Faculty and Staff

Dr. Kaplan holds a full-time permanent position as a faculty administrator in the Hicks Honors College. There she has taught classes that focused on food and culture, cultural and national identity, modern Greek culture, folklore and literature, and an introduction to folklore. Her Ph.D. is in Folklore and Folklife, and her dissertation was on the interplay between Greek conceptions of their national identity and the influence of foreign travelers on that conception using as its subject travel accounts written by European visitors to the Corinthia in Greece in the period between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Dr. Kaplan utilizes approaches and methods drawn from the fields of anthropology, literature, and history. Her research interests are drawn from a range of different areas-- Greek national identity, pedagogy, food culture, and honors program community-building-- and the common thread among them all is an longstanding interest in community and identity. 

• Indiana University, Ph.D. in Linguistics, African Studies Concentration; M.A. in Linguistics
• University at Albany-State University of New York, M.A. in Anthropology
• University of Iowa, B.A. with Distinction and Honors in Anthropology; Phi Beta Kappa

Dr. Kershner currently serves as the Director of the Office of Global and National Awards (formerly the Office of Fellowships). She also serves as an Instructor in Honors, teaching courses in linguistics, anthropology, and professional development. Dr. Kershner has an extensive background in linguistic and cultural anthropology, descriptive linguistics, and African languages. She has conducted intensive fieldwork among the Sukwa people of Malawi, for which she received funding from a Fulbright Student Research Grant and a National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant. This research culminated in her dissertation, which focused on Chisukwa verbs, particularly their tense and aspect systems. She has also conducted fieldwork in Comoros and Appalachia. Dr. Kershner’s current research and teaching interests span diverse topics in language and culture, including folk ethnobiological classification systems, African oral literature, cultural semantics and pragmatics, tense, aspect, and verb classification systems, and American dialects. However, it was during her two years as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Carleton College that she developed a strong interest in mentoring undergraduate students in research. This later led to her current interests in matching students up with extraordinary fellowship opportunities.

• Trinity University, B.A in English & American Studies, 2007
• University of Arizona, M.F.A in Fiction, 200

• Ph.D. in Media & Communication, Texas Tech University (May 2023)
  • Dissertation: “Loving Yourself is Something That's Really Hard to Do ...”: An Interpretive Investigation of Body Image and Body Talk in Interpersonal and Online Relationships
• M.A. in Strategic Communication, American University (August 2020)
  • Thesis: Listen When She Speaks: Young Women on Arriving at Reproductive Rights Opinions
• B.A. in Communication Studies (Minor: Media Strategies), Texas Tech University (May 2019)

Sydney E. Brammer, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at the University of North Florida. She specializes in research exploring digital and social media, gender, identity, and body image, and has a long-held interest in interpersonal communication and close relationships. As a teacher-scholar, Brammer is dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion for students everywhere. Her instructional and investigative efforts meet at the intersection of (a) investment in emerging adults' holistic wellbeing and (b) a belief that they are living and learning in an unprecedented online media environment. Her work in the classroom and in her research is anchored by a focus on equipping adolescents and young adults with media literacy tools to critically interpret and craft digital and social media. She is fascinated by the real-world impact of media on our lives and passionate about providing practical and theoretical recommendations that improve the holistic lives of all people while also advancing the discipline. Brammer credits much of the richness of her own undergraduate experience to the Texas Tech University Honors College and is delighted to serve as an Honors Fellow.

• University of Cincinnati, Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction: Instructional Design and Technology, 2006; M.Ed., 2003
• Cincinnati State Community College, A.A.S., Interpreting for the Deaf, 2000
• Xavier University B.S., Psychology, 1998

Suzanne Ehrlich is an Associate Professor in the Educational Technology, Training and Development program at the University of North Florida and is a certified ASL/English interpreter. She completed her doctorate in instructional design and technology at the University of Cincinnati in 2006 and has presented nationally/internationally on the topics of implementing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework for improved learner engagement, learning design, and leveraging technology for access. Her recent work focuses on the UDL mindset in post-secondary settings and the workplace. Her publications include her co-PI pilot study on Increasing Learner Engagement in Online Learning through the Use of Interactive Feedback, a co-authored article How a UDL Mindset Can Support Learning in the Workplace, and The Use of iPads to Bridge Education for Post-secondary Deaf Students. Her service focused on faculty enhancement, service as a UNF NEFSTEM fellow, statewide groups for workplace learning like the Association of Training and Development (ATD) of Northeast Florida, and invited board member for the Center for Independent Living of Northeast Florida.

• Ph.D. Psychological Sciences, Kent State University
• M.A. Psychological Sciences, Kent State University
• B.A. Psychology with Honors in the Major, University of North Florida 
• A.A. Florida State College at Jacksonville

Dr. Charles Fitzsimmons is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of North Florida. He completed his Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences from Kent State University. Dr. Fitzsimmons is a cognitive-developmental psychologist who studies the way people learn, think, and solve problems across the lifespan. Much of his work focuses on how people self-regulate their learning and awareness of their own knowledge, how they (mis)understand numbers, and individual differences relate to thoughts and feelings about numbers and math. He also studies the way people think about and understand numbers outside of educational contexts, such as when they see health statistics, whether errors can be reduced with visual displays, and how knowledge can be gained through training. In collaboration with colleagues, Dr. Fitzsimmons has secured funding from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation to improve children’s understanding of fractions and to improve children’s ability to metacognitively monitor and self-regulate their own learning. Dr. Fitzsimmons is currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology and is an Editorial Fellow for the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. In his spare time, Charlie enjoys spending time with his wife, Chelsea, watching live music, reading fiction books, running, cycling, and swimming, or spending time with his dog.

• Wake Forest University, Department of Chemistry, Winston-Salem, NC
  • Postdoctoral Research Scientist, 2019 & 2022
• Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC
  • Postdoctoral Research Scientist, 2019-2022
• University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
  • Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, 2019
• Wake Forest University, Department of Chemistry, Winston-Salem, NC
  • B.S. in Chemistry, 2014

Dr. Will Jones is an analytical chemist by training, with significant experience in a variety of workhorse spectroscopic techniques including inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and Raman spectroscopy. Instruments currently available in the Jones lab at UNF are an Agilent 5900 ICP-OES and a prototype liquid LIBS instrument from Applied Spectra. A custom-built LIBS system that will also allow molecular measurements using Raman spectroscopy is currently under construction. His research is focused on the development of novel calibration methods that improve the determination of trace level analytes (milligrams per kilogram, parts per million) and below in a general sense through the creation of strategies that make measurements simpler and faster while improving upon analytical figures of merit. Such low levels of chemical contaminants may seem insignificant at first glance, but many species such as the toxic metals arsenic, cadmium, and lead result in severe negative health effects at even lower levels (micrograms per kilogram, parts per billion), making accurate and precise monitoring of trace level analytes in innumerable sample types a critical field for ensuring human health. As an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dr. Jones has a particular interest in creating memorable, but practical, experiences in the teaching laboratory. He teaches General Chemistry II, as well as a variety of analytical chemistry courses including Quantitative Analytical Chemistry, Modern Analytical Chemistry, and Spectrochemical Analysis.

Clayton McCarl is professor of Spanish and Digital Humanities at the University of North Florida. He is a scholar of early Latin America whose research explores intersections between book history, scholarly editing, digital pedagogy, and public humanities. He teaches courses on the Spanish language, Latin American literature and culture, and the use of digital methodologies in humanities scholarship.

Dr. Amanda Blakewood Pascale serves as Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration in the College of Education and Human Services. She brings with her extensive experience in University administration having served as Associate Director of Admissions and later as Director of the Graduate School.

Dr. Pascale holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration as well as a M.S. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies - College Student Personnel from the University of Tennessee. Additionally, she holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Pascale’s research examines leadership in higher education settings, and the praxis of ideas that promote university community success. She has particular interest in college student learning and faculty success.

She is a member of multiple national organizations, routinely presents at national conferences, and has authored over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

• United States Naval Academy, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
• Webster University, Master in Management
• Johns Hopkins University’s, Master in International Public Policy

General Rick Tryon graduated from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also holds a Masters in Management from Webster University, and a Masters in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He served on active duty for 44 years. As a Marine Corps infantry officer, he commanded at every level in the Marine Corps. In addition, he served with the Special Operations Command and is a Joint Specialty Officer. Career highlights include his time as Deputy Executive Assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; command of a Marine Expeditionary Unit; command of the Marine Barracks in Washington DC during 9/11 with responsibilities for Camp David and the White House Communications Agency; Commanding General Marine Corps Recruiting Command; Executive Officer for the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Commander of the Multinational Force (West) in Al Anbar Province, Iraq; Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Plans, Policies, and Operations; and Commander of U.S. Marine Forces Command, Commander of Marine Forces Europe, and Commanding General Fleet Marine Forces, Atlantic.

General Tryon retired to Jacksonville, Florida. He is the Senior Fellow for Leadership in the Honors College. He is also a senior consultant for The Roosevelt Group in Washington, D.C. He has been recognized as a Veteran of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal and is a 2019 graduate of the Leadership Jacksonville Program.

• Ph.D in Leadership and Change, Antioch University
• MA in Leadership and Change, Antioch Univerity
• MS in Mass Communication, San Diego State University
• BS in Sociology and Communication, University of the Pacific

• California Institute of the Arts, Experimental Animation - MFA, 1998
• Rhode Island School of Design, Film/ Animation/ Video - BFA, 1995

Vanessa B. Cruz recently received for the third time, the prestigious Fulbright Award: first as a Scholar Award in 2012 in Media Arts, where she lived in Dublin, Ireland working with the National College of Art and Design, and gathering research for her projects, and second as a Specialist Award in 2014, teaching MFA and BFA students at the Fachhochschule St. Pölten, in St. Pölten Austria, and most recently a Specialist Award in 2022, working with GerHub in UB, Mongolia developing creative curriculum. Ms. Cruz completed a collaborated video projection project for the Jacksonville Symphony and the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Jacksonville. She attended The California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA, where she earned her MFA and holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2005, she joined the University of North Florida faculty after working in the animation industry for over ten years.  She has worked for such studios as 20th Century Fox Television Animation, and Film Roman, as well as created her own independent films.  Her films have been shown internationally and she’s won awards at the Ottawa International Film Festival and Oslo Animation Festival. Ms. Cruz was also the curator for screenings at the REDCAT in Los Angeles, Santa Monica Museum of Art, as well as the Japanese American National Museum.  She has also received the 2008 Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the State of Florida and in 2009 the UNF Summer Scholarship grant, which helped fund two films: “Icarus” and “Eve As a Young Child”. Ms. Cruz served as a panelist on the 2010 Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the State of Florida for Media Arts, and in 2016 received the UNF COAS Dean Leadership Council Faculty Fellowship. She has served as a member of the Jacksonville Film Festival Board of Directors, as well as served as a Peer Reviewer for Fulbright Scholar Awards.

• Ph.D. University of Florida - Sport Management
• M.B.A. University of Florida
• B.S.B.A. University of Florida

Dr. Sean F. Davis joined as an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at the University of North Florida in August 2024. Prior to his position at UNF, Dr. Davis served as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Florida in both the Department of Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management and the Department of Sport Management.

Dr. Davis primarily teaches Sport Business Analytics, Introduction to Sport Analytics, and Research Methods. His primary research interests are (a) artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in sport, (b) sport consumer behavior, particularly in the context of new technologies such as augmented reality and virtual product consumption, and (c) sport communication and media effects. In particular, his research focuses on how AI and technology influence consumer perceptions and behaviors in the sport industry. This line of research is critical for understanding the future of sport consumption and the integration of advanced technologies in sport marketing and management.

Dr. Davis received his bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Florida's Heavener School of Business. He also received his MBA from the Hough Graduate School of Business and his doctoral degree in Sport Management with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Florida.

• Ph.D. George Mason University

  • Mathematics Education Leadership with a secondary concentration in Research Methodologies
  • Doctoral Dissertation Title: Hyper-acceleration of Algebra I:  Narrating opportunity to learn from a situative perspective
• M.S. Stanford University, Electrical Engineering
• B.S. United States Air Force Academy, Electrical Engineering

Dr. Galanti was the first woman in history to graduate at the top of her class from the United States Air Force Academy.  She synthesizes her thirty years of experience as an electrical engineer and mathematics educator in her qualitative and quantitative research on STEM education.  She investigates the integration of computational thinking in K-16 STEM contexts ranging from early elementary mathematics to college physics. She studies STEM student and teacher identity, and prepares K-12 educators to integrate computational thinking and STEM across subject areas. She collaborates with STEM educators from multiple universities to examine the emergent use of AI as a "thought partner" in mathematical problem solving.

• Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of Florida Aug, 2011
• M.A., Communication, University of Minnesota Aug, 2007
• M.A., Communication, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea Aug, 2002
• B.A., Communication, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea Feb, 2000

Chunsik is an associate professor in Communication at University of North Florida. He holds Ph.D. in Mass Communications from University of Florida, and specialized in uses and applications of new media technologies in marketing communications. His work on social media and new communication technologies has been published in a number of publications. Before coming back to academia, he has traveled around the world to conduct a number of consumer research projects.

• M.A., Speech Communication, California State University, Northridge
• B.S., Speech, University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse

Sam Mathies began his study of communication as an undergraduate student on the speech and debate team. He qualified for national competitions and received many awards. He continued his education and has taught in the communication field and coached speech and debate for over 30 years.  He focuses on applying theories of human communication to a variety of relational contexts.   He teaches courses in Public Speaking, Group and Team Effectiveness, Communication Theory, and Intercultural Communication.  His primary areas of service on campus include serving as the track coordinator for the Communication Studies major, being an active member of the Student Conduct Board, and providing academic advising to new students during summer orientation.  Outside of UNF, Sam enjoys running, gardening, and raising chickens.

• Ph.D., Mass Communications, University of Florida, 2014
• M.A., Mass Communications, University of Florida, 2011
• B.A., International Journalism, T. Shevchenko National University, 2004

Nataliya Roman is an Associate Professor in the UNF School of Communication. She teaches multimedia journalism, social media content creation, theoretical and research classes. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Roman worked as a reporter and documentary filmmaker for several prominent Ukrainian TV channels. During this time, Dr. Roman covered the Orange Revolution when 500,000 people were protesting fraudulent elections in the streets of Kyiv. She also handled international assignments, reporting from Russia, Poland, and the U.S. In 2010 and 2011 Dr. Roman worked as a reporter for Voice of America in the Washington D.C. office. 

Dr. Roman has published in European Journal of Communication, International Communication Gazette, Electronic News, and Journalism studies. She specializes in researching international and political communication. One of her main areas of expertise is Eastern Europe and specifically Ukraine.