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MAGIC MAKERS Rollins grads are powering the wonderful world of theme parks and entertainment.
PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY At Rollins, curiosity sparks innovation, and the liberal arts fuel scientific exploration. Just ask biology major Bennett Coker ’26, whose summer research with biology professor Brendaliz Santiago-Narvaez examined whether freshwater turtles in the Dominican Republic act as environmental reservoirs for harmful pathogens. Through the Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program, Coker applied skills from her microbiology and genetics courses to uncover links between wildlife, water quality, and human health. Guided by close faculty mentorship, she gained confidence as a researcher and reaffirmed her goal of pursuing medicine with a focus on infectious disease and public health.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Supporting the Rollins Annual Fund is one of the many ways your gifts encourage our students to engage in hands-on research that’s typically available only at the graduateschool level. You can be a part of this transformational impact by making a gift at rollins.college/give.
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The sense of community, genuine care, and individualized support at Rollins was evident from day one. Everybody is eager to open doors— whether it’s helping land summer fellowships, nail grad school applications, find funding, or build connections that will last well beyond Rollins. — Makenna Morrison Gary ’26
At Rollins, Makenna Morrison Gary ’26 has turned her love of wildlife into a mission-driven education rooted in research, advocacy, and hands-on learning. Guided by deep partnerships with professors, the biology and environmental studies double major has spent countless hours in the lab and in the field—from tagging and monitoring freshwater turtles across Florida and the Dominican Republic to researching frog movement to inform conservation management. The Alfond Scholar also engaged policymakers and scientists in D.C. as an environmental leadership fellow and interned with the Environmental Protection Division of the Orange County Government. Combining her scientific curiosity and leadership experience, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in interdisciplinary science, focusing on ecology, conservation, and policy. Visit rollins.college/giving to see how your gifts to the Rollins Annual Fund give students like Makenna the ability to say yes to every opportunity.
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Rollins magazine Email: rollins360@rollins.edu Phone: 407-691-1361 Write: 1000 Holt Ave. – 2729 Winter Park, FL 32789-4409 Web: rollins.college/magazine; click on “Talk to Us” Office of Alumni Engagement Email: alumni@rollins.edu Phone: 407-646-2266 Write: 1000 Holt Ave. – 2736 Winter Park, FL 32789-4409 Web: rollins.edu/alumni-supporters Giving to Rollins Email: giving@rollins.edu Phone: 407-646-2221 Write: 1000 Holt Ave. – 2750 Winter Park, FL 32789-4409 Web: rollins.college/give
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From the Green 05
In Brief
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hat It’s Like … to Plan One of the W World’s Biggest Events
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On Campus
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Home, Reimagined
Editor-in-Chief Audrey St. Clair ’03
Features
Associate Creative Director Ashley Willsey
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Assistant Creative Director Sarah Bodman
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The Past Is Present
Assistant Editor Jessica Firpi ’11
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Magic Makers
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Policy With Purpose
Associate Director, Photo & Video Alex Stiner Assistant Director, Photo & Video Elliott Kiernicki Contributors Kimberly Ashton Laura J. Cole ’04 ’08MLS Scott Cook ’24MBA Adrienne Egolf Rob Humphreys ’16MBA Robert Stephens Zach Stovall Hannah Van Sickle The Workmans Assistant Vice President of Marketing Luke Woodling ’17MBA Produced by the Office of Marketing All ideas expressed in Rollins magazine are those of the authors or the editors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the College. Letters to the editor are welcome and will be considered for publication in the magazine. Rollins magazine is published twice a year by Rollins College for alumni and friends of the College. Postmaster Send address changes to: Rollins College 1000 Holt Ave. – 2747 Winter Park, FL 32789-4409 Visit Rollins magazine online at: rollins.college/magazine
President Barnett: 10 Things I’m Hearing, Learning, and Loving About Rollins
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Framing the Future
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Her Happy Place
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20 Years of SPARC Day
Connected for Life 41
Save the Date: Alumni Weekend 2026
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Save the Date: Giving Day 2026
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An Unbreakable Bond
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Class News
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hat I’ve Learned: W Gaileon Thompson ’01 ’03MBA
In Brief
My Rollins experience was rooted in service to others. I learned how to be a leader and an activist through the foundations of critical thinking, empathy, open-mindedness, and curiosity that I found on campus.
Akheem Mitchell ’23, a philosophy and political science double major, found his purpose at the intersection of service, leadership, and justice. On campus, he emerged as a transformational leader, becoming the first Black president and vice president of SGA and building community as vice president of the Black Student Union. His commitment grew through high-impact experiences, including internships with the U.S. House of Representatives and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, culminating in his selection as one of only 10 students nationwide for the Legal Defense Fund’s Marshall-Motley Scholars Program. Bolstered by mentors who “lifted him up” and shaped his activism, Mitchell continues his advocacy beyond Rollins and into his next chapter at Florida A&M University’s College of Law.
TARS ON TOP U.S. News & World Report has again ranked Rollins as the No. 1 private institution among the regional universities in the South for 2026.
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The Princeton Review recognized Rollins as one of the nation’s best 391 colleges and among the top 20 in six additional categories: No. 4 for Best Health Services, No. 15 for Best Campus Food, No. 18 for Best Classroom Experience, and No. 13 for Most Beautiful Campus.
Rollins earned national recognition from The Wall Street Journal, ranking among the country’s top 400 colleges and No. 33 in the nation for best student experience.
WalletHub named Orlando the No. 3 Best College Town in America and ranked Winter Park the No. 1 small city in Florida, underscoring Rollins’ location as a vibrant place to live and learn.
Lauren Barry ’24 has been named a NobleReach Scholar, joining an elite national cohort selected from more than 1,200 applicants across 100-plus universities.
BY THE NUMBERS The number of local nonprofits served during Rollins’ 2025 SPARC Day
The number of first-year and transfer students Rollins welcomed to campus in August for the 2025-26 school year
Unlock the power of AI and data analytics—no tech background required. Rollins’ new Certificate in Data Analytics with Artificial Intelligence empowers learners to thrive in an AI-driven world. Through a 16-week, industry-focused curriculum taught by expert faculty, participants gain practical skills in data management, visualization, programming, and prompt engineering while exploring the ethical and social dimensions of emerging technologies. Designed for professionals in every field—from business and health care to marketing and hospitality—this hybrid program delivers the personalized support, small class sizes, and handson learning that define a Rollins education.
Alyssa Novoa ’28’s spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s annual preseason rankings, marking the highest ITA fall ranking in the College’s history
Learn more at rollins.college/data-analytics. The number of seasons of the historic Annie Russell Theatre, with its 2025-26 lineup continuing a legacy of student artistry and yearlong celebration of the arts
EXPERTS IN ACTION Samuel Sanabria, professor of counseling in Rollins’ Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, released a new book on evolutionary neuroscience. Sisters Emma Salerno ’27 and Kate Salerno ’27 published a study alongside communication professor Ruonan Zhang on how AI shapes the effectiveness of nonprofit marketing.
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The number of seats in the new East End Neighborhood cafe, which will feature a host of grab-and-go options
Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life Dorrell Briscoe, entrepreneur Michael Buffa ’10MBA, and Crummer Graduate School of Business Dean Anil Menon have been named among our community’s most influential people by Winter Park Magazine.
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WHAT IT’S LIKE ...
TO PLAN ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST EVENTS Fueled by the endurance and adaptability she built at Rollins, Morgan Colley ’17 is helping bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to life on the world’s biggest stage. By Morgan Colley ’17, as told to Jessica Firpi ’11 For Morgan Colley ’17, what started as a willingness to say yes—to new sports, new challenges, and new possibilities at Rollins—has become the driving force behind her career supporting one of the world’s largest events. As venue management planning and project manager for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Colley coordinates the intricate operations behind 16 stadiums spread out across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, ensuring that the fan experience unfolds seamlessly from start to finish. She credits Rollins for helping her build the endurance and adaptability she now relies on daily and shares what it’s like to help bring the world’s most-watched sporting event to life. The moment it all clicked for me was under the bright lights of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. I’ll never forget standing at the halfway line as Real Madrid and Barcelona walked out for El Clásico. It was only the third time
in history this legendary matchup between two of the most iconic football clubs was being played in the U.S., and I helped make it happen. Eighty-thousand people in the stands, the roar of the crowd, the energy—it
was electric. I remember thinking, “I can’t believe this is my job.” That night cemented my passion for bringing global soccer experiences to life. I promised myself I’d work a World Cup someday, even if it meant volunteering. Now I’m part of the team planning the 2026 tournament, which still feels surreal. In my role, I help bring together experts across departments to plan operations months in advance for 16 stadiums in three countries. And the scale will be even bigger this time— the 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history and the first time matches will be hosted across three different countries. I help coordinate everything from site visits with more than 100 FIFA staff to operational planning procedures, multilingual wayfinding, security, and crowd-control logistics. Every decision funnels through venue management, so I work across every department to make sure it all fits together. I tell people Rollins was the best decision I ever made because so many of my cross-functional skills took root there. I’d never played sports before, but Rollins gave me the space to try different things. I was rowing at 5 a.m., running cross country, leading Immersions, getting involved in campus life—it was a lot, but it taught me how to handle pressure and still show up as part of a team. Rollins gave me the grit and confidence to walk into big, unfamiliar spaces and figure things out. Studying abroad in Amsterdam really changed everything for me. I met people from all over the world, saw how different cultures work, and realized I wanted to keep working internationally. In my current position, I’m constantly bridging worlds—Europe’s deep football
culture and America’s big-event mindset, for example. Rollins taught me how to work with all kinds of people and how to stay adaptable. My journey to FIFA started 10 years ago putting on international friendlies with some of the biggest clubs in the world. Back then, soccer was just starting to really take off in the U.S. Now I see people everywhere wearing Manchester United and Real Madrid jerseys. Being part of that growth helped prepare me for this moment. When the FIFA World Cup was announced for North America, it felt like everything I’d been doing— every late night, every project, every “yes” I said at Rollins, every email to people who’d worked previous World Cups—led me to this. It’s a huge challenge. Some days it feels like I’m back in exam season at Rollins—it just never stops. But every day feels like a master class in global event management, and I’m so grateful for all of it. After this tournament, I hope to keep working on major global events—like the Olympics, the next World Cup, or the UEFA Euros. I’ve always admired people who move from one massive event to the next learning how to make something work on a world stage. That’s what I want to do. And maybe the thing I’m proudest of is being part of a slow but meaningful change. There still aren’t many women in football leadership. I want to help change that—first by earning my seat at the table and then by opening more seats for others. That’s the legacy I hope to leave: that curiosity, courage, and saying “yes” can take you anywhere—even to the World Cup.
Colley and FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis
On Campus
SEPTEMBER 9 A team from the Disney College Program held a workshop in the Center for Career & Life Planning to help students develop strategies for effective networking in professional settings. The event was part of a series designed to prepare students for the fall 2025 Career & Internship Expo.
AUGUST 21 Welcome Week kicked off with a flurry of excitement—from making new connections at the Rollins Gateway Experience to meeting RCC professors and fellow students.
AUGUST 24 At the start of the fall 2025-26 semester, Rollins welcomed the Class of 2029— 570 strong and the College’s third-largest incoming class in history—along with 110 transfer students, who gathered for their official class photo marking the start of their Rollins journey.
AUGUST 25 To cap off Welcome Week, first-year students came together for Candlewish, one of Rollins’ most cherished traditions, raising their candles to reflect on their hopes for their time at Rollins and to celebrate community, learning, and the College’s motto, Fiat Lux.
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OCTOBER 23 Rollins celebrated the grand opening of the new Tennis & Golf Center, where student-athletes, donors, and community members gathered to tour the state-of-the-art facility and mark a new era of athletic excellence on campus.
OCTOBER 2 The Rollins community came together at the Rice Family Pavilion for Fiesta Hispana, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with music, games, refreshments, and a vibrant atmosphere honoring Hispanic and Latinx culture.
NOVEMBER 7-11 Rollins welcomed more than 300 families and supporters to campus for Family Weekend 2025—offering everything from sporting events and museum exhibitions to service opportunities and Culture Fest, a dynamic celebration of the traditions and global perspectives that make up the Rollins community.
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Home, Reimagined East End Neighborhood is creating a vibrant new hub where students can live, learn, and connect.
By Jessica Firpi ’11 Architectural renderings provided by Hanbury Planned to open fall 2026, the newest addition to Rollins is rising on the northeastern edge of campus—a residential community designed to elevate and expand the College’s immersive liberal arts experience. Overlooking Lake Virginia, the 133,000-square-foot East End Neighborhood will make room for an additional 217 students, increasing Rollins’ residential capacity to house approximately 75 percent of College of Liberal Arts students on campus. Two of the three buildings will be named in honor of President Emeritus Grant Cornwell. “With East End, we’ve once again built a program, not just a place to live,” says Leon Hayner, assistant vice president and dean of students. “We’ve seen firsthand how living on campus transforms the student experience, and East End Neighborhood is another step in deepening that impact. By expanding our capacity, we’re ensuring that more students can benefit from the full residential liberal arts experience—a pillar of what makes Rollins so special.” Designed by Hanbury and constructed by Balfour Beatty with Olympia Development acting as owner’s representative, the new residential facility sits on the footprint of the former Bert W. Martin Tennis Complex, Holt Hall, and Campus Safety building, transforming this east corner of campus into a vibrant new hub for living and learning. “We’re continually investing in the future of the Rollins experience,” shares Hayner. “Every new community we build is a commitment to providing students with the spaces, resources, and relationships that allow them to get the most from their education and prepare them to lead meaningful lives.” With its thoughtful design, lakeside views, and integration of academic and social spaces, Rollins’ newest residential community is poised to become a cornerstone of campus life.
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Next-Level Living Open to second-, third-, and fourth-year students, East End will boast a variety of living options that balance independence with community, featuring a mix of single, double, and triple rooms. Select units will include private bathrooms, kitchenettes, and open-plan living spaces, while two staff apartments will provide on-campus housing for key residential life staff, ensuring dedicated support within the community.
Play, Recharge, Repeat East End Neighborhood will feature new outdoor spaces that bring recreation right to students’ doorsteps. Two tennis courts with pickleball striping and nets, plus a dedicated basketball half-court, will offer fresh opportunities for play, fitness, and connection. A south-facing courtyard will provide a scenic spot to unwind, blending active living and lakeside tranquility in true Rollins fashion.
Designed for Connection Student lounges on nearly every floor, many with sweeping views of Lake Virginia, will serve as inviting spaces to study and socialize, capturing the best of lakeside living and learning at Rollins. East End will house a fully equipped classroom outfitted with advanced instructional technology, from dual wall-mounted monitors to interactive whiteboards.
Safety at the Center Fuel for Thought East End will feature a 100-seat cafe with a host of grab-and-go options, making gathering, snacking, and connecting effortless. Residents will also have access to a communal kitchen within the Peg Cornwell Commons student lounge, where they can relax, meet up for a study session, cook community meals, and host small group events.
East End will also serve as the new headquarters for Campus Safety, providing a 24/7 hub dedicated to protecting and supporting the Rollins community. The expanded space reinforces the role of this critical resource in maintaining a safe, secure campus where diverse social, cultural, and academic values can thrive.
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Things I’M HEARING, LEARNING, AND LOVING ABOUT ROLLINS
By Brooke Barnett Photos by Elliott Kiernicki and Alex Stiner
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Over the past several months, I have had the privilege of learning from so many of you about the things that make Rollins such a special part of your lives. Your stories have deepened my understanding of what makes Rollins extraordinary, and your aspirations for your alma mater are helping power a vision for an even brighter future. As I continue on my Every Voice, One Vision listening tour, I wanted to share a few of the many things that I’m hearing, learning, and loving along the way.
YOU ARE WHAT MAKES ROLLINS GREAT. The very first thing I learned about Rollins? People power this place. You are what makes it exceptional. That lesson has been reaffirmed over and over as I meet more students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the College. It has been reinforced by the stories you’ve shared with me, and I’ve seen it over and over with my own eyes as I discover new elements of the Rollins experience.
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Rollins is an incredible place because of its people. In fact, when I despair about the current state of the world, I take some comfort knowing that there is a place like Rollins shining a light in the darkness.” — Annamarie Bryant ’16, who earlier this year completed a PhD in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame
2 The enduring wisdom of Mister Rogers
I have long admired Fred Rogers ’51 ’74H. In fact, years before Rollins was on my radar, I used to hand out Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood-themed note cards that carried the message, “You are special.” So it has been heartwarming to find Fred’s ethos of kindness and care embedded so deeply across this campus and community. I’ve witnessed the same commitment and attention that Fred had for all learners everywhere from our classrooms and labs to our residence halls and athletic fields.
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YOUR LOVE FOR ROLLINS RUNS DEEP. I’ve already come across so many stories that demonstrate your uncommon connection and dedication to the College.
CAREER-LONG COMMITMENT One of my first-year goals is to meet with every department on campus. Along the way, I’ve met dozens of faculty and staff who have dedicated their careers to Rollins—people like Annette Brown and Jackie White, who joined the College’s exceptional housekeeping staff on the same day nearly three decades ago.
TIES THAT SPAN GENERATIONS I love meeting students who have chosen to attend their parents’ alma mater because it speaks volumes about the enduring impact of Rollins’ transformative education. That’s why I was blown away to meet siblings Sydney ’26, Kalila ’26, and Trey ’29 Eckstein, each of whom has chosen to come to Rollins from their home in Bali, Indonesia, following in the footsteps of their father, Greg Eckstein ’89.
THE EDUCATED CHOICE Another indicator of the College’s quality and value is the number of current Rollins students whose parents work in higher education—students like Kalen Roberts ’26, a biochemistry and molecular biology major whose mother, Chanta M. Haywood, is provost and vice president of academic affairs at Coppin State University.
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Our uncommon commitment to service
It was fitting that SPARC Day was the first Rollins tradition that Tom and I were able to experience. I just love the idea that for two decades now one of the first things our students do when they get to Rollins is go out into the community and serve. It’s indicative of the College’s commitment to service, which is so tightly knitted into the fabric of the institution and the student experience. We were so inspired by our first SPARC Day that we organized a President’s Day of Service at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in October.
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My experiences as a Rollins alum, professor, and parent have shaped my identity, allowed me to enjoy the immense benefits of our supportive community, and given me the opportunity to give back to it as well.” — Studio art professor Rachel Simmons ’97 P’25, who has taught at Rollins for 25 years and whose daughter, Parker Boyette ’25, graduated this spring
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EVERY STUDENT HAS A CONSTELLATION OF MENTORS GUIDING THEM.
From faculty and staff to peer and alumni mentors, I have been so impressed with the network of support that Rollins provides every student. I was so inspired by the community’s level of care and commitment that I decided to start a new tradition at Convocation. At this year’s ceremony, we gave every new student a compass pin to serve as a reminder that if they ever feel like they’ve lost their direction on their journey through Rollins that there’s an entire community of guides ready to help them correct course and get back on track.
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WE’RE HELPING STUDENTS BUILD ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE. We know from research that students are significantly more successful in college and beyond when they take the knowledge and skills they are developing in the classroom and apply them through experiences like internships, research, study abroad, and community service.
INTERNSHIPS Internship experience is not only important preparation for success in the workplace, but it is also prioritized by employers when considering candidates. So I loved learning about how so many of our students spent their summers developing career-defining experience—students like Alex Koussev ’26, a business and economics double major, who worked as a business planning and performance management intern at Royal Caribbean.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COURSES A majority of employers say they are much more likely to hire a candidate if they have completed a community-based project, so it was incredible to learn that during the 2024-25 academic year, more than 700 students enrolled in nearly 60 classes that included service learning or a communitybased research project.
STUDY ABROAD
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH I love Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program, which gives our students the opportunity to partner with faculty on original research and develop a competitive advantage along the way. Students like Makenna Gary ’26 exemplify its impact—her research experience at Rollins helped her earn a coveted spot in the Rachel Carson Council’s National Environmental Leadership Fellows program.
We know studying abroad yields myriad benefits, from improved academic performance and higher graduation rates to better career outcomes. I’ve been amazed by the breadth and quality of the programs curated by our Office of International Programs, so it’s little wonder that Rollins ranks No. 5 among master’sgranting institutions in the nation for the percentage of students who study abroad.
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OUR DONORS HAVE MADE GIFTS WITH LASTING IMPACT. I can think of no better gift than the creation of an endowed scholarship or program that creates opportunities for our students in perpetuity. So I’ve loved discovering programs like Gateway Fellows, a funded internship program that helps our students gain the kind of experience that employers demand, and Women in Finance, which helps open doors to the financial services industry through oneon-one advising, internships, alumni networking, and more.
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Rollins has felt like home ever since I first visited campus at age 10. The academics challenged my way of thinking and broadened my horizons. I was able to explore the world through international programs, and I made lifelong friends. I even met my now wife in the campus center during my first year.” — Patrick Smith ’15, who returned to Rollins as safety and emergency planning manager following a 10-year active-duty career in the Navy
You really know how to make folks feel welcomed.
Tom and I are so thankful for the way this community has embraced us with open arms. Staff members worked so diligently to make Barker House feel like home. Faculty, staff, and students have helped us navigate campus and its many programs and assets. And alumni have welcomed us in cities across the country, with more to come this spring. You all have represented so well the culture of care and support that defines the Rollins experience. We will be forever grateful, and we can’t wait to return the favor. By the end of the year, we will have had the privilege of hosting nearly 1,000 people at Barker House, and we’re looking forward to welcoming every member of our community with the same warmth that you’ve shown us.
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THE ROLLINS NETWORK IS STRONG. I’ve traveled to nine states over the past few months as I’ve taken my listening tour on the road, and I’ve been floored by the strength of the Rollins network. I’ve cherished the opportunity to meet hundreds of loyal alumni and donors at formal gatherings, and it has been just as much fun to interact with passionate Rollins supporters through chance encounters on my travels. Whenever I’m traveling, I’m always decked out in Rollins gear and I always have a Rollins yellow suitcase in tow—a combination that has served its purpose as a catalyst for impromptu connections with Tars near and far. So if you ever see me in an airport or we happen to be on the same flight, please don’t hesitate to say hello.
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Our students are learning from the very best.
Exceptional teachers are the foundation of an exceptional education, and at Rollins, our students are learning from a world-class faculty. These teachers, scholars, and mentors are top in their fields, and our faculty’s vast collection of knowledge and experience is even more powerful when combined with their unparalleled commitment to the success of every Rollins student. Through discussion-based classes, one-on-one academic and career advising, and field studies halfway around the world, our faculty connect students to ideas, experiences, and opportunities, guiding them toward purpose-driven lives and productive careers.
Lend Your Voice to Our Shared Vision
My favorite part of Every Voice, One Vision has been hearing your stories—stories of perseverance, passion, and purpose that reveal what makes Rollins extraordinary. To those who’ve shared with me, thank you for shaping my understanding of our past, present, and future. To everyone else, I invite you to lend your voice to our shared vision.
Scan or visit rollins.college/my-why to tell me more about why you not only chose Rollins but what kept you on America’s most beautiful campus.
By Adrienne Egolf | Photo by Zach Stovall
The Past Is Present As a leader in the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Tina Osceola ’89 has worked to honor her ancestors and protect her tribe’s sovereignty for more than 20 years. When Tina Osceola ’89 speaks about her career, she doesn’t just talk about herself. She talks about the aunt who was the first in her family to graduate from college before her. She talks about the family members who helped her and her cousins follow in those footsteps. She talks about the generations of ancestors whose legacy she’s helping protect through her role with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. And she thinks about the generations who will come after her, taking their own part in this story. “It’s not a bad thing to feel small,” she says. “We carry so many ancestors with us, and we’re laying the groundwork for those who come after us.” Osceola, who studied political science at Rollins, had intended to become a lawyer, but her college experience opened up her worldview. “As I approached my senior year, I wanted to work, to do something real in the world,” she says. “The most important thing I got out of Rollins was the desire to never stop learning. I learned that real-life experiences were incredibly valuable.” She went to work for her tribe as the development and promotions coordinator at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, which was in the early stages of planning. In that role, she discovered she thrived in government and public service—a framework that launched her career. Eventually, she went back to grad school for a master’s in public administration and took a public affairs position in the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. She enjoyed the work, but after nine years, she was drawn back to the Seminole Tribe. As executive director of the museum and historic preservation, Osceola was inspired in new ways. “I’m only two generations away from great-grandparents who fought in the Seminole Wars,” she explains. “And here we are, not even two generations later, building a collection that tells those stories so they’ll never be forgotten. The last 21 years have been about building experiences and knowledge to help the tribe do better, do more—and protect our sovereignty at all costs.” Today, Osceola is the executive director of operations and the tribal historic preservation officer, overseeing 17 different departments and programs. She says the role, which is a federally defined position, is important not only for tribes but for historic
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preservation in the country as a whole. She points to repatriation as one of the biggest areas of growth, watching and helping as the Seminole Tribe has developed its position over time. “We were a big part of the ‘No More Stolen Ancestors’ campaign back in 2019, which put a spotlight on the issue,” she says. “The reality is that our ancestors’ remains were taken out of the state, studied, and even mutilated. They were sent all over the world. Now, the tribe is in a much stronger, more assertive position when it comes to repatriation, and we’re leading many of those efforts. That’s one of the most rewarding things I can take away from my time with the Seminole Tribe: to know we really made a difference, moving from being overlooked to leading the charge to bring our ancestors home.” Osceola says she still draws on things she learned at Rollins. She reflects on the encouragement she got from late president Thaddeus Seymour ’82HAL ’90H; she remembers opening her mind to new ways of thinking in English professor Rosemary Curb’s women’s studies class; and she thinks of putting issues in an Indigenous context while studying Latin American politics with political science professor Luis Valdes. “I saw so many parallels between Indigenous peoples in Latin America and our own communities,” she says. “Fast-forward to today, and we’re able to occupy that space. I don’t think I’d understand it to the degree I do now without Dr. Valdes’ classes.” Recently, Osceola was honored with Rollins’ Fred Rogers Global Citizenship Award. “It was a full-circle moment that made me reflect on balance—how you want your decisions to have a positive effect but also not hurt anyone,” she says. It’s given her an opportunity to reflect on her long list of achievements, the roles she’s played representing the Seminole Tribe, as an associate judge for the first Tribal Court, as executive director. And she’s also looking ahead to the legacy she’ll leave. “I started representing the tribe at a very young age,” she says. “Now, it’s time for me to open doors for others, just as others did for me. If 50 people follow that path, amazing. But if even one person does, I’ll feel like all the work was worth it.”
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Every ride, show, and spark of wonder at Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld begins with a great idea, and often, a Rollins graduate. From engineers and marketers to product developers and producers, our alumni are defining what’s next for the theme-park entertainment industry that fuels Central Florida and delights the world.
By Laura J. Cole ’04 ’08MLS | Photos by Elliott Kiernicki & Alex Stiner As students at Rollins, Spencer Lynn ’13 and Cass Yankala ’13 created a tradition all their own—part imagination, part strategy, and every bit as ambitious as the careers that followed. The challenge: Catch all three Walt Disney World fireworks shows in one night. The execution: anything but simple. Pulling it off required planning, speed, and just a little bit of pixie dust. Crowds, traffic, and rain could foil even the best-laid plans, and the shows’ schedules made the attempt possible only a few weeks each winter. But when the stars aligned, the adventure began at Hollywood Studios with Fantasmic!, continued with a sprint to the car to make Wishes at Magic Kingdom, and culminated in the final dash to EPCOT for IllumiNations. “Those fireworks challenges were legendary,” says Yankala. “We definitely had some failed attempts, but when we made it, we were on top of the world.” That blend of dreaming and doing—honed at Rollins— would come to define both their careers at the company.
Today, Lynn is a senior producer with Walt Disney Imagineering, having helped create everything from EPCOT International Festival of the Arts to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Yankala is director of marketing strategy for Disney+, where she helped coordinate the rollout of Hulu and ESPN content on the popular streaming platform. Both will tell you they chose Rollins in part for its proximity to the parks they grew up loving, but it was the College’s liberal arts ethos and real-world opportunities that sparked something deeper: the confidence to take flight, the skills to make wishes come true, and the drive to keep chasing that second star to the right. The self-proclaimed Disneyphiles are part of a growing cast of alumni drawing on Rollins’ signature approach to education to fuel Orlando’s renowned themepark industry that is shaping imagination worldwide.
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DREAMING AND DOING
“Putting on a show and opening a theme park are both just big group projects. Through round-table discussions and collaboration, Rollins taught me to work well with others and gave me a strong foundation to build on.” — Mariah Haskell ’22, Associate Engineer, Universal Creative
“You have to wear so many hats in these companies and be prepared for anything. Rollins did such a great job giving me a broad, holistic view of the world.” — Cass Yankala ’13, Director of Marketing Strategy, Disney+ 23 | FALL 2025 23 | SUMMER 2025
Before the park officially opened to the public this spring, Mariah Haskell ’22 held her mother’s hand as they walked through the main gate of Universal’s Epic Universe. On the way, they paused to marvel at the sky-high Chronos tower. “My mom was the first person in my family to see this project I worked so hard on,” says Haskell, tearing up as she recalls the memory. “Getting to see her face as she experienced this thing I helped create—it’s so rewarding. It’s become a formative memory.” For three years, Haskell helped perfect the show controls for Celestial Park, including Chronos, as an associate engineer for Universal Creative. Behind every moving light, orbiting ring, ethereal sound, and opening sequence for Chronos are the programs and electrical schematics necessary to make them work together to evoke the park’s characteristic sense of awe and wonder. It’s a blend of production and programming—the perfect pairing of Haskell’s Rollins training as a double major in theatre and computer science. “Putting on a show and opening a theme park are both just big group projects,” she says. “Computer science and my work with programmable logic controllers both involve using zeros and ones to bring ideas to life. Through round-table discussions and collaboration, Rollins taught me to work well with others and gave me a strong foundation to build on. That’s what has made me successful in this role.” Yankala likewise credits Rollins’ future-proof foundation with preparing her for a career that didn’t exist when she was in college. Streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu were in their infancy when she was at Rollins, and Disney+ launched six years after she graduated with a degree in critical media and cultural studies (CMC). She couldn’t have foreseen her current role working across marketing teams to coordinate campaigns and major initiatives, but she credits the versatility she developed at Rollins for her success. “You have to wear so many hats in these companies and be prepared for anything,” says Yankala, who dreamed of working for Disney since childhood. “We still have firsts. We don’t always know what teams will be needed a few years from now. Rollins did such a great job giving me a broad, holistic view of the world that’s been invaluable. My trajectory has been anything but linear, and that’s exactly how I was taught to learn.” Yankala thinks of working at Disney as liberal arts in practice. Every day, she collaborates with colleagues across disciplines, from tech and business to art and theater. Success requires a multidisciplinary mindset, a core part of her CMC major—and her thesis. For the latter, Yankala
James Blaisdell ’17 Actor | Universal Orlando Major Theatre Most Meaningful Rollins Mentor “David Charles gave us a foundational understanding of improv but also let us do impossible things like improvised monologues in iambic pentameter in front of a packed house at the Annie Russell night after night.” The Rollins Difference “Theme-park entertainment has changed in the eight years I’ve been in this line of work. It’s shifted away from scripted work and more to atmospheric, interactive entertainment. Every single day, I come in and make up new stuff off the top of my head and try to steer conversations. So much of that draws on my improv background.” Favorite Ride Monsters Unchained at Epic Universe Proudest Achievement “Playing Taylor at Poseidon’s Fury. It was just me and I had to tell the story in real time while running a timer in my head, so I hit each sound effect and voiceover, which was a pre-recorded track that started playing when you entered each room. It’s hard to imagine ever having a role top that.”
Celena Diaz ’18
Senior Aquarist | SeaWorld Orlando Majors Marine biology and environmental studies A Day’s Work “One hour I’m testing water chemistry, the next training sharks, cleaning habitats, or keeping detailed records. I’m constantly observing the animals’ behavior, watching for health cues, and literally diving in to keep our environments in top shape.” The Rollins Difference “Rollins gave me the foundation of challenging myself and not giving up on my dreams. That push was exactly what I needed. I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Favorite Rollins Memory “Going to the Bahamas and snorkeling alongside sea turtles for a field study was incredible.” Career-Defining Moment “Getting to live in Hawaii and work at Sea Life Park. It was an incredible experience that gave me what I needed to get to SeaWorld, which is one of the top aquariums in the world.” Proudest Achievement “Being part of the team that brought the first great hammerhead sharks to SeaWorld as part of a collaborative conservation effort with the Georgia Aquarium.”
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“Theme parks give us a safe place to ride waves of emotion. It’s not just permission to play. It’s permission to emote. As Imagineers, we’re charged with building meaning and experiences that last.” — Spencer Lynn ’13, Senior Producer, Walt Disney Imagineering
Devorah Burgess ’21
Assistant Archivist | Walt Disney Archives Major History Favorite Rollins Moment “Pancakes on the Porch at Pinehurst Cottage. “There was such a feeling of a home away from home on that porch.” Lasting Lesson “For my history classes, Professor [Claire] Strom had us read so many things. Now in my role, I’m reading so much all the time, and I use the contextual clues and skills she taught me in my work daily.” Career-Defining Moment “Having my first article published on the Disney archives’ blog—a behind-the-scenes look at the making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for the 70th anniversary of the film’s release.” Favorite Show IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at EPCOT Proudest Achievement “Being credited for my role in proofing The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland, an illustrated history celebrating the park’s 70th anniversary.”
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Stefanie Majoras ’07
Vice President for Merchandise Sourcing and Product Development Disney Consumer Products Major International business A Day’s Work “At the end of the day, I’m telling stories about movies and characters that people love and coming up with new and innovative ways to do that. A lot of that comes from partnerships with manufacturers, monitoring trends in innovation, and translating it all to new product ideas.” Lasting Lesson “As part of a final exam, we had to name each country and its capital on a blank world map. We were all freaking out, but I’ll never forget business professor Marc Fetscherin’s response: ‘How do you expect to be international business leaders if you don’t know the world?’ I’ve never forgotten that. It’s something I use with my team now. Different perspectives make you a better human, global citizen, and leader.” Favorite Merch “Ears and jewelry are my favorites, but I love the amount of creativity, community, and storytelling that go into trading pins.” Career Highlight “I got to fly up to New York and meet with Vera Wang and work with her team on designing ears, which was incredible.”
explored Disney’s “synergy roadmap,” analyzing how Walt built a self-sustaining ecosystem where TV, film, and theme parks all promoted one another. “At the time, he had The Wonderful World of Disney on TV, which promoted the opening of Disneyland, anchored by Sleeping Beauty Castle, which the animators were creating for the film studio,” she says. “It’s incredible that Walt had that foresight and that we continue to follow that model today.” Meanwhile, Lynn credits Rollins’ location for allowing him to pursue a theater degree while gaining real-world experience interning at Walt Disney Imagineering—a parttime role that turned into a full-time career. While reading a book as a child, he was introduced to the Imagineers—the people who build Disney’s attractions—and decided that’s what he would do. As a sophomore, he landed an internship with the fabled storytellers and spent the next few years splitting his time between Rollins and Disney. As a prop intern, he took photos, installed artwork across Disney Cruise Line ships, and even traveled to Hawaii to help put the finishing touches on Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa. “The nice thing was being able to pursue my dream of working in Imagineering while still doing my classes and theater at the same time,” he says. “I didn’t have to pick one over the other.”
Lynn has been shaping Disney’s immersive experiences ever since—and wouldn’t have it any other way. “Theme parks give us a safe place to ride waves of emotion that we typically don’t allow ourselves to have,” he says. “It’s not just permission to play. It’s permission to emote. As Imagineers, we’re charged with building meaning and experiences that last.”
A LEGACY OF IMAGINATION
So many Rollins alumni have helped build memories that last. As vice president for merchandise sourcing and product development at Disney Consumer Products—the global retail division of The Walt Disney Company—Stefanie Majoras ’07 leads teams that bring Disney stories to life. From shaping merchandise strategies to building global supplier partnerships, she ensures the magic of Disney’s iconic characters is transformed into tangible memories. She headed the team behind the viral rose-gold Minnie ears of 2017—a decision that expanded Disney’s classic headwear into a kaleidoscope of styles across characters, colors, and seasons. Though she once longed to live far from Central Florida, her path came full circle—and expanded—when a recruiter called her about an opportunity with Disney. At Rollins, Majoras dreamed of work abroad, especially in Asia. Her senior capstone on the Asian business
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environment included a trip to China and Southeast Asia, where she toured factories, met business leaders, and studied the region’s economy. “That exposed me to a whole other world—sourcing,” she says. Now, sourcing is a cornerstone of her work. She oversees global sourcing strategy and ensures that everything—from the park’s popular trading pins to the Key to Disneyland 70th anniversary collectible—arrives with the right quality, at the right time, and with the right storytelling intent. Her dream of working in Asia? It came true in its own way. “I never thought I would have more China passport stamps than any other country, but I’ve been there at least 100 times,” she says. “And I use my Rollins degree every single day. I studied international business with a concentration in marketing and the Asian business environment, and now I literally work in product development and global sourcing for the biggest entertainment company in the world.” Disney is one of Central Florida’s top three employers— alongside Universal—and Rollins grads are embedded throughout both organizations, including in top leadership roles. Trustee Jeff Vahle ’94MBA is president of Walt Disney World Resort, having overseen the development of Disney California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland. Eric Marshall ’91, senior vice president of North American destination sales for Universal Destinations & Experiences, has helped launch everything from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to the new Epic Universe in Orlando and the upcoming Universal Kids Resort in Texas.
May Phan ’21
Cybersecurity Engineer | The Walt Disney Company Major Computer science A Day’s Work “I protect Disney’s internal assets and report any potential vulnerabilities so developers can fix them.” Most Meaningful Rollins Mentor “Through Rollins’ Career Champions alumni mentorship program, I was matched with Mark Rudnitsky ’12, who was working at Disney as a cybersecurity engineer and helped me get a job with the company. Before that, I didn’t even know that breaking software was an actual job. But if you want to break something, you first have to understand it fundamentally.” Favorite Park Restaurant Tiffins in Animal Kingdom Career Highlight “Traveling to New York to test the broadcasting infrastructure for ESPN and ABC News. It’s different from regular software because you also have to consider the live feed and the satellites, and everything has to be very precise.”
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With such a strong legacy of leadership, it’s no wonder Rollins continues to attract students like Tiffany Roqueta ’28, who dreams of joining the industry’s biggest names. “I came to Rollins because of the alumni connection to Disney,” says Roqueta, a business management major who grew up visiting Orlando’s parks twice a year from New Jersey. “I wanted to understand why Rollins graduates value the company as much as I do—and the College has made it so easy to connect.” And connect she has. In addition to meeting recruiters at Career Expos and connecting with alumni on LinkedIn, Roqueta works part-time in the College’s business department, where she’s networked with Majoras and Lee Cockerell, former EVP of operations for Walt Disney Resort—both members of the department’s advisory board. She hopes to study abroad in Paris so she can visit Disneyland there and has taken classes from Writing about Pixar to Fandoms, where she presented on her lifelong love of Disney. In her business classes, she’s always looking for ways to connect her studies to her passions. “In accounting, I wanted to understand what money is coming in and what’s going out,” she says. “Why is the company making the choices it does? Being able to incorporate the thing I love into what I’m learning keeps me engaged and pushes me toward my goal.” Her goal? Become president of Walt Disney World Resort. It’s not so far-fetched. After all, Lynn, Yankala, and countless other Rollins alumni are proof that with the right preparation, drive, and skills, the dreams you dream really can come true.
Charles Stevens ’07
Music Specialist, Show Direction Universal Orlando Resort, Epic Universe Major Music A Day’s Work “I support six shows across four of the five worlds in the park. One day I’m in Dark Universe watching the Darkmoor Musician weave stories through violin, and the next I’m at Celestial Park, supporting different musical offerings that feature singers, drummers, violists, and saxophone players.” The Rollins Difference “Many of my professors were conductors for professional choirs and orchestras, studio session players, and even heads of organizations like the Orlando Opera. They knew how to connect what we were learning in class to our future careers. Their mentorship didn’t end at graduation either.”
Cass Yankala ’13
Director of Marketing Strategy | Disney+ Major Critical media and cultural studies A Day’s Work “We get to be the glue. We get to become the ones to help build the processes and the playbooks to make sure everybody has the big picture for the business to be successful.” The Rollins Difference “I was taught to walk into a room with an opinion and be able to defend it. At Rollins, the classes are small. You can’t hide. My major challenged me to play devil’s advocate and to challenge the thing that at the time meant the most to me personally, which is a hard place to stand. But gaining that confidence has done me a lot of wonders.”
Favorite Park Pastime “Watching little hands reach up toward Toothless as he soars over the crowd in The Untrainable Dragon, underscored by our drummers and singers.” Proudest Achievement “Helping arrange music, record backing tracks, and write scripts for the live music throughout Celestial Park.”
Favorite Disney+ Show WandaVision Career Highlight “The launch of Hulu and ESPN on Disney+. We had to figure out how to bring together the family-friendly, general entertainment, and sports catalogs across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. We also had to create the value propositions around its impact, market the launch, and communicate to our audience what was happening to their subscriptions.”
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By Adrienne Egolf | Photo by The Workmans
Policy With Purpose Guided by her Crummer foundation and a passion for equity, Patricia Winters Levesque ’95MBA has devoted her career to transforming education policy and empowering students across the nation. Patricia Winters Levesque ’95MBA wasn’t planning a career in educational policy when she started working as an advisor in the Florida legislature in 1997. But it wasn’t long before her perspective—and career trajectory—shifted. As letters and stories poured in from parents and students looking for help, she began to see how shifts in rules and regulations could lead to real outcomes. Today, Levesque—who recently won Rollins’ Distinguished Alumni Award—has built a legacy that may have surprised her as a Crummer Graduate School of Business student planning a career in health-care administration. It’s a testament to her determination to follow her passion and the transferable knowledge and skills she learned at Crummer that prepared her to succeed no matter the role or industry. “I fell in love with it,” she says, “the ability to make a difference in people’s lives through policy.” After graduating from Crummer, Levesque served in the Florida legislature for six years, working alongside the speaker of the house as the staff director of the House K-12 Committee and House Education Council. In 2022, she became deputy chief of staff and top education advisor for Gov. Jeb Bush. Looking back on that time, she points to more than a few impressive wins— among them helping establish the Bright Futures Scholarship for Florida students. But one example particularly stands out. Her office had become aware of a constituent whose highschool daughter was set to graduate. The father hadn’t realized that a decision made years earlier to place her on an alternative curriculum track meant she wouldn’t be earning a standard diploma. Levesque and her colleagues helped pass a law to ensure the same thing wouldn’t happen again, requiring separate parental consent before placing a child on an alternate diploma path or moving them to a special-needs school. It makes sense then that when it came time to transition out of government, Levesque stayed embedded in K-12 policy. As the CEO of ExcelinEd, she oversees a nationwide initiative to advance student-centered policy solutions that improve learning, eliminate inequities, and prepare grads for college and careers. “Reading policy is a major focus,” she explains, “because research shows nine out of 10 students who drop out of high
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school weren’t proficient readers by third grade. The outcomes are even worse for low-income students and students of color.” She points to what is referred to as the “Mississippi Miracle” as an example of how this work has led to tangible results. After implementing new policies that required schools to use sciencebacked, phonetic reading instruction, the state moved from 50th to ninth in the country for fourth-grade reading scores. ExcelinEd has helped usher in similar sea changes across the U.S. “There are now thousands of kids who have better trajectories because they know how to read,” she says, proudly. “This is the kind of stuff we love to work on. We’re always asking how we can make the system work better.” With Levesque at the helm, ExcelinEd has also helped inform phone-free schools and support school choice policies. Much of her success in both the government and nonprofit sectors, she says, is thanks to skills she learned early on as a student at Crummer. “The business and finance courses prepared me to handle budgets and planning,” she says. “But I especially loved the organizational behavior classes—learning how to work with different types of people.” Whether it’s been donors or policy leaders or colleagues, she says this ability to understand how people think is invaluable. In fact, at different points in her career, she has often used a personality assessment she learned at Crummer to help her staff understand and relate to each other more effectively. “In government and nonprofit work, collaboration and compromise are essential,” she says. “There are always competing interests, limited time, and limited resources. You have to stay clear about your mission and focus on achieving it.” Reflecting on her recent recognition, Levesque is humbled. “It’s such an honor,” she says. “It’s a privilege to receive an award from such an incredible institution. I often run into elected officials who are Rollins graduates, and there’s always a sense of camaraderie and fondness.” In the end, for Levesque, it all comes back to helping people solve problems. “In so many cases, we’ve truly changed the power dynamic for families,” she says. “I’m so proud of that.”
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By Kimberly Ashton | Photos by Elliott Kiernicki
FRAMING THE FUTURE For Leslie Anderson, every masterpiece tells a story of connection between artist and audience, teacher and student. As she takes the helm of the Rollins Museum of Art, she’s focused on access, discovery, and the power of art and education. Growing up just an hour from the Rollins Museum of Art (RMA), Leslie Anderson didn’t realize how close she was to the kind of art that could change a life. That understanding came years later, during a family trip to Spain, when she stood before masterpieces in Catalonia’s museums and felt what she calls the power of proximity—the electric connection of being face to face with great art. “It definitely made me more aware of the power of an object and being close to it,” she says. “And it was kind of a portal into a different time … really a kind of magical object.” Now, as the new Bruce A. Beal executive director of the Rollins Museum of Art, Anderson is working to bring that same transformative access closer to home. A respected scholar and curator whose career has spanned continents and disciplines, she brings a rare blend of academic rigor, creative vision, and executive experience to the museum at a pivotal moment. With a new stateof-the-art facility on the horizon, Anderson is uniquely positioned to guide RMA into its next chapter—one defined by access, collaboration, and community. “Leslie’s exceptional track record of transforming cultural institutions while maintaining scholarly excellence makes her the ideal leader to articulate and advance the vision of the Rollins Museum of Art, especially given her strength in contemporary art, which complements our world-class Alfond Collection,” says Don Davison, vice president for academic affairs and provost, who chaired the search committee. “Her ability to build meaningful partnerships across academic disciplines and her commitment to community engagement align perfectly with our institutional values and strategic goals.”
LEARNING LABORATORIES Anderson’s academic path toward museum work started as an undergrad at the University of Florida, where she studied history and earned a master’s in art history with a concentration on Renaissance and Baroque art. She first experienced the influential role of a teaching museum as a grad-student intern at UF’s Harn Museum of Art, where she saw firsthand how museums can bridge research and public understanding. “Academic art museums play a vital role in connecting scholarship and creative practice,” says Anderson. “They serve the campus and are so important in creating these sustained encounters with an object. They are fertile ground for research opportunities and teaching students about research. But they can also be the gateway for the public to understand the work that’s being done on that campus.” That early experience at UF became the foundation for her curatorial approach and her years as a professor at institutions like the Parsons School of Design and Indiana University Indianapolis, where she found fulfillment and meaning in helping students connect with art on a deeper level. She doesn’t view art museums simply as display cases but rather as dynamic partners in education—a philosophy and approach she now brings to RMA. “The new museum space will sit at the crossroads of campus and downtown Winter Park, right next to The Alfond Inn,” she says, “serving as both a classroom and a community hub—a place where learning doesn’t stop at the gallery wall.” Anderson’s experience as both an educator and arts administrator has made her a bridge builder. She understands how faculty research can inform exhibitions, how students can contribute to curatorial work, and how community members can learn and grow alongside them.
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THE ART OF ACCESS Anderson often returns in her mind to that formative trip to Spain as a reminder of how access to great art can ignite imagination and inspire purpose. Today, her goal at RMA is to make that spark available to anyone who walks through the museum’s doors. As the only teaching museum in the region, RMA offers something unique: a place where visitors and students alike can encounter art up close, learn from it, and even help interpret it. Anderson’s leadership comes at a time when the museum’s new home will physically and philosophically expand that access. “The new space is 2½ times larger than the current facility,” she says. “Our new galleries will serve as true ‘rooms of requirement’ that will allow us to display more of our exceptional collection, host interdisciplinary programs, and create spaces for dialogue and connection.” Anderson’s credentials suggest she’s more than up for the challenge. At Seattle’s National Nordic Museum, she oversaw the organization’s collections, exhibitions,
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and programming functions shortly after it moved into a new 56,000-square-foot facility and received a national designation by an act of Congress—changes that redefined the institution’s public role. She led the museum through the pandemic with acuity, launching over 100 hours of digital programming that reached viewers in 70 countries. And under her direction, membership surged as she introduced multisensory, experiential exhibitions like FLÓÐ (Flood), a collaboration with Icelandic musician Jónsi, that drew in new audiences. “When Leslie came to be chief curator, it really transformed the programmatic side of the museum,” says Erik Pihl, former chief development officer of the National Nordic Museum. “Her impact was legendary.” FLÓÐ became a benchmark for how contemporary art can evoke emotion, memory, thought, and environmental awareness. That same ability to connect vision to experience is what makes Anderson the right leader for this moment at RMA.
“Leslie’s combination of scholarly depth and administrative acumen makes her a rare find,” says Julie Frey, chair of RMA’s advisory board and a member of the search committee. “She understands both the intellectual and operational dimensions of running a world-class teaching museum.” Anderson is in the process of actively listening to both campus and Winter Park and Orlando residents about how the museum is serving them and what it can do to better engage them. She wants to take a close look at the intersection of exhibitions and programs and explore creative ways to bring them to life. “We don’t want to duplicate what other institutions are doing,” she says. “We want to complement them—to make Central Florida an even more vibrant place for art.”
THE NEXT ERA
Anderson’s career has taught her that a museum’s true measure lies in its ability to evolve. She has helped oversee major capital projects and navigated redesigns and reopenings with a focus on engagement and storytelling. Her educational and curatorial background—coupled with her MBA from Emory—gives her a 360-degree perspective on what it takes to expand not just a building but a mission. During an 18-month temporary closure for renovations at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts—where she served as the curator of European, American, and regional art—Anderson led the efforts to keep the community engaged. She partnered with libraries for programs while researching and fundraising for reimagined exhibitions, relaunching the museum with renewed purpose. “When you move into a new space, you’re not just thinking about where the art hangs,” she says. “It’s a complicated process but also an incredible opportunity—to reimagine how we engage the community, how we tell stories through objects, and how we teach from them.” With that same strategic creativity, Anderson is looking forward to showcasing more of the museum’s collection—including works by Gilbert Stuart, Maya Lin, and additional pieces from the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art—and collaborating with faculty and students on their research. She’s also planning to host major traveling exhibitions and interdisciplinary events that invite public participation. “It all comes back to access,” emphasizes Anderson. “The new RMA facility will let more people experience the inspiration I felt on that childhood trip to Spain while being in the presence of transformative art.”
A NEW HOME
Construction of the new Rollins Museum of Art facility is officially underway. On October 24, the College broke ground on its new downtown Winter Park home, which is scheduled to open in early 2028 and will usher in a new era of growth for the museum.
A LARGER FOOTPRINT
At 30,000 square feet, the new RMA will be more than double the size of the current facility, greatly enhancing the museum’s ability to present a wider range of exhibitions in both type and scale and increasing opportunities for learning and engagement.
PREMIUM PROGRAMMING
Anderson explains that a range of new spaces— from flexible workshops and galleries to dedicated study areas and classrooms—will allow RMA to host convenings of creative thought leaders and subject-matter experts. The space will also meet the technical demands of ambitious traveling exhibitions and can accommodate performance art, hands-on workshops, and interdisciplinary events.
PRIME LOCATION
RMA’s immediate proximity to The Alfond Inn, which displays works from the RMA’s Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art, will enhance guest access to the museum and facilitate community connections.
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By Robert Stephens | Photo by Elliott Kiernicki
Her Happy Place Dorea Mays ’16MHR already had a great job with a great company. Going back to college never crossed her mind. Now, she can’t imagine her professional life without the lessons she learned at Rollins. Dorea Mays ’16MHR has a lot of reasons to smile. After earning her master’s of human resources (MHR) from Rollins, her career soared within Rosen Hotels & Resorts, culminating in a promotion to vice president of HR. But the smile on her face comes from a deeper place. “I love my job,” says Mays. “I love the whole idea of human resources. I love this company and I love problem solving—I call it ‘my jam.’” Such affection could easily be lost in a sea of duties. Human resources at the Rosen organization encompasses not just its 4,000 associates but also a self-funded medical center, two preschools, an insurance company, a technology company, an aquatic and fitness center, a philanthropic foundation, and oh yes, seven hotels. Yet Mays brings genuine joy into her job every day. “I love the view from my office,” Mays continues, looking over the 12th hole at Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Course. “Golf is still a new game for me, but I love learning from my 55-and-over friends every time we play.” Mays’ love for learning and the purity of her happiness grows every day. She didn’t even know such love existed until she entered her first MHR class at Rollins. “When it came to employee relations, compliance, and HR business strategy, I’d been there and done that,” she says. “But what I didn’t expect from the program at Rollins was a shift from an HR mindset to a leadership mindset. That became the gold nugget for me.” To be clear, going back to college was not Mays’ idea. At the time she was the associate director of HR and a pillar in the Rosen organization. So, when a colleague asked if she’d ever thought about getting her master’s degree, her answer was a simple no. Neither of her parents had finished high school. But Mays did learn priceless life lessons from them: kindness from her father and spunkiness from her mother. Growing up on U.S. Navy bases, she also learned
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the value of developing relationships with people from diverse backgrounds. It took Mays 10 years to earn a degree in organizational communications from UCF while working full-time. She remembered draining her 401(k) to pay for tuition, and she remembered tests as “big and scary.” “I didn’t want to go through that again,” she says. “But I did start thinking, ‘what’s my next step?’ I dug around and found out Rollins offered the MHR, that I could take classes two nights a week after work and invest in myself. Honestly, I was a little apprehensive until my first class.” That’s when Mays met several women, also HR professionals, who quickly became the sorority sisters she never had. She actually enjoyed driving to Rollins after work, switching from heels to flip-flops, and learning in a personalized environment. “I discovered a lot about myself,” she says. “For all those years, I thought I was a good listener. It turns out, I wasn’t as great as I thought. Through the MHR program, listening became one of the most valuable tools in my toolbox. It’s made me a better problem solver and given me another layer of credibility as a leader.” The leadership layers have piled up since Mays completed her MHR. She’s been promoted to her VP role at Rosen. She launched her own LLC—Inergy20 Leadership, a pro bono consulting company—and earned a certificate in coaching. In 2024, the HR Florida State Council named Mays its HR Professional of the Year, and a year later the Orlando Business Journal honored her on its list of Women Who Mean Business. Her smile widens as she thinks back to that goldnugget moment at Rollins—the shift from HR manager to a leader who truly listens. It’s an approach that now defines her work, her purpose, and the future she’s building. And now we understand why she so freely opens up from that deeper place to say: “I’m loving it.”
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20 YEARS OF
SPARC DAY SPARKING PASSION, IGNITING PURPOSE
The annual day of service is a signature piece of the Rollins experience that inspires community connection and provides a key foundation for leadership and success. By Hannah Van Sickle | Photos by Scott Cook ’24MBA and Elliott Kiernicki After biking to campus the morning of August 20, 2022, Ricardo Pierre ’26 joined his fellow first-year students inside Rice Family Pavilion, everyone wearing matching royal-blue T-shirts. That year’s SPARC Day looked a little different. In a typical year, students would fan out across Central Florida, partnering with dozens of local nonprofits to serve the community firsthand. With on-site visits still restricted by pandemic precautions, the 900 SPARC Day participants on this August morning instead rallied together on campus around a single shared cause: eliminating hunger. Pierre got right to work carefully packing each ingredient for red-lentil jambalaya assembly-line style into zippered pouches in partnership with U.S. Hunger. Before the first hour was up, an informal competition took shape—to see which Rollins College Conference (RCC) could pack the most boxes for donation to United
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Against Poverty. For Pierre, the son of a Haitian immigrant whose mother modeled determination and resilience, this opportunity to contribute to something bigger than himself became an impactful way to drive meaningful, transformative change. “My SPARC experience put Rollins’ ethos of ‘Life is for Service’ into action,” says Pierre, a social entrepreneurship major who has participated in three subsequent annual days of service. His second year, he served as a volunteer. In 2024, Pierre played a key role behind the scenes as a student engagement intern tasked with coordinating all aspects of SPARC Day. This past fall, he facilitated a volunteer group doing invasive species removal at a local park. While his roles have changed, Pierre’s stance on giving back remains constant: “Service is a mentality that’s cultivated over time and begins by taking a single step.”
THE SCOOP
Each year during orientation, new Tars are introduced to the power of service through SPARC Day—a tradition that stands for Service, Passion, Action, Rollins College. Facilitated by the Center for Leadership & Community Engagement (CLCE), the College’s annual day of service kicks off the academic year by modeling how engaging in the community beyond campus is a core element of the Rollins experience. “Colleges don’t exist in isolation,” says Micki Meyer, Lord Family assistant vice president of student affairs for engagement and dean of Rollins Gateway. “They are part of a greater ecosystem and serve as anchors within communities that facilitate connection.” SPARC Day is part of a movement aimed at cultivating active citizenship—one that allows students to see the Rollins mission in action by learning outside the classroom in a real-world context alongside community partners whose work spans everything from early childhood education and environmental stewardship to food security and housing. “We have evolved over two decades by continually asking the community to identify their needs so we can walk and learn together in order to meet them,” says Meredith Hein, director of CLCE. Hein’s reflection echoes the model that has made SPARC Day so enduring: service that begins with listening, shared purpose, and genuine partnership. But even with that intention, service in action can be unpredictable—not unlike the first-year experience itself. Projects may shift, weather may intervene, and tasks may unfold differently than expected, which is all part of the learning experience. “Service requires teamwork, communication, trust, energy, adaptability, and excitement—all of which students experience alongside peers before ever stepping foot in a classroom,” says Sam Justice, assistant director of CLCE, pointing to how SPARC provides abundant learning opportunities while also helping others. “Everyone on campus has a SPARC Day story, a shared experience, which allows us to build a common language on campus around service and leadership.”
WHAT I’M LEARNING
Yhuvier Vazquez ’27, a transfer student drawn to Rollins’ diverse service opportunities, spent SPARC Day 2025 at Idyllwilde Elementary School. His experience of helping a kindergarten teacher
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organize materials for the upcoming school year was a powerful introduction to what Rollins values as a community. “SPARC made me realize that small acts of service can make a big difference,” says Vazquez, who has been seeking intentional ways to give back ever since. Starting his Rollins experience by connecting to a bigger purpose through teamwork set the tone for the kind of leader and person he wants to be: a future dentist with service at the center of his care. “Helping others improve their health, and sometimes their confidence, feels like a natural extension of giving back,” says Vazquez, who values community outreach, especially in underserved areas where access to care is limited. Pierre now serves as the most senior coordinator on the Immersion Planning Team, which facilitates service learning experiences that allow students to engage cultural, environmental, social, and political issues right at the source. It’s an organic evolution of his SPARC Day story—one that leverages his own leadership experience to help students like Vazquez become changemakers in their respective area of focus. His advice for getting started is simple. “Be authentic and contribute in the ways that you can,” says Pierre, whose ultimate goal is to contribute to the greater human good. "Each of us brings skills, experiences, and intersecting identities to the table that can benefit others.” After graduation, Pierre envisions working with mission-driven organizations to solve societal issues such as food insecurity and educational inequity. He has applied to the NobleReach Scholars Program as well as an internship at Second Harvest Food Bank and a full-time role at United Way Miami.
A FOUNDATION FOR LEADERSHIP
For international relations major Lucas Hernandez ’13, opportunities to serve others at Rollins became the foundation of a life and career grounded in meaning and purpose. “When knowledge is rooted in service, it becomes practical, relevant, and more easily applied across a wide variety of settings,” says Hernandez, skills training director for Microsoft Elevate, an initiative focused on ensuring that AI helps expand opportunity and solve real-world problems. That mindset took shape during one of his earliest moments as a student. Volunteering at an Orange County elementary school on SPARC Day offered an immediate, shared experience rooted in community—tidying green spaces alongside the grounds crew, stocking the food pantry, and seeing firsthand what it means to contribute in a meaningful way. This day of service became a launchpad for multiple Immersions, where Hernandez discovered
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BY THE NUMBERS Over the past two decades, SPARC Day has made a significant collective impact on the Rollins, Winter Park, and Orlando communities.
the changemaking potential of public policy and the power of grassroots community development—principles that continue to shape his life and career. “Leadership is about moving people and organizations to better places,” he says, pointing to the need for empathy, humility, and a deep understanding of the context in which people live and work. “Service not only cultivates these qualities, but it also teaches us to listen first, act with intention, and earn trust through decisive, informed action—exactly the kind of leadership SPARC helped instill in me.” For Sunny Toreihi ’20, one day of engagement at the Pace Center for Girls sparked a commitment to service focused on domestic violence and political advocacy through Rollins’ Bonner Leaders Program—a national philanthropic organization that empowers students to address today’s greatest challenges through community-based learning. She went on to serve in roles as an AmeriCorps Public Ally and interim operations director at People Power for Florida before pursuing law school at Florida International University. “When we think of building the next generation of leadership, it starts from the ground up,” says Toreihi, now an assistant county attorney with Broward County. As president of her law school’s Women’s Law Society, she identified a need for professional clothing among her peers and organized a donation drive to support students preparing for interviews and internships. “It’s a great example of the various forms of advocacy that can take place within a strong community,” she says. “No accomplishment or act is ever done alone, which is why we owe it to ourselves to think about how we can help one another.”
14,000+ Number of participants, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the College
56,000+ Number of hours contributed
100+ Number of nonprofits served
$1,250,000
Dollar equivalent to service provided based on the volunteer value of an hour between 2006 and 2025 ROLLINS .EDU | 40
Reunite • Celebrate • Thrive March 26-29, 2026
Return to Rollins for a weekend overflowing with the traditions you love and the memories you didn’t realize you missed. Alumni Weekend is where old friends feel brand new again and the Rollins spirit shines brighter than ever. Relive favorite moments at signature events like the Grove Party and make new memories at exciting additions debuting this year. A special congratulations to the class of 1976 on their 50th reunion and induction into the Order of the Fox Society. All alumni are welcome to join the festivities.
Learn More
Scan or visit rollins.edu/alumni-weekend to explore this year’s schedule.
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FEBRUARY 19, 2026 On Giving Day 2026, you can help Rollins students dream bigger, reach higher, and create lasting impact. Your generosity empowers students to discover who they are, what they love, and how they’ll change the world.
By Robert Stephens | Photo by Scott Cook ’24MBA
An Unbreakable Bond For Bryan ’78 and Pinkie Chace ’76, the personal connections to Rollins have never loosened—and now their planned gift will keep them strong forever. To truly understand why Bryan ’78 and Jane “Pinkie” Hutcheson Chace ’76 have decided to give back to Rollins through an endowment and their art collection, let’s spend some time in 1978, which for them is a montage of unfaded milestones. In May, Bryan graduated from Rollins. Five months later, he married Pinkie, his college sweetheart. After the wedding, despite hopes of anchoring themselves in Winter Park, the newlyweds moved to Bryan’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. At this point in their story, where it’s fashionable to say, “and they never looked back,” the exact opposite is true. “The job market in advertising was limited and hard to break into in the late ’70s,” says Bryan. “It’s all worked out,” adds Pinkie, “but there’s no telling what we might’ve done back then if there were as many opportunities in Central Florida as there are now.” Nearly 50 years separate then from now. There are 590 miles between Birmingham (where the Chaces still live and work) and the Rollins campus. It’s obvious, however, that the connections are as tightly woven into their daily lives as ever when they talk about the lessons, the friendships, and each other. “Rollins gave us some of the best years of our lives,” says Bryan. “The memories are still clear and the feelings are incredibly strong.” No memory is stronger than the night Bryan, then a sophomore, went out with a group of friends visiting from Vanderbilt and met this senior, a girl everyone called Pinkie. “I have never called her Jane,” says Bryan. “We talked for a long time and set up a date for the following night.” The dating stretched for two years. Bryan and Pinkie would play tennis daily, walk to Brandywine’s for lunch, and go to the beach on weekends. All along, and unknowingly, both were also building foundations for successful careers in advertising despite their different majors and goals. Bryan studied business and English. “I initially had aspirations to be a club tennis pro.” Pinkie studied painting and art history. “I wanted to work in an art gallery,” she says. “We had innocent dreams.” Through the liberal arts education at Rollins, they were able to adapt those dreams. Internships and study abroad programs enabled them to work with diverse groups of people in the real world. By the time the montage of 1978 came around,
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Bryan and Pinkie were ready to excel wherever they could find opportunities. Birmingham became the “where.” For the next several decades, Bryan would work as a writer and creative director for ad agencies, magazines, and for his own company. In 2017, he merged his talents with his passion for giving back and began working for the United Way of Central Alabama. Pinkie, after earning promotions to senior art director for several agencies, also shifted into something she’d wanted to do for years: earn a master gardener certificate. Five years ago, she started her own horticultural business. “I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do all I’ve done if it weren’t for my experiences at Rollins,” she says. “Times change and styles change,” says Pinkie, “but the character of Rollins that meant so much to us is the same.” That’s what came to mind in early 2024 while they planned a trip to Egypt. “We needed to update our wills before leaving,” says Bryan. “We’d never figured out how to structure a bequest, but we did know we wanted to make a contribution to Rollins—one that in theory can live in perpetuity and establish a legacy.” After several conversations with the planned-giving team, the Chaces received an email with final details during a layover in Rome on their way to Egypt. There in the airport, they signed the document before boarding their flight to Cairo. Their gift to Rollins sets up a generous endowed fund to help students in Rollins’ art and English departments experience learning opportunities outside the classroom. The Chaces are also assured that Rollins will use their art collection for a combination of exhibition, teaching, and auction so proceeds can go back into the endowment. Even their pop art, some of it created by designers of album covers, sparks vivid reminders of Rollins. “It’s easy to remember the art and the music,” says Bryan. “The minute you walked into your dorms, you’d open the windows, plug in your stereo, and blast some tunes. The Doobie Brothers, The Spinners, …” “Fleetwood Mac,” says Pinkie, as if the music is playing. They name bands until Bryan finds a pause. With it, he ties together the past, present, and future. “The endowment provides us another lasting connection to Rollins,” he says, “and that gives us a sense of peace.”
The Chaces’ endowment will give Rollins art students more opportunities to put what they’re learning in class to work in the real world—like Cameron Robinson ’19 did during her internship with SNAP! Orlando.
6 BENEFITS OF DONATING PERSONAL PROPERTY Beth Fontes, Rollins’ executive director of planned giving, shares a few reasons why donating personal property—like the Chaces have done with their art collection—embodies the mutual goodness of giving. 1. Immediate Support Organizations can use gifts like artwork, antiques, or collectibles or sell them to benefit the organization. 2. Tax Deductions Donors may receive a charitable deduction based on fair market value. 3. Estate Planning Tool You support a meaningful cause while reducing the size of your taxable estate. 4. Preservation of Legacy Items may be displayed or archived, preserving your story. 5. Avoiding Capital Gains Tax If the item has appreciated in value, donating it helps avoid capital-gains taxes. 6. Creative Giving This method offers a unique way to contribute beyond cash or securities. To learn more, contact Beth Fontes at 407-646-2508 or email efontes@rollins.edu.
CLASS NEWS Across the Arts Entrepreneur and author Beverly Kievman Copen ’58 is the subject of the biography Why Not? Always Ask for What You Want by Teri Leigh Rouse. Charles Race ’75 won third place for best original script at the inaugural Jollywood Film Festival in Orlando for his work Johnny One, a screenplay about Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Waldron. Liz Svatek ’92 published her debut book, Finding Your Diamonds: Heal the Girl and the Warrior Appears, which became an Amazon bestseller. Amber Carlson ’04 authored Torch: Ignite Teams. Forge Legacy., a leadership development guide recognized as a No. 1 bestseller in business leadership training by The Enterprise World. Tocarra Mallard ’10 has co-written If Objects Could Talk, a new family podcast by Getty that explores art and antiquities through imaginative storytelling. Ana Vega ’25 was featured on WLRN’s Entre Mujeres, where she discussed her experience writing her honors thesis during an interview conducted entirely in Spanish.
Gatherings & Milestones Celebrating decades of friendship, more than 20 alumni from the classes of 1965 to 1969 gathered in Vero Beach for their annual reunion organized by Nancy Hopwood ’68 and Bill Hartog ’69 ’72MBA. Adelia Birdsong Chambers ’03 earned a doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University. Jordan Moos ’15 and Caroline Hodson Moos ’17 were married in St. Barts, French West Indies, surrounded by fellow alumni. Drew Phillips ’14 officiated, with Andrew Hambleton ’14 as groomsman and Hannah Kirby ’16, Sophie Clark Mondor ’17, and Mary Callaghan Rome ’17 as bridesmaids. Lily Garnett Haley ’17 married Austin Haley at The White Room in St. Augustine, Florida. Moses Reed Andary ’22 and Sara Jessica Cohen ’24 were married on March 22 at the Country Club of Orlando. The couple met during Cohen’s first semester at Rollins. Addiel Perez ’22 graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and will join Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in New York as an associate in the Energy & Project Development group. Monica Saad ’22 completed her law degree at Stetson University College of Law with a concentration in social justice advocacy. She has accepted a position with the 6th Circuit Public Defender’s Office in Florida. Amy Hills ’23 earned a master’s of science in strategic leadership from the University of Charleston while serving as an assistant softball coach. During that time, the team advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series. Parker Boyette ’25 and her mother, studio art professor Rachel Simmons ’97, recently exhibited their artwork in concurrent shows at the Rollins Museum of Art.
Honor Roll David Lord ’69 ’71MBA was presented with the 2025 Spirit of Colorado Springs Lifetime Achievement Award on September 25 during the State of the City event. The honor is the city’s highest recognition, celebrating his years of service, dedication, and philanthropy.
Founded by Lindsay Muscato ’07, TELETIES was named one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, ranking No. 2,805 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list.
Adis Vila ’74 received the 2025 Andristine M. Robinson Champion Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity from Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society.
Cass Yankala ’13, director of marketing strategy at Disney+, is celebrating 10 years with The Walt Disney Company and has been named to Media Play News’ 40 Under 40 in Digital Entertainment, a list honoring rising leaders in the industry.
Jeff Storer ’75 earned the Omicron Delta Kappa’s 2025 Pillar of Leadership Award in Creative and Performing Arts for his leadership in theater and excellence in artistic endeavors. Through his work founding Manbites Dog Theater and his professional directing career, he has led more than 150 productions.
Keehle Amicon ’19 received first place in the NYIPLA Hon. William C. Conner Writing Competition for her paper on trademark law and the First Amendment. Following her graduation from New York Law School, Amicon joined BakerHostetler as a first-year associate.
Gerald Ladner ’81 is the recipient of the 2025 Raymond Mauk Leadership Award, presented by the Insurance Council of Texas. Jesse Walls ’12MBA and his wife, Cheri, were in attendance.
Riley Hoffer ’20 was selected as one of the 2025 Orlando Real Producers magazine’s 35 Under 35 winners.
Neil S. Cohen ’95 was named a finalist for real estate attorney of the year at the 2025 New England Legal Awards. Cohen is president and managing partner at Barsh and Cohen, P.C., in Boston.
Akheem Mitchell ’23 has been chosen as one of only 10 students nationwide by the Legal Defense Fund to join its Marshall-Motley Scholars Program for future civil rights leaders. He is attending law school at Florida A&M University.
Diplomacy in Action Kyle Davis ’14 has spent the past decade protecting presidents and navigating high-stakes diplomacy as a U.S. Secret Service agent. Now stationed in the U.S. Consulate in Canada, the political science major and former Marine draws on lessons from crew, the classroom, and campus life to serve with passion and purpose. You don’t realize how much Rollins’ round-table discussions prepare you for life. Learning how to listen, think critically, and navigate meaningful conversations has shaped what I do. — Kyle Davis ’14
Making Moves Susie McClintock ’95 was appointed chief human resources officer of InCommunity, a Georgia nonprofit supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Tonia King ’03 ’05MA was promoted to senior vice president at ROI Communication, an internal communications and employee engagement consultancy. Kewan Smith ’04MBA joined Palm Beach Symphony as its first director of development and will lead the symphony’s strategic plan and drive donor solicitations. Yvette Kojic ’07 recently started a position as the associate director of education and engagement at Asolo Repertory Theatre. C.J. Maier ’11MBA was appointed chairman of the Central Florida Expressway Authority governing board, which oversees the region’s network of expressways. A meeting with William Glass ’14, cofounder of the financial literacy app Ostrich, helped inspire Laird Miller ’28 to develop RentalCalc.ai, a real estate software product. Glass and fellow Ostrich co-founder Andrew Holliday ’13 have engaged with over 1,000 Rollins students since 2020. Emma Webb ’19 joined Visit Denver as social media manager, building on her years of experience at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. As a content producer for the NBA G League, Lauren Mark ’20’s coverage of player arrivals during the 2025 playoffs was featured on the NBA app.
Nicole Solomon ’21 started a new position as a residence hall director at the University of Florida. Riley Hann ’21 ’22MBA was promoted to associate director at RVR Consulting Group in Winter Park, where he began as an intern while attending the Crummer Graduate School of Business. Grace Dance ’23 ’25MA joined the Rollins Institutional Advancement team as an alumni engagement coordinator. She recently earned her master’s in strategic communication from the Hamilton Holt School, receiving the Outstanding Graduate Student in Strategic Communication award at commencement. Alise Fortune ’24 spent the summer as a development team intern at Sojourner House. She is pursuing a PhD at Brown University, where her research focuses on women of color and sexual and gender minorities of color. Valedictorian Sydney Boswell ’25 began a position as a city planner with the City of Lake Mary. Camila Cramer Felici ’25 completed her part-time role at Seacoast Bank and began a new position in Miami as a digital channels coordinator at City National Bank of Florida. Bellamy Martin ’25 recently started a position with City Year Orlando, a nonprofit that mentors elementary and middle-school students in low-income schools across Central Florida.
Career Crescendo Ryo Hasegawa ’19 continues to hit high notes in his musical career. Recently appointed assistant conductor of the Charleston Symphony, Hasegawa was promoted after leading the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra to a milestone debut at Carnegie Hall. He credits Rollins with launching his conducting career by providing ample podium time and a global network that continues to shape his professional journey. I wouldn’t be who I am without all the support and friendship and professors who believed in me at Rollins. Gratitude is the biggest feeling I have. — Ryo Hasegawa ’19
Architecting Connections Sophia Foster ’24 earned a spot in the British Council’s Venice Fellowships Programme, where she spent a month immersed in one of the world’s most prestigious cultural festivals—the Venice Architecture Biennale. As part of her placement at the British Pavilion, she contributed to the 2025 commission Geology of Britannic Repair and developed a personal project exploring the intersection of art, poetry, and social healing. This work continues to shape her curatorial practice today as she pursues her master’s in curation, contemporary art, and cultural management at the University of Exeter.
My Rollins experiences studying abroad and contributing to communities through the Bonner Leaders Program taught me how to communicate and to authentically connect with and learn from people with different lived experiences from my own. — Sophia Foster ’24
In Memory Joanne (Dilley) Dannemiller ’51 P’79 August 23, 2025
Wilburt H. Blatter ’76 July 26, 2023
Betty (Rowland) Probasco ’51 June 30, 2025
Angela L. Lloyd ’76 January 1, 2024
Charles L. Belew ’53 May 22, 2025
Jeffrey H. Oetjen ’76 March 1, 2025
James A. Krisher ’53 P’88 April 9, 2025
Sarah T. Royston ’77 August 23, 2025
Nancy (Siebens) Binz ’55 October 8, 2025
Wayne L. Wood ’77 ’78MSM March 6, 2025
Shirley (Malcom) DeVaughn ’55 September 21, 2025
Ruth H. Zimmerman ’78 June 20, 2024
Charles M. Weisman ’56 September 17, 2024
Denise F. Kelce ’79 May 21, 2025
Barbara J. McIntire ’58 May 5, 2025
Robert E. Hartmann ’79 ’06MBA July 17, 2025
Margaret (Carmichael) Paull ’60 June 12, 2025
Geraldine M. Thompson ’80 September 21, 2025
Michael C. Maher Esq. ’63 October 1, 2025
Donald D. Freeman ’81 May 4, 2025
Middleton Elliott Randolph Jr. ’65 November 21, 2024
Judith A. Coffie ’85 ’89MBA April 18, 2025
Samuel A. Martin ’67 ’73MSM December 18, 2024
Cheryl (Krisher) Nesbitt ’88 March 2, 2025
Cynthia G. Grubbs ’72 ’74MED May 25, 2025
Thomas M. Byrne ’14 September 21, 2025
Scott J. Sindelar ’73 September 23, 2025
Mary Olivia Matthews ’15 August 3, 2025
Donald R. Shattler ’75 ’77MSCJ August 28, 2024
STAY IN THE KNOW You don’t have to wait for the magazine to stay up to date with your classmates. Keep an eye out for our monthly Class News feature in the FoxFlash newsletter.
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49 | SUMMER 2025
By Rob Humphreys ’16MBA | Photo by Elliott Kiernicki
What I’ve Learned: Gaileon Thompson Gaileon Thompson ’01 ’03MBA knew it was time. A strong student in high school, she had lost focus at the University of Texas, dropped out, and entered the workforce. A few years later, after getting bypassed for a promotion, she stood at a crossroads. “I didn’t have a degree,” she says, “and it was holding me back.” Thompson enrolled in the Hamilton Holt School, then earned an MBA at the Crummer Graduate School of Business with a dual concentration in finance and accounting. A week before graduating with honors, SunTrust interviewed her for a senior role. “We spent the whole hour talking about my practicum with the Shanghai Garment Trade Association,” says Thompson. “I’m convinced that was the thing that got me in the door. It was a great way for me to demonstrate my critical-thinking skills, and it really helped me stand out.” Thompson is now managing director/head of finance for Wells Fargo’s Branch Systems & Transformation team, a role in which she is leading the revitalization of one of the country’s largest banking infrastructure networks. She previously held leadership positions at Citi and SunTrust and serves on the board of the Association for Financial Professionals. At Crummer, she sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board and endows a scholarship for veterans in honor of her late father, a pilot in the National Guard. We recently caught up with Thompson to discover how Rollins transformed her career trajectory and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
I probably came back to college with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Rollins was my redemption. I needed to prove to myself, and to my dad, that this was the real me. Rollins provided a well-rounded balance. The Crummer experience isn’t all math classes or spreadsheets. We were talking about how to engage with other people and how to develop critical-thinking skills. Those are the keys to success. It’s important to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because it’s in those moments that you actually grow and find out what you’re made of. If you can learn to embrace discomfort and realize that you don’t have to know everything all the time, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish. Having a liberal arts background allowed me to chart my own path in financial planning and analysis and figure things out on my own. Any gaps I had in my formal, on-the-job training, I was able to augment because I had that background. I was able to seek out answers to fill those gaps. Finance professionals are usually so left-brained and analytical. I don’t think like that. I try to have 360-degree vision to understand what’s coming at me and from which direction. When building a team, I want people who can find the answers and figure out the best ways of doing things. It’s much less about “can you prove to me you’ve done this same thing before” but, rather, “do you have the aptitude and curiosity and want to roll up your sleeves and figure it out?” I want someone who is constantly questioning and trying to understand. I made the leap into health care in October 2019, and the world turned upside down six months later. Navigating those challenges proved I could persevere, and since then, I’ve realized there’s little in the corporate world I can’t overcome. Because of my dad, Col. Walter L. Thompson, I’ve always had a soft spot for veterans. He supported my education financially. So if there’s someone who needs an extra little something to go back to school or take that extra class that helps them finish early, that’s why I decided to create the scholarship in his name. I feel genuinely blessed for the experience I had at Rollins. I have no doubt it’s led to the success I’ve had in my career. It’s also helped me as a person. When you’ve had that experience, how do you not want to do the same for others? ROLLINS .EDU | 50
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Tocarra Mallard ’10
Cass Yankala ’13 Gaileon Thompson ’01 ’03MBA Ryo Hasegawa ’19
Spencer Lynn ’13
William Glass ’14
Morgan Colley ’17
BUILD YOUR ROLLINS NETWORK Reconnect with classmates. Forge new professional connections. Discover alumni in your area. The new Rollins alumni directory is your exclusive gateway to the global network of more than 40,000 Tars. Whether you’re seeking career advice or simply want to relive shared memories, the secure, alumni-only platform helps you find fellow Tars by searching for everything from name and class year to geographic location and career industry. It’s more than a tool—it’s a bridge to the past and a resource for your future. Visit rollins.college/alumni-portal to start building your Rollins network.