Hello! I’m Dr. Juan Flores-Zamora, Professor of Engineering Technology at Long Beach City College. At the center of my work is a simple belief: talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. My role as an educator is to help identify, cultivate, and develop that talent by giving students the technical skills, confidence, community, and opportunities they need to succeed.

I bring more than 15 years of experience in education, along with a background in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. Before becoming an educator, I worked in high-mix, low-volume, ultra-precision aerospace manufacturing on components for Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Airbus, and the James Webb Space Telescope.

Although our titles were often machinist or CNC machinist, the work was essentially manufacturing engineering in practice. We took complex parts from print to finished hardware, including setup and workholding, tooling, CNC programming, 3- and 4-axis machining, exotic materials, and first-article inspection using GD&T. That experience continues to shape how I teach engineering technology today.

My own educational journey began in career technical education. I earned a CNC Machining Certificate from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, followed by a B.S. in Industrial Technology and an M.A. in Industrial and Technical Studies from Cal State LA. Before coming to LBCC, I taught Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and spent five years developing and running my own makerspace at Venice Adult School, where I focused on hands-on design, fabrication, and project-based technical learning. In 2020, I earned my Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Southern California, where my work focused on equity, career technical education, and student achievement in STEM.

At LBCC, I have focused on building an integrated Engineering Technology ecosystem designed to cultivate technical talent and create clear pathways into industry and four-year universities. I created LBCC’s Engineering Technology program, helped establish the college’s Advanced Manufacturing programs, and led a significant redesign of the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) curriculum to better reflect modern engineering design, digital manufacturing, and industry practices.

My broader goal is to connect engineering design, manufacturing, electronics, hands-on technical education, and transfer preparation into coherent pathways where students can grow from curious beginners into skilled technicians, engineering technologists, engineers, transfer students, and future industry leaders.

Cultivating talent requires opportunities beyond the classroom. I serve as faculty advisor to:

• The Engineering Club (TEC)
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)

Through these organizations, students gain hands-on project experience, leadership development, mentorship, professional networks, industry exposure, and access to national networks and conferences.

We design. We build. We lead. And we grow together.

As a tenured Native/Latino engineering professor with deep Californio roots, I understand the importance of representation, belonging, and opportunity in STEM. I believe education should do more than deliver information; it should recognize ability, build confidence, and cultivate the conditions for talent to flourish.

Whether students plan to enter industry or transfer to a four-year university, my goal is for them to leave LBCC with the skills, confidence, network, and sense of purpose necessary to succeed.

Outside the classroom, I enjoy surfing, scuba diving, sailing, staying active, and spending time with my daughter, my greatest source of inspiration and joy.

Talent is everywhere. Our job is to cultivate it.

Join us. Let’s engineer a better future together.

Fight On!