Engage UNF IMPACT Maker Recognition

Each month, we celebrate an outstanding group administrator who brings Engage UNF to life. This leader uses the platform to strengthen involvement, streamline organization management, and create meaningful experiences for students across the University of North Florida. Get to know the person behind the work through our monthly recognition series: Engage UNF IMPACT Maker!

To highlight the impact they make, we ask each featured administrator to share their story, as these interviews shine a light on the dedication, creativity, and leadership of those who make Engage UNF a powerful hub for connection and involvement at UNF.

Past IMPACT Makers

Clio Chazan-Gabbard stepped into the newly created role of Coordinator of Honors Student Engagement for the Hicks Honors College less than a year ago. Her task was to build a comprehensive co-curricular experience for every Honors student from the ground up. At a meeting with our department in her first week on the job, Clio identified Engage UNF as the platform that could not only support that mission but could provide the entire infrastructure to execute all aspects of the experience. She quickly moved her unit from exploration into full implementation.

“We went into that meeting thinking [Engage UNF] might be something we do down the line, but I remember leaving and thinking this is something we need to do right now.”

Clio spent the summer semester onboarding and training alongside her department and loading events ahead of the semester. She would ensure that Hicks Honors College would be fully embedded in the platform the moment students arrived on campus in Fall 2025. Clio uses Engage UNF as the central hub for planning, registration, and tracking all engagements, allowing her team to make data-driven decisions.

“[Engage UNF] allows us to easily track attendance, and it takes the guesswork out of planning events. Because we have actual numbers, it helps us plan for future budget requests. The waitlist feature ... is a small thing ... but it has been a lifesaver for us in terms of planning.”

To Clio, Engage UNF empowers students to not only see their actions, but students are able to take pride in their engagement at UNF. She credits the platform with enabling transformative experiences that foster confidence and build incredibly meaningful relationships. By tracking events, volunteering, and external involvement in one place, Hicks Honors students gain a clear and concise record of their experiences throughout the year.

“When students look at their dashboard and [Impact Summary Report], they realize ‘Wow, I did a lot!’ It helps with ... feeling proud of their accomplishments. I wouldn’t have been able to organize that so effortlessly without Engage UNF working behind the scenes.”

For Clio, Engage UNF is now foundational to her role in supporting Hicks Honors College, communicating to her users, and providing meaningful engagement across the university. If you’re new to the platform, Clio wants you to know how easy it is to improve your skills from basic event creation into using more advanced features, like user roles, event tags, privacy settings, and messaging.

“You just have to get your feet wet ... once you try it, everything’s really easy. You try one thing, gain confidence, then start asking ‘I could try this and I could try that?’ We tested our messaging and learned that we were over-explaining things. That feedback made everything clearer and smoother.”