Charles Zappia is a retired dean and emeritus professor of history at San Diego Mesa College. His research focuses on the experiences of Italian American garment workers in New York City, the corporatization of higher education, and the teaching of history in the community colleges. He has published on these topics in professional journals, anthologies, and online. He has been active in elected and appointed positions in several professional organizations such as the AHA, the Organization of American Historians, and the Immigration and Ethic History Society. He spent 23 years teaching US history to a diverse group of students, and then served as an instructional dean for 11 years. He had long felt that his college overemphasized merely preparing students for employment. As dean he worked very closely with the history faculty and with colleagues from the other 11 disciplines included in their school to focus on teaching students to consider the diversity of the human experience, think deeply about the world in which we live, and hopefully find ways to make it better. As a councilor, he will work with colleagues in the Teaching Division to support broad, incisive, engaging history at all levels of education.