Dr. Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner, associate professor, Kremen School of Education and Human Development was appointed director of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing by the governor on June 26.

Her work will focus on measuring efficacy and improving teacher preparation programs in the State of California. Prior to this appointment, she served as a special consultant for the CCTC since January.

Wahleithner has taught undergraduates, credential candidates and master’s degree students as an associate professor of literacy education at Fresno State. Additionally, she has been a core faculty member of the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership.

Wahleithner has held several roles within the Kremen School, including director of Educator Preparation and Accreditation and director of the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, the local site of the National Writing Project. Before working in higher education, Wahleithner taught English and journalism at the high school level.

Dr. Charles Hillyer, front row, second from right.

Dr. Charles Hillyer, director, Center for Irrigation Technology, served as head of the United States delegation to the 40th Plenary Meeting of the International Standards Organization Technical Committee 23/SC 18 held June 9 to 13, in Hangzhou, China.

Representatives from more than 30 countries work year-round to standardize irrigation and drainage systems and equipment by establishing international performance requirements, characteristics and test methods. The annual meeting features multiple working group sessions to review existing standards and develop new ones. Since 1980, the Center for Irrigation Technology has played a leading role in the American National Standards Institute’s effort to establish standards on irrigation and water management.

Hillyer was also a keynote speaker at the International Agricultural Machinery Standards and Technology Forum held June 8 in Hangzhou. His presentation “Irrigation Technology Standardization: Needs and Opportunities" focused on the importance of data standardization and highlighted a few of the priority needs and opportunities he has observed while working in California.

Lety Saavedra, administrative support coordinator for the university registrar, was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the 2025 CSU Academic Resources Conference (ARC).

“As a new member of the ARC Board of Directors this year, Lety quickly established herself as a thoughtful and engaged leader, making a significant impact during a pivotal time for the conference,” said Patrick Bungard, president of the ARC board of directors. “She brought fresh insight and a solutions-oriented mindset, contributing to the planning and delivery of a dynamic virtual conference experience. Her ability to quickly learn the landscape while building strong working relationships with board colleagues was impressive and speaks volumes about her professionalism and dedication.”

Dr. Manideep Tummalapudi, assistant professor of construction management, was honored with the Academic Excellence Award by the Construction Management Association of America Northern California Chapter. The award was presented at the CMAA NorCal Gala held June 25 in Sacramento, in recognition of his contributions to construction education, research, service and academic excellence.