The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
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Food Science & Nutrition Staff Spotlight: Juan Herrera
In honor of National Professional Administrator Day, our College would like to thank
all of our staff that provides tireless support, including Juan Herrera from our Food Science and Nutrition Department.
The administrative support coordinator is not only busy serving our faculty, staff
and students, but he has also been taking classes at night towards a Master of Business
Administration degree from the Craig School of Business, which he will receive this
May.
The first generation college graduate had already received undergraduate degrees from
CSU Stanislaus in Computer Information Systems and Business Administration, and has
also worked in area elementary and high schools before starting at Fresno State in
2017.
Read more about the Dos Palos and Oro Loma, CA native whose family also has strong
agricultural ties in this recent interview.
Q: Talk about your current responsibilities as an administrative professional, and
areas & people that you work with most?
Herrera: "I am the starting point of most questions in the Department of Food Science
and Nutrition Department from both students and faculty, and if I do not know the
answer I will find it! I help support the day-to-day operations, which include keeping
track of financial revenues and expenses, scheduling courses, and maintaining student
records."
Q: What parts of your job do you enjoy the most, and what achievements have you been
most proud of while working with the department?
Herrera: "I like working with our department students on a day-to-day basis, and I
know the majority of our them by name. I am also proud of creating and maintaining
a great department culture and environment with our students and faculty. Students
within our major know they are always welcome to our office if they have any issues
or need help navigating Fresno State."
Q: What was your prior professional background?
Herrera: "Before working at Fresno State I worked at CSU Stanislaus as a student assistant
for facility services. Thereafter I moved to Fresno and was a full-time substitute
teacher for 7 school districts for grades pre-school to 12th grade."
Q: Which classes & faculty members had the biggest influence on you while at Fresno
State?
Herrera: "I have had several classes that fit that category, and two that stand out
are:"
- "MBA 245 - Seminar in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution with Professor Garabedian. Negotiation is an art, and this course has helped me master this skill set. We had many practical exercises in this course that will help me throughout my career."
- "IS 140 - Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Business with Professor Mollring. GIS is a powerful decision-making tools for any business or industry since it allows the analyzation of environmental, demographic, and topographic data. I have a very broad interest, and GIS can touch many different sectors from agriculture to social science and provide meaningful findings."
Q: Have you participated in any other outreach activities that have benefited the
community?
Herrera: "I was enrolled in COMS 101, the community service learning course, for multiple
semesters. I had the opportunity to work with youth in many different environments,
from virtually mentoring college-bound students from New York, to being a camp counselor
at a youth summit."
Q: What was your or your family's background in agriculture before you started at
Fresno State?
Herrera: "I come from generations of farmers, all my uncles are farmers, and my father
is an almond grower. Here is where I learned to appreciate where our food comes from,
and the process it takes to get from the farm to our homes."
Q: How do you plan to use your degree eventually?
Herrera: "It is difficult to leave a place where you love to work. Although I am not
in a hurry to leave, I am ready for the next chapter in my career. I plan to stay
on campus and hope to use my new skill sets and be a part of a department that works
with the entire campus."
Q: Are there any people you would like to thank for helping you achieve your degrees?
Herrera: "My parents have been my main support. They are the ones who keep pushing me no matter how difficult and demanding things can get."