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Class of 2022-23

Learn more about the LEAD class members.


Meet the Faculty LEAD Class of 2022-2023

After completing a PhD in analytical chemistry at the University of Florida, Karen spent 30 years as an industrial chemist working in the fields of food, agriculture, and analytical instrumentation. In 2016 she returned to UWF, her alma mater, and joined the Chemistry Department as a lecturer. At UWF, Karen coordinates the General Chemistry laboratories and teaches courses and labs in general, analytical, instrumental and food chemistry. Her research focuses on applying analytical chemistry to questions involving food, marine biological, and environmental matrices and developing new lab experiments to introduce at UWF.

Elizabeth is an Associate Professor in the School of Education. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy, reading, and children’s and young adult literature. Her research addresses literacy practices for teacher preparation, the use of children’s literature and graphic novels with pre- and in-service teachers, simulations in teacher preparation, and the nature of teacher identity construction. 

Adam earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and holds an M.A. in Communication and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Central Missouri. He is an instructor of communication, teaches public speaking, and is the director of the UWF Speech and Debate program.

Adam previously coached speech and debate teams at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and University of Central Missouri. He has focused his research on ideographs, virtue discourse, loyalty rhetoric, the rhetoric of religion, and demagoguery. In addition to his research interests, Adam has taught multiple communication courses with concentration in areas including rhetoric, media and basic and professional communication.

Chris has been at UWF since 2009. He teaches in the Master of Science in Athletic Training program and is the MAT Clinical Education Coordinator. Since 2013, Chris has been working full-time as the Athletic Training Program’s Clinical Education Coordinator. He also teaches several AT courses and mentors Athletic Training students.

Before starting at UWF, Chris was an Assistant Athletic Trainer and Instructor with Carson-Newman College and worked primarily with baseball and soccer teams.  Chris started his professional career with high schools in Virginia and Tennessee working for Northside high school and Westmoreland high school respectively. Chris is a graduate of UWF, Morehead State University, and Tennessee Technological University.

Claire came to UWF in 2018 to work as a lecturer after having taught in Oregon for over 10 years. She received her Master’s in Spanish from the University of Southern Mississippi. Claire also studied at the Universidad de las Américas in Puebla, Mexico, and, as an undergrad, she studied at the Universidad de Cantabria in Santander, Spain. Claire’s passion for languages and culture started because she was born in Sweden and lived between there and the United States throughout her childhood. She also speaks French. Since coming to UWF, Claire has worked to incorporate HIPs into her courses. Last year she received a HIP grant to allow her students to use a program to converse with native speakers of Spanish. Claire is very interested in linguistics and the acquisition of languages. She is also very thankful for the opportunity to be teaching at UWF.

Scott received his Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas and has been on the logistics faculty at Penn State and Michigan State Universities. In 2005, he helped to launch logistics and supply chain management education at UWF. His students consistently place among the top universities in competitions. Scott’s research interests include managerial leadership and the development of customer-oriented logistics operations. He and his brother co-authored the book, The Definitive Guide to Warehousing. Scott is Associate Editor for the Journal of Business Logistics. His managerial experience is in motor carrier, warehouse, and ocean freight operations.

Carolyn holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She also earned an M.S. in Sustainability and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Arizona State university. At UWF, Carolyn teaches Engineering Mechanics and advises a number of student projects, including the SAE Aero Design and AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition teams. Her current areas of research interest include engineering education, complex systems, and sustainable engineering.

Billy is a bilingual Latino husband, father, Army Veteran, family nurse practitioner, and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing FNP program. Some of his favorite things to do include: sports, exercise, spending time with family and friends and DIY projects. Billy was born and raised in Los Angeles but has lived on the Gulf Coast for the past 26 years and has “enjoyed every bit of it.” He says he rises early every day full of optimism and his cup is always half full.