Meet Our Faculty

James Cagney

Chair of Computer Information Systems

Assistant Professor 1 of CS/CIS

Email: jcagney@cocc.edu 

Before joining COCC, James worked for years in the industry for Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Fujitsu and NCR.  He brings a wealth of real-world experience to his classes.  James has served as a technical education consultant managing Cisco's CCNA content, a database consultant for Oracle, technical support manager for HP, a product planner for Fujitsu, and a Software Troubleshooter for NCR.

James earned an M.S. in Software Engineering from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from National University.  He has taught at California State University in Long Beach and National University.

Ken Swartwout
Associate Professor of CS/CIS
Email: kswartwout@cocc.edu 

From Software Applications to Computer Science, Ken thrives when sharing new concepts and skills in the classroom. His love of technology came early, but when he combined it with teaching, Ken found his true calling. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor's degree in computer & information science and a master's degree in teaching & learning.

Before beginning his career at COCC, Ken worked in the IT industry writing business software and was a high school baseball coach and teacher. One of his favorite classes to teach is Introduction to Programming because students learn new ways to solve problems and discover more productive ways to look at the world. 

Lew Cousineau
Professor of CIS
Email: lcousineau@cocc.edu 

From his work in private industry to his lessons in the classroom, Lew enjoys using technology to simplify processes and solve problems. During his eight years at Boeing, Lew was part of the team that developed the digital preassembly process — allowing design engineers to computer-model 3D parts in airplane coordinates and then “fly through” the airplane and look at their parts in relation to others. Previously, this integration work had been done in a physical mockup. 

Lew completed his bachelor's degree in industrial and management engineering from Montana State University and his MBA from Seattle University. At COCC, Lew teaches a variety of courses such as Microsoft Office Applications, Introduction to Databases, and Introduction to Programming. One of his favorite courses to teach is Excel because of its power and usefulness in all types of business and industry settings. Says Lew: “A student with a strong understanding of Excel can be an incredible asset to almost any organization.”  

Carson Haury
Professor of CIS
Email: chaury@cocc.edu 

Carson was a pilot and a major in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) when he was selected to attend the Naval postgraduate program to obtain a master's degree in managing information systems. As he continued his aviation career, logging over 4,000 hours in both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, he was utilized in a variety of information technology roles. Modern aircraft rely heavily on computer systems (navigation, flight controls, communication, weapon systems) and Carson enjoyed combining his love of flying with his technology skills, particularly computer networking.

After retiring from the USMC, Carson began his teaching career at COCC. His focus is on computer networking and its related industry certifications.

Eric Magidson
Professor of CIS
Email: emagidson@cocc.edu 

Eric combines 18 years of professional experience in the field of information technology (IT), with a constant focus on providing up-to-date technology education and hands-on training in digital literacy, cloud computing, networking, and cybersecurity. Before joining COCC, Eric was the IT director for Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing, IT manager for a multi-state insurance agency, and built a successful start-up IT consulting firm. Eric's higher education began at COCC, where he earned an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems, followed by a bachelor's degree in IT from the Oregon Institute of Technology, and then an MBA from Concordia University.

Eric volunteers his IT skills for local businesses, keeping current in the field while constantly earning the latest IT certifications. For example, he recently completed the online teaching mastery certification from Quality Matters. When not helping students achieve their educational and professional goals, you'll find him on his paddleboard, playing drums, or working to lower his golf index.

Sean Palagyi
Assistant Professor 1 of CIS
Email: spalagyi@cocc.edu 

Prior to starting his teaching career at COCC in 1999, Sean spent time in the industry drafting projects for Boeing, Microsoft, Central Oregon Electric, and Mid-State Electric. He is well-versed in AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit, and Civil 3D. By setting high expectations in the classroom, Sean helps prepare students to effectively compete for employment in the local region and throughout the Northwest.

Sean focuses on ensuring students develop their academic character by investing the necessary time to become competent in their studies and excel with software applications. When away from the rigors of keeping current with AutoDESK products, Sean is often found scaling mountains throughout the western United States. He is also fond of mountain biking and historical locales. 

Ralph Phillips
Professor of CIS
Email: rrphillips@cocc.edu 

Students in Ralph's class have an advantage when it comes to learning course material. Ralph maintains a popular YouTube channel of tutorial videos for class topics and assignment demonstrations. With more than 43,000 subscribers and dozens of playlists, the channel enables students to access material 24/7, which supports and expands the concepts they're learning in the classroom.  

Ralph completed his bachelor's degree in finance and master's degree in business and office education from the University of South Florida. In the late 1990s, he started creating websites for a variety of topics such as personal finance, education, and saltwater aquariums. Ralph's favorite part of teaching is helping students learn skills and software they can apply to their personal and professional lives. He also enjoys working with students on how IT and web development skills can help them achieve their academic goals.

Dan Alberghetti
Associate Professor of CIS
Email: dalberghetti@cocc.edu 

As leader of the Cisco Networking Academy at COCC, Dan specializes in teaching computer networking and related topics. Dan maintains a YouTube channel with computer-related tutorials that have been viewed over 50 million times, with nearly 250,000 subscribers. In his role as an instructor trainer for the Cisco Networking Academy, Dan has helped hundreds of instructors from around the world get trained and accredited to teach classes for the Cisco Academy.

Dan received his bachelor's degree from UCLA and a Master of Fine Arts from California State University of Long Beach. Prior to arriving at COCC in 2013, Dan taught high school in Long Beach, California, and computer networking at Sheridan College in Sheridan, Wyoming.