Meet Our Writing Program & Center Team

Linda Howell

Director, Writing Program & Center
lhowell@unf.edu
904.620.1259

Linda is a native New Yorker who has adopted Florida as her home for many years now. When she is not directing the program and center, she teaches and researches writing pedagogy, first year writing, and fan and media studies. Her area of research is plagiarism and digital literacies. On her down time, she likes to watch food competition shows, movies, and produce fan fiction and fan videos. She is the momma to two beautiful orange tabbies, Sam and Dean. And yes, those names are inspired by Supernatural.

David MacKinnon

Director, Writing 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.

Mikayla Beaudrie

Associate Instructor, Department of English
m.beaudrie@unf.edu

Mikayla is the Writing Program & Center's resident Michigander who primarily teaches courses in technical communication and STEM writing. She obtained her B.S. in English from Eastern Michigan University in 2013 and M.A. in English from the University of Florida in 2015. Her research interests include African-American Rhetoric, critical pedagogy, the Gothic, hip-hop culture, and how the aforementioned intertwine. She's currently hiking her way through Duval County, but will take a break to talk about your dog, cat, or other household pet.

Ash Faulkner

Associate Instructor, Department of English
ash.faulkner@unf.edu

Ash is an Osprey, with a B.A. from UNF (1998) and an M.A. (2003). He enjoyed a side-trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains to get his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia (2012), but home is St. Augustine. Ash teaches professional communication. He enjoys seeing students find careers they love (and escape careers they don't). He is probably in his office. If not, he is on a boat.

Tara Kelley

Associate Instructor, Department of English
tara.kelley@unf.edu

Tara greatly enjoys teaching and cares deeply for student learning. She designs her curriculum utilizing a Pedagogy of Care that she has developed over the past four years. The basis of the Pedagogy of Care is that the instructor demonstrates care for the curriculum and students in order to help students care about their learning in and beyond the current course. She graduated from UNC-Charlotte with a B.A. in English and Psychology and with a M.A. in English (Rhetoric and Composition). She also graduated from Indiana University with a M.Ed. in Literacy, Culture and Language Education (LCLE), where she continues to be enrolled as a doctoral candidate in LCLE. She brings fifteen years of teaching and higher education administration to her work at UNF. Her research interests include critical pedagogy, first-year retention, online learning, peer review, reflection, and alternative modes of assessment. When not in the classroom, Tara is adventuring with her two young children, four dogs, and two cats.

Kadesh Lauridsen

Associate Instructor, Department of English
k.lauridsen@unf.edu

Kadesh loves being a part of UNF and the UNF Writing Program family. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of North Florida (2000), and her Master of Arts in English (2006) and PhD in English (2012) from the University of Florida. She teaches first year writing, directs the Writing Intensive Orientation Session (WIOS) program prior to each fall, and co-coordinates the First Forward LLC. Her interests include Jane Austen and women's writing of the long eighteenth century. When away from UNF, she enjoys life with her fabulous fiance and two equally fabulous children.

Paige Perez

Instructor, Department of English
paige.m.perez@unf.edu

Paige, while born and primarily raised in Jacksonville, calls many places her home away from home, including but not limited to the US Virgin Islands and London. Jacksonville managed to keep her engaged long enough to get a B.A (2012) and M.A. (2019) in English from UNF. Her academic, research, and creative interests include African-American and Caribbean women's literature, Southern literature, and creative non-fiction. But you can also find her gaming, obsessing over Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, or showing you pictures of her dogs, which she unashamedly named for the ATLA/LOK universe.

William Pewitt

Instructor, Department of English
will.pewitt@unf.edu

Will Pewitt graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Trinity University (2007) where he double majored in English and Modern American Studies while double minoring in History and Art History. He earned his M.F.A. from the University of Arizona (2009) in Creative Writing. His work has been widely published in a variety of genres including philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction.

Jennie Ziegler

Associate Instructor, Department of English
jennie.ziegler@unf.edu

Jennie Ziegler is an Associate Instructor in the Writing Program and regularly teaches first-year writing, creative writing, grant writing, and a reading service-learning course. Her outreach focuses on writing and composition, community-based and service learning, reading advocacy, nutrition, creative writing, environmental advocacy, and science communication. She was a Fellow at the University of Arizona, where she earned her M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction, and actively publishes both creative and scholarly work. Currently, she is the Nonfiction Advisor for The Talon Review, a nonfiction judge for the Amy Wainright Creative Writing Scholarship Award, a scorer for the Osprey Community Engagement Medallion Award, and serves on a host of departmental and university committees and initiatives. Her current and past community partnerships include Woodland Acres Elementary School, Miles to Row, Communities in Schools of Jacksonville, Beaches Go Green, and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. 

Holly Adams

Instruction Support Coordinator
holly.adams@unf.edu
(904) 620-5394

Holly is the Coordinator of Instructional Support in the UNF Writing Center and regularly teaches first-year writing courses. She is a UNF alumna, where she received her B.A. in English (2017) and M.A. in English (2019) with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition. Her interests include environmental literature and exploration of the natural world. In her downtime, she will most likely be reading mystery novels, trying international foods with her family, or walking her dog, Florence.

Farrah Muntz

Instruction Support Coordinator
f.muntz@unf.edu

Farrah has been a member of the Osprey community since 2018. She earned her B.A. in Editing, Writing, and Media from Florida State University and her M.A. in English from the University of North Florida. Since completing her graduate degree, Farrah has served as a first-year writing instructor, Academic Advisor, and most currently, the Coordinator of Instructional Support for the Writing Program. When she isn't in her office or lounging in the bamboo garden, Farrah can be found reading dystopian literature, kayaking, or doing both simultaneously. She's always glad to share pictures of her two cats, Motley and Homer, if you ever need a pick-me-up. 

Ronald Fordham

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Rhonnie is from a small town in Georgia and is glad to now be a part of the UNF family. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. in English from Georgia Southwestern State University before joining UNF's M.A. program. Rhonnie is also a published author and when he is not over at the writing center, he is either working on his latest horror novel or visiting a weird tourist attraction somewhere in the southeast.

Rebekah Goodrich

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Juliette Guido

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Juliette graduated summa cum laude with a major in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing from Flagler College (2021). Her academic research and interests include gothic and translated literature, gender theory, and poetry and fiction writing. When she is not in the writing center you can find her looking for shark teeth at the beach, working on her novella, or dressing up her cats.

Rebecca Hall

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Rebecca earned her B.A. in English from UNF in 2018. She spent a few years teaching middle/high English before returning to UNF in 2021 to receive her M.A. in English. When not working toward her degree, Rebecca spends time with her two dogs, Daisy and Albus, and relaxes on her yoga mat. 

Kaylee Klosterman

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Kaylee earned her B.A. in English and double minor in Marketing and Mass Communications from UNF in 2022. She is currently earning her M.A. in English. She is a graduate assistant and works in the writing center. She loves to read fantasy and contemporary novels and she aspires to be an editor for a publishing company one day. To help get her through her busy course load, she loves crafting her own coffee and vibing to Taylor Swift. 

Samantha Morden

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Samantha Morden is a first-year graduate assistant. She graduated from UNF with her BA in 2021 and will be completing her MA through the BA/MA Accelerated Program in 2023. Samantha enjoys American Literature Studies. In her spare time, Samantha has worked to promote civic engagement in the Jacksonville community, through organizations such as the Campus Vote Project. 

Stephen Shambach

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Stephen is a semi-nomad of the Northern hemisphere. After years of hitching and couch-surfing across America, he landed in St. Augustine in 2010. He earned his B.A. (2020) in English from Flagler College, and he is currently pursuing an M.A. in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition. When he is not in the classroom or in the online writing center, he is at home reading a book, picking a guitar, or petting his rescued 13-year-old Chantilly cat, Pantera.

Joshua Smith

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Joshua is a recent graduate from the University of North Florida who earned his bachelor’s degree in English. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English. In his spare time he likes to watch football.

Brooke Wooten

First-year Graduate Assistant, Department of English

Brooke is a native of Neptune Beach who calls her husband's country of Scotland her second home. She loves the opportunity of being a part of UNF and the writing program after three years of teaching high school English and Art History. She obtained her BA in English from the University of Florida (2017), and her M.S.Ed with a specific focus on child and adolescent psychology (2019) from the University of Edinburgh, where her thesis focused on the effects of sibling mental health on educational attainment. She is excited to work on her MA in English and plans to concentrate on rhetoric and composition. Her research interests are often interdisciplinary and range from psychoanalysis to varying genres of literature. When she isn't in the writing center, you can find her at her local coffee shop, the dog park with her doodles, or on the beach with a fantasy novel... if she isn't off exploring another country. 

Allison Archey

Writing Center Consultant

Allison is a UNF Alumni with a B.A. in English (2020). She has a combined five years of experience working with students on their essays and enjoys helping them find the best way to convey their thoughts to the page. In addition to her major in English, she also graduated with a minor in Painting, Drawing, & Printmaking, and loves the arts. When she isn't helping someone find just the right word, she might be trying a new vegan recipe, doodling her favorite cartoon characters, or playing video games.

Jyl Bean

Writing Center Consultant

Jyl is an Alumni of the University of North Florida, earning her MPH in 2021. She used this degree to transition from enlisted to commissioned after 16 years in the Navy and is currently an Environmental Health Officer. Additionally, she is a wife and mother to three children and two fur-babies. She has been assisting the Writing Center via a virtual platform since March of 2022, providing writing services to all concentrations of students at UNF. She loves using her MPH to help better the military community and spread knowledge and education within Navy medicine, while continuing to stay connected to the UNF community through virtual means.

Chastity Blythwood

Writing Center Consultant

Chastity is a Mathematics Major at the University of North Florida. She is a 4th year student.  She is interested in how science fiction in the media and in writing affect the advancements achieved in science. 

Janson Cobiella

Writing Center Consultant

Janson is a UNF alumni with a bachelor's in English and a minor in creative writing. His specialties are in creative writing, language and literacies, and English course work. Janson is a storyteller who writes fiction full of weird wonder, dramatic action, and a few laughs. He loves running in the woods, eating double cheeseburgers wherever they are sold, and playing dungeons and dragons like it's his second job. 

Hadley Hendrix

Writing Center Consultant

Hadley is a senior majoring in Psychology in Writing and minoring in Creative Writing. She works at two presses and specializes in copyediting and laying out book interiors. At the Writing Center, she specializes in guiding students on how to improve their creative writing, APA style, and literature papers. In her free time, she paints, draws, knits, and styles outfits that mix the in-vogue and chic with the classic and antique.

Mak Johnson

Writing Center Consultant

Mak is your friendly neighborhood writing consultant. They specialize in creative writing, MLA format, APA format, technical and professional writing, and languages and literature. You can catch them either doing homework or playing some kind of video game. They’re happy to help!

Camila Porfilio

Writing Center Consultant

Camila is a sophomore psychology student at UNF aiming for a career in criminal psychology. That said, she is fascinated by true crime and the way the human brain works. Aside from that, she also enjoys Gothic media and literature, drawing, and music of any and all kinds.

Bradley Segarra

Writing Center Consultant

Bradley Segarra is a writing consultant at the writing center. His interests are drawing, fiction writing, creative writing, digital photography, and mysteries and thrillers. Whenever he is free, he takes the time to write stories and draw characters for a franchise he plans to make. Fanfiction is what he is currently doing. TV shows, movies, and video games are also some interests of his.

Alex Simpson

Writing Center Consultant

Alex (they/them/their) is studying philosophy with a concentration in bioethics/the ethics of disability. They love to jog, consume vast amounts of covfefe/tea, write, and produce feature films. Their looking forward to meeting with you and helping you meet your writing goals!

Nate Sugden

Writing Center Consultant

Nate is an English Major in their Senior year. They have a minor in Creative Writing and experience with many different kinds of writing, including MLA and APA format, rhetorical essays, argumentative essays, synthesis essays, literary analysis papers, and fiction writing. Their specialty is genre fiction, particularly fantasy, science fiction, and horror, and they hope to one day become a novelist of these genres. Nate plans to graduate in Spring of 2023, and afterwards will pursue their Master's in English.

Khloe Trainer

Writing Center Consultant

Khloe is an English student with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has been working as a consultant with the UNF Writing Center since Summer, 2022. She specializes in Creative Writing and Literature studies, but she also loves talking about the mechanics and style of writing in any form. When she’s not at the writing center, she’s reading for the Talon Review and working on her own writing projects. She also enjoys reading fantasy novels and poetry, playing music with friends, and collecting shark teeth.