Staff

Alyson Cartagena (EdD, MFA, BFA, CLMA) directs the Dance Program at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, CA. Dr. Cartagena’s training includes the American Dance Festival, International Ballet Competition, Ballet Aspen/Ballet West, Harvard University, two consecutive scholarships to the Joffrey Ballet, Florida State University (BFA), the University of California, Irvine (MFA), and Brandman University (EdD). She is also certified in Integrated Movement Studies from Loyola Marymount University and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst. Cartagena danced and toured professionally with Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth (TX) for four years and served as CD/FW’s Artist in Residence. She then performed for almost ten years with Loretta Livingston and Dancers (CA) both choreographic works and improvisational projects. Dr. Cartagena’s dissertation on Touch and Tactile Learning: Touch and Touch Self-Efficacy in College Dance Instruction has been downloaded more than 200 times internationally. Cartagena is serving her second three-year term on the American College Dance Association Board for the Baja Region.

Dr. Jodi Senk is Professor of Kinesiology, Coordinator of the Fitness Specialist Certificate Program, and Athletic Coordinator at Rio Hondo College. Previously, Dr. Senk served as the Distance Education Coordinator (DECO) and Grant Manager for Improving Online Pathways, a $440,000 grant to develop 15 online college programs. She was also the Coordinator for the Educational Center in El Monte (EMEC), SLOs, and oversaw operations and instruction the Lifelong Fitness Center. She is a published author, book reviewer, and international presenter on leadership, learning, health/wellness/ fitness, distance education, and student-veterans transitioning to college. Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Senk had diverse work experiences as a fitness specialist, researcher, and exercise physiologist during employment with The Traveler’s Insurance, USC School of Medicine, and Saint John’s Health Center. She was also a personal trainer, and owns the consulting business, Personal Braining®, serving as a consultant and executive coach to organizations, celebrities, and CEOs. Being a first-generation college student, she can identify with the many challenges students face, and has mentored and empowered her students in reaching their potential.

Jennifer Tanaka enters her 13^th year as Head Coach at Rio Hondo College and her 33^rd year as a competitive soccer coach.  With Tanaka as Head Coach, Rio Hondo has been recognized as a top 20 team in the Nation every year since 2014.  Tanaka holds the highest coaching licenses in the United States, the United States Soccer Federation National (USSF) "A" License, the United Soccer Coaches/NSCAA "Premier" Diploma and the USSF National Youth License.  She has coached at the youth, club, high school and community college level to great success in Southern California, winning Championships at the Club, High School, Community College, state and regional ODP levels over her 33 years of coaching.

Christine Alcala has been an Adjunct Professor in the Kinesiology Department at Rio Hondo College since 2014. She is also in her fourth season as an assistant Women’s Basketball Coach for the Roadrunners. Previously, she coached Women’s Basketball at Whittier College, Chapman University, Schurr High School, and Montebello High School. Alcala is a Graduate of Whittier College, where she earned her BA in Kinesiology and Masters Degree in Education. Currently, she works full time at Schurr High School as a Physical Education teacher, where she has also coached Girls and Boys Basketball, Girls Tennis, Track and Field, and Cross Country. Alcala is a certified American Red Cross Instructor, and is a member of the NSCA, with a certificate in the Fundamentals of Lifting.

Dr. Natalya Denmark worked as an athletic trainer for over 10 years in the high school, Division 1 and club sport settings. She currently works as a Medical Consultant within the health care field and teaches kinesiology classes.

Teddi Esko has been a Kinesiology Instructor and the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at Rio Hondo College since 2003. She was a Division I scholarship athlete at Arkansas State University earning a Bachelor's in Science in Physical Education. Earned a Master of Arts Degree in Physical Education and Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Coach Esko developed the first Women's Beach Volleyball program for Rio Hondo and is a 3-time Conference Coach of the Year recipient. Esko teaches courses in the Fitness Specialist Program along with other Kinesiology activity classes. Over her 18 years at the helm of the volleyball program, she has assisted her student-athletes on their pathway to higher education along with providing a positive, competitive volleyball experience. Member of the Rio Hondo College Kinesiology Advisory and Peer Online Course Review Committees.

Entering his 4th season as a head coach in 2020-21, Rene Herrera has transitioned his Rio Hondo College women’s basketball program into a top contender among the areas best Junior College teams. Herrera brings over 15 years of coaching experience to the bench at Rio Hondo from various levels, including NCAA, community college, high school, and AAU youth club ball. But his ties to the college run deep. He recently served as an assistant coach for former Rio Hondo women's head coach Steve Johnson, was an assistant for Kathy Pudelko for one season in 2008-09, and was also on the Rio Hondo men's coaching staff for one year from 2005-06.

Jessica Kondrath, originally from Oak Park, IL, holds a BFA in Dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach. She has shown work throughout Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and New York City, in particular at Dance Chicago, D.U.M.B.O Dance Festival, The Merce Cunningham Studios, and Baryshnikov Arts Center. Jessica has had works commissioned by CSU Long Beach, Santa Monica College, CSU Fullerton, and Momenta Performing Arts Company, among others; and has been a guest instructor at Loyola Marymount University, Colorado State University Fort Collins, University of Wyoming Laramie, CSU Fullerton, Cerritos College, and the University of Colorado Boulder. As a dancer, Jessica has most recently performed the works of Carol McDowell, Liz Hoefner Adamis/Immediate Action Dance, and Sarita Smith-Childs; and is part of an ongoing collaboration with Wyoming based visual artist Diana Baumbach showing work in art galleries nationally. She was a recipient of the Professional Artist Fellowship Grant from the Arts Council of Long Beach for her work as the Artistic Director of GRAYSCALE. Jessica is also an active lighting designer for dance, a Pilates Instructor, and is on faculty in the Dance Departments of El Camino College and Rio Hondo College. You can find her at grayscaledance.org

Carol McDowell, M.F.A. Dance/UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Culture, RYT 200/YA, is an interdisciplinary dance artist and collaborator. She brings a wealth of somatic research and practice to her teaching from the fields of Postmodern Dance Improvisation and Composition, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, and Prana Vinyasa Yoga, Body Mind Centering, Body Control Pilates, Alexander Technique, Ideokinesis, Contemplative Dance, Samatha and Vipassana Meditation. Originally from Hawai’i, where she began her modern dance training with Betty Jones, McDowell came to Los Angeles after performing in NYC for 12 years and teaching at the Naropa University for 7 years, where she also served as Director of the Performing Arts Center and co-founded the Mariposa Collective with Diane Butler, Barbara Dillley, and Polly Motley in Boulder, CO. Her work has been presented at Highways, Pieter, Skirball, Anatomy Riot, Platinum Oasis, The Kitchen, DTW, PS 122, and abroad, and she has performed in works by Victoria Marks, alexx shilling, Kevin Williamson, Jmy James Kidd, Body Weather, Laurel Jenkins, Cid Pearlman, Barbara Dilley, Karen Finley, Pooh Kaye, Tim Miller, John Bernd, Poppo, and Kei Takei. Currently McDowell is a member of Gold Collective with Madison Clark, Sarah Leddy, Daniel Miramontes and alexx shilling producing the Gold Series dance event, and Encounter, a performance practice group led by Mariel Carranza. In the recent past she co-directed Crazy Space with Asher Hartman, co-founded max10 performance lab at the Electric Lodge with David King, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Cid Pearlman, and Nurit Seigel in Venice, CA. McDowell teaches dance studies and yoga at Rio Hondo College and West Los Angeles College, and has been a guest lecturer of dance studies, improvisation, and composition at CSULB, Pomona College and Bennington College.

Dr. Stankevitz has been the cardio boot camp instructor since the fall of 2001. She received her doctorate in athletic training from the University of Idaho in the spring of 2017. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in physiological science from the University of California at Los Angeles and a master’s degree in Kinesiology from the California State University at Long Beach. Dr. Stankevitz is a Board Certified Athletic Trainer, as well as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and an Emergency Medical Technician. She also concurrently works as the senior athletic trainer at East Los Angeles College. Dr. Stankevitz lives in West Covina California with her husband, Bob and her two cats, Smokes and Smitten. In her spare time, Dr. Stankevitz performs stand-up comedy through-out Southern California under the stage name Di Stanky.

Coach Tellez wrestled for Rio Hondo from 1985-1987, he was an All American for the Roadrunners when they won the 1987 State Championship Tournament. He took over as head coach in 2007 and has won 5 Conference Championships during his time as head coach, as well as being named Conference Coach of the Year 7 times. The wrestling team continues to produce Academic All Americans year in and year out. In 2018 Rio Hondo wrestlers set the state record by having 8 Academic All Americans during that season. Coach Tellez has produced numerous State Placers, All Americans, and has coached several State Champions for the Roadrunners.