Joseph Scarcella
Contact
Bio
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and currently serves as Department Chair and Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Technology at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, he is now in his 28th year of service at CSUSB, where he has dedicated his career to advancing educational leadership, career and technical education, workforce development, and innovation. Prior to joining CSUSB, he served for two years at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO).
His career bridges higher education, teacher education, career and technical education, aviation, and workforce development, reflecting a lifelong commitment to teaching, leadership, and applied learning. A recipient of the prestigious Epsilon Pi Tau Honorary Award for Excellence in Technology and Education, he has served on the Board of Directors for both the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA). Over the course of his career, he has authored more than 50 publications and delivered hundreds of scholarly presentations, lectures, workshops, and professional briefings at regional, national, and international venues. He has also secured substantial grant funding in support of innovative educational research and program development.
He has made significant contributions to educational quality assurance, serving on regional, statewide, and national accreditation committees, as well as other bodies dedicated to advancing academic standards and promoting program excellence.
In addition to his academic leadership, he is a columnist for The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, a Gold Seal Flight Instructor in both Glider and Single-Engine Land categories, and a former U.S. Naval Officer (Lieutenant) who honorably served his country. He also serves as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representative, with the privilege of appointment as a federal Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) for glider and airplane single-engine land operations in Southern California, where he continues to mentor instructors and evaluate the next generation of aviators.
Education
Ph.D., (1997), University of Missouri-Columbia: Major - Education: Area of Specialization and Interests; Career and Technical and Aviation.
Missouri Vocational Teacher's Certificate, (1996). State of Missouri, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
M.A., (1992), San Diego State University: Major - Industrial and Technical Studies.
B.A., (1985), San Diego State University: Major - Industrial Studies. Minor: Military Science.
A.S., (1985), Grossmont College: Major; Aeronautics (two associate degrees). Major support emphasis in Flight Operations and Operations Management.
FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), (2017), Airplane Single Engine Land and Glider.
FAA Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor Airplane Single Engine Land (CFI-A) and Glider (CFI-G).
FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
Naval Training Command, (1988), San Diego, California. Specialty Schools.
Surface Warfare Officer School, (1987), United States Naval Amphibious Base (NAB), Coronado, California.
Naval Air Station (NAS), (1986), Pensacola, Florida, Aviation Indoctrination.
National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), (1986), open water scuba diving certified.
Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), (1986), open water scuba diving certified.
Courses/Teaching
His teaching portfolio includes courses in foundations of education, history and philosophy of education, instructional and research and teaching methods, curriculum and instruction, aviation education, and other...along with airplane and glider flight instruction.
He has also served as Coordinator of Career and Technical Education for most of his career, providing leadership in curriculum development, instructional quality, and program accreditation.
Specialization
EXPERIENCE:
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO, San Bernardino, California. (1998-present). Chair, Educational Leadership and Technology Department and formally Assistant Dean, California State University, San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus, Professor of Education, Master’s Degree Program Coordinator, responsible for teaching Career and Technical teacher education courses, student advisement, recruiting, and conducting research.
DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER (DPE), FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINSTRATION (FAA), Riverside, California. (2017-present). Serve as the pilot examiner for glider and airplane single engine land.
SOCAL SOARING ACADEMY, Crystal Airport (46CN), Llano, California (Present). Serve as glider instructor private, commercial, instructor.
CYPRESS SOARING, Hemet Municipal Airport (HMT), Hemet, California (Present). Serve as glider instructor private, commercial, instructor.
FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, JOE SCARCELLA AVIATION, Redlands Municipal Airport (REI), Redlands, California. (Present). Conduct flight training at Redlands Airport. http://joescarcellaavation.com.
VOLUNTEER PILOT, SAN BERNARDINO SHERIFF AVIATION UNIT, San Bernardino, California, (10 years 8 months).
AVIATION SEMINARS, San Diego, California. (2016-present). Instructor and Airman Certification Representative. Contract and consultation - teach private, commercial, instrument courses and process airman instructor certificates.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, WORKFORCE EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT, Carbondale, Illinois. (2000-present). Contract and consultation - adjunct faculty teaching foundations, assessment, and other related courses.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. (1996-1998). Assistant Professor of Industrial and Engineering Technology, responsible for teaching Technology, Industrial, and Vocational-Technical teacher education courses, technical computer graphic courses, student advisement, recruiting, and conducting research related to technology and industry.
TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY EDUCATION; UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - COLUMBIA, Columbia, Missouri. (1993-1996). Graduate Research Assistant/Graduate Teaching Assistant/Instructor, responsible for assisting in departmental recruiting, student advisement, program club advisor, research, and teaching activities.
ROCK BRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL; Columbia, Missouri. (1995). Instructor instructed a practical course in industrial technology. Curriculum focused on student career awareness and employability skills related to employment.
BUILDING PRODUCTS ASSOCIATES, San Diego, CA. (1992-1993). Sales Representative, responsible for meeting the demands of corporate accounts through customer service, cost estimating, and materials bidding.
EXPO INDUSTRIES/EXPO BUILDERS SUPPLY, San Diego, CA. (1989-1992). Division Manager, responsible for cost estimating, employee staffing, profit and loss, manufacturing operations, production, customer service, etc.
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, Hobby and Home Part-Time Business. San Diego, CA. (1992-1993).
MILITARY, UNITED STATES NAVY, January 1986-July 1990. Naval Officer, Honorably Discharged at the rank of Lieutenant [Student Pilot Aviator, Surface Warfare].
CONSTRUCTION (Lath, Plaster Drywall), San Diego, CA. (1978-1985-Father's Business).
MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS (PAST AND PRESENT):
Phi Delta Kappa (The Professional Fraternity of Education); Association for Career and Technical Education; Missouri Vocational Association; International Technology and Engineering Education Association; National Association of Industrial Technology; National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators, Cypress Soaring, Soaring Society of America, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, National Association of Flight Instructors.
Research and Teaching Interests
Most Recent Presentations/Publications 2024-2025 and Associations
Presentations
Soaring Society of America, (October 2024), Federal Airspace Refresher, Nashville, Tennessee.
Soaring Society of America, (October 2024), DPE Open Forum - How to Minimize Check Ride Stress, Nashville, Tennessee.
Soaring Society of America, (February 2022), Federal Airspace Refresher, Reno, Nevada.
Publications
Under Review. Scarcella, J. (2025). Expanding the Boundaries of Scholarship: Flight Instruction and Boyer's Call for Application. The Journal of Critical Issues in Education.
Under Review. Scarcella, J. (2025). The Scholarship of Application: Bridging Knowledge and Practice. The Journal of Critical Issues in Education.
Under Review. Scarcella, J. (2025). Perspective-Resurrecting the Hands-On Classroom: Why Practical Arts Education Still Matters. The Journal of Critical Issues in Education.
Scarcella, J. (2026). From Air Commerce to the FAA. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 90(2), 34–35.
Scarcella, J. (2026). Does Flying Ever Become Old Hat? Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 90(2), 48–49.
Scarcella, J. (2025). The Forgotten Control: Understanding the Rudder in Glider Aerodynamics. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(12), 14–15.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Teaching and learning in both directions. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(11), 32–33.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Assessing soaring skills: Using evaluation to drive student improvement. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(10), 38–39.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Chasing the invisible: Teaching students to read the sky. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(9), 28–29, 32.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Teaching like a thermal: What soaring can teach us about learning. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(8), 44–46.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Who’s the best pilot I ever saw? Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(7), 39–41.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Flight instructor vs. designated pilot examiner. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(6), 36–37.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Soaring higher: Advancing pilot proficiency through competency-based education and Bloom’s taxonomy. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(5), 32–35.
Scarcella, J. (2025). Flight instruction and student success. Soaring: The Journal of the Soaring Society of America, 89(4), 41–42.