New Full-Time Faculty for Fall 2024

James Pacello

Doctoral Lecturer | English

A native of Staten Island, New York, James Pacello joins KCC’s English department as a doctoral lecturer this fall, where he'll be teaching Composition I (ENG 12) and II (ENG 24).

James has a passion for helping people learn and grow. "My teaching journey began when I graduated from college and taught English in Japan for a year," he shares. "I then taught in various colleges throughout the boroughs of NYC, which helped me discover how much I enjoyed teaching college students." He has taught as an adjunct at City Tech, York College, St. John's University, and fulltime at Berkeley College. Most recently, he worked in workforce development at the Workforce1 Career Center in Harlem, guiding people with their job searches.

He holds a BA from the College of Staten Island, an MA from Hunter College, and an Ed.D. from Rutgers University. His research interests focus on how students apply what they learn about writing in an English class and transfer, translate, or adapt their knowledge to other contexts that involve writing. The Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning published his findings in an article titled "Cultivating a Process Approach to Writing: Student Experiences in a Developmental Course."

In the classroom, James plans to implement innovative teaching methods. "I am looking forward to integrating what I have learned about metacognition, or thinking about thinking, into the activities of the writing classroom," he explains. "This reflective approach to learning can equip students to be flexible and adaptable in our rapidly changing world."

Outside of academia, James enjoys biking, both in the city using CitiBike and upstate in the Catskills. A rollercoaster enthusiast, he has visited Cedar Point in Ohio, the rollercoaster capital of the United States.

James is looking forward to joining the CUNY system. "It is so exciting to be part of a university system known for helping propel students into the middle class and beyond," he says. "Kingsborough Community College's mission of providing a student-centered and innovative learning environment is a perfect fit for me."