Learning Resource Center (LRC)
Liberal Arts Division

Reading Lab Faculty and Staff

Cheryl Altman has been teaching in both the Reading and English as a Second Language Departments at Saddleback College since 1982, first as a part-time instructor and then as a full-time faculty member. She has also taught English, ESL, and Reading for the Rancho Santiago Community College District. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Hunter College and MS in Education with a concentration in Reading and Language Arts from Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York as well as a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language from UCI. She has made presentations at CRLA (College Reading and Learning Association), CCHA (Community College Humanities Association), IRA (International Reading Association), and ECCTYC (English Council of California Two-year Colleges). Cheryl enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, eating Chinese food, and, of course, reading. You can always find her with a good book in her hands; she loves to quote John Stuart Mills - "Reading is the light of the mind." Her favorite books are Peony by Pearl S. Buck and Beloved by Toni Morrison.

Janet Bagwell received her BS from Duquesne University, a teaching credential from University of Pittsburgh, and her MS in Education with a concentration in Reading and Language Arts as well as a Reading Specialist Credential from California State University, Fullerton. She continued her education at UCI where she received a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. In addition to teaching at Saddleback, Ms. Bagwell has been a lecturer at California State University, Fullerton where she taught in the Undergraduate Reading Program. Her interests include reading, the Civil War, nutrition and physical fitness, music and theater, and her grandchildren. Her favorite authors include John Steinbeck and Nelson DeMille, and a few of her favorite books are The Prophet, Gettysburg, and Angela's Ashes.

Brenda Bruno graduated from Northern Arizona University with a BS in English and a master's in English with an emphasis in teaching at the community college. While teaching English, reading, and ESL for four years in Flagstaff, Arizona, she earned a doctorate in English Education from Arizona State University. Thereafter, she taught at Boise State University in Idaho for five years before moving to Texas and joining the staffs at Austin Community College and The University of Texas, Austin.Since 1986, Dr. Bruno has served on the faculty at Saddleback in both the English and Reading Departments. Her interests include dancing, swing, Latin, and country; figure skating; walking in the foothills; and reading. Favorite authors span a lifetime of reading, from Agatha Christie's captivating plots solved by her diverse detectives to Veronica Stallwood's intriguing Oxford tales; from Jane Austin's social accounts of British life to Kingsolver's cultural revelation of the Congo; from Theodore Dreiser's stark depiction of turn-of-the-century morals to Joan Didion, N. Scott Momaday, and William Zinsser's probing writings on the essence of the human experience.

Margaret Carey received her BA from UCLA and her MS in Reading Education from Pepperdine University. She works full-time with at-risk junior high and high school students and at night teaches in our reading lab. She enjoys interacting with college students and finds Saddleback students especially dedicated and appreciative. Demands of her full-time job leave little leisure time; however, she takes pleasure in gardening, walking, bike riding, traveling, and reading in her spare time. She welcomes brief escapes in the works of contemporary authors Tom Clancy and John Grisham, among others.

Bob Cosgrove graduated from St. Procopius College with a BA in English/Philosophy and earned his MA at Purdue University in English/Developmental Reading. Continuing his education at Purdue, Dr. Cosgrove earned his Ph.D. in English/Linguistics. He started his teaching career at Illinois State University and then moved to Southwest Missouri State University where he was the Director of Freshman and Sophomore English and Assistant Head of the English Department. Before moving to California, Dr. Cosgrove directed the Writing Program at Texas Tech University. He joined the English and Reading Departments at Saddleback in 1981. When not at Saddleback, one can find Dr. Cosgrove tending to his thriving Aliso Canyon Honey Company and Bee Removal Service or traveling, reading, canoeing, or writing. His reading interests include several genres: spy/mystery fiction, poetry, biography, and business publications. Specific authors he enjoys are Conrad, Melville, Forster, Dante, Ciardi, LeCarre, Hamilton and the 4th c. Greek dramatists.

Michelle Duffy joined Saddleback College in the spring of 2005 as a part-time faculty member in the Reading Department and became full-time in the fall 0f 2012. She currently teaches a variety of reading classes including Academic Reading for Anatomy and Physiology.  Prior to joining Saddleback College,Michelle worked as a part-time lecturer at CSU, Fullerton and originally began her career in teaching as an elementary teacher. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys outdoor activities, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Teri FitzMaurice received her BA in Psychology and her MS in Education with a concentration in Reading from California State University, Fullerton. She also holds a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. She spent twelve years as an elementary school teacher before joining the Reading staff at Saddleback. She is currently continuing her education at UCI where she is pursuing a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. Her interests include reading, gardening, yoga, cooking, and music. One of her favorite authors is T. Jefferson Parker.

Denise Green was born in Philadelphia but grew up in New Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in History/Education and received a teaching credential from the state of New Jersey. She lives in Dana Point with her husband and the youngest of their four children who currently attends San Francisco State. She worked for the Capistrano Unified School District for twelve years before accepting a position as Reading lab technician at Saddleback in 1998. While working in the Reading Lab she earned her MS in Reading from Cal State Fullerton. Her role at Saddleback is unique in that she is both a lab technician and an associate faculty member and acts as instructor both in the class and the lab. With her years of baseball, soccer, and swim mom behind her, she fills her free time with travel, gardening and reading.

Jill Lagatta received her B.A. in English (with a minor in Education) from Penn State and her M.A. in English from the University of Delaware. She taught English and Language Arts on the secondary school level before relocating to Southern California. She received her Ph.D. in Education (with a specialization in Reading) from USC. She taught a variety of English classes (reading and composition courses) for many years at El Camino College in Torrance before moving to San Jose. In San Jose, Dr. Lagatta taught reading and writing courses at Evergreen Valley College and also taught in the teacher education program at San Jose State University. She has additional university experience, having taught in the writing programs at USC and Rutgers, and she also taught and advised in the secondary school credential program at University of California, Irvine. She is an avid reader and likes to sample different types of literature, from mysteries by Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, and T. Jefferson Parker, to books focusing on family issues by Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, and Amy Tan. She also enjoys the work of other contemporary writers, such as Richard Russo, Ian McEwan, John Irving, and John Updike, and likes the nonfiction work of Jon Krakauer and Ann Rule. During football season, she enthusiastically follows college football, cheering for the Nittany Lions of Penn State and for USC. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Mary Madison earned her AA from Saddleback College and continued her education at California State University, Fullerton where she earned both her BA and MS degrees. Ms. Madison joined the Reading Department in 1999 and also teaches at Fullerton College. During her leisure time she enjoys browsing second-hand stores, listening to books on tape, and watching black and white movies. One of her favorite contemporary authors is Anne Tyler; she particularly enjoyed reading Tyler's The Accidental Tourist. Recent reading includes A Lesson Before Dying and The Cider House Rules, both of which she enjoyed very much and recommends to her students.

Mary McRoberts' educational path started at Antelope Valley College where she earned an AA in Math and Science. Thereafter, she earned a BA and an MA in History, a second MA in Reading Education, and secondary and adult education credentials from California State University, Northridge. Her years of teaching experience include eighteen in secondary education, twenty-five at the community college level, and fifteen with Chapman University. Her favorite author is Ernest Hemingway whose The Sun Also Rises is one of her all time favorite books. Favorite recent fiction includes Angela's Ashes and Memoirs of a Geisha.

Lori Pangborn's educational experience reveals her Southern California up-bringing: a high school diploma from Mater Dei; a BA in English from Mt. Mary's College; an MA in Education with a specialization in Reading from Chapman University; and, coursework taken at California State University, Fullerton. Ms. Pangborn also holds two Life Credentials in Secondary Education and a Credential in Secondary School Administration. Her teaching career started at Kennedy High School in La Palma where she taught for fifteen years. She has taught at Saddleback for over 30 years in both the Reading and English Departments. Aside from her professional interests, Ms. Pangborn enjoys activities with her three grown children, two of whom are Saddleback graduates, and her five grandchildren. Living near the beach, having fun with her golden retriever and reading give her pleasure as well. One of her all time favorite novels is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. She finds pleasure and comfort in reading the Bible and in poetry.

Irene Renault received her BA in English from Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, and continued her education at the University of Massachusetts where she received an MS in Reading. She joined the Saddleback staff in 1996 after teaching high school English and reading for twenty years. She affirms that teaching at Saddleback is one of her most rewarding professional experiences. To best meet the needs and interests of her students, she reads a wide variety of materials. Recently, she's enjoyed the works of Anita Shreve, including The Resistance and The Weight of Water. She enjoys historical fiction as well such as Leon Uris's Trinity and The Exodus. Two books she will always enjoy are Sinclair Lewis's Main Street and My Antonia by Willa Cather.

Ruby Trott received her B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in French from California State University, Long Beach. She has taught computer literacy for twelve years at the community college level, two years to children grades K-8, and is a certified Microsoft Office master instructor. Prior to teaching at community colleges, she had also worked in the aerospace industry for a few years as a programmer and database consultant. Ruby works as a lab technician in the Reading Lab at Saddleback College. When she is not teaching or working in the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family.

Jeffrey Vogel