Experience AU's TESOL Faculty

David Desser, Ph.D.

Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film

Dr. David Desser has taught at the University of Southern California (USC), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Kansai University in Japan, Hong Kong Baptist University and the University of Illinois where he is Professor Emeritus of Cinema Studies. He received his Ph.D. from USC in the Cinema program with a minor in Japanese. As Dean of the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film, Dr. Desser oversees the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Digital Filmmaking.

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Vikram Channa, Master's in Film & Television Production, MBA

Associate Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film
Industry Expert

Vikram Channa serves as Associate Dean of the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film. In the professional industry, as Warner Bros. Discovery Networks Vice President and Head of Content & Products for East and South East Asia, Vikram Channa leads all Discovery content, productions, broadcasts, and curation for the region. Since joining Discovery in 1995, he has taken on various roles within the company from on-air promotions to programming and production. Together with his team, ...

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Alison Marek, MFA

Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute Co-Director / Professor

ALISON MAREK (MFA, New York University) is an award-winning writer and director who's combined words and images professionally since she was in her late teens. Her short films have played in festivals around the world and aired on cable TV. Her writing and directing have won grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Showtime Networks, Inc., been nominated for a Los Angeles Emmy Award, and received a Gold Aurora, Bronze Telly, and other awards and nominations. She's produced shorts, features, and TV. She also built and ran the video department at an online magazine, where she shot and e...

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Dallas King, MFA

Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute Co-Director / Professor

Holding an MFA in Directing / Production from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Dallas King is an award-winning director, producer and experienced film instructor. Dallas has directed, written, and produced, and completed two feature films, KISS KISS, a hyper-stylized action thriller that premiered in Los Angeles and is available on every major platform including Amazon and iTunes. Following this, INK & RAIN, a sci-fi fantasy feature premiered in Beijing, China and is exclusively available on China's largest web network, iQiYi. Dallas produced the award-winning feature fi...

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Henryk Cymerman, MFA

Professor

Henryk Cymerman was born in Poland and immigrated to New York in his mid-teens. He moved to Jerusalem to study sculpture at Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts and Design. Henryk discovered his interest in film through his exploration of mixed media art which prompted him to pursue his Masters in film at Tisch School of the Arts. After graduation, he made the transition into feature films as a Director of Photography and earned a spot in the International Cinematography Guild. In 1993, he moved with...

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Robert Jones, MFA

Professor

Robert Jones has been teaching and making award-winning films for over 50 years. He has an MFA in Film Producing from UCLA, as well as an MS in Film Production and a BA from Boston University. He has taught film at Loyola Marymount University and California State University Northridge, in Los Angeles, and at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. His films can be seen at vimeo.com/manage/videos/410748357

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Raphael Raphael, Ph.D.

Professor

Raphael Raphael (Ph.D., University of Oregon; MFA, Plymouth University; Master's, Teachers College, Columbia University) is a film and media scholar who also lectures at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His work frequently looks at making connections between genre, culture and disability. His most recent book, Transnational Horror Cinema: Bodies of Excess and the Global Grotesque (2017), with Sophia Siddique, looks at intersections of the horror genre, disability and trauma across borders. Other writing includes Transnational Stardom: International Celebrity in Film and Popular Culture ( ...

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Ryan Daniel McKinney, MFA

Professor 

Ryan Daniel McKinney is an award-winning director and producer based out of Los Angeles, CA. His narrative films have screened at festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Kansas City, Orlando and Melbourne. He has directed numerous music videos in multiple genres and languages, as well as fashion lifestyle and brand videos and product commercials. Ryan graduated with distinction from National University’s Master of Fine Arts in Digital Cinema program.

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Billy Budd Vermillion, Ph.D.

Billy Budd Vermillion earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011. His dissertation examines the influence of Marxist humanist thought and the legacy of Socialist Realism on art films produced in East-Central Europe between 1956 and 1981. He has also published articles on silent romantic comedy and on the nature documentary “Microcosmos.” He has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ripon College, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Northwestern University.

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Firdosi Wharton-Ali, MFA

Professor 

Graduating from UCLA with a BA (Political Science with a specialization in American Politics), Firdosi Wharton-Ali followed that up by becoming a member of the inaugural class of the Certification in Screenwriting Program, UCLA. Later, she obtained her MFA (specialization in Screenwriting) from the prestigious UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television, and Digital Media where she was awarded The APA Marty Klein Comedy Writing Award for outstanding comedic writing. Upon graduation, she optioned her first script to Mark Morgan (Executive Producer of The Twilight Series). Later, she secured a p...

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Andrew E. Honeycutt, DBA

Anaheim University President
Professor

Dr. Andrew E. Honeycutt, President of Anaheim University, is the recipient of a Harvard University Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree in Marketing and a Boston University Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Organizational Behavior. Dr. Honeycutt has served as Dean of the School of Business and Management and Director of the Economic Research and Development Center at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Dean of the College of Business and Technology of Argosy University Atlanta, Distinguished Fellow in Business Management at Shorter University, Vice Chairman of Edgenics, Inc. and Senior Partner of the Center for Collaborative Learning and Coaching. As a business professor and school of business administrator, he has been instrumental in the development of cooperative relationships with major companies - Colgate Palmolive, Dupont, Gulfstream Corporation, Savannah Foods, Simmons First National Bank, SC Johnson Wax, and others. He leveraged his experience with major corporations to assist students in achieving success by developing a success resource entitled CEO Success Letters: A Resource for Career and Life. The book was an outcome of a "Fortune 500 CEOs Success Advice Project" designed to provide business career success advice to students. His m business expertise is evidenced by his service on business and governmental advisory boards and boards of directors. He has also served on the advisory boards of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (Small Business Strategic Planning), the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (Entrepreneurship Education) and the National Board of Directors of SCORE.

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Peter Langenberg, J.D.

Chancellor and Government Affairs Liaison

Peter Langenberg, J.D. serves as the Chancellor and Government Affairs Liaison for Anaheim University.  He graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude with an A.B., and the University of California, Hastings College of Law with a Juris Doctorate. Peter Langenberg lived in Japan for a number of years, speaks Japanese fluently, and is former Chair of the Los Angeles Nagoya Sister City Affiliation. Mr. Langenberg was admitted to the California Bar in 1977 and serves as Hughes, Hubbard & Reed Senior Counsel. His areas of concentration include General Commercial and Business Law; Corporate Law; Intellectual Property (Trademarks, Copyrights, Licensing); and Employment Law.

 

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Tex Boggs, Ph.D.

Provost

Dr. Tex Boggs, Provost of Anaheim University, is the recipient of a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree from Cornell University and a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Maine Fort Kent. Dr. Boggs served as a faculty member, Director of Research, Dean, and Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs at Kentucky State University, as a Dean at the University of Kentucky, and as President of Western Wyoming Community College for twenty years. He has also served as Interim President of Antioch university Los Angeles for five years, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs at Antioch University Los Angeles for two years, Interim President of the University of Maine at Fort Kent for one year, and Interim Vice President of the University of Maine at Fort Kent for one year. Outside of Higher Education, Dr. Boggs served two terms as a Senator in the Wyoming State Legislature, served for two years on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, worked for the U.S. Agency for Economic Development in Vietnam as an economic development officer for six years, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand. Dr. Boggs and his wife Huong Lien have been married for fifty-six years and have three children and three grandchildren.

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Rod Ellis, Ph.D.

Vice President of Academic Affairs
Doctor of Education in TESOL Program Designer
Senior TESOL Professor, Graduate School of Education

Dr. Rod Ellis is Vice President of Academic Affairs, Senior TESOL Professor and the designer of the Doctor of Education in TESOL degree program at Anaheim University. A distinguished thought leader in the field of Second Language Acquisition, Prof. Ellis received his Doctorate from the University of London and his Master of Education from the University of Bristol. A former professor at Temple University both in Japan and the US, Prof. Ellis has served as the Director of the Institute of Language Teaching and Learning at the University of Auckland, a John Curtin Distinguished Professor at Curtin University, and has taught in numerous positions in England, Japan, the US, Zambia and New Zealand. Dr. Ellis, who is known as an expert in Second Language Acquisition, is author of the Oxford University Press Duke of Edinburgh Award-Winning Classic "The Study of Second Language Acquisition", as well as numerous student and teacher-training textbooks for Prentice Hall and Oxford University Press, Prof. Ellis's textbooks on Second Language Acquisition and Grammar are core textbooks in TESOL and Linguistics programs around the world.

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David Nunan, Ph.D

Master of Arts in TESOL Designer 
Senior TESOL Professor, Graduate School of Education

Dr. David Nunan is the Director of the Anaheim University David Nunan TESOL Institute and Senior Professor of TESOL for the Anaheim University Graduate School of Education. He was the founding Dean of the Anaheim University Graduate School of Education and previously served as President of Anaheim University from 2006 to 2008 and as Vice-President for Academic Affairs from 2008 to 2013. Dr. David Nunan is former president of TESOL, the world's largest language-teaching organization. Dr. Nunan is an applied linguist and author of English Language Teaching textbooks for Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Thomson Learning. In 2000, David Nunan served as President of TESOL, the world's largest language teaching association, and was the first person to serve as President from outside North America. David Nunan has been involved in the teaching of graduate programs for such prestigious institutions as the University of Hong Kong, Columbia University, the University of Hawaii, Monterey Institute for International Studies, and many more. In 2002 and 2015 Dr. Nunan received a congressional citation from the United States House of Representatives for his services to English language education through his pioneering work in online education at Anaheim University. In 2003 he was ranked the 7th most influential Australian in Asia by Business Review Weekly, and in 2005 he was named one of the top "50 Australians who Matter". David Nunan was invited by the Australian Prime Minister to attend a summit in Sydney Australia in December 1996 as one of the Leading 100 Global Australians.

Click here to see David Nunan's Official Website

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David R. Bracey

CCO

David Bracey has worked with Anaheim University since 1996. Mr. Bracey serves as an administrator in the university's head offices in Anaheim, California and is currently heading up a pilot program related to the development of a leading-edge international online career management program. He spent 18 years living in Japan and representing the university in Asia. He has traveled extensively throughout Asia helping to develop governmental and academic collaboration with the university in Japan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario. 

 

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Elizabeth Younglove, MCAA

Administrative Director

Elizabeth Younglove is the Administrative Director at Anaheim University. She attended Concordia University Irvine, where she played on the women’s volleyball team and was a setter when they won the National Championship. She graduated from Concordia with her bachelor’s in psychology and an MA in Coaching and Athletic Administration. After graduating with her MA, she went on to teach and coach women’s volleyball at a Community College in Southern California. Currently, she is enjoying being an Adjunct Professor in Kinesiology at the Community College level. She also enjoys going to the beach and spending time with her family and friends whenever she has downtime.

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Robert Mahoney, MBA

Financial Affairs Division Controller

Robert Mahoney is a seasoned professional with a multifaceted educational background and an extensive career in finance. Holding a Master of Business Administration in International Financial Administration from King's College, Cambridge, England, he combines his creative insights with a solid foundation in accounting, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Whittier College. Additionally, his passion for history led him to attain a Bachelor of Arts in History from California State University, Long Beach. Over the course of his distinguished 35-year career, Mahoney has excelled as a Controller in diverse sectors, including manufacturing, service industries, and professional services. His wealth of experience reflects not only his financial acumen but also his ability to navigate and contribute to varied business landscapes. This unique blend of academic achievements and professional expertise positions Robert Mahoney as a dynamic and well-rounded individual, capable of bringing a rich tapestry of skills to any endeavor.

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Yasue Kawamorita, MA

Student Services Director

Yasue Kawamorita is the Student Services Director at Anaheim University and has over 15 years of teaching experience in the U.S. and Japan. She graduated from Tamagawa University in Japan with a bachelor’s degree in American literature and a certified teaching license for English secondary education. After working at high schools in Aomori, Japan, she enrolled at San Francisco State University, where she earned a Master of Arts in TESOL. After graduating from SFSU, she taught English to immigrants and young adults both in San Francisco and Tokyo. After living in Tokyo for 13 years, she moved to Orange County and started her career at Anaheim University.

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Martin Andaya, MBA

Registrar

Martin Andaya is the Registrar for Anaheim University and has over 20 years of experience in higher education. Martin has a Master in Business Administration with a focus on Global Finance and a Bachelors in Computer Visualization Technology. Martin's extensive experience in higher education spans various educational roles. His dedication to academia is underscored by his commitment to student success and institutional excellence. As Registrar, Martin oversees student records and enrollment processes, playing a crucial role in ensuring that academic policies and procedures are followed accurately and efficiently.

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John Wang, Ph.D.

Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Professor

Dr. John Wang is Chair of the Anaheim University Institutional Review Board and a Professor for the Anaheim University Akio Morita School of Business. He received a scholarship award to complete his Ph.D. in Business Administration at Temple University in 1990, after earning his M.S. in Systems Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology. In addition to his roles at the Anaheim University Akio Morita School of Business, Dr. John Wang is a professor in the Department of Information and Decision Sciences at Montclair State University. Dr. Wang received his tenure in 1997 and was promoted to full professor in 2000. Professor Wang has published over 100 refereed papers and six books. He has served as session chairman and track chair 17 times on the most prestigious international and national conferences. He has also developed several computer software programs based on his research findings. He is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Cases on Electronic Commerce and has been a guest editor and referee for Operations Research, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, and many other highly prestigious journals. His long-term research goal is on the synergy of Operations Research, Data Mining and Cybernetics.

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Hayo Reinders, Ph.D.

Graduate School of Education Chair of Research
TESOL Professor, Graduate School of Education 

Dr. Hayo Reinders is Chair of Research and TESOL Professor for the Anaheim University Graduate School of Education. Holding a Ph.D. in Language Teaching and Learning from the University of Auckland, Dr. Reinders is also Professor of Education and Head of Department at Unitec in Auckland, New Zealand. His previous positions include Head of Learner Development at Middlesex University in London, Director of the English Language Self Access Centre at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and associate professor at RELC in Singapore. He has worked with teachers from a large number of countries worldwide and has been visiting professor in Japan, Thailand, Mexico and the Netherlands. Dr. Reinders edits the journal 'Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching' as well as a book series on ‘New Language Learning and Teaching Environments’ for Palgrave Macmillan. He is Editor of Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, and Convenor of the AILA Research Network for CALL and the Learner. Dr. Reinders' interests are in technology in education, learner autonomy, and out-of-class learning, and he is a speaker on these subjects for the Royal Society of New Zealand. His most recent books are on teacher autonomy, teaching methodologies, and second language acquisition.

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Robert Robertson, Ph.D.

Dean, Akio Morita School of Business
Business Chair of Research
Business Professor

Dr. Robert Robertson holds a Ph.D. in Management and Organization (Stirling University, Scotland); Master of Studies in Law (Vermont Law School); Master of Public Administration (Dalhousie University, Canada); a Master of Arts (Eastern Kentucky University); a Bachelor of Science (East Tennessee State University); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management Executive Certificate in Innovation and Strategy, Post-Doctoral Professional Certificate, International Business and Leadership (Argosy University); and a Post Graduate Diploma in International Management-China (University of London). He has more than 15 years of experience in academia as a Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of Business and MBA program director in the United States and in Kazakhstan. Dr. Robertson was selected by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to the Fulbright Specialist Program. He has served as the Chief Academic Officer and Research Fellow at the University of Phoenix's Center for Workforce Diversity, Central Florida campus in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Robertson is a Visiting Full Professor at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, Faculty of Economics; and, he serves as a Scientific Adviser to the Global Universities in Distance Education (GUIDE) association headquartered at Marconi University, Rome, Italy. He is an invited speaker on international business, strategy, online education and workforce training; and he regularly lectures in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Europe, Brazil and the United States. In the public sector, he has more than 20 years of management experience including serving as the City Manager for the City of Hamilton, Ontario in Canada with more than 8,500 employees and a budget in excess of one billion dollars.

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David Desser, Ph.D.

Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film
Film Professor

David Desser is Dean of the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film. He is also Professor Emeritus of Cinema Studies, University of Illinois, where he was Professor of Cinema Studies, Comparative and World Literatures, East Asian Languages and Cultures and Research Professor of Communication. He has taught at the University of Michigan, Kansai University in Japan, Hong Kong Baptist University, the University of Pennsylvania, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Chapman University and the University of Southern California (USC). He received his Ph.D. from USC in the Cinema program with a minor in Japanese and has authored a number of books and served as editor on a number of journals related to Asian cinema.

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Vikram Channa, Master's in Film & Television Production, MBA

Associate Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film
Industry Expert

Vikram Channa serves as Associate Dean of the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film. In the professional industry, as Warner Bros. Discovery Networks Vice President and Head of Content & Products for East and South East Asia, Vikram Channa leads all Discovery content, productions, broadcasts, and curation for the region. Since joining Discovery in 1995, he has taken on various roles within the company from on-air promotions to programming and production. Together with his team, he executive produced over 1,200 documentaries, several of which garnered accolades at events such as the Asia Television Awards, New York Festival, Omni Intermedia, and the Academy Awards. In addition to having a Master’s in Film and Television Production and a Master’s in History, he earned his MBA from the University of Chicago.

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Alison Marek, MFA (2)

Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute Co-Director / Professor

ALISON MAREK (MFA, New York University) is an award-winning writer and director who's combined words and images professionally since she was in her late teens. Her short films have played in festivals around the world and aired on cable TV. Her writing and directing have won grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Showtime Networks, Inc., been nominated for a Los Angeles Emmy Award, and received a Gold Aurora, Bronze Telly, and other awards and nominations. She's produced shorts, features, and TV. She also built and ran the video department at an online magazine, where she shot and edited thousands of videos. Her graphic novels "Desert Streams" and "Sparrow" were published by Piranha Press, an offshoot of DC Comics.

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Dallas King, MFA

Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute Co-Director / Professor

Holding an MFA in Directing / Production from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Dallas King is an award-winning director, producer and experienced film instructor. Dallas has directed, written, and produced, and completed two feature films, KISS KISS, a hyper-stylized action thriller that premiered in Los Angeles and is available on every major platform including Amazon and iTunes. Following this, INK & RAIN, a sci-fi fantasy feature premiered in Beijing, China and is exclusively available on China's largest web network, iQiYi. Dallas produced the award-winning feature film documentary, THE BILL MURRAY EXPERIENCE, available on iTunes and Amazon and he completed the EDM TV Pilot, PLUR, which was funded and will be distributed by Fusion TV. His two award-winning short action films, LITTLE SOLDIER & MOST WANTED, made during his early years in film school still gross sales today and are available on Amazon and Walmart under the title, DEMON. Along the way, he directed a 10-episode docu-series, BWFC, for Banpresto Japan, owners of the Dragon Ball-Z franchise. His third narrative feature, U.Z.L.A. a horror film he directed and wrote, starts its film festival run in Winter 2022. His recent projects include a feature film thriller, SWAP, and an Indonesia-based horror film, NOT FOR SALE.

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  Emeritus

 

 

 

William Hartley Ph.D.

President Emeritus

Dr. Hartley's background is a combination of education, private sector work, teaching and consulting. Holding a bachelor's degree, three master's degrees, and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, University of California at Berkeley and University of Wisconsin respectively, Dr. Hartley has had a variety of jobs from administrative manager of the R&D division of a Fortune 500 company to the executive training program of Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan, in addition to owning and operating an art gallery. Dr. Hartley has had an extensive career in higher education, teaching in MBA programs for some two decades before serving as Dean and then moving into senior administrative positions including President of the University. 

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Caryn Callahan, Ph.D.

Senior Professor Emeritus

Holding a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages in Civilizations with a specialization in Japan from Harvard University, and an MBA specializing in Finance-Accounting from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Caryn Callahan is a former Vice President and International Equity Analyst for Merrill Lynch Japan as well as Financial Analyst for W.R. Grace & Co.. A professor of Anaheim University's Akio Morita School of Business, Dr. Callahan has also taught courses in Corporate Finance, International Business, Organizational Behavior, and Management at Chaminade University in Hawaii. Dr. Callahan was chosen as number one analyst for the Japanese consumer electronics industry by Euromoney magazine and has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Fortune magazine.

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  In Memorium

 

 

Yukuo Takenaka, CPA (In Memorium: 1942-2023)

Strategic Advisor

Yukuo Takenaka was Chairman, CEO and President of the Takenaka Partners, LLC. Prior to forming The Takenaka Partners Group in 1989, he was a partner and National Director of KPMG Peat Marwick’s Japanese practice. He also served as Chairman of the Project Japan for the parent company, KPMG. A graduate of the University of Utah, Mr. Takenaka was recognized for his expertise in cross-border M&A and strategic alliance transactions. On both sides of the Pacific, he served as senior advisor to companies in a wide range of industries including high technology, electronics, manufacturing, financial services and real estate. He was the author of the Japanese book, Merger and Acquisition Strategy.

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Clive L. Grafton, Ed.D. (In Memorium: 1930-2019)

Chancellor Emeritus and founding Chair of the Board of Advisors

Dr. Clive L. Grafton brought over 40 years of experience in higher education administration and consulting to Anaheim University. Dr. Grafton began his career with the United States Air Force in 1950 and was an Associate Dean of the School of Education and Chair of the Department of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Southern California (USC) where he also received his Doctorate in Education and Master of Science Degree in Management. In addition to his 23 years at USC, Dr. Grafton was Vice-Provost at Chapman University as well as an advisor to the Organizing Committee of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Dr. Grafton served as Anaheim University’s founding Chancellor, second President, and the Chair of the University’s Board of Advisors.

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Garnet E. Birch, Ph.D. (In Memorium: 1935-2013)

Chancellor Emeritus

Dr. Garnet E. Birch had over forty years’ experience in higher education in multiethnic and multicultural settings. He also had vast experience in both traditional and non-traditional, adult and continuing education. Holding a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arizona and an MA in Asian Studies and History from the University of Hawaii, Dr. Birch was the former Vice-Chancellor of National University’s Los Angeles campus and Dean of Curriculum and Standards at the San Diego Campus. Following his work with National University, he went on to become the Director of the Los Angeles Center of United States International University. Dr. Birch was the founding Vice-President and third President of Anaheim University before becoming Chancellor.

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James H. Lambert, Ph.D. (In Memorium: 1930-1999)

Founding President

The Founding President of the University, Dr. James H. Lambert, held three earned doctoral degrees in the fields of Education, Science and Asian Studies and dedicated over 30 years of his life to the field of higher education as a university professor and administrator. Dr. Lambert was committed to making innovative, academic programs of the highest quality accessible to students worldwide. He, together with the university's founders, envisioned an institution with students from around the world engaging in live discussions through the latest innovations in technology, whereby they would address many of society's challenges. His commitment to empowering his academic faculty and technology staff to push the boundaries of higher education allowed the university to contribute to the pioneering of online higher education through the offering of online real-time academic degree programs.

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David Desser, Ph.D.

Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film

Dr. David Desser has taught at the University of Southern California (USC), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Kansai University in Japan, Hong Kong Baptist University and the University of Illinois where he is Professor Emeritus of Cinema Studies. He received his Ph.D. from USC in the Cinema program with a minor in Japanese. As Dean of the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film, Dr. Desser oversees the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Digital Filmmaking.

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Vikram Channa, Master's in Film & Television Production, MBA

Associate Dean of the Akira Kurosawa School of Film
Industry Expert

Vikram Channa serves as Associate Dean of the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film. In the professional industry, as Warner Bros. Discovery Networks Vice President and Head of Content & Products for East and South East Asia, Vikram Channa leads all Discovery content, productions, broadcasts, and curation for the region. Since joining Discovery in 1995, he has taken on various roles within the company from on-air promotions to programming and production. Together with his team, ...

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Alison Marek, MFA

Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute Co-Director / Professor

ALISON MAREK (MFA, New York University) is an award-winning writer and director who's combined words and images professionally since she was in her late teens. Her short films have played in festivals around the world and aired on cable TV. Her writing and directing have won grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Showtime Networks, Inc., been nominated for a Los Angeles Emmy Award, and received a Gold Aurora, Bronze Telly, and other awards and nominations. She's produced shorts, features, and TV. She also built and ran the video department at an online magazine, where she shot and e...

Learn More

 

Dallas King, MFA

Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute Co-Director / Professor

Holding an MFA in Directing / Production from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Dallas King is an award-winning director, producer and experienced film instructor. Dallas has directed, written, and produced, and completed two feature films, KISS KISS, a hyper-stylized action thriller that premiered in Los Angeles and is available on every major platform including Amazon and iTunes. Following this, INK & RAIN, a sci-fi fantasy feature premiered in Beijing, China and is exclu...

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Henryk Cymerman, MFA

Professor

Henryk Cymerman was born in Poland and immigrated to New York in his mid-teens. He moved to Jerusalem to study sculpture at Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts and Design. Henryk discovered his interest in film through his exploration of mixed media art which prompted him to pursue his Masters in film at Tisch School of the Arts. After graduation, he made the transition into feature films as a Director of Photography and earned a spot in the International Cinematography Guild. In 1993, he moved with...

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Robert Jones, MFA

Professor

Robert Jones has been teaching and making award-winning films for over 50 years. He has an MFA in Film Producing from UCLA, as well as an MS in Film Production and a BA from Boston University. He has taught film at Loyola Marymount University and California State University Northridge, in Los Angeles, and at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. His films can be seen at vimeo.com/manage/videos/410748357

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Raphael Raphael, Ph.D.

Professor

Raphael Raphael (Ph.D., University of Oregon; MFA, Plymouth University; Master's, Teachers College, Columbia University) is a film and media scholar who also lectures at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His work frequently looks at making connections between genre, culture and disability. His most recent book, Transnational Horror Cinema: Bodies of Excess and the Global Grotesque (2017), with Sophia Siddique, looks at intersections of the horror genre, disability and trauma across borders. Other writing includes Transnational Stardom: International Celebrity in Film and Popular Culture ( ...

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Ryan Daniel McKinney, MFA

Professor 

Ryan Daniel McKinney is an award-winning director and producer based out of Los Angeles, CA. His narrative films have screened at festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Kansas City, Orlando and Melbourne. He has directed numerous music videos in multiple genres and languages, as well as fashion lifestyle and brand videos and product commercials. Ryan graduated with distinction from National University’s Master of Fine Arts in Digital Cinema program.

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Firdosi Wharton-Ali, MFA

Professor 

Graduating from UCLA with a BA (Political Science with a specialization in American Politics), Firdosi Wharton-Ali followed that up by becoming a member of the inaugural class of the Certification in Screenwriting Program, UCLA. Later, she obtained her MFA (specialization in Screenwriting) from the prestigious UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television, and Digital Media where she was awarded The APA Marty Klein Comedy Writing Award for outstanding comedic writing. Upon graduation, she optioned her first script to Mark Morgan (Executive Producer of The Twilight Series). Later, she secured a p...

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Douglas Montgomery, MBA

Undergraduate Instructor / Industry Expert

Douglas Montgomery has over 20 years of experience as a leading entertainment business developer. He served for 13 years as the Vice President for Category Management at Warner Bros. in Burbank, where he worked with key Warner Bros. retailer partners around the world as a strategic advisor. Clients included Amazon, Walmart, Microsoft, Sony and others. Mr. currently works as CEO for the media consultancy firm, Global Connects. He has an International MBA from the University of Southern California. He also lived in Japan for 12 years and remains active in the Japanese community in Los Angeles...

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Eric Van Hamersveld

Undergraduate Instructor / Industry Expert

For over 30 years, Eric Van Hamersveld has been involved in all creative, technical and business phases of the entertainment industry. He has been an animator for Warner Bros. Studios, J. Ward Productions, and Hanna Barbara Studios. His credits include: “The Pink Panther,” “Road Runner,” “Speedy Gonzalez,” “George of the Jungle,” and numerous TV series and commercials. As an Imagineer for the Walt Disney Company, he produced visual special effects for EPCOT, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland theme park projects. He has created children’s games and direct-to-videos for Mattel Toys, Fisher-Pri...

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