College faculty and staff gathered in the MHC atrium to celebrate those who have reached milestones in their career at USF. Dean Julie Serovich, PhD, hosted the event and led rounds of trivia for each milestone being honored.
Patty Cleveland is recognized at the luncheon.
The top milestone of this year was marked by Patty Cleveland, MPA, who was recognized for her 35 years of service to USF. Cleveland has spent her entire career at USF – the first 20 years with the Florida Mental Health Institute and the last 15 years with the college. Patty is proud of the long-term friendships she’s developed at USF over the years and credits them as the reasons she’s stayed at USF for so long. Cleveland hopes that is some small way she has contributed to the success of our college and the extraordinary work we do to improve the lives and well-being of the people in our community.
Attendees also celebrated the life of James Epps, PhD, who marked 30 years of service to USF before his passing on Christmas Eve of last year. Epps joined the psychology faculty of USF, then taught in and led the Division of Social Sciences at the Lakeland campus, and eventually joined the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy in Tampa. During his 30 years at USF, he was a renowned teacher and mentor to his students.
Carolyn Ford, EdD, CCC-SLP, who will retire this spring, was also recognized for her 30 years of service to USF. Ford worked to develop the Suncoast Distance master’s program to help address the critical shortage of speech-language pathologists in public schools in the Suncoast district of Florida. Since its establishment, the program has graduated 14 cohorts of students and has two more cohorts in progress. Ford is most proud of her graduate students, many of whom are now professors, instructors, and leaders in the field and are making a positive impact in the lives of people living with communication difficulties.
Ruby Joseph, Lise Fox, Julie Serovich, Carolyn Ford, and Selecia Watson attend the luncheon.
Lise Fox, PhD, a professor, chair of the Department of Child and Family Studies, and co-director of the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC) celebrated 30 years. Fox worked with Don Kincaid EdD, and others to establish FCIC. Fox has established a vibrant research and training team that has brought in over 20 million dollars in grant funds, and her research does critical work that impacts the lives of young children nationwide.
Ruby Joseph, MPA, was also celebrated for reaching the 30-year milestone. Joseph spent eight years working as primary investigator/program director on two different projects that supported low-income, at-risk, first-generation college aspirants and other students from middle school through post-secondary education. She is most proud of her projects supporting the educational, social, and mental health needs of Black and Brown students and families across the U.S. and in West Africa while working directly with community-based agencies in poor, underserved communities.
Lastly, Selecia Watson was also recognized for reaching 30 years of service to USF. Watson has supervised Federal Work Study students for over 10 years and says she finds it very rewarding. She takes great pride in her role as supervisor and mentor to her students, and she ensures that they develop skills that they can use throughout their future careers.
25 years of service:
- Joni Bernbaum
- Annette Christy
- Sonya Jones
20 years of service:
- Eleanor Atha
- Deedra Gibson
- Carolyn Jewett
- Jean Krause
- Bob Lutz
- Stephanie Martinez
- Steven Surrency
15 years of service:
- Patricia Carpenter
- Marie McPherson
- Fawn Ngo
- Tammy Smith
10 years of service:
- Daianna Apolito
- Sandra Arzuaga Sanchez
- Denise Barnes
- Sarah Bloom
- Bryanna Fox
- Howard Goldstein
- Lora Moustopoulos
- Khary Rigg
- Ashley Riley
- Marilyn Stern
5 years of service:
- Anna Abella
- Elizabeth Broome
- Morgann Frazee
- Jerome Galea
- Christopher Groeber
- Lisa Hansel
- Aryn Harrison
- Flandra Ismajli
- Chae Jaynes
- Kimberly Johnson
- Tracy Jordan
- Kristin Kosyluk
- Jenna Luque
- Telisha Mckenzie
- Amber Oderinde
- Chase Patterson
- Thanh Pham
- Paola Ramirez
- Jennifer Simmons
- Jane Smart
- Travis Taylor
- Shelly Wagers
- Michelle Webster
- Denise Young