Connection At A Glance Spring 2021

AT A GLANCE

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UWF PROFESSOR COMBINES PASSION FOR MARINE LIFE, PUBLIC HISTORY TO IMPACT COMMUNITY

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ALUMNUS USES PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO ADVOCATE FOR DISABILITIES

Inside Spring 2021

AT A GLANCE

PRESIDENT Dr. Martha D. Saunders VICE PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Howard J. Reddy ADVANCEMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS Missy Grace ’10 Claire Stewart Katie Schutts

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Megan Gonzalez ’09, ’15 MANAGING EDITOR Brittany Sherwood ’14 SENIOR EDITORS Tom St. Myer Brittany Swinford ’11 DESIGN STRATEGY & LAYOUT Jennifer Peck ’08 DESIGN Lacey Berry ’12 PHOTO DIRECTION & PHOTOGRAPHY Bernard Wilchusky Joe Vinson PHOTOGRAPHY Morgan Givens ’18 PROJECT MANAGERS Michael LeFevre ’17 Colton Currier ’18 WRITERS AND EDITORS Allison Morgan Leonor Roper ’18 Claire Stewart CONTACT US Web uwf.edu/alumni Email alumni@uwf.edu Phone 800.226.1893 Mail UWF Alumni Association, 11000 University Pkwy., Building 12, Pensacola, FL 32514 TO GIVE Online uwf.edu/give

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

3 LETTER FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT

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NEWS & NOTES

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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: DR. JAMIN WELLS ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: DR. JR HARDING CLASS NOTES

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P R E S LET T ER

Alumni and Friends,

W

hen I reflect on this past year, the first thought that comes to mind is “unbreakable Argo spirit.”

I am immensely proud of how the University of West Florida adapted in the face of the unknown. We worked together, prioritizing the health and safety of our campus community without compromising the high-quality education expected from UWF. 2020 challenged us in ways we could have never imagined.

Yet, we refused to let that stop us and instead focused on growth and opportunity.

We achieved numerous notable successes, like being named a Great College to Work For for the eighth year, as well as ranking as a top public regional university in the South

by U.S. News and World Report. We were also once again recognized for inclusive excellence with the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award from INSIGHT into Diversity Magazine and earned the Gold-level Military Friendly distinction for 2020-2021.

Our successes would not be possible without the support of our Alumni and Friends. Thank you for always showing your Argo Pride. Once an Argo, always an Argo!

LETTER

From the President

Sincerely yours,

Martha D. Saunders, Ph.D. President of the University of West Florida

V P L E TTE R

News & Notes Letter from the

Vice President ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,

Although 2020 presented unparalleled challenges to our collective experience, it also empowered us to deliver our very best.

As a University community, we learned new, creative ways to teach and learn online as well as in a physically distanced environment. Our alumni demonstrated a renewed sense of the Argo Spirit by engaging in virtual events and joining our new Sustaining Alumni Membership program. In navigating both a global pandemic and a destructive hurricane, we prioritized lifting each other up. We stayed the course, and continue to stretch our understanding of what is possible. Onwards and upwards! Go Argos!

Howard J. Reddy Vice President for University Advancement 3 Spring 2021

President Saunders awarded contract extension, honored at local, state level After leading the resilient University community through an especially challenging year, President Saunders was given a contract extension through the end of 2021. Awarded for her strong leadership, Saunders was named one of Florida’s 500 Most Influential Leaders by Florida Trend Magazine and also joined exclusive company as a Pinnacle Award recipient from 850 – The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida.

N E WS & N OT ES

Ranked among best public regional universities For the second consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked UWF among the best public regional universities. UWF was the only university in the state of Florida in the top 15 of the Top Public Schools in the South.

UWF was awarded five Best Colleges award badges: Regional Universities; Top Public Schools; Social Mobility; Best Colleges for Veterans; and Most Innovative Schools.

Recent news from the University of West Florida

BY LEONOR ROPER ’18

Roots planted as a Tree Campus USA

President Saunders and the UWF community welcomed the Sons & Daughters of the American Revolution to the Pensacola campus to plant two new trees as part of the school’s inaugural Arbor Day celebration on Nov. 21, 2019.

The Arbor Day Foundation acknowledged UWF as a Tree Campus Higher Education for 2019 and 2020. UWF met the five core standards for effective campus forest management including establishing a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and sponsorship of student service learning projects.

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National champions celebrated The football team was honored at a ring ceremony to commemorate the 2019 national championship title on Oct. 16 at the Blue Wahoos Stadium. Athletics Director Dave Scott and Head Coach Pete Shinnick, along with select student-athletes, shared inspiring words to celebrate the achievement as players and coaches received their customized rings.

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N E WS & N OT ES

UWF again named Gold-level Military Friendly school The University of West Florida was recognized as a gold-level University in the large public school category in the annual Military Friendly Schools list for 2021-2022. For the second consecutive year, UWF was the only large, public school in Florida to earn the gold distinction for success in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, rewarding careers in the civilian world.

Awarded $6M grant to lead national cybersecurity workforce development program UWF will lead a coalition of 10 institutions designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity in establishing a program to address the critical national shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. The National Security Agency selected UWF to oversee the program, which will launch in the spring and be funded by a two-year, $6-million grant.

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Faculty Spotlight

Dr. JaminWells

Two loves collide, leading history professor to UWF

BY TOM ST. MYER

D

r. Jamin Wells grew up in Rhode Island immersed in marine life. Raised by parents who started the first dive team in the area and later opened a dive shop, Wells began diving by age 10 in the cold, murky New England water and spent his youth spearfishing, racing sailboats and diving on shipwrecks. He first earned a paycheck as a dive instructor and then paid for graduate school by dredging marinas and building docks. “I was on a tugboat at 2 a.m., reading about history and theory, while building marinas and doing really physical work,” said Wells, UWF Digital Humanities Lab director and assistant professor of history. “These two worlds I loved collided on that tug.”

Wells completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Rhode Island and his doctorate at the University of Delaware. He expected to return to his hometown and work alongside his father, who by then had sold the dive shop and opened a mooring business.

“The job market is incredibly competitive in history,” Wells said. “I always felt I could go work for the family business or do other maritime careers. I didn’t go into my graduate programs thinking I had to get an academic job. I always thought I would be the most educated mooring guy in Rhode Island.”

Instead, Wells taught history at two high schools in New Orleans before accepting a position at UWF in 2016. He teaches courses in local, environmental, digital and 7 Spring 2021

“I met a lot of interesting folks and heard some colorful language, but I learned a lot about honest work and making an honest living.” public history, along with overseeing the Digital Humanities Lab. In 2020, Wells somehow balanced his teaching load and family life while publishing his first book, “Shipwrecked: Coastal Disasters and the Making of the American Beach,” and sharing his expertise with the community for an Achieve Escambia Cradle-to-Career initiative. At the same time, he launched the Gulf Coast Digital

History Project, which allows users to explore thousands of digitized photographs, maps and other historic documents, along with a curated list of books and articles.

His extraordinary work ethic resonates from those formative years performing backbreaking labor on the tugboat, with blue-collar men who embraced the future professor as one of their own.

“I met a lot of interesting folks and heard some colorful language, but I learned a lot about honest work and making an honest living,” Wells said. “Those were some of the best years of my life...so far.”

Alumni Spotlight

Dr. JR Harding

Professor, disability advocate, published author, policy influencer and industry consultant

’93

How did UWF support you and shape your future?

Going to UWF was monumental for me. It gave me the chance to live up to my own expectations. It was the place and time in my life that I learned how to advocate and work with politicians to make a significant impact on the lives of persons with disabilities. At UWF, I cofounded a group called Students with Alternative Needs and helped design the first accessibility transition plan and reshape numerous buildings on the UWF campus like the library.

How have you changed as a person as a result of your paralysis?

Today, I live by a simple philosophy: living with a severe disability can be and is a normal part of life. I refuse to be excluded from any economic, political, cultural or educational activities. I no longer feel helpless, deprived

BY ALLISON MORGAN

or excluded. Discrimination is now only an abstract term that I do not feel or encounter, except for the occasional curb or flight of stairs. Through mutual care, love and support of my fellow persons, my paralysis is merely a fact of my life, no longer the bondage I once considered it.

How do you continue to advocate for persons with disabilities?

Through advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, I work collaboratively with federal and state agencies to ensure laws are implemented and enforced. I also continue to educate others and provide guidance on Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA standards, for universal accessible design—for corporations, businesses, industries, community developers, architects and residential and commercial builders. I bring a functional understanding of these standards due to living, working and traveling with a significant disability for more than 30 years.

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CLASS NOTE S

Class Notes 1970s ’73 William G. McGinnis, MPA; McGinnis was re-elected to his eighth four-year term as a trustee for the Butte-Glenn Community College District in Chico, California.

He recently co-authored a chapter in the new book entitled Team Leadership in Community Colleges, and is starting his 10th year as a board member for the California Educational Facilities Authority.

1980s ‘80 & ‘82 Alonzie Scott, B.S. Leisure Studies, M.S. Leisure Studies; Scott, a UWF trustee, recently accepted a position as director of mission support for the Office of Naval Research, located at the Pentagon.

He oversees and coordinates business, operations and services functions for the organization, which is responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. ’84 Stanley Harper, B.A. Communications; Harper was named a “top influencer” by the American Diabetes Association in July 2020, recognizing his significant advocacy work on behalf of the ADA to the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. 9 Spring 2021

’86 & ’88 Robert K. Doyle, B.A. Accounting & M.Acc.; Doyle received the Community Service Award from the Leadership St. Pete Alumni Association, recognizing his significant continuous service. ’88 Adam J. Dymecki, B.A. Criminal Justice; Dymecki was promoted to director of sales at MFG Chemical, a leader in specialty chemical contract manufacturing.

1990s ’90 Susan B. Brofford, B.A. Elementary Education; Brofford was named Teacher of the Year in New Milford School District (New Jersey).

Brofford is a district-wide science enrichment teacher for grades K-5 and teaches coding for all students in grades 2 through 5. ’90 Greg A. Caples, B.A. Accounting; Caples was named CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, North Carolina. ’90 William A. Cleary, MBA; Cleary joined ServisFirst Bank Pensacola as vice president of commercial banking. ’90 Alan C. “Chris” Eastman, B.S. Building Construction; Eastman was promoted to vice president of operations at Suffolk’s Tampa/ St. Pete location. Eastman will be managing its Gulf Coast operations. ’90 Lori K. Kelley, B.A. Accounting; Kelley was appointed to the Northwest Florida State College District Board of Trustees by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. ’92 Dr. Traci E. Clemons, B.A. Mathematics; Clemons has been

promoted to chief research officer at Emmes, a full services clinical research organization specializing in infectious diseases, vaccines, ophthalmology and more. ’92 Jeffrey Russell Sneddon, MBA; The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments hired Sneddon to be their community and economic development specialist. He is responsible for providing analytical, administrative and specialized technical work promoting economic development within Maine’s Kennebec Valley.

‘95, ‘08 & ‘10 Dr. Katherine ‘Kassy’ Tyler, B.A. Psychology, Ed.S. & Ed.D.; Tyler started a new position with the Air Force in May 2020. She is the program manager for Training Policy and Operational Strategy at the Air Education and Training Command, 2nd Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.

2000s ’01, ’02, ’03, ’08 & ‘13 Katie Hudon, B.A. History; M.A. Communication Arts; B.A. International Studies; Ed.S. & Ed.D.; Hudon was awarded the title 2020 Santa Rosa County Woman of the Year. Additionally, she earned her eighth degree, an MBA from the University of Florida, in December 2020. ’02 Melissa Rose Dart, B.A. Communication Arts; Dart was named news director at WDSU, the local NBC/Fox channel for West Palm Beach, Florida. She led the investigative team behind the Emmy winning special “The Making of Filthy Rich: The Epstein Story.”

C L ASS N OT ES

’04 & ’09 Nickalus Lee Rupert, B.A. English & M.A. Creative Writing; Rupert was awarded the 2019 Spokane Prize for Short Fiction for his short story collection Bosses of Light and Sound. ’06 Dr. Megan Eileen Morrison D.O., B.S. Pre-Professional Biology; Morrison and her husband opened a second location of Harpeth Valley Dermatology, their dermatology practice, in September 2020 in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee. ’08 Adelin Gasana, B.A. Communication Arts; Gasna is an independent filmmaker and released his latest documentary in early 2020.

High On Heels was accepted at the Miami Fashion Film Festival, UK Fashion Film Festival and LA Fashion Film Festival. It is available to watch on Amazon Prime. ’09 Jasmine Romaine, B.A. Communication Arts; Romaine’s new book, Speak to Profit: Speak with Confidence and Jazz Up Your Sales, achieved No. 1 status on Amazon Books’ International Bestseller list. The book can be purchased on Amazon.

2010s ’13 Bradley James Klimek, B.S. Electrical Engineering; Klimek was hired as a sales engineer at Paper Converting Machine Co. Klimek has been with PCMC since 2011, beginning as an intern and progressing upward. ’15 Chad Jonathan Kiser, M.Ed. Educational Leadership; Kiser was hired to be the new principal at North Baltimore Middle/High School in North Baltimore, Ohio.

’15 Brittany Lynn McCroan (Gardner), BSN; McCroan, APRN is a member of a team of medical professionals who opened a new practice, Chipola Medical Associates LLC, in fall 2020 in Port St. Joe, Florida. ’15 Destinee Nicole Steele, B.A. Theatre; Steele opened The Beauty Menagerie LLC in August 2020. The Beauty Menagerie sells a wide array of handmade wigs and specializes in wigs for people who suffer from hair loss. ’16 & ’19 Kesley Joseph “Kali” Richardson, B.S. Exercise Science & MPH.; Richardson published his first book, The Sky Has Fallen: A Guide To Chaos, College, Leadership, and Life, in Summer 2020. The book covers leadership and personal development for young adults.

It is available for purchase at kalirichardson.com. ’17 Katherine Marie Howland, BSBA Management; Howland joined Atlas Real Estate in Denver, Colorado, as a staff accountant in October 2020. ’18 & ’20 Grace Victoria Antoinette Arneault, BSBA Management & MBA; Arneault was hired as president and CEO of Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce in January 2021. ’18 Joseph Robert Yount, B.S. Chemistry; Yount was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in June 2020. This fellowship will allow him to pursue a Ph.D. in materials engineering at Purdue University.

Alumni Rising Stars The following alumni were recognized as 2021 Rising Stars

by Inweekly Magazine: ’03 Jeremy Ochoa ’04 Lindsey Engel ’05 Katrina Simpkins ’08 Ezra Merritt ’08 S. Camelia Willis ’10 Jenny Paige Ford ’11 Jessi Truett ’12 Bryan Freeman ’14 Cali Scully ’15 Ashley McDonald ’16 Brittany Ellers ’17 Ashley Marie Armstrong ’17, ’18 Hale Morrissette ’17 Hillary Rivera ’18 Leonor Roper ’19 Basil Kuloba

Find a full list of UWF alumni news, accomplishments and obituaries at uwf.edu/classnotes.

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Connection University of West Florida 11000 University Parkway Pensacola, FL 32514 uwf.edu/alumni

FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE FRONT LINES.

Creating heroes and fulfilling dreams.

The University of West Florida offers one of the top-ranked nursing programs in Florida. With competitive pricing, personalized attention from expert faculty and flexible programs, UWF will turn your dreams into reality.

Nationally-accredited nursing programs at UWF:

• D.W. McMillan BSN • RN to BSN, Online • RN to MSN, Online

• Earl and Nancy Hutto MSN, Online: • Family Nurse Practitioner • Nurse Executive • Nursing Education

uwf.edu/nursing Family Photo Credit: Kista Haas Photography

Summer Hearn, BSN ’17 NURSE AND CURRENT MSN STUDENT