Join us online for a Faculty Q&A!

Prof. Fr. Ankido Sipo, Adjunct Professor of Theology

Tuesday, November 14, 5:00-5:30pm PT

Fr. Ankido is a a priest for the Chaldean rite Catholic Church. He received his BS Degree in Communications Media with an emphasis in New Evangelization in 2013. Currently, he is the Superior of the monastic order of the Sons of the Covenant.

At this Q&A we'll discuss about JPCatholic's Theology Program and Chaldean Catholicism

Max Hulburt, Chair of Visual Arts
Thursday, October 26, 5:00-5:30pm PT

Max is a visual artist who specializes in 3D modeling and texturing with additional skills in rigging, lighting, animation, and rendering. He holds an MFA in Animation and VFX from the Academy of Art University, and his career in animation and motion graphics has included work for CBS Interactive (gamespot.com), Comic-Con, E3, and the San Francisco Giants. As chair of the Visual Arts programs at JPCatholic, Max mentors students through career discernment, networking, and portfolio development.

At this Q&A we'll discuss JPCatholic's hands-on programs in the BFA (Animation, Game Development, Graphic Design, and Illustration), career opportunities in the visual arts, how his Career Strategies class guides students in their professional development, and more!

Megan Eccles, Professor of Creative Writing
Friday, October 20, 4:00pm PT

Megan writes dark, speculative fiction for young adults and is represented by Laura Galit of LKG Agency. Her writing has appeared in Kelp Journal, Coachella Review, Ladies of the Fright, The Lineup, and Dwarf+Giant. She is editorial assistant and social media manager for Hill Nadell Literary Agency.

Prof. Rebecca Huber, Professor of Vocal Performance
Tuesday, October 24, 4:00-4:30pm PT

Rebecca is a licensed speech-language pathologist and vocal music director with rich clinical experience, energy, and passion for her work. She is a professional vocalist with her accomplishments including the mastery of various styles of music such as musical theater, big band, barbershop, Renaissance, classical, choral, pop, and original compositions.

At this Q&A, we’ll discuss Professor Huber’s expertice as a musician and you can learn more about our new major offering in Digital Music!

Prof. Rodney Figueroa, Adjunct Professor of Game Design
Wednesday, July 19, 5:00-5:30pm PT

Rodney is a gameplay designer and artist with experience in cinema, games, and virtual reality. He has worked as a Senior Gameplay Designer and 3d Artist for Animate Objects, and was also a Stereo Depth Artist for Legend 3d, creating stereoscopic 3d effects for films such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Man of Steel, and Shrek. This Q&A will cover JPCatholic's game development program, publishing a game in the senior project experience, and careers in the gaming industry.

Marc Burch, Adjunct Professor of Business & Launchpad Mentor
Thursday, July 20, 4:00-4:30pm PT

Prof. Marc is a founder and VP of Business Development at ComoBlue - a software application development company for social networks. He served as Entrepreneur-in-residence, subject matter expert, judge and mentor for funding grants at the Center of Commercialization of Advanced Technology for Homeland Security. He is also an angel investor and executive entrepreneur providing early-stage capital. He has over 20 years of marketing, sales, business development, strategic partnerships and executive management experience in technology companies, including Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Actra (Netscape and GE Joint Venture), and MarketFirst.

Prof. Bill Marsilii, Adjunct Professor of Screenwriting
Friday, July 14, 4:00-4:30pm PT

Bill co-wrote Déjà vu - a romantic time-travel thriller, which at the time was the highest-priced spec screenplay of all time after selling to Jerry Bruckheimer and Touchstone Pictures for $5 million. Déjà vu, which starred Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Val Kilmer and Jim Caviezel, grossed more than $180 million worldwide. Marsilii sold 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo to Walt Disney Pictures, and with his Deja Vu partner Terry Rossio, sold Lightspeed, a space adventure to Bruckheimer/Disney. More recently, Marsilii adapted the sci-fi comic Sebastian X for producer Gale Anne Hurd and director Martin Campbell, and sold an original project, Cold, to Lionsgate with Reese Witherspoon attached to star and produce. Marsilii has been a guest lecturer at a wide variety of film and screenwriting programs, including those at UCLA TFT, USC, NYU, and Pepperdine. He has served as a mentor for the Act One Screenwriting Program.

Kathryn Smith-McGlynn, Adjunct Professor of Acting
Tuesday, July 18, 4:00-4:30pm PT

Jacqueline Gold, Professor of Drawing and Illustration
Wednesday, July 12, 4:00-4:30pm PT

Prof. Jacqueline provides instruction in Life Drawing, Portrait Drawing and Painting and Anatomy in her San Diego studio and provides instruction with life drawing and anatomy to the in-house animators at Sony Online Entertainment. She has worked as an illustrator for a product manufacturing company whose clientele included such well-known motion-picture studios as Disney, Warner Brothers and Lucas Films. Jacqueline received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration under the direction of Dick Oden at California State University Long Beach, and an MFA from the Laguna College of Art and Design.

Dr. Robert Giracello, Adjunct Professor of Music
Tuesday, July 11, 4:00-4:30pm PT

Prof. Robert is an award winning composer, performer, and educator. He received his PhD from the University of California, Riverside where he specialized in the theatrical works of Stephen Sondheim, the compositions and writings of Arthur Farwell, and electronic music composition using ChucK music programming. As a performer and composer, Robert has appeared throughout the United States and Europe, most notably in a special audience for Pope John Paul II, at the United Nations UNESCO concert in Paris, and at a special anniversary celebration in Cologne, Germany. He has recorded six studio albums and written two novels, most notably Three Landscapes, for which he received a MACRO award.

Nathan Scoggins, Professor of Film
Wednesday, April 19, 4:00pm PT

Nathan is an award-winning filmmaker, whose credits include The Least of These, released in 2011 by Universal and starring Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy) and Robert Loggia (Independence Day); the TV movie The Perfect Summer, starring Eric Roberts; and the 2022 film What Remains starring Cress Williams (Black Lightning), Kellan Lutz (Twilight), and Anne Heche (Volcano). He won the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest in 2012 and 2013 with “Sling Baby” and “Fashionista Daddy”. In addition, two of his award-winning short films were released by Lionsgate on DVD in 2008. He has written and developed projects for many companies in Hollywood. Nathan holds a BA in English and Film from Wesleyan University.

Fr. Sam Keyes, Professor of Theology
Thursday, April 20, 4:00pm PT

Fr. Keyes is a recent convert to Catholicism from Anglicanism. He is beginning the process of formation to the priesthood through the Ordinariate of St. Peter. Dr. Keyes' impressive academic background includes a Ph.D. in Theology from Boston College and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. He brings with him deep academic expertise and a passion for the mission of JPCatholic to Impact Culture for Christ.

Joe Connolly, Professor of Business
Tuesday, April 18, 5:00pm PT

Joe brings diverse and broad start-up operations experience from his work in the alcohol (spirits, beer, and mead) industries. He has been a Chief Operating Officer, a Director of Production, a Sales & Distribution manager, logistics coordinator and brewer. He is highly skilled in creating systems out of the chaos of startups. Joe has an MBA focused in Entrepreneurial Business from John Paul the Great Catholic University.

Nate Sjogren, Professor of Graphic Design
Monday, February 20, 4:00pm PT

Prof. Sjogren is a Creative Director and Founder of Akimbo Studio. He has almost a decade of experience in branding, design and animation. He was a motion designer at Drive Studio, which is a design and production resource specializing in network branding, identity creation, show packages, promotion and new media outlets. During his time at Drive Studio, he has worked incredible projects such as FOX Sports Super Bowl LIV insert, Bleacher Report UEFA Champions League, 2018 FIFA World Cup, TNF on FOX and others.

Katelyn Slater, Professor of Acting
Wednesday, March 8, 4:00pm PT

Prof. Slater has worked with several local theaters, including North Coast Repertory Theatre, Onstage Playhouse, Trinity Theatre Company, and Community Actor’s Theatre. Regionally, she acted in a fall touring production of Romeo and Juliet with Nebraska Shakespeare, in addition to being a teaching artist for the company. She loves collaborative story-telling that delves into the richness and humor of humanity.

Fr. Simon Esshaki, Professor of New Evangelization
Thursday, March 9, 4:00pm PT

Fr. Simon Esshaki is a Chaldean Catholic priest of the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle for the Western United States. He joined the Chaldean Catholic Seminary of Mar Abba the Great in 2009 and completed his studies in 2015 with a Masters degree in Biblical Theology. He was ordained a priest that same year and serves as the administrator of St. Michael’s Chaldean Catholic Church in El Cajon, CA. He is currently in the process of becoming a Canon lawyer as he is in the JCL program at the Catholic University of America.

Chris Riley, Professor of Screenwriting
Monday, February 27, 4:00pm PST

Prof. Chris Riley is a screenwriter with 20 years of experience. He is a veteran of the Warner Bros. script department and the author of The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style. He wrote After the Truth, an award-winning courtroom thriller German film. He holds a BS in Telecommunications from Oral Roberts University and was a National Merit Scholar.

Stephen Kramp, Professor of Creative Writing
Wednesday, January 25, 4:00pm PT

Prof. Steve is a theologian and prize-winning poet. Prior to coming to JPCatholic he taught courses in writing, literature, and cultural history at a number of universities and colleges, including the University of California, Merced, and the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He holds a BA in English from the University of Oregon, an MFA in Creative Writing from the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and an MA in Theology and Christian Ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

George Castro, Adjunct Professor of Animation
Monday, January 16, 4:00pm–4:30pmPT

Prof. George is a Lead Technical Animator at High Moon Studios, where he has worked since 2006 on franchises such as Destiny and Call of Duty. His career has spanned both the video game and animation industries. He began his career in 2003 working in pre-viz and character animation for Sony Cinematics Solutions Group. He worked for Omation Studios as a Character Finaler on the animated feature The Barnyard. He then returned to Sony (SCEA) before moving to High Moon Studios, where he has worked as a cinematic artist and animator. George seeks to create content with a positive message that can express God's will in his life and to share His message of hope and love for all.

Amanda LoCoco, Professor of Business Leadership
Thursday, January 12, 5:00pm PT

Prof. Amanda graduated from JPCatholic with an MA in Biblical Theology in 2014. She is finishing her EdD in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University where her dissertation focuses on the lack of leadership and management preparation for Diocesan priests in seminary education. She has written a speech textbook distributed through Apple iBooks and has written and developed several UC courses.

Nate Sartain, Adjunct Professor of Game Art & Design
Thursday, April 20, 4:00-4:30pm PT

Prof. Sartain is a Senior Environment Artist who has worked at Sony PlayStation, 2K, and High Moon Studios. Throughout his 10+ years in the video game industry, he has worked on franchises such as Call of Duty, Destiny, and The Last of Us. He has been teaching animation and game development students at JPCatholic since 2016 and specializes in 3d modeling, texturing, and lighting.

Fernando Del Rosario, Professor of Graphic Design
Monday, December 19, 4:00pm PT

Prof. Fernando is a seasoned marketing creative, with a heart of an artist, and a passion for teaching. He bridges the world of advertising, design, art, and education. For 20 years, he has also been an educator, with a MA ED in Educational Leadership. He taught at the Art Institute of California-Orange County and Cal State University Fullerton Visual Arts Dept.

George Simon, Professor of Film Production
Thursday, April 28, 4:00pm PT

Prof. George Simon is the Chair of Communications Media at JPCatholic. He will share his experience in Film, our Film program and our Feature Film Program.

Lee Eskey, Professor & Chair of Acting
Wednesday, April 20, 3:00pm PT

Prof. Lee has been a professional actor, director and teacher for 20 years. Theatres include The Folger Theatre, The Denver Center Theatre Company, the Kentucky and Virginia Shakespeare Festivals and The National Players, as well as The Actor's Playground, a Los Angeles theatre company which he co-founded with Rick Wasserman. In LA he has also served on the faculty of Holy Wood Acting Studio and the Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio. Lee incorporates Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body (TOB) into his work with artists. Lee holds an MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and a BA in Drama from The Catholic University of America.

Dr. Shalina Stilley, Professor of Theology
Tuesday, July 20, 4:00pm PT

Dr. Stilley has an MA and PhD in Philosophy from Marquette University with a dissertation on natural law theory, a Masters in Theology from University of Dallas, and a BA in Philosophy from Northern Arizona University. In addition, she has over 10 years of international teaching experience, including at Conception Seminary College, Beltei International University, and Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia.

Chris Clark, Adjunct Professor of Design
Friday, July 23, 4:00pm PT

Prof. Chris is an award-winning advertising copywriter, designer and professor. He has produced work for such brands as Intel, Qualcomm, Shure Audio, Red Envelope, Total Gym, and The Corky McMillin Companies. He holds an MFA in Advertising from Academy of Art University and specializes in copywriting, editorial writing, graphic design, art/creative direction, motion graphics/animation, copyediting, commercial audio production and composing. Providing instruction from a real-world perspective, Chris passionately seeks to create the strongest of creative practitioners, ones that have both the design-mindedness to conceive strong conceptual solutions and the production skills to bring them to life.

Angie Bitsko, Adjunct Professor of Acting
Wednesday, July 28, 4:00pm PT

Prof. Angie Bitsko has directed/produced over forty stage productions ranging from classical Shakespeare to contemporary dramatic and musical theatre productions. Angie is also a writer, a produced playwright, and has poetry published in several poetry publications.She holds a double Bachelor's degree in Drama and Journalism from the University of Southern California, a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dramatic Arts from the University of San Diego/Old Globe Theatre Professional Training Program, a Master of Arts degree in English and Comparative Literature from San Diego State University.

Ken Sharrar, Career Services Advisor
Wednesday, March 17, 4:00pm PT

As a coach and mentor for many years, Ken’s mission throughout his professional career has never changed - he seeks “to make a positive difference in people’s lives every day.” He advises students through 1-on-1 appointments and interactive group workshops. He motivates those who sincerely desire to secure part-time jobs, internships, and full-time opportunities after graduation. Ken teaches job-seeking skills, strategic employment planning , and imparts industry-specific strategies to further students’ growth in the career development process.

This event for prospective students and their parents will provide information on alumni success, what supports JPCatholic offers for internships and employment, and the chance for you to ask your own questions!

Bob Keith, Professor of Creative Entrepreneurship
Friday, February 26, 4:00pm PT

Prof. Bob Keith is a broad-based executive with more than 30 years of experience and a demonstrated record of achievement in building and growing innovative businesses. His journey has included stops at multinational corporations, mid-cap growth companies, venture-backed startups, and a new breed of not-for-profit/for-profit hybrid enterprises launched by long-term, impact-oriented investors. Bob earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, his MCP from the University of Pennsylvania, and his BA from The George Washington University. He has advised more than 50 spiritual entrepreneurs and related initiatives, including Young Catholic Professionals, Catholic Creatives, and OSV Innovation Challenge.