Employee of the Month - October 2024
Chao Huang, Program Developer, Academic Programs
College of Professional and Continuing Education
Awarded Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at Friendship Walk. Chao was joined by President Jane Close Conoley, Chris Swarat, Dean of CPaCE, Alysa Turkowitz, Associate Dean of CPaCE, and numerous campus colleagues.
After years in broadcast journalism wherein Chao Huang interviewed celebrities and others before changing careers in 2019 and joining CSULB, in October 2024 Chao found herself in the spotlight as the Employee of the Month.
Chao began CSULB in July 2019 as Program Associate of International Training Programs at the College of International and Professional Education. She is currently the Program Developer of the Academic Programs in CPaCE. She also played a key role in launching the new Online RN to BSN degree program, which welcomed its first cohort in Fall 2023. Lastly, she manages the Master of Science in Health Care Administration Accelerated Program, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Chao shared, “I am dedicated to fostering the growth of new programs and ensuring that existing ones continue to thrive. With five years of experience in developing and managing non-credit, credit, and degree programs, I look forward to further expanding my expertise at CSULB and contributing to the success of our academic community.”
Alysa Turkowitz, Associate Dean, CPaCE Administration, praised Chao’s work, “When I think about exceptional service and performance, Chao is exemplar. In her current role, she handles one of our most complex (and manual) program efforts – short term international study abroad. When students across CSULB study abroad during break or the summer, Chao is the one that almost exclusively handles ALL the related paperwork. She also liaises closely with the faculty and all the students – paperwork, flight information, insurance, registration, budget and more. This accounts for now almost 1000 students that Chao has personally and individually helped!
“…In addition to her role in supporting our students becoming more global citizens, she is efficient and masterful at budget management. She catches details that otherwise would slip through the cracks and is always thoughtful about managing our bottom line to assure we are operating in a healthy manner as we support our various programs.
“She has been instrumental in the launch and development of the new RN to BSN program which has been quite a challenging program to manage given the complicated structure (students with different backgrounds, courses, starting at different times and classes outside of the scope of the traditional semester model).
“She never misses a beat, catches every detail and impresses all those that she works with.”
Michael Williams, Department Chair for Nursing, added, “Chao is a ray of sunshine! She is diligent, efficient, follows up and laughs at absurdity of things with me—not at me! We truly appreciate everything she does for the RN-BSN program!”
“Chao is a superstar. From the very start, I knew she would be a great asset to the college,” noted Jeet Joshee, Associate Vice President of the Center for International Education.
Henry O’Lawrence, Department Chair for Health Care Management commented, “You have been exceptional and diligent working with the faculty and staff in the department; specifically, working with me and supporting of our program. Your understanding of the budget and providing transparency narratives on how to solve budget issues has been outstanding. Thank you for your high level of professionalism and for your sincere conversation with me each time I ask for clarifications.”
Chao was born and raised in Beijing, China, where she earned her bachelor's degree from the Communication University of China. She began her career in China as a broadcast news anchor and editor. In 2013, she moved to the United States to work as a foreign correspondent, conducting interviews with officials, celebrities, and individuals from diverse backgrounds. During her five years as a broadcast journalist, she had the privilege of covering prestigious events such as the Academy Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Golden Globes, and the People’s Choice Awards.