Faculty Awards & Degrees

We want to share news of your new degrees, awards and other recognition. Email details to cetl@easternflorida.edu. Highlights cover approximately the last four years, with older content rotating off of the page.

Speech Instructor Earns PhD in Journalism

March 2025: Dr. Mane Avetisyan-Villorin has earned her PhD in Journalism from Shanghai University. Currently, she serves as a speech instructor on the Palm Bay Campus, and has been teaching at EFSC since 2021. Her lifelong passion for education led her to pursue her doctorate, which she adds to her previous degrees of BA in Spanish Language & Literature (Yerevan State University) and MA in Journalism (Armenian State Pedagogical University). Dr. Avetisyan-Villorin believes the PhD in Journalism has enhanced her ability to teach critical thinking and research skills, while also inspiring her students to pursue their own academic and professional goals. She finds motivation in her lived advice: "There will be many obstacles and moments of challenge throughout the PhD journey. Remember to pursue a subject or area you're passionate about and surround yourself with people who support and inspire you. In times of desperation, remind yourself of the rewards, your dreams, and your goals."

Health Science Instructor Earns Master's Degree

August 2024: Valerie Davies has earned her Master of Arts (MA) in Educational Leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University. Currently, she serves as an instructor in the Medical Laboratory Technology program on the Cocoa Campus. She has had a long career in healthcare, starting in a clinical laboratory and eventually being a founding member of the Wuesthoff Reference Laboratory (now Steward Reference Laboratory) Forensic Toxicology Department. There, she performed forensic toxicology for Florida Medical Examiners and law enforcement. In 2003, she entered the pharmaceutical sales industry, eventually returning to laboratory work in 2017. Her MA portfolio included multiple research papers based on FGCU's 10 Standards of Educational Leadership in Higher Education (Diversity, Technology, Student Affairs, Finance, Ethical Leadership, Human Resources,  and Stakeholder Relationships). Davies finds motivation from her lived advice: "Enroll. Get the degree. The future is coming, and you can meet it with higher level of education, or meet it wishing you had enrolled."

BAS Program Manager Earns Doctorate Degree

May 2023: Dr. Wayne Brown, a Program Manager for EFSC's healthcare-related Bachelor of Applied Science programs, earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the Florida Institute of Technology. With over 35 years in healthcare, he transitioned to education in 2010, starting as an Adjunct Faculty member. Currently teaching Healthcare Leadership and Capstone courses, Dr. Brown's previously earned a Master’s in Healthcare Administration, a B.S. in Biology, and an AAS in Respiratory Therapy. His Ph.D. research focused on the emotional intelligence of African American college students. “It is important to me to guide, counsel and learn from our students, to help them navigate the environment we live in and develop a sense of empathy and compassion for their peers and their community.” Active in community service and various boards, Dr. Brown challenges his students to think critically and collaboratively, emphasizing the importance of aligning education with personal and career goals.

Veterinary Program Manager Adds Bachelor Degree

May 2022: Maryann Vanciel, CVT, has earned her Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Clinical and Hospital Management from the St. Petersburg College Veterinary Technology Program. Currently, she serves as the Program Manager for EFSC’s Veterinary Technology and Assisting programs on the Cocoa Campus. Having taught courses across both disciplines at EFSC since 2020, she transitioned to a full-time instructor in the spring of 2021. Vanciel is a certified Veterinary Technician and an EFSC Veterinary Technology alumna. She is actively pursuing a Master’s in Veterinary Forensics at UF and anticipates completing the program in 2024. Vaciel looks forward to continuing to shape the next generation of veterinary technicians and assistants, and says she has pride in her students and "their willingness to be the best they can be in advancing their education."

Respiratory Care Program Manager Earns Master's Degree

November 2021: Lisa Leib, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences and Program Manager for EFSC's Respiratory Care Program, earned her Master of Health Sciences (MHSc) degree from Nova Southeastern University on Nov. 30, 2021. Leib joined EFSC in March 2016 and finds immense joy in shaping the future of respiratory care and preparing students to excel in their profession. “I hope to create a culture for learning and development that will leave my students feeling empowered and confident. I aim to help my students develop their own identities to elevate the profession by imparting my knowledge and years of experience to them. I particularly love to teach when I can sense the learning in the classroom: When I can hear the enthusiasm from students' testimonials about mastering skills that 'make a difference' or theories that transform practices and perspectives. The moment when I feel most accomplished is when I see my students achieve something that they once said they could never do." Her master's thesis and extended research project explored lung injury associated with electronic nicotine delivery systems and the risks associated with adolescent use. Reflecting on this experience, her advice to others includes the importance of investing in oneself and choosing a master’s program that matches up with your personal and career goals. Leib says her dedication to education aligns with the poet W.B. Yeats' sentiment that "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

EMS Instructor Earns Bachelor of Applied Science

April 2021: Roy Gainer, an Emergency Medical Services instructor who teaches in the EMT and Paramedic programs, earned his BAS in Applied Health Sciences from EFSC with a Healthcare Management specialization in December 2020. Gainer started at EFSC in 2014 as an EMS adjunct and became full time in 2018. He teaches a variety of classes and appreciates how advancements in simulating real-life medical emergencies have enhanced the students' learning experience, especially during field clinicals. As a teenager, he was already interested in becoming a volunteer fire fighter, a path his brothers had also chosen, but it was witnessing a traffic accident at the age of 18 that truly inspired him. He recalls the patient care provided by the EMS/fire crews as “mind blowing.” After previously working as a paramedic and at a cardiac catheterization lab, he says the move to educator provides “the feeling of making a bigger difference in the community.” He enjoys knowing that students are working in the community using the skills he's taught them and he finds it rewarding when students return from clinicals eager to learn more. Gainer plans to begin the journey toward his master's degree in 2022.

Congratulations 2019-20 Academic Discipline Peer Honorees

April 2020: Full-time faculty in various disciplines have been recognized as Academic Discipline Peer Award (ADPA) winners for the 2019-20 academic year at Eastern Florida State College. The honor is presented in appreciation of their dedication, patience, enthusiasm and concern for students, the College and the community. View the list of ADPA winners.

Health Science Instructor Earns Master's Degree

March 2020: Tim Sears, Radiography Program Clinical Coordinator & Instructor, has earned his Masters in Health Informatics from The University of Illinois at Chicago. Sears joined EFSC in Fall of 2018 as a Radiography Program Instructor. As the Radiography Program Clinical Coordinator & Instructor, he teaches courses related to digital image production, acquisition and processing, plus oversees the clinical assignments and scheduling. For his Master’s research project, Sears created a mobile cancer screening framework that would utilize mobile sonography equipment along with artificial intelligence software to help increase screening rates for underserved populations. Earning his degree was a huge time commitment, but he was determined and believes one should, “take things one step at a time, no matter the endeavor, because it is the journey that is the reward.” Sears is extremely excited about the future of the EFSC Radiography program and its graduates, and plans to add more clinical sites to better serve specific student needs. He enjoys being part of the bigger picture for healthcare: "The best part about educating, especially within my field, is the idea that the things I instruct will be directly used to help influence and enhance the quality of patient care seen in our local communities."

Biology Instructor Adds Second Master's Degree

October 2019: Ron Vanderveer, who teaches biology courses for both science majors and non-majors on the Melbourne Campus and online, has earned a Master of Science in General Biology from Mississippi State University. Vanderveer also has a master's in educational technology from Florida Tech and a bachelor's in marine biology. Vanderveer first taught oceanography at Melbourne High School and then worked as a trainer at a local company before coming to the College, first as an adjunct, then as a full-time biology instructor since 2013. Inspiring students to consider a science career is rewarding but he says he never loses sight of the non-science major who's just checking off a box on their degree requirements. "I'm not trying to make them scientists. I'm trying to make them functionally literate in the field of science so in 10 years when a family member gets sick or they run into a scientific issue at work they can think back and evoke what I taught them and go through their steps to figure out the issue."

English and Psychology Professor Earns Doctorate Degree

July 2019: Maureen Groome, who teaches English and Psychology courses on EFSC's Melbourne campus, has earned a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Grand Canyon University. Dr. Groome has taught at the College since 2000, first as an adjunct and full time since 2010. Her dissertation was a qualitative study on how millennials with MBA degrees perceived psychological services contracts as influencing their choice of an employer. "Any degree in psychology will help tremendously in teaching and I also wanted to expand by teaching opportunities in the psychology department," said Groome. "The classes I took have helped me to gain a better understanding of my students and myself. Also, being a student as well as a teacher has provided me many learning experiences, particularly with the LMS (online Learning Management System)." Groome says the online doctoral program provided greater flexibility and allowed her to build a support group among her fellow classmates around the country. The program also interested Groome because she is a consultant with a full-service strategic planning, HR, training, talent management and organizational development company. She plans to incorporate new uses of technology in her classes. "I have been teaching for over 25 years. The most rewarding part for me is when I get a letter or email from a former student letting me know where he or she is and thanking me for teaching him or her."

Business Professor Earns EdD Credential

February 2019: Deana Looney, Assistant Professor of Business and Program Manager of EFSC's Transportation and Logistics program, has earned her Doctorate of Education from Nova Southeastern University. She joined the College in 2006 as an adjunct instructor, and moved to full time on the Titusville Campus in 2011. Her doctorate specialized in Instructional Technology and Design with a minor in Higher Education. Looney's dissertation focused on understanding student success from an instructor's perspective when a course is offered in a variety of modalities. Looney credits her family's support for this accomplishment, achieved while she and her husband are also raising two active young sons. "When I was a kid running track, my father once said, 'You are not a quitter. You cannot give up when times get tough.' His words always ring in the back of my mind," said Looney. As an educator she most enjoys her role in motivating and engaging her students, especially returning students who have been away from college for a few years.