualitative study on the effects of gentrification in a San Diego neighborhood and a Native American voting rights study included in the Sanchez v. Cegavske (2016) case. 
As a leader in the nonprofit sector for 20 years, Dr. Nantkes is responsible for training and leading hundreds of volunteers that desire to positively change their communities through direct action. With professional experience in coordinating large-scale community events for over 15,000 participants and developing curriculum for international NGOs, she understands the power of vision-infused education in organizing groups of people around a common purpose.
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/amy-nantkes-phd

#21 - Dr. Breeann Kyte Kirby

Dr. Kyte Kirby is a Professor of Writing and Environmental Studies and Assistant Dean for the School of Humanities, Arts, and Public Engagement. As a former research scientist turned writer, Kirby is firmly grounded in both science and literature, still working in both fields by facilitating collaborations between scientists, writers, and artists. She writes in all genres but has a soft spot for speculative fiction and the weird; Kirby’s creative and scientific work has been published both in print and online.
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/breeann-kyte-kirby-phd

#20 - President Kerry Fulcher

Dr. Kerry Fulcher was elected the 15th president of Point Loma Nazarene University on July 1, 2024. Prior to the election, Dr. Fulcher served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at PLNU from 2010-2024. 
He began his PLNU career in 1994 as a faculty member in the Biology Department and served as Biology Chair from 2002 to 2008. He became Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and Provost and Chief Academic Officer in 2010. His publications have appeared in journals such as Christian Higher Education, Biology of Reproduction, Aquaculture, and Developmental Biology. 
In total, Dr. Fulcher has dedicated 30 years of service to PLNU, helping to shape the university's academic vision and fostering a community of excellence. Under his leadership, the university has made significant advancements in academic programs, coupled with campus facility expansions. Dr. Fulcher's dedication has not only enhanced the educational experience at PLNU but has also solidified the university's reputation as a leading institution of higher learning.
Dr. Fulcher and his wife, Robyn, reside in Point Loma and are the parents of three daughters, Jordanne, Hailey, and Maddy, and are the proud grandparents of Judah and Eleanor.
https://www.pointloma.edu/offices/office-president

#19 - Dr. Ron Benefiel

Dr. Ron Benefiel serves as the Director of the Center for Pastoral Leadership at PLNU. He was the eighth president of Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri and also served as the Dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry at Point Loma Nazarene University. While serving as a PLNU professor from 1996 to 2000, Benefiel co-founded and co-pastored Mid City Church of the Nazarene. From 1982 to 1996, Benefiel served as pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, a multi-congregational church. He also founded and served as the executive director of the P.F. Bresee Foundation, a nonprofit community center in LA's Mid-Wilshire district.
Benefiel has always had a passion for serving his community, and his name has been highly respected within the Church of the Nazarene. Over the past 40 years, he has served the denomination on numerous councils and boards related to education, research, and youth ministry. His work in the community has included serving on the board of directors of the Kansas City Urban Youth Center and of rescue missions in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Kansas City.
 
https://viewpoint.pointloma.edu/qa-with-dr-ron-benefiel/

#18 - Professor JC Hurtado-Prater

JC Hurtado-Prater serves as Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Leadership. He joined the Fermanian School of Business (FSB) as an adjunct professor in 2020 and was hired as a full-time associate professor of leadership in 2022. A veteran of the United States Army, he came to PLNU with more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit organizations and management consulting. Hurtado-Prater has provided training and consulting services for Fortune 500 organizations and large governmental agencies, including Johnson + Johnson, Cisco, US Department of Interior, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Navy, Park Hyatt and more. Hurtado-Prater is currently in the process of completing his D.B.A. in Management at Indiana Wesleyan University.
 
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/jc-hurtado-prater-mba

#17 - Dr. Samuel Stoneburner

Dr. Samuel Stoneburner is a computational chemist specializing in electronic structure theory, which means calculating the properties of atoms or molecules based on the quantum mechanical behavior of their electrons. Dr. Stoneburner selected this specialty in part because it is underrepresented in undergraduate settings, and teaching undergraduate chemistry has been his career goal since his coursework at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. After completing an associate's degree there, he got a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics at Hillsdale College in Michigan, followed by his graduate work in Prof. Laura Gagliardi's lab at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. His graduate research featured the prediction of transition metal candidates for gas separations using metal-organic frameworks. Dr. Stoneburner loves physical chemistry because it is where he best sees the patterns of God's work in nature, and he most loves sharing that experience with students.
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/samuel-stoneburner-phd

#16 - Professor Karah Lain

Karah Lain received her MFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft, and has shown her collage and painting work throughout the country in such locations as the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago, Illinois, Third Room in Portland, Oregon, and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She has also served as an artist in residence at Portland Garment Factory and In Cahoots Residency, and as a University Fellow at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. She is currently Assistant Professor of Visual Art in Painting and Drawing at Point Loma Nazarene University. 
Any Links:
https://www.karahlain.com/
https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/karah-lain-mfa