College of Natural Sciences

Date: September 21, 2023 | 2 p.m.

Presenter: Dr. David Hassenzahl, Dean 

Moderator:Monica Soderstrom (Nursing, '85)

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Monica Soderstrom is a leader in public health in Butte County and beyond, having guided the community through several major crises including the Oroville Dam spillway failure, the Camp Fire, and the COVID-19 pandemic. A registered nurse, she heads the county’s community health division where she has overseen countywide nursing programs and coalitions since 2015. In addition to her current service on the Enloe Board of Trustees, she has held other leadership roles including director of the Children’s Health Center from 2010 to 2015, including overseeing the transition from Enloe to Northern Valley Indian Health in 2012. Soderstrom worked as a public health nurse for over 12 years, serving local high-risk mothers and infants, and she was employed at Enloe for 24 years. During her time at Enloe she was a registered nurse in pediatrics and maternal child home health, a nurse manager, a perinatal instructor, and a case manager. She has been an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) since 2004. In March 2021, Assemblyman James Gallagher presented Soderstrom with the California Legislature Woman of the Year award. In addition to Soderstrom’s professional duties, she also volunteers for the Chico State nursing program.

Dr. David M. Hassenzahl is an internationally recognized scholar of sustainability and risk analysis, with particular emphasis on the management, interpretation, and communication of uncertainty. Highlights of his experience at CSU, Chico include advances in undergraduate research, course redesign, and student support programs, as well as development of the university’s newest building, a 110,000 square foot replacement for the current Physical Sciences Building. He is the immediate past President of the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences. Prior to coming to Chico State, Dr. Hassenzahl served as founding dean of the Falk School of Sustainability at Chatham University and Chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Hassenzahl holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Paleontology (with honors) from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.