Invest In The Nest
In our new series titled "Invest In The Nest" we highlight former 成人大片students who applied their knowledge and skills in their return to 成人大片as faculty/staff.
Maria Atilano
For this month’s #InvestInTheNest, we celebrate #ReadABookDay by heading to Tommy G to “check-out” our friend Maria Atilano (’09), who has recently been promoted to University Librarian!
Maria spent three years working as a student assistant at the UNC Greensboro library while earning her bachelor’s degree in English. After graduating, she joined her boyfriend, now husband, who was studying health administration at the 成人大片Brooks College of Health. In October 2006, she landed a job as a staff member in special collections at the Thomas G. Carpenter Library.
Her ultimate goal was to become an academic librarian, which would require getting a Master of Library Science or Master of Library and Information Science degree. But with no rush on her personal timeline – and an unwillingness to commute to Tampa or Tallahassee for their programs – she still wanted to pursue a graduate degree. So, she enrolled at the 成人大片graduate school. Once she was able to settle down in Jacksonville and earn her master’s in English, she joined the FSU online program and completed her MLIS in 2012, which enabled her to become an academic, faculty-line librarian.
Eighteen years after her first job at UNF, Atilano has earned the title of University Librarian, the highest rank within the campus library. Atilano said, “What keeps me going is the need to keep improving.” The library constantly changes adapting to the needs of the new students, faculty/staff and community members. “We’ve got new spaces, new materials, new resources, new databases.”
Atilano has prioritized campus outreach at Market Days and as a liaison to the School of Communication, showing students all the resources available. She also curates special promotions to bring students into the library, such as “Random Acts of Snacks” and Campus Canines Visits during Finals Week to help the students destress while studying. She’s also pioneered “Blind Date with a Book,” proving to Ospreys that you can’t just judge a book by its cover.
The next step for her is offering more library programming aimed toward the local community. For instance, anyone can purchase a borrower card to use their resources and check out materials – available for 成人大片alumni at a discounted rate. She’s also looking to introduce new events like “Author Talks” in addition to staples like “Tommy G’s Haunted Open House.”
When she’s not working, she’s at home on the couch reading a book with her husband and her Old English Bulldog, whom they rescued from the Florida Bulldog Rescue.
(Written by Alex Achorn, Published 9/6/24)
Josh Baker
Continuing our #InvestInTheNest series, we’ve sat down with an all-star of our own who’s turned genuine passion for North Florida Ospreys athletics into a force of change that betters the 成人大片 experience for all student-athletes, coaches and associated staffers.
If there’s one thing that’s for certain, 成人大片College of Education and Human Services alumnus Joshua Baker ('10) bleeds blue and gray for the 成人大片Athletics department. His love and enthusiasm for the Ospreys is unmatched, advocating for student-athletes needs to major donors, and his development initiatives have brought substantial success to its growth efforts since he joined the fundraising team in 2020. However, his contributions to 成人大片Athletics go back to his time as an undergrad in the mid- to late-2000s, consistently embracing networking and instilling school spirit in his relationships and work every day.
As Assistant AD of Development, Baker raises money for the University to support scholarships, facility renovations and quality enhancements for both student-athletes and 成人大片Athletics fans alike. He does this by first building relationships with donors to find mutually beneficial ways to actualize gifts that benefit students and provide ample exposure to brands from all across Northeast Florida. His work aims to create transformational experiences for all student-athletes participating in the many sports teams the University offers.
Nowadays, 成人大片Athletics has become a fundraising powerhouse thanks to a coordinated effort by Athletic Director Nick Morrow, Senior Associate AD Matthew Lisiewski, and Baker himself. Baker handles anything from small contributions to scholarships to major gifts that can range from $25,000 gifts to multi-million-dollar pledges from major donors. He notes the relationship building is paramount to his position. Without those relationships, the University would not be able to keep with other universities in terms of facilities, which impacts the revenue the sports generate.
As someone who grew up in Orlando, he witnessed the rise of the University of Central Florida and how its own athletics department grew into a program that is now a member of a major college athletics conference. Baker envisions a similar fate for UNF. He said, "I believe truly that this place can be bigger than what it is right now,"
Since returning to UNF, Baker has been attached to several major accomplishments over the years. In 2022, Baker played an integral role in cultivating a relationship with CSI Companies to establish a multi-year partnership totaling $2.1 million toward renovating the 成人大片Arena court. With new designs, branding, and color palettes applied to the floor, basketball games garnered a deeper sense of character and school spirit. He also helped fundraise toward the new arena video board and the Bank of England Suite. Baker is proud of the growth of the University and the role he was able to play in these successes.
“Our athletic department had never raised a million dollars in a year from a development perspective before [the NCAA tournament run],” Baker said. “Now we've raised a lot more than that every year since. At the end of the day, I'm just proud of being a piece of the puzzle.”
(Written by Tyler White & Joshua Rodgers, Published 2/29/24)
Melissa Blankenship
For 2025, we’re starting the new year the same way we start every new semester – by placing our focus on the incoming students. Few people know about this better than Melissa Blankenship (’07), the director of enrollment services communications and today’s #InvestInTheNest.
Originally from Oklahoma, Blankenship didn't know what she wanted to do for a career, so she enrolled at the education program at the University of Central Oklahoma to become a teacher. However, shortly after, she sought a change of scenery. Her dad had recently moved to Jacksonville, so she decided to join him in Duval County. She had never visited 成人大片before, but knew it was affordable and had a comparable size to UCO, so her dad scoped it out for her. After riding his motorcycle around the 成人大片loop, he was blown away by the campus, and the nature preserve compared to the prairie-like campus she was coming from was a huge draw.
One day, she was talking with a coworker about how she chose teaching as a “default path” but it wasn’t really her passion. He saw her strengths and suggested communication as a possible study, which made a lot of sense to her. She credits professor Bobbi Doggett for setting her on track. “[B-Dogg’s] campaigns class was the culmination of everything that we’d been working on,” she said, as they functioned as a PR firm for the Wolfson’s Children Rehabilitation. “That class also indirectly helped me land my job here once I graduated.”
She and her coworker, now husband, managed Movie Gallery – a DVD/VHS rental store that predates Netflix for all you youths. They saw the future of the industry and were looking to get out. She hoped to immediately land a dream PR job after crossing that graduation stage, but after a few weeks, she started to look for some fallback opportunities. OneStop needed an OPS employee, and one of her friends from her campaigns class saw her resume come through and put in a good word. So, Blankenship got her foot in the door working at UNF, and once she did, she never let it close.
After eight months at OneStop, her campaigns friend who had transitioned to the admissions team told her about a scholarship coordinator vacancy they had, and she joined the team.
“I can’t believe that I got paid to not only convince students to come to the school that I love, but then I got to give them free money to do so,” Blankenship said. “That was the best job ever!”
She spent close to five years in that role before doing a small stint as assistant director of admissions. Shortly after, the Enrollment Services department reorganized and she had an opportunity to become the assistant director of the communication team. She finally felt like she was in a role related to her degree.
In 2013, she launched the creation of a Student Enrollment Communication Center, an outbound call center staffed by students with the goal of reaching out to prospective, admitted and current students to help guide them through their 成人大片journey. “That was the first time since I left recruitment that I was directly interacting with students again,” she said. In addition to managing their job duties, she provided help to students with everything from class project preparation to relationship advice. After a few years, she started her current role as director of enrollment services communications. Seventeen years after starting in OneStop, she just celebrated her eighth anniversary in this role.
Her goal is to make all the information as easily accessible as possible for the incoming students. One of the coolest things about her current team is that they are all 成人大片alumni. Igor Tavuzhnyanskiy (’20) serves as her assistant director, Benjamin Guthrie (’22) is her communication specialist, and Hunt Reagor (’18) and Ivy Wyman (’23) are her content coordinators. She thinks it’s a huge benefit because having gone through the same classes, she knows the quality of education they’ve received and knows they’ll be ready to hit the ground running. Plus, “I don’t have to convince and sell them on why they need to sell the institution,” she said. “The Osprey pride is naturally baked in.” They are also an approved internship site with the School of Communication to give students real-world marketing experience before graduation.
“I love working in Enrollment Services because I get to affect change in so many subtle ways,” she said. She still hears from many former students thanking her for scholarship help which allowed them to attend UNF. “Knowing that those impacts are happening all across campus with so many little interactions” is what fills her with Osprey pride.
Outside of work, she likes to support the Jaguars at EverBank Stadium or curl up on the couch with a book. She will also be running the Gate River Run later this semester.
Shannon Cullen-Brosonski
This month’s edition of #InvestInTheNest takes us from the classroom to the museum as we shine a light on the integral work of 成人大片alumna Shannon Cullen Brosonski (’13, ’17), assistant director of development for MOCA Jacksonville, a cultural institute of the 成人大片.
Much of her work involves writing grant applications to national organizations and collaborating with corporate sponsors. She, along with director of development Gabrielle Dean-Rector, build relationships with current and prospective donors, procuring gifts to assist in funding the operating costs, growth and expansion of MOCA Jacksonville.
She developed excellent customer service skills prior to MOCA Jacksonville, where she started working in the shop about 15 hours a week. She later moved into a hybrid position at the front desk before she started overseeing the front desk and the ambassador program, which is a paid employment opportunity for 成人大片students. She then moved into the role of membership coordinator, where she worked with members and volunteers, building a program that keeps them engaged in the museum’s offerings.
She started this role in March 2020, just as 成人大片called a hiring freeze and sent everyone home to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said it was a difficult and odd journey learning a new job under remote circumstances, but it also launched her into success by testing her adaptability during difficult challenges. For a museum, not having people able to come into a public space was detrimental, with many museums across the country closing according to the American Alliance of Museums. But thankfully, MOCA Jacksonville was able to retain all staff members aside from the cafe during the pandemic. Since people could not come to the museums in person, the museum brought it to their members through virtual options and called all members to notify them of the opportunities to engage with MOCA while stuck in quarantine.
“Art has the power to heal and promote mental health, especially when you’re stuck,” she said. “We were able to do that and I was able to connect with our members that way.”
As she continued her own personal growth within MOCA Jacksonville, she started looking for more opportunities to learn about relationship building, corporate social responsibility, grant writing opportunities and other professional development opportunities under the guidance of leaders at MOCA.
Originally from New Jersey, Cullen-Brosonski moved to Jacksonville without knowing anyone, but ended up meeting a lot of people in the dorms and orientation at UNF. As an only child, she wanted to push herself into independent adult living by getting a job while pursuing her history degree. She worked in restaurants the majority of her time in undergrad, and ultimately met her husband, Justin, while working at Crispers in 2012. She’s been able to maintain wonderful friendships from her time in college thanks to the bonds formed then.
She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from the College of Arts and Sciences, which she said has helped her become a more informed citizen. It also helps to have a good understanding of history when working in a museum.
“I feel that I am someone who understands our past and how we got to where we are, and that helps me to understand our current place in history and what is going to happen moving forward,” she said.
She also credits her writing skills to the work she did in the history programs. This has helped in her grant writing work, which typically involves research and finding facts or figures that weave into a narrative for funding. During her graduate studies, she delved heavily into the topic of Irish-Scottish-English relationships in the 1640s.
Cullen-Brosonski said she feels privileged to be a part of the museum’s centennial anniversary celebration, which has had numerous initiatives for fundraising and celebratory events to plan and execute all at once. She said her team is looking toward the next 100 years in planning MOCA Jacksonville’s future with exciting current and upcoming exhibitions, as well as the curation of a new one coming up. The museum’s project atrium, which is currently showcasing the recently passed Frank Stella’s work, provides exciting new opportunities to highlight innovators in the contemporary art world.
When Cullen-Brosonski isn’t raising money for MOCA, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. She enjoys swimming, outdoor activities and reading books.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 5/29/24)
Dawn Emerick
Dawn Emerick (’95, ’08) currently serves as the chief research officer for the Jacksonville Civic Council, where she develops a research agenda for the organization and community to help Jacksonville become a world-class destination of choice. She previously served as the JCC’s chief strategy officer and senior director of public policy research.
When she’s not working for the JCC, Emerick is working tirelessly on her mission to educate leaders on how to best show up for a team with self-awareness, empathy and understanding. She’s developed a new Trauma-Informed Change Management Masterclass for the 成人大片 that will be launching on Oct. 2. This masterclass helps leaders and change agents navigate disruption by integrating trauma-informed principles and psychological safety into change management, fostering trust, empathy and sustainable transformation.
Before she became a changemaker in this space, Emerick worked on her Master of Public Administration here at The Graduate School . A single mom at the time who grew up in poverty, Emerick said the program opened many avenues for success for her in her career and “changed everything for me.”
“I knew education was the key not only to my own success but to be able to give my kids a leg up,” Emerick said. “I wanted to stop the poverty generation with me.”
When it came time to pursue her doctorate in education leadership, she said it was a no-brainer. She said the day she graduated with her Ed.D. was the first day she started her first leadership role as CEO at the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida.
For over 25 years, Emerick has been working in the human service sector where it’s common for people to be at the forefront of delivering trauma-informed care as part of their services. She felt passionate about this topic and wanted to see how the concepts of trauma-informed care can be implemented into “how we relate to our teams and how we show up as leaders.”
This set her on an exciting new path toward training leaders on how their unresolved trauma and mental health challenges may be influencing how they lead and how they engage their peers and team members. She believes the need for this knowledge spiked following the COVID-19 pandemic when many people were hurting from the impact of a world-changing event. She discusses her own mental health challenges during that time as she resigns from an executive position and believes others can learn from her own experiences.
“There are a lot of people that need this help.” Emerick said. “Not only healing themselves as leaders but really being able to support their teams and their staff.”
Her passion for the topic inspired her to craft a new goal to train 1 million trauma-informed leaders by 2031, which became the subject of her TED Talk that premiered in December 2021. In 2022, she crafted a curriculum and created two LinkedIn Learning courses, “Become A Trauma Informed Leader” and “Trauma-Informed Change Management,” which gained national traction through the platform.
She saw positive response to her LinkedIn courses and was encouraged to professionalize the leadership development content into a certification course at 成人大片Professional and Lifelong Learning. Fast forward to 2025 and her certification course is the only trauma-informed leadership certification course in the state of Florida.
The program has had six cohorts complete the certification with another cohort starting in November. Due to its success, she and the Office of Professional and Lifelong Learning have decided to expand its reach by adding the masterclass. Emerick emphasizes the importance of these new skills in the workforce, especially considering an influx of Gen Z employees who are looking for more social and emotional support from their employers. She said statistics have shown that Gen Zers experience more mental health challenges and are “looking for that workplace that can offer compassionate culture, flexible policies and good mental health benefits.”
In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, doing wine tastings and photography, sometimes all three at once!
(Written by Tyler White, Published 9/24/25)
Heather Kite
We asked for some recs for this month’s #InvestInTheNest, and luckily for us, Ospreys rec well. Today we’re highlighting Heather Kite (’01, ’19) who serves as director of operations for the 成人大片Department of Recreation and Wellness.
As a high school student in Jacksonville, Kite had explored physical therapy as a possible career path, so she toured UNF’s program. She ended up earning her bachelor’s in community health with an exercise science minor. She loved how her professors related the topics to their students. She specifically remembers Dr. Chris Joyce’s lecture on running where he used the Gate River Run as an example. Kite said, “As the course ends crossing the Hart Bridge, you’d expect that after nine miles of racing, the uphill portion would be hardest, but he pointed out the downhill of the bridge was more prone to injury.”
She stayed active on campus as she got involved with Campus Crusades for Christ, played intramural volleyball and rushed Alpha Chi Omega. Through Greek Life, she and her future husband Tim Kite (’04, ’15) #MetInTheNest. Her sorority president was best friends with his sister, and they first happened to meet outside of Cinemark Tinseltown before a movie as he was headed out to deployment in the Navy. The next time they met, he returned to 成人大片and was rushing Chi Phi. Over the years, Kite said they had “Lots of fun date nights through different socials and other Greek activities.”
Additionally, she worked at the 成人大片Aquatic Center, having already acquired certifications as a lifeguard and swim instructor. Over time, she earned lifeguard instructor certification to help teach lifeguard classes. During her senior year, she took on leadership opportunities working under the assistant director, Audrey Gill. Not long after graduation, Gill encouraged her to apply for an open program coordinator role and has served as her mentor.
After Gill announced plans to leave, Kite took over her role managing the Aquatic Center until it closed in 2013. The facility hosted everything from the 成人大片Swim and Dive team to aqua aerobics and arthritis classes to swim lessons. She learned so many of the skills she used today in risk management, budget planning, programming and staff management and training.
As associate director, her workload and scope expanded significantly, so she enrolled in the 成人大片Graduate School for a master’s in athletic administration. “I was able to apply much from my courses each semester to my new role,” Kite said. “It was almost like a professional development track for two years.” When the pool closed and the Student Wellness Complex was opening, she had the opportunity to transition to a newly created operations position which allowed her to apply her aquatic-specific skill set to the full department. She credits her experience and education on helping her transition to director.
Across their seven units, 成人大片RecWell covers 230 acres of campus with over 120,000 square feet of facilities. Her role in operations relates to facilities, budget, risk management, policy and procedure. She has five employees under her, so leadership is also a major component. Even with all these additional duties, she’s still maintained her Red Cross certifications.
Additionally, she saw a call for contributing authors for Campus Rec Magazine and put herself out there. She has authored a few articles for the magazine over the years. Then, when the National Intramural Recreation and Sport Association planned an operations book, they saw her writing samples and selected her as one of four authors. The publication went to print in July. “Both of these writing opportunities have been rewarding ways to share out of my experience to others in the industry. “
As if that wasn’t enough, she also serves as an adjunct professor for Sport Facility Management in the 成人大片College of Education and Human Services. Early in her career, she taught one credit classes for beginning swimming and fitness swimming. After earning her master’s, she returned to the classroom. Kite said, “It’s been very rewarding and has been a new challenge.” While she needs to prioritize her time management skills to balance the increased workload, she enjoys the additional student interaction outside of RecWell.
Even with all the work she does on campus, family is her top priority. Her daughter, Christabel, grew up at UNF. At 6 months old, she served as the demonstration baby for some of her mom’s “babes and tots” swim lessons. When she was old enough, she attended 成人大片preschool. She’s currently a high school junior taking classes at FSCJ as part of her early college program. Before she goes off on her own journey, the Kites are trying to share as many family experiences as possible. Tim and Heather recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and renewed their vows in South Africa. They also enjoy going to 成人大片alumni events and basketball games and participating in the Gate River Run. After having run it several times now, Kite said every time she runs down that bridge, she remembers Dr. Joyce’s lecture and makes sure to maintain good form.
(Written by Alex Achorn, Published 12/9/24)
Kathleen Leone
Lights, Camera, ACTION! This month’s edition of #InvestInTheNest features a leader in fundraising at 成人大片whose service spans nearly 20 years. Kathleen Leone, M.Ed., CFRE (’16), is the senior director of development for UNF’s Academic & Student Affairs, where she raises funds for scholarships, enrichment programs and initiatives that broadly support student success. But before she swooped in to support 成人大片nearly 2 decades ago, Leone had an exciting career traveling the country and working alongside Hollywood stars.
Growing up in New Jersey, Leone dreamed of becoming a film producer. She was accepted to the NYU Tisch School of the Arts to pursue a film degree.
“It was a really unique experience there because it’s in the middle of a major city,” Leone said. “There’s not really a campus per se … the city was our campus.”. After earning a BFA in film and television production, a close friend — whose father was an award-winning film director — urged her to take a role at his publicity firm.
Her career took her between NY and LA before she returned to NYC to work as an assistant talent coordinator on an HBO show. Eventually, she grew tired of the gray days of Gotham, and after getting a taste of LA sunshine, decided to relocate again to Miami, where she joined ACT Productions doing still photo work for fashion catalogs, magazines and commercials. She worked with supermodel Heidi Klum and met her husband, John.
The couple soon married, had 3 children and moved closer to family in upstate NY. After a short stint at a Montessori school, she joined Emma Willard School in Troy, where she thrived for nearly 4 years and developed a love for fundraising. She quickly rose to director of annual giving and parent programs, raising money, running volunteer groups & organizing reunions.
“I loved it. I got a taste for what that job really was,” Leone said. “At the core, it was helping students thrive.”
The Leones moved to Jacksonville in 2006. Kathleen became the first assistant director of development at 成人大片Coggin College of Business and was then promoted to director of development for Student Affairs. She worked through the last “Power of Transformation” campaign before briefly joining the Baptist Health Foundation. She soon returned to 成人大片as director of development for the 成人大片Brooks College of Health for nearly 6 years before rejoining Academic & Student Affairs.
Reflecting on her pre-成人大片career, Leone said her greatest takeaway was learning how to work with all types of people.
“I learned that the people who lead with humility and kindness are usually the ones who enjoy the greatest success,” she said.
At the 成人大片, “I think people really care about what they do here and about the students that they serve,” Leone said. “That’s why I came back and that’s why I stayed.” She adds that working on such a beautiful campus is also a plus!
While raising 3 kids, Leone returned to school at The Graduate School to pursue a master’s in educational leadership with a focus on higher ed administration. She often studied at the kitchen table alongside her children, modeling commitment to lifelong learning.
“You don’t have to be in your 20s to continue your education,” Leone said. “You can be in your 40s like I was.”
Leone also earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation during this time, helping propel her success at UNF. She completed her degree in 2016, earning a graduate certificate in nonprofit management as well.
She recalled hitting a breaking point in her publicity career & realizing she needed a change. “It did not feed my soul in any way,” she said. “I felt like I was almost wasting my life by not serving others.”
Now, Leone finds deep fulfillment leading efforts around student success, hunger eradication & support for students who are homeless or in foster care.
“I’ve been aware of students who have lived in their cars or on a friend’s couch, and students who have gone without food after making their education a priority. No one should ever have to face that,” she said. The scholarships she and her team bring in allow these students to focus on their studies and enjoy their college experience.
In her free time, Leone enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, going to the beach and curling up with a good book.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 8/7/25)
Ruth Lopez
For this month’s #InvestInTheNest, we swear to tell the Ruth, the whole Ruth and nothing but the Ruth!
Over 25 years ago, 成人大片Admissions recruiter drove down to Ruth Lopez’s (’00, ’24) high school in South Florida to tell her graduating class about life as an Osprey. “After making the trip up to Jacksonville to visit campus, I fell in love with the surrounding natural beauty and knew I found my second home,” she said.
As an undergraduate student, she was heavily involved with 成人大片Student Life. She was a member of 成人大片Student Government and the International Student Association, in addition to being a founder of the Hispanic student club, HACE. She graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with bachelor’s degrees in international studies and Spanish before returning to Miami to pursue her master’s at FIU. After spending a couple of years outside the industry, her former Student Government advisor called about an opening at the University for an international student coordinator, and she instantly jumped at the opportunity.
Her husband, Edgar S. Zamudio (’09, ’22), is a double Osprey, so the couple was excited to return to the 成人大片. In this role, she was able to work with departments that had a positive impact on her college experience and oversee student groups she’d been part of as an undergraduate. “That first time I was able to help an international student as a part of the professional staff, I knew I was hooked,” she said.
“To me, being an Osprey is all about service and making a meaningful difference in our 成人大片community,” Lopez said. Over the years, she has worked her way up the 成人大片chain adding more and more responsibilities under her belt. In her current role as the associate vice president for student engagement and international affairs, her team prioritizes providing opportunities for students to become more connected and engaged with the 成人大片community through meaningful and dynamic campus life programming and support services.
Even when she’s not working, her family loves taking advantage of all the opportunities on campus. Lopez said, “My children have spent many years attending Homecoming, admiring the art sculptures and murals around campus, and cheering on our North Florida Ospreys at Athletic events.” As they prepare for their own college search, 成人大片is at the top of the list.
(Written by Alex Achorn, Published 7/29/24)
Jamie Marchio
With three Osprey degrees and local business ownership under his belt, this alumnus certainly has his Whit’s about him.
Originally from West Virginia, Jamie Marchio (’93, ’11, ’24) started his collegiate journey at West Virginia University, fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a Mountaineer student-athlete competing in cross country and track & field. After a while, he was looking for a change from those long, cold winters that made training difficult.
Marchio’s mom was visiting relatives in St. Augustine, and he asked if she could swing by UF to see about transferring. She never quite made it to Gainesville but instead gave him an enthusiastic call: “I found the perfect place for you!”
“As it turns out, she was absolutely right--as moms always are,” he said. Marchio connected with the 成人大片track coach and arranged his transfer to join the Ospreys in the fall of 1991. After earning his B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Brooks College of Health, he returned for a Master of Science in Health and followed it up with a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition.
Currently, Marchio teaches undergraduate courses in nutrition and dietetics, including Human Nutrition, Food Fundamentals and Food Science, while also serving as director for the Center for Nutrition and Food Security where they focus on areas of poor access to quality food in our community. Their programs serve the needs of 成人大片students as well as local elderly and children. His program, Nourish to Flourish, provides children 8-13 an education curriculum that includes cooking demonstrations and food baskets, teaching them principles to make better food choices.
Marchio spent two decades in the medical device industry but reached a point where it evolved beyond his passion. He decided to look into business franchising and potentially opening a Cycle Bar, and while he and his wife were discussing the opportunity over a custard at Whit’s, another idea creeped into their head. They explored the Whit’s website, called corporate and started negotiations to become the franchisees of Whit’s Frozen Custard in World Golf Village starting in December 2022.
As a nutritionist, he practices what he preaches. “Food is to be enjoyed and appreciated” if it’s in moderation, and over the years he’s fallen in love with frozen custard. While he works his role at 成人大片during the week, his wife runs the daily operations at Whit’s with an amazing group of students. On Saturdays, they spend the day making desserts together and interacting with their customers. “There is so much fun in transitioning from the academic setting during the week to something totally laid back and fun during the weekend,” he said.
Outside of work, Marchio is a competitive triathlete. Not only was Whit’s a proud sponsor of this year’s Swoop the Loop 5K, but Jamie took the top prize as the fastest overall runner!
(Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/13/25)
Michael McGuire
As 成人大片continues its transformational growth under President Limayem’s leadership, it’s important to have skilled advisors and experts joining in on this journey. In today’s edition of #InvestInTheNest, we are highlighting double alumnus Michael McGuire (’09, ’13), who guides executive leadership in the continued transformation of UNF’s campus!
McGuire serves as the Assistant Director of Planning and Reporting, a role that puts him in the same room with executive teams across campus. He helps them plan and strategize the University’s financial structure and needs, while also doing state reporting to the Board of Governors and the State Legislature. He also plays an integral role in financial training for the various campus units, and oversees capital project budgets, including building and infrastructure.
The Jacksonville Business Journal recognized McGuire as a Rising Star in Finance for showing “exceptional leadership and strategic analytic expertise, which helped him be an instrumental voice on the President’s Task Force for Strategic Growth,” said 成人大片Chief Budget Officer Devany Groves.
One of the main goals of UNF’s Strategic Plan is increasing enrollment to 25,000 students, and McGuire carried out data analytics that factored in retention rates, campus growth, University revenue streams, and faculty-to-student ratios among other important metrics. McGuire said these varied details all play significant roles in how the 成人大片 approaches growth opportunities, because it is possible to grow and lose money or sacrifice quality at the same time. His job is to prevent that from happening with a keen Osprey eye on budgets.
Prior to starting at UNF, McGuire had pursued a career as a pilot in Jacksonville University’s aviation program and decided that was not the career path for him. He later transferred to UNF, where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration. He said he had always been into finance and numbers, making the 成人大片Coggin College of Business an easy fit for his career goals.
McGuire kept up multiple jobs throughout his academic career, but notably joined the Sigma Chi - 成人大片 fraternity and participated in clubs for rock climbing and ultimate frisbee.
His first job with 成人大片goes back to 2007 when he started as a part-time financial systems assistant. By 2010, McGuire became an accounting associate with 成人大片Student Government before becoming SG’s business manager, and eventually SG’s director. He would later pivot back to the world of finance at 成人大片by becoming an investment coordinator for the 成人大片Foundation Investment Committee and a financial analyst for the Vice President of Administration and Finance. He began his current role with 成人大片in August 2021.
McGuire said he loves 成人大片because of the connection he’s built with his colleagues.
“The people really do make an organization,” McGuire said. “An organization is just the name or a structure, but the people at 成人大片truly care for the student and each other, faculty and staff alike.”
He said it’s important to take changes in your career with stride because success is rarely linear. He made pivots and changes in his career that helped get him to where he is today.
“Getting from point A to point B is seldom a straight line and that’s perfectly fine,” McGuire said.
When McGuire isn’t crunching numbers and data reports, he’s celebrating becoming a father and spends time with his wife and baby. He loves anything outdoors such as hiking, kayaking and beach time.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 10/3/24)
Meghan Niemczyk
As we head into Thanksgiving weekend, this month’s #InvestInTheNest highlights a 成人大片alumna and staff member who has harnessed her culinary background and passion for public health to feed those across Northeast Florida struggling with food insecurity.
Meghan Niemczyk, MPH (’13), is the associate director of the 成人大片Center for Nutrition and Food Security, director of the Northeast Florida Hunger Network and chef advisor for the Meals on Wings Program. She helps guide students and volunteers in creating packaged meals using leftover food from regional hospitals to feed senior citizens on the waitlist for Meals on Wheels. This highly praised program demonstrates UNF’s commitment to bettering the community and ensuring vulnerable populations don’t go without food.
A Culinary Journey
Niemczyk graduated from the University of Florida in 1994 with a B.S. in public relations, advertising and applied communication, but at 22 years old, she wasn’t ready to settle into office work. While at UF, she met her future husband, Todd, and decided to move to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). When she told him about her plan, he said, “give me ‘til December, I’ll go with you.”
They moved to New York with no place to live, no nearby family and without Niemczyk having been accepted into CIA. She walked into the school on a Friday with big dreams and an eager attitude to start the program. An advisor told her, “Go to the bookstore. Get your knives. You start on Monday,” Niemczyk said. They quickly found a cabin on the side of a mountain to call home during this season of their lives. Niemczyk graduated from CIA in 1996 with an A.A. in culinary arts/chef training, and she has fond memories of her time there and still keeps in touch with friends she made during her training.
After spending a few years in New York, Meghan and Todd moved back to Jacksonville, where they got married. She worked in the local cooking scene, holding high-end restaurant and hotel positions until starting a family. To avoid the demanding hours of culinary work, she took a break but catered on the side while raising their two children. She later opened a catering business to control her schedule but found that “when you own your own business, all the hours belong to the business.”
Back to the Nest
The need for a transition led her to a research position at the Brooks College of Health, where she managed grants and conducted research before moving to the School of Nursing. During this phase, she honed her grant writing, budget management and administrative skills.
When Dr. Lauri Wright announced plans to create the Center for Nutrition and Food Security (CNFS) in 2017, Niemczyk said her purpose and breadth of experience finally clicked. Having earned her Master of Public Health from 成人大片in 2013, she felt called to join this initiative.
The CNFS serves as a launchpad for nonprofit agencies, government programs, professional organizations and industry personnel exploring solutions to food insecurity and malnutrition. Food insecurity affects 15.8% of Americans, including 17% of adults and 26.7% of children in Florida. Duval County has one of the highest rates in the state, with 20.1% of adults experiencing this public health issue.
“My joy is helping larger communities figure out public health,” Niemczyk said. “I knew public health was good for me because dietitians really focus on an individual and an individual’s specific dietary needs.”
Dr. Wright secured a grant to fund a new position and Niemczyk joined the Nutrition and Dietetics team. She teaches in the food and kitchen labs and launched a cooking elective for freshmen and sophomores last fall. “I adore that class,” she said. “These kids need to learn how to cook. It’s a lost art.”
Meals on Wings Takes Flight
When Dr. Wright learned that 1,000 senior citizens were on the waitlist for Meals on Wheels in Jacksonville, she found it unacceptable. Students had already been recovering food from Osprey Café and repackaging it for the Northeast Florida AIDS Network, but Niemczyk said Wright wanted to expand the effort.
Wright started the Meals on Wings (MoW) program as supplemental assistance for food-insecure seniors, initially without partnerships. Local news coverage soon attracted Baptist Health to partner with the program. Now, most regional hospitals participate and provide leftover food.
The program began in 2018 serving 20 seniors weekly. Since then, MoW has recovered 150,000 pounds of food and delivered 172,000 meals to the community, Niemczyk said. She joined the program in 2019, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, demand surged. By January 2021, MoW served 250 seniors weekly, its current capacity due to staffing, volunteers, and funding constraints.
Despite these efforts, food insecurity remains a challenge, with 40% of 成人大片students affected.. The program continuously seeks funding to sustain its work and overcome obstacles.
Niemczyk actively promotes MoW in the community, appearing on local news to share updates or do cooking segments. Her efforts earned her the Community Champion Award at a Jacksonville Jaguars game.
In her spare time, Meghan is working on her doctorate in public health at the University of South Florida. She also enjoys visiting her college-aged children, taking beach walks with her dog, and, of course, cooking! She loves sharing and discovering new recipe if any of you have any suggestions.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 11/27/24)
Miranda O'Brien
If you haven't seen her at one of our alumni events, you've definitely seen her here on the socials! Miranda O'Brien ('18), the Web and Social Media Coordinator for the Brooks College of Health, was selected as this month's 成人大片 A&P Staff Spotlight!
For the past nine years, O'Brien has played an integral role in UNF's digital media success. Social marketing, digital marketing and graphic design are just a few of her areas of expertise, but she initially earned her degree in Public Health from the University of South Florida (in addition to serving as their Men's Bowling Coach!) After graduating, she became the Director of Web and Social Media for TDBowling, and a few frames later, she held additional communications roles in addition to managing a presidential-elect campaign.
In 2016, she joined the 成人大片Brooks College of Health as the assistant coordinator for the Nutrition and Dietetics, where she assisted with all tasks related to the Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway. She earned a degree in Dietitics and Clinical Nutrition Services, but stuck around to serve as a graduate academic support services coordinator. In 2019, she was promoted to her current role, overseeing the Web and Social Media presence of Brooks, and just last month, she also became the Executive Administrator for 成人大片MedNexus, leading their web strategy, digital communications and content management to enhance the visibility and impact of this innovative healthcare initiative.
"Throughout my time at the Brooks College of Health, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with many incredible teams and help enhance our marketing, communications, and digital strategies," she said. "I believe strongly in the power of teamwork and community, and I’m always inspired by the passion and dedication of the people I work with."
Outside of work, Miranda has been a frequent attendee of alumni events, connecting with Ospreys at sporting events and Alumni Day at Eco Adventure. She is joined by her husband Matthew and newborn daughter Addie. Outside of work, you can catch her participating in or leading fitness classes.
"Whether it’s my coworkers, the departments I collaborate with, or the community at Funkytown Fitness, I’m grateful for the connections I’ve made and the chance to contribute in meaningful ways," O'Brien said.
(Written by Alex Achorn, Published 4/11/25)
Leigh Palmer
Our latest edition of #InvestInTheNest highlights the incredible work of one of our newest team members, Leigh Palmer (’05, ’09), who rejoined the UDAE staff in March as the director of planned giving.
Palmer works with donors who are focused on leaving a legacy to the University, and that comes through gifts left in their will.
“These are folks who really believe in the mission of the organization,” Palmer said. “They really believe that their gifts can make a difference in the long term and in perpetuity.”
There are lot of good reasons to be a planned giver including potential tax benefits, but she prioritizes helping donors understand their why in giving and who and what do they want to represent with their legacy gifts. She partners with tax professionals and attorneys as part of an overall plan in creating a donor’s legacy at the University.
One of the biggest misconceptions that people have about Palmer’s line of work is that many people believe you have to be a millionaire to be a planned giver. That’s not the case.
“There are ways that you can make a gift that costs you nothing in your lifetime and then there are ways that you can give a gift that provides income for life,” Palmer said.
Palmer has enjoyed seeing the growth on campus and connecting with different generations of Osprey alumni and reliving their shared experiences. She said that under President Limayem’s leadership, the university is sure to be successful in growing 成人大片into a more prominent presence in the State University System.
“It’s really nice to see people feel as though our compass is still pointing in the right direction,” Palmer said. “It’s nice to see that people still believe we are on the right track.”
Palmer lived and grew up in Jacksonville, moving from the Westside to campus as she started her journey at 成人大片as an undergrad. She said it felt like a whole new town and really didn’t want to live on campus, but “kids who live on campus have better grades,” is what her mom told her. As she was gently pushed out of the nest at home, Palmer soon found herself studying political science and history, carving out a path to success in undergrad. She had the opportunity to work alongside a professor during her studies for research on a book, and was noted as a contributor to the final product early on in her career.
After finishing her political science degree, she took a break and wasn’t fully sure what her next step was going to be. But two faculty members she connected with during her bachelor’s program encouraged her to pursue graduate school through the Madison-Mullis-Deming Fellowship, providing a gateway for her to continue her education. Having previously received the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, Palmer knew firsthand the impact that financial support can have on ensuring students have the resources to succeed and acquire an education. This ultimately led her to a master’s degree in public administration focused on nonprofit management.
While completing her master’s degree and working as the assistant director of development for the Episcopal School of Jacksonville (formerly Beaches Episcopal School), Palmer knew she wanted to do something bigger and more impactful. She’d previously volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House and she was working major events for fundraising, knowing how this line of work could change the lives of others. When the opportunity to apply for the assistant director of development position within UNF’s College of Arts and Sciences opened up, she quickly applied and came back to 成人大片prepared for further excellence.
When working with major donors, many of them are in their retirement years and lean into their personal passions. She has always enjoyed working through defining those passions with donors and to “take that experience and put it into action for them and really pursue that passion for them.”
While raising money for COAS, Palmer said she met and solicited a gift from longtime 成人大片donor James Van Vleck, one of her first major gift donors. She developed a strong connection with Van Vleck during her tenure and embraced his circle of joy mentality in regard to giving. That mindset helped inform her ability to better serve future donors throughout the giving process.
“It brough him joy to identify a need, to support and give and to see his gift in action, ultimately wanting to repeat the ask with other needs,” Palmer said.
After working as a frontline fundraiser for 成人大片for over six years, Palmer left the Nest to pursue other endeavors in 2016. She worked for Amelia Island as the director of strategic initiatives before going into business with her husband to create Coastal Current Electric, LLC. Palmer used her experience and education to create a thriving business before rejoining the UDAE team in March 2024.
When she’s not helping build legacies through giving at UNF, Leigh loves to listen to audiobooks during her long commutes to and from work. She also enjoys baking sourdough bread, cycling, fishing with her husband, and playing board games with her two kids. This summer, the Palmers are looking forward to a house swap trip to Spain.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 6/30/24)
Ashley Peterson & Jean Lipsky
Our latest edition of #InvestInTheNest follows not one, but TWO Ospreys whose friendship goes back nearly a decade from their days as undergrads and members of 成人大片Fraternity & Sorority Life. Now, they are paving the way for new fundraising milestones that transform all aspects of 成人大片 life.
成人大片alumnae Ashley (Chivalette) Peterson (‘16, ‘19) & Jean Ann Lipsky (‘15) are two of the integral pieces of UDAE Annual Giving team.
As AG’s assistant director of annual giving, Peterson focuses on data management and analytics, with a special focus on coordinating direct mail and email correspondence with UNF’s donor base. She also provides general support for Director of Annual Giving Kristy Herrington and manages creating crowdfunding pages, as well.
Meanwhile, Lipsky serves as assistant director of student philanthropy and engagement, working on numerous initiatives that promote student engagement in philanthropic endeavors for the University. She manages a small staff of students, plans special student donor events across campus, and instills a sense of philanthropy and giving in the student population. She also manages the Ozzie’s Ambassadors giving society, a new endeavor to highlight student donors and build a sense of community.
Peterson and Lipsky went to the same high school but ultimately became friends as sorority sisters for Delta Gamma at 成人大片. They both found ways to stay active on campus. Peterson got involved with 成人大片Spinnaker as a business manager and worked as an RA in addition to studying abroad in Scotland. She also worked as a graduate assistant for the Small Business Development Center at UNF.
Lipsky served in leadership roles as a Rho Gamma for Panhellenic and as a judicial board member and director of rituals for DG. She also served as a senator for student government.
Both Delta Gamma sisters found their ways back to 成人大片on the Annual Giving team, where they have collectively helped the UDAE team reach larger donor bases and instilling a passion for philanthropy within our alumni, students and community. The AG team has won recent accolades and successfully led a best-ever fundraising effort with Giving Day 2024.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 4/30/24)
Adam Polansky
He’s been warming up waiting to be featured in our #InvestInTheNest series, but it’s finally time to call to the bullpen. For this month’s edition, let’s bring in former Osprey pitcher and current assistant athletic director of marketing and ticketing for the Ospreys, Adam Polansky (’18, ’20).
Originally from Orlando, Polansky got an offer from 成人大片to join the baseball team during the fall semester of his senior year. He visited the Ospreys fresh off a 40-19 season, loved the campus and community, and enjoyed being close to home yet far enough that he could be independent.
As an Osprey pitcher, he recorded 65 strikeouts over 46 appearances and induced a groundout from 4-time MLB All Star Pete Alonso. He was also named to the ASUN Academic Honor Roll and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). During his senior year, he started an internship with the Ospreys marketing team for his COEHS practicum. “I did it, really liked it, and never looked back,” Polansky said. After earning his bachelor’s degree in sport management, he stayed on as a marketing assistant for the Ospreys while completing his MBA.
Once he earned his MBA, he joined the marketing staff for the Campbell Camels in Buies Creek, N.C. in the fall of 2020. Shortly after, his boss left Campbell University and Polansky became a one-man department running all the sports during the Winter/Spring crossover season, with the help of his student workers. His hard work paid off as he was named director of marketing, and he held onto that role until he returned to 成人大片as the assistant director of ticketing development and strategic revenue in 2022. This past fall, he was promoted to his current role overseeing both the marketing and ticketing departments.
Polansky credits his success to both his education and his experience. “As a student-athlete, you go to other places and see what other people have and start blending everything together.” By combining his knowledge from the classroom with real-life examples of marketing and promotions he’s witnessed traveling with the team, he can incorporate some new and fun things into Ospreys athletics that can entertain the North Florida demographic.
Polansky says the excitement surrounding the games is what drives him to continue. “Even in the most stressful of games ... I default to having fun,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m sitting courtside playing with lights and music. There are a lot worse things I could do. The downside, however, is now that he has seen all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make these games happen, he finds it hard to sit back and relax during a sporting event. “I went to a [Jumbo] Shrimp game over the summer, and I noticed everything.”
For 成人大片students looking to follow in his footsteps, Polansky said, “No matter what you do, make sure you have fun.” He said there are great people in this industry you can learn from, and he has been fortunate to have worked with so many. The athletics schedule fills up many nights and weekends, but he decompresses by completely unplugging at a certain point each night to just sit on the couch with his dog. On the rare day off, you can catch him golfing or on the beach.
(Written by Alex Achorn, Published 2/17/25)
Jill Snyder
As we wrap up National Nutrition Month, we highlight a triple alumna who has dedicated her life and career to improving the lives of others through nutrition and fitness.
Dr. Jill Snyder DCN, RDN, LDN (’99, ’03, ’23) is an assistant professor with UNF’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the 成人大片Brooks College of Health, having served in a full-time capacity since 2013. She also serves as program director for the master’s in nutrition and dietetics internship program and works with North Florida Ospreys to provide nutrition education and individual counseling to student-athletes.
Snyder earned her bachelor’s degree in health science and her master’s in health science and nutrition, which prepared her for a successful career as a registered dietitian. She worked in that role at St. Vincent Healthcare, The HIT Center of Jacksonville, Wekiva Springs Center and Preferred Nutrition Services. She also previously served as director of the Beaded Star Eating Disorder Recovery Center in Jacksonville Beach.
Snyder said the most rewarding aspect of her job is helping students achieve their goals through experiential learning opportunities through the master’s program. “I really like getting to work with the interns and helping them in that step to become a registered dietitian,” Snyder said.
Another fulfilling part of returning to her alma mater is working alongside the professors she once saw as mentors. Many of the women in the department inspired her to pursue nutrition and dietetics and helped shape her career. One of her biggest mentors was the director of her master’s program — a role she now holds for the next generation of students. “I feel like it came full circle a bit,” Snyder said with a smile.
Snyder has long held ties to fitness and nutrition. Her father and uncle were both football coaches. “I grew up on a football field, so nutrition was always just part of our life,” she said. Her mother’s cancer diagnosis when she was young also prompted the family to view nutrition through a preventative lens. Over the course of her career, Snyder developed specialties in sports nutrition and eating disorders. After moving back to the First Coast from Orlando, she took a role at a behavioral health center in Jacksonville where she led the center’s eating disorder program and counseled patients with mental health and substance use disorders. Snyder quickly learned how to adapt her nutritional background to the psychological aspects of care, finding a way to positively impact patients seeking help during their most vulnerable moments.
Working with athletes to enhance performance through nutrition, Snyder said it’s crucial for individuals to fuel their bodies properly. That includes prioritizing carbohydrate intake for energy, consuming high-protein meals before and after exercise, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated. Electrolytes may be helpful as needed, and supplements can support overall fitness, but she emphasizes that whole foods and their nutrients are the best path to optimal performance. Snyder values the opportunity to teach in an era where social media, influencers and misinformation often distort public understanding of nutrition. “For us in the nutrition world, it’s a daily battle with misinformation and everything out there,” she said.
When she’s not shaping minds through nutrition and dietetics, Snyder is happiest at the beach, swimming or sailing the British Virgin Islands.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 3/28/25)
Tara Sunquist
This month’s edition of #InvestInTheNest features a 成人大片 alumna with a history spanning more than 20 years!
Tara Sunquist (‘06) has Blue and Gray running in her veins, having made a name for herself as a student-athlete at 成人大片before ultimately coming back to coach and shape the minds and college experiences for generations of student-athletes here at the Nest.
“I love working at 成人大片because I feel like I’m part of helping something that is bigger than I am,” she said. “[I’m] paying it forward.”
Sunquist is the assistant athletic director for the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, which she said is a fancy name for academic support for the student-athletes. This support for student-athletes can include assistance in registering for classes to even connecting them with future employers, she said.
“We help them from enrollment to employment, just being their support system along the way,” Sunquist said.
They have weekly meetings with all freshmen and transfer students, and work to know the athletes individually.
Sunquist said the most rewarding part of her job is being a part of the student-athlete experience. As a former student-athlete, she knows the impact that 成人大片can have and wants to provide that same experience to the current students.
“If I can help them in even just one little way, it’s really rewarding,” she said.
Before Sunquist became a leader within North Florida Ospreys, she spent countless days on campus once she started her undergraduate program in 2002.
During Sunquist’s time at UNF, she made a name for herself during her stint on the volleyball team, becoming a strong defensive player. For those unfamiliar with volleyball terminology, a dig is when a defensive player successfully passes a ball that’s an attack by the opponent team. Sunquist finished her volleyball career at 成人大片with 1,647 digs, a benchmark that stood until Nicole Baran broke that record in 2012. She holds two of the top three single season digs records for the school by acquiring 508 digs in 2004.
Originally from Fort Myers, she recollects that at the time, 成人大片was a Division II school and ranked in the Top 10 in the country as a “powerhouse” in athletics, ultimately seeing the school transition to Division I status, which she said was a very cool experience. She also got to experience the introduction of the “Swoop” into the 成人大片culture, forever changing how Ospreys show their school spirit.
Sunquist unfortunately tore her ACL near the end of time at 成人大片and had to set out for a year in 2005. She was majoring in business administration with a marketing focus, but during her recovery she realized she could complete the transportation and logistics program with only five more classes. So, she became a double major and found the T&L program a transformational experience with amazing professors.
She recovered in time to play her final semester and season in fall 2006, graduating with two degrees and leaving her own legacy as a student-athlete at UNF.
She respects her time as a student-athlete because “you have to learn how to have time management,” she said.
“I played for a really tough coach, so you have to learn how to receive tough feedback,” Sunquist said.
She said she values the importance of teamwork and learning how to collaborate with the people around you, as well.
As Sunquist figured out her next steps after graduation, one of her T&L professors, Robert Frankel, now a professor emeritus, asked her “What makes you excited to wake up every day?” Said. That question guided her decision as she debated between a T&L job with Winn-Dixie or a volleyball coaching job. She chose the latter, and soon found her way up to the University of North Carolina in Charlotte as her first job out of college.
While working and living in Charlotte, she met Charlotte track and field stand and her future husband, Eli Sunquist. After they married, they both moved to Johnson City, Tennessee, where she worked at East Tennessee State University while working on her master’s degree in sport management. She worked there as a graduate assistant, before working as a compliance coordinator from May 2011 until September 2012. She served as a point-of-contact for student-athletes regarding compliance, scholarships, housing and other general concerns. She also contributed to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and planned and implemented student-athlete functions, life skill program and fundraising efforts at ETSU.
The Sunquists decided to move back to Jacksonville, with Tara returning to the Nest for about nine months, working as the compliance coordinator in UNF’s Records and Registration office.
In summer 2013, Tara left briefly for a short stint working at Jacksonville University but came back in August that year to accept an assistant coach position for the volleyball team, creating a full-circle moment in her volleyball career.
It was surreal for her to see the development of the Athletics department since she played as an undergrad, and “it was cool to be a part of a team that I helped start from the roots,” she said.
She moved into athletic administration as a compliance coordinator and academic specialist in February 2016 before being promoted to her current role in summer 2022.
Sunquist said she is excited for the future of 成人大片will be under the impactful leadership of both President Moez Limayem and Athletic Director Nick Morrow.
“成人大片is still young and we’re still going places,” she said. “We keep being called a hidden gem. The more that 成人大片is put out to the public and people know about it the better we’re going to get.”
When she isn’t shaping the lives of Ospreys, Sunquist enjoys spending time with her husband and her two children, Rooney and Vance.
“I love being a mom,” Sunquist said.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 3/21/24)
Robby Weber
Today’s story also doubles as our #InvestInTheNest as we highlight a 成人大片alumnus and current staff member who has built a successful public relations career while also launching a thriving anthology of YA novels.
Robby Weber (’16) is the director of creative content strategy for UNF’s Marketing and Communications team, where he uses innovative storytelling techniques to showcase UNF’s transformational impact on students and industries. He also drives the university’s recent marketing rebrand through creative and visual strategies, leveraging social media, photography and video.
Previously the assistant director of social media, Weber implemented an enterprise social media tool to organize UNF’s accounts and he managed social content, including the annual holiday video.
But before soaring like an Osprey, let’s take you back to where it all began—high school!
‘It’s Not Just Blue, It’s Cerulean’
Weber grew up in Florida, where he dreamed of a career in New York fashion. He was excited to study public relations at UNF, recognizing it as a place where he could gain real-world skills and experiential internships.
At UNF, Weber served as PRSSA’s social media officer and later president, gaining experience in event planning, outreach and budgeting before working as a PR/social associate at Sweet Pete’s while finishing his degree. At the same time, he secured his first social media internship with the Dalton Agency.
He fondly remembered communication professor Bobbi Doggett’s mentorship playing an integral role in his growth.
“As soon as I had her as a professor, we just clicked,” Weber said. “She could see that I was driven and that I had goals. I think she really believed in me and helped me to achieve them.”
Weber credits his Campaigns and Cases courses for teaching him how PR agencies operate, helping him and his classmates refine their presentation and networking skills.
His dedication in and out of the classroom led to internships in New York with Marie Claire and Ralph Lauren, where he worked as a fashion market intern/assistant and PR assistant, respectively. His “fever dream” experience in NYC felt straight out of “The Devil Wears Prada” with early mornings, late nights, cover shoots and trekking across the city with clothes and beauty products in tow. He learned to stand out through hard work, leveraging connections for career growth in a “very good old-fashioned lesson in PR.”
Since graduating in 2016 with a communication degree, Weber has built an impressive career. He spent two years at the Dalton Agency as a social content creator, followed by roles in social media and communications at Adjective & Co. and Mayo Clinic. Before SWOOPing back to 成人大片in 2022, he managed major IP initiatives for Lucasfilm, Marvel, Disney Princesses and Disney Parks at The Walt Disney Company. His diverse experiences helped him refine his career interests, leading him to focus on organic brand and communication strategy.
“I get to bring everything from all the different jobs that I’ve had and really apply them, and it makes my job fun,” he said.
From Big Dreams to Bookstore Shelves
Weber developed a love for reading early on, recalling how his mother taught him with “Bob Books” and read him “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” at 5 years old.
“It feels as natural to me as breathing,” Weber said.
This formative chapter led to his passion for writing, starting with a book he wrote about his dog in fifth grade. By seventh grade, he had written his first novel, a 60,000-word manuscript.
“I was having my friends read it, and then just kept doing that,” he said. “Every year I would write a new book.”
Years later, while juggling internships in New York, Weber began pitching his work to publishers. Though he faced rejections, he refined his writing and pitches, eventually landing an agent.
Growing up as an avid reader, Weber struggled to see himself reflected in the characters of his favorite books. This absence inspired him to create YA novels celebrating queer joy rather than centering on trauma or othering.
“I grew up loving romantic comedies and just wanted to write one where I felt like it resonated with me or another teen might see themselves in it and not feel like it was just about their identity,” he said.
This vision became the basis for his debut novel, “If You Change Your Mind” (2022), which follows Harry, an aspiring screenwriter navigating love, heartbreak, and his dreams of college. Weber has since expanded his literary universe with “I Like Me Better” (2023), “What Is This Feeling?” (2024), and his upcoming novel, “Everything 成人大片 You,” set for release in September 2025.
Weber enjoys connecting with readers who’ve shared how his books have impacted their lives—whether by leaving toxic relationships, joining a sports team, or discovering their career path
“I think that’s always the most rewarding part,” he said.
For those looking to get back into reading, Weber suggests treating books like a taste test—sampling different ones until you find what you enjoy. He emphasizes that there’s no obligation to finish a book if it doesn’t resonate and encourages readers to explore different formats, whether physical books, Kindles or phone apps.
His books are available wherever books are sold, but he encourages readers to support The Bookmark in Neptune Beach, where he frequently holds book signings and events. With a fashion-focused book in the works, Weber will continue promoting his upcoming novel throughout the year.
(Written by Tyler White, Published 3/5/25)