Meet Our Writing Program & Center Team

David Mac Kinnon

Director, Writing Program & Center
david.mackinnon@unf.edu

David is foremost a husband and father. Having earned his B.A. (2005) and M.A. (2008) in English at UNF, he recently completed his doctorate in educational leadership studying the roles of professional development in faculty job satisfaction and teaching self-efficacy. When he is not in the classroom or the writing center, he and his family are exploring the world.

Morgan Connor

Instructional Support Coordinator
morgan.connor@unf.edu

Morgan earned her B.A. (2016) in English at Armstrong State University, her M.A. (2019) in English from The George Washington University, and her PhD (2023) in English from Texas Tech University. Her work focuses on the intersections of medieval and renaissance British literature, and she has a special passion for studying modern American medievalisms. When she is not in the Writing Center, she is either in the gym or playing with her cats.

Lauren Allen

Graduate Assistant

Lauren earned her B.A. in Art History at UNF, with a minor in Ancient Studies, and is now pursuing her M.A. in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has a particular interest in queer studies, gothic literature, ancient religions, and mythology. When she isn’t studying, she enjoys working on her fantasy series, reading, attending plays, and visiting the Art of the Ancient Mediterranean collection at the Cummer Museum. 

Jillian Atwood

Graduate Assistant

Jillian is an English graduate student with a concentration in Creative Writing, and a background in visual arts, especially film photography. In her free time, she can be found reading, hiking, and making pictures and analog collages in her many journals.

Judy Carney

Graduate Assistant

Judy is an English Master’s student at UNF. In Fall of 2023, she graduated summa cum laude from UNF with her Bachelor’s degrees in English and Interdisciplinary studies with a Film study focus. Judy’s specialties are MLA and APA format and writing for literature, along with writing film analysis and other writing disciplines. When not on campus, Judy enjoys running in local races, reading ,writing and watching football and Bravo.

Deb Garces

Graduate Assistant

Deb Garces is a graduate student currently completing her Master's in English. Her future academic and professional aspirations include being accepted as a PhD student for the 2026 fall semester and becoming a professor. She's currently penning her first (probably terrible) novel and decided to bring out her inner child by signing up for horseback riding lessons. When she's not drowning in books, she's weightlifting, gallivanting through nature walks, and napping with her dog Stella.  

Alicia Grove

Graduate Assistant

Emily Holliman

Graduate Assistant

Emily earned her B.A. in English with a minor in Professional Education from the University of North Florida. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and serves as Poetry Editor for the Talon Review. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, reading across genres, hiking, and playing table-top games with her husband and daughter. 

Katie Lacy

Graduate Assistant

Katie is a graduate student in the Department of English’s Master of Arts in English program. Her academic interests include literary analysis, gothic fiction, and the psychology behind creating stories. When not in the Writing Center or on the UNF campus, you can find Katie playing video games or curled up with a good book.

Brielle Locke

Graduate Assistant

Brielle achieved her English: Creative Writing Bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Florida and is now attending the University of North Florida for her English Master’s degree. On the creative side, she likes to focus on fiction and mythology, and for research on literature, she studies medieval texts based on Arthurian legends and Charlemagne’s reign. When not working at the Writing Center as a Graduate Assistant, you can find her curled up with a good book, or indulging in her guilty pleasure, gacha games.

Elizabeth O'Malley

Graduate Assistant

Elizabeth is a UNF and Writing Center Alum, returning to acquire her Masters. After graduating with her B.A. in English (2018), she taught English abroad and has worked extensively with English Language Learners of all levels and backgrounds. She has also worked as an English Language Arts teacher in DCPS High Schools so, she can help with any English-related concerns you may have. When not working or studying, you can find her DMing or watching weird movies with friends.

Jake Smith

Graduate Assistant

After completing his B.A. in English with a minor in creative writing, Jake began working on his M.A. in English with a concentration in composition and rhetoric. His studies include gender and sexuality, horror, video game studies, and fan studies. Though he is familiar with APA citation, he specializes in MLA citation and writing analysis of film, literature, and video games. In his free time, he enjoys baking, horror films, and playing tabletop games and video games with friends.

Shea Leary

Writing Center Fellow

Shea is an Honors student majoring in Sociology with a minor in Gender Studies. Specializing in APA/ASA citation, Shea has an enthusiastic focus for all forms and steps of research. Shea is passionate about critical thinking and education, bringing an intersectional approach to her consultations while striving to help students reflect on the content of their assignments and achieve their writing goals. In her free time, Shea enjoys music, reading, learning, crafting, and engaging in deep discussions about a variety of social topics. 

Andria Raices

Writing Center Fellow

A Psychology and Criminal Justice major at UNF, Andria loves playing guitar, hiking, and anything retro or vintage. Her specialties range from first year writing to STEM writing.

Carly Smith

Writing Center Fellow

Carly is a Hicks Honors student double majoring in English and Environmental Science, with a focus on first-year writing, languages and literature, social sciences, professional communication, and science writing. She is also well-versed in MLA, APA, and IEEE formatting styles. Beyond her role at the Writing Center, Carly works as a Sustainability Aide for the City of Jacksonville, where she is committed to pursuing a career in sustainability post-graduation.

Kye Norris

Writing Center Consultant

Kye is a graduate student soon (hah!) to receive his M.A. in history. His main focus is Cold War history, but he has special interests in U.S. militia movements, conspiracy theories, millenarian movements, labor history, and the history of technology. Kye is an aspiring Luddite and court jester. 

Katie Redway

Writing Center Consultant

Katie is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a particular focus on Biomedical Engineering. She enjoys studying the importance of technical communication in STEM fields. Outside of school, Katie loves reading and painting, practices Tae Kwon-do, and spends her free time baking.

Parker Sheppard

Writing Center Consultant

Parker is an undergraduate student double majoring in Graphic Design and Philosophy. They have an art seal in creative writing from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, where their studies focused on American poetry and realistic fiction. Parker specializes in philosophical and research-based essays, though they continue to enjoy working with the mediums from their high school days. Outside of the center, Parker is confined to the Fine Arts building, where they are near-constantly working on graphic design projects ranging from explorations of brand identity implementation to development of time-based media.