He also worked in outdoor leadership. That's because he's someone who puts together success.

At Fresno State for fifteen years, Kubal became interested in his field because he wanted to study and teach about how people can change society.  

"My main area of interest is social movements, culture, race and environmental sociology," he said. "I specialize in collecting and analyzing data from face-to-face interviews and survey interviews."    

His people skills were enhanced by his early work experiences. Kubal cooked at daily diners and high-end restaurants, where he learned from chefs representing Italian, Chinese and Mexican cuisine.

"I continue to enjoy cooking at home, where my half-Italian wife especially loves my skills in cooking Italian food," he said.

Kubal is proud to be a professor at Fresno State for many reasons. One of the primary reasons is that the campus focuses on first-generation college students.

"Sociological research shows that these students -- particularly Hispanic Americans -- have the most potential to change the social and economic stratification systems in this country," he said.

He brags to his family and friends about the University's recent recognition as a top school in the nation in this regard. Similarly, he's boasted about the University's successes in service learning.

"I've particularly enjoyed working with our dedicated students in the classroom and the community," he said.
 
Changing the world takes place one step at a time. His work with the Social Research Institute provides research support through data collection and through providing research software. It produces data that provides the foundation for effective understanding and decision making among politicians, community leaders and citizens.

"An informed citizenry may not be a singular cause of successful government and healthy community, but it certainly makes these more likely," he said.  

Research support and software is provided to community organizations, as well as Fresno State faculty and students.

"In terms of data collection and analysis, we specialize in collecting and analyzing survey interviews as well as face-to-face interviews," he said. "Our software supports this research.... We also provide research-based services to access data on music and movies." 

The Social Research Institute has built the Scorecard website, which provides a repository for accessing and sharing social indicators of community health in Fresno County.

"The site provides a space for transparent, verifiable data sharing about community health in Fresno," he said. "The site informs the community, and provides measurement indicators to inform the community and guide performance among political and community reform efforts. The site has been successfully used by Fresno politicians, lawyers, students, community leaders and others, and has helped foster a community of transparency and data analysis."

Kubal has taught over 150 classes (at Fresno State, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Wesleyan University in Nebraska, and Southern Illinois University). He also has published a highly-regarded book that explains the cultural successes of social movements from 1800 to the present, Cultural Movements and Collective Memory, published by Palgrave Macmillian press.
 
He is currently the president of the California Sociological Association. Kubal is also chair-elect of the Social Science Research and Instructional Council, which is the CSU-Systemwide Affinity group. In addition, he is the president of the consulting organization, California Consulting and Research Institute.  

"I work with my wife and we provide services to community organizations," he said.

He is also the current editor for the academic journal Sociology Compass: Social Movements.

When Kubal isn't working, his main hobbies are cooking, bicycling and downhill skiing.

"I have led several week-long mountain bike trips," he said. "I sometimes ride a tandem bicycle with my wife, and we have ridden across Illinois and Wisconsin."

He has a season pass at the local downhill ski resort, China Peak, and also makes regular trips to other ski resorts around the country (especially Colorado, where Keystone is his favorite). He also enjoys music and has probably been over one thousand live concerts since he began attending them as a teenager.

"I enjoy all types of music but gravitate toward rock, folk, bluegrass, blues and jazz," he said. "My favorite festival is Hardly Strictly Bluegrass each October at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. My wife loves music, too." 

Married for almost 20 years, Kubal said his wife Victoria holds master's degrees from Fresno State in Marriage and Family Therapy and Behavior Analysis.

"She was an instructor at Fresno State, worked for the State of California penal system, and is currently employed as a behavior analyst for a company serving families with children with autism," he said.  

They live in the foothills with amazing views of Millerton Lake, where they make a home with two dogs, a cat and many aquatic fish.