Leadership

Julie Merten, Ph.D., is the Executive Director and Associate Dean of UNF MedNexus, where she leads strategic initiatives that drive innovation, connect students and faculty with industry partners, and implement programs that address regional healthcare workforce needs.

With more than 20 years of service at UNF, she has served in multiple roles, including professor in the Department of Public Health and director of the Office of Faculty Excellence. Dr. Merten’s research focuses on behavioral cancer prevention, particularly skin cancer and tobacco control, and she has led studies evaluating school-based sun safety programs and improving national screening rates, resulting in more than 40 peer-reviewed publications.

Recognized as one of the Florida Business Journal’s “12 people to know in Florida's education system”, Dr. Merten has received numerous awards for teaching excellence, mentorship, and community innovation, including Jacksonville Business Journal 40 Under 40 Leaders, Jacksonville Jaycees Outstanding Young Professional, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Dr. Merten also serves on the Baptist Health South Board of Directors and the Executive Leadership Council for the American Heart Association HeartWalk.

Sericea Stallings-Smith, Dr.PH., is the Associate Director of Research for UNF MedNexus, where she facilitates the MedNexus Research Innovation Fund, coordinates program evaluation, and advances research initiatives. She also serves as liaison for industry-sponsored opportunities and applied projects, connecting external partners with UNF faculty to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

An epidemiologist by training, Dr. Stallings-Smith earned her doctorate from Brunel University London, where she examined the mortality effects of the national smoking ban legislation in the Republic of Ireland. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, studying infectious diseases among pediatric cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries. After joining the UNF faculty, she served as lead epidemiologist for a five-year SAMHSA-funded initiative with Duval County Public Schools to reduce substance use among students from elementary through high school.

An Associate Professor in the UNF Department of Public Health, she has received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, and the UNF Outstanding International Leadership Award. She also serves as UNF Faculty Excellence Fellow for International Initiatives.

Sara Brochu, M.Ed

Sara Brochu is the Assistant Director of UNF MedNexus where she supports the strategic expansion of the university’s health innovation ecosystem. She plays a key role in advancing workforce development, interdisciplinary academic programming, and experiential learning opportunities across multiple MedNexus platforms.

Working closely with academic, industry, and healthcare partners, Sara oversees programmatic growth and operational support for initiatives that bridge education and practice. She brings over a decade of experience in higher education and student success, with a strong commitment to developing pathways that prepare students for careers in healthcare.

Outside of her role, Sara enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Indira Willadsen, M.S

Indira Willadsen is the Manager of UNF MedNexus, where she oversees fiscal operations, communications, marketing initiatives, and administrative processes that support the growth and success of MedNexus programs. She also supports the launch and development of programs and experiential opportunities that connect students with successful careers in healthcare.

Indira earned her B.A. in Communication from FGCU and her M.S. in Higher Education Administration from UNF, where she was recognized as a 2025 Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year. She brings experience from academic advising and is passionate about student success, leadership development, and career readiness. Her commitment to student engagement is reflected in her service as an club advisor to multiple student organizations on campus.

Outside of work, Indira spends her free time with family and friends, relaxing at the beach, and staying active through lagree.

Dr. Richmond D. Wynn is the Vice President of Community Engagement and Partnerships at UNF, where he focuses on enhancing collaborations with community stakeholders and industry partners. An associate professor of public health, he joined UNF in 2000 and has served in various roles, including director of the Counseling Center and chief diversity officer. Dr. Wynn is committed to promoting on-campus community engagement activities that foster a culture of care and inclusivity. He holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and a doctoral degree in mental health counseling from the University of Florida, along with a master’s degree in mental health and addiction counseling from UNF.

Debbie Magyar, MBA, is the Regional Director of the Florida SBDC at UNF and the APEX Accelerator, overseeing operations across 18 counties to support small business growth and economic development. With a strong background in program management and strategic planning, she previously served as Innovation & Technology State Program Director at the West Virginia SBDC. A serial entrepreneur, Debbie has led initiatives focused on technology adoption and innovation. She holds an MBA from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and a BA in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Judith Durilla Ochrietor is a professor in the UNF Department of Biology and serves as the Director of the UNF Office of Undergraduate Research. Since joining UNF in 2006, she has mentored over 90 undergraduate students and 15 Master's students through her research on the nervous system. She also chairs the Biomedical Advisory Board at Beachside High School and helps lead the Florida Undergraduate Research Association. Dr. Ochrietor’s dedication to student success has earned her multiple teaching awards, including Mentor of the Year.

Dr. Juliana Leding is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UNF, where she has taught since 2007. An experimental psychologist specializing in cognitive psychology, her research explores the accuracy of human memory and factors that contribute to true and false memories. Dr. Leding also serves as the Director of the UNF Office of Faculty Excellence, supporting faculty development and fostering a welcoming campus community that promotes leadership, teaching excellence, and a healthy work-life balance.

William F. "Chip" Klostermeyer is Dean of the College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction and Professor in the School of Computing.  He is a graph theorist, interested in problems in domination theory and graph coloring.  Recent work has centered on proving theorems describing the number of mobile guards needed within a network to defend it against an infinite series of attacks.  His other papers include ones on problems related to the famous "four-color" map-coloring problem and a long series of papers with John Goldwasser on the parity domination problem.  He has published more than 100 papers in these areas in journals such as Journal of Graph Theory, Discrete Mathematics, and Graphs and Combinatorics.  His work has been extensively cited in the literature and two of his papers have been ranked among the most downloaded papers of the year for the journal Discrete Mathematics.

Dr. Klostermeyer is a native of Charleston, West Virgina and received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Prior to joining UNF, he was an Assistant and Associate Professor of Computer Science at West Virginia University.

Dr. Lyle McKinney is a Professor and Andrew A. Robinson Eminent Scholar Chair in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Economic Development at the University of North Florida. His research focuses on innovative approaches to improving degree completion and workforce outcomes among students from lower-income backgrounds, particularly those who attend community colleges. Dr. McKinney has experience developing and leading research-practice partnerships (RPPs) between universities and community colleges. These RPPs bring together interdisciplinary teams of researchers, practitioners, community leaders, and graduate students to collectively solve problems of practice in higher education. Dr. McKinney earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, with a concentration in Educational Policy, from the University of Florida in 2010.  

Dr. Achorn is a health communication, interpersonal communication, and media effects researcher. More specifically, she is interested in understanding the role of media in encouraging adolescents’ and emerging adults’ disclosure of sexual assault and mental health problems. Her hope is that her research will help university administrators and nonprofit practitioners use the findings to create more effective campaigns encouraging those affected by sexual assault to disclose their experiences in order to seek out social support and access health resources. Dr. Achorn has published her research in the Journal of Health Communication, the Journal of Children and Media, and the Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research. She has presented her research at conferences for the International Communication Association, National Communication Association, and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.