Meet our Team!

 

We have a wide range of professioanl experience in our program, feel free to reach out to us to ask us about our program, classes, and our wondeful campus.

FACULTY

 

Jim Berry

JBerry@laspositascollege.edu

With a strong background in engineering and a deep commitment to public service, Jim remains a key advocate for fostering a sustainable future in his community. He recently attended community college classes in drone piloting and successfully obtained his pilot's license. Working alongside his classmates, Jim continued honing his drone flying skills. Currently, he is working to develop agricultural health analysis techniques for managing vineyards using drones. Additionally, Jim has returned to his alma mater to teach drone pilot classes, inspiring a new generation of eager aspiring pilots.

 

Dan Cearley

dcearley@laspositascollege.edu

Drones have been tugging at me for years. As an archaeologist, I have been using drones to survey large and small landscapes to better understand land use over time. My background in GIS fits well with the data sets that drones provide and has led me to apply drones to a wide range of applications: urban forestry, agricutlure analysis, thermal assesments, and LIDAR topography. Our use of drones continue to surprise me and I hope you too.

Janel Pleskac

JPleskac@laspositascollege.edu

I love drones and have taken all the NAVI courses at Los Positas College. After completing these classes, I passed the FAA Part 107 exam and now have my commercial drone pilots license. I'm currently working on a Master of Science degree in Cultural Resource Management at Sonoma State University with a focus on community-based archaeology. I'm really inspired by the amazing drone surveying that I've seen on archaeology projects documenting Medieval castles and Iron Age ring forts in rural Ireland and I'm excited about using drone technology in future cultural heritage projects here in California.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARK YAMAMOTO

mjyamamoto@laspositascollege.edu

Photographer, lab technician and post-production creative with more than 20 years of professional experience. Equally versed in analog and digital photography as well as black & white and color media. Proficient at all aspects of photo lab setup & maintenance, processing and printing, and preparation for publication or exhibit.

Extensive experience with all aspects of lighting and studio technology, as well as color correction and photo-editing tools and best practices.

Photography credits include dozens of top-tier publications, brands, websites and social media accounts. Recently passed the FAA Part 107 exam where I’ve taken my photography to the skies.