EFSC Professional Development Council

The Professional Development Council (PDC) gives the faculty at Eastern Florida State College a voice in their professional development. The Council makes recommendations to the College President concerning teaching in a higher education institution and professional development opportunities.

This Council assigns faculty advancement credit to workshops and evaluates applications for the Professional Learning Activities Fund (PLAF) and the Distinguished Educator Award, plus reviews Professional Development Events proposal forms submitted by faculty through the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. To submit a proposal, complete the Professional Development Events proposal form, located in the myEFSC Portal under Employee Applications.

The PDC oversees publication of Science2Practice, a new online peer-reviewed academic journal first published in November 2023.

The Council also coordinates the annual Neoteric Educational Research and Development Symposium (NERDS). This exciting event provides an opportunity to collaborate with peers and share novel practices in digital pedagogy. Poster Session archives are available from the Fall 2023 and Spring 2025 NERDS by contacting Dr. Katina Gothard, PDC Chair, at gothardk@easternflorida.edu or 321-433-5223.

PDC Member list
Name Term (Fall-Spring) Campus Discipline
Dr. Hannah Bevan 2026-2029 Cocoa Biological Sciences
Karen Cuda 2026-2029 Melbourne Communications
Dr. Gabriel Dinca 2024-2027 Cocoa Physics
Robert Draper 2026-2029 Palm Bay Mathematics
Dawn Facciolo 2025-2028 Palm Bay Mathematics
Dr. Katina Gothard
(Vice Chairperson)
2025-2028 Melbourne Mathematics
Thomas Highsmith 2026-2029 Cocoa Career & Technical Education
Dr. John Newby 2023-2026 Melbourne Biological Sciences
Dr. Beverly Payne 2026-2029 Cocoa Computer Applications
Slav Peytchev 2025-2028 Melbourne Chemistry/Environmental Science
Marian Smith 2026-2029 Melbourne Library Science
Lynn Spencer 2025-2028 Melbourne Humanities
Dr. Susan Styron (Chairperson) 2026-2029 Melbourne Science

Professional Development Council meetings are held on EFSC's Melbourne Campus, Building 7, Room 309 or online via Microsoft Teams. All meetings are open to the public except the one marked "closed."

2026-2027 PDC Meeting Schedule

Friday, August 28, 2026: 9:15am - 12:15pm (Melbourne, Bldg. 7, Rm. 212)
Friday, September 25, 2026: 8:00am - 11:00am (MS Teams)
Friday, October 23, 2026: 8:00am - 11:00am (MS Teams)
Friday, December 4, 2026: 8:00am - 11:00am (MS Teams)
Friday, January 22, 2027: 8:00am - 11:00am (MS Teams)
Friday, February 26, 2027: 8:00am  - 11:00am (MS Teams)
Friday, April 2, 2027: 8:00am - 11:00am (MS Teams)
Friday, April 30, 2027: 9:15am - 12:15pm (Melbourne, Bldg. 7, Rm. 212 - CLOSED)