Undergraduate

Time: 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting
Hosts: Mark Leahy and James McAdams
Bios:

Please join us for an in person event to kick off the English Career Week! We will hear from the incredibly talented Kevin Pearl (Disney Publishing Worldwide, USF English ’09) and learn about all of this week’s additional topics and opportunities! Refreshments will be served.

Time: 5:30pm to 7:00pm 
Location: Marshall Student Center (MSC) | Room 3705 (Manatee Room)
Hosted by: Sigma Tau Delta 
Guest Speaker: Kevin Pearl 
Bio: 

Kevin Pearl

Kevin Pearl is a USF alumni whose BA in English helped pave the way for a career in entertainment-based licensed publishing. He has lived in New York City and Los Angeles, California while working for companies like Marvel, Amazon, Dynamite, and Disney Publishing Worldwide. He has worked as a writer and editor on Travel Guides, Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Immersive Gaming Experiences, and once he even had to serve as a Bodyguard for a celebrity cat. 

Time: 12:30pm to 2:00pm 
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting 
Host: Susan Mooney
Guest Speakers: Tom Hoeler, Molly Turpin, Jennifer Janechek, Matt Schwartz

Bios:

Tom Hoeler

Tom Hoeler is a senior editor at Del Rey Books, a science-fiction/fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. Throughout his career he's worked on projects from authors across the genre, including: George R.R. Martin, Peter F. Hamilton, Robin Hobb, Naomi Novick and many others. He also specializes in working with major franchises to tell stories including: Star Wars, Stranger Things, Critical Role, Dungeons & Dragons, and others. Tom lives in New York and permanently works from home aided by his two senior interns (who also happen to be cats). 
 
Molly Turpin
Molly is a senior editor for Random House. 
 
Matt Schwartz

Matt Schwarz is the Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy for the Random House Group, a division of Penguin Random House, where he has worked since 2008. Prior to that he held a variety of jobs in the world of digital marketing and ecommerce for books, including Director of Online Marketing for Simon & Schuster’s children and teen publishing division and Editorial Director for BarnesandNoble.com. He also operated his own online-only genre bookstore, Shocklines.com, for 8 years. 

Time: 5:00pm to 6:30pm 
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting  
Host: Emily Jones
Guest Speakers: Mimi Coto, Emily Norton,  Allison Symulevich

Bios:

Mimi Coto 

Mimi Coto is a 2nd year MA Literature student at USF with an interest in gender and race. Outside of the classroom, they are a student assistant at USF’s Special Collections with a research focus in LGBTQIA+ archival work and Conscious Editing. 

Emily Norton

Emily Norton is a Humanities Librarian in the Research and Instruction unit at the USF Tampa Libraries. She earned her bachelor's degree in English Literature from UCF before earning master's degrees in English Literature and Library and Information Science from USF. She has experience in art archives, and does freelance work creating databases for art collections. Emily's research interests include fostering information literacy skills in historically underserved student populations, spatiality studies in real and virtual spaces, and Florida culture and literature.

Allison Symulevich

Allison Symulevich is the Scholarly Communications Librarian at the St. Petersburg campus. She is the liaison to Political Science, Criminology, Forensic Studies, and Legal Studies. Prior to being a librarian, she was an attorney practicing commercial litigation at a large firm in Tampa, FL.

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm  
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting

Host: Mike Stowe
Guest Speaker: Chantal Hevia, Pamela Tinnen Brea

Bios:

Chantal Hevia

It is not often that one can celebrate their heritage as an integral part of their profession. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ybor City Museum Society, Chantal Ruilova Hevia is passionate about communicating the rich history and cultural heritage of her ancestors, who were Spanish and Sicilian, as well as the Cubans and other immigrants who settled in Ybor City and West Tampa beginning in the late 19th century. During the 15 years she has led YCMS, she has focused on community outreach, collaborating with local organizations, fundraising, and overseeing exhibits, programming, and signature events that communicate Tampa’s cultural diversity. Hevia directed the creation of the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House, which opened in September 2021. During her work on this project, she developed a new appreciation for Tampa’s unique baseball history and heritage and the game’s connection to the local community. A native of Tampa, Hevia is fluent in Spanish, and has studied Italian and Portuguese. She holds Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida

Pamela Tinnen Brea 
Pamela is a curator specializing in public art for New York University whose interests most often engage photography, dark tourism, aesthetics, and visual culture. Prior to moving to New York City, Tinnen was Assistant Curator & Art Administrator for the Tom and Mary James/Raymond James Financial Art Collection in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is Fine Art Chair for the Board of Directors of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) NY Chapter, and a member of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC), and the Association of University Galleries and Museums (AAMG), and holds an MA in Museum Studies from New York University and a BA in Literature from the University of South Florida. 

Time: 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Location: In-Person: St. Pete Campus, Davis Hall, 2^nd Floor Atrium
Host: Tom Hallock
Guest Speakers: St. Pete Alumni members: Philip Belcastro, Brennen Picket, Christina Skatzka, Jeffrey Skatzka, Eric Vaughan
Bios:

Brennen Picket  

My bachelors is a USFSP English degree with a focus in “Writing Studies.” I also have a minor in Spanish. I taught English (the TESL type of English) for a year in Sincelejo, Colombia. I’ve taught English for six years at St. Petersburg High School. Currently, I teach mainly AP Language and Composition. I’m in the executive leadership at PCTA (Pinellas County Teacher’s Association) as the local’s FEA Director. I love to travel during my summers off, and I’ve been to over 30 countries. 
 
Christina Skatzka  

Christina Skatzka graduated with a B.A. in English and American Literature from USFSP in 2012. After working as a freelance blog writer, ESOL tutor and briefly pursuing a career in early childhood education, she decided to change paths and began working in advertising and marketing. Christina spent several years as an account manager and project manager for an automotive advertising agency. Today, she and her husband operate an advertising and marketing agency, specializing in brand development. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband and their two children. 

Jeffery Skatzka

Jeff Skatzka grew up loving brands, words and creativity. His passion for these things led him down many paths, arriving circuitously as an advertising creative at various agencies and eventually Chief Creative Officer of the brand development agency SKATZKA—which he co-founded with his wife. Together, they help to energize small to midsize brands with strategy, creative solutioning and a drive to make things better.
 
Eric Vaughan  

Eric is a USFSP graduate. He received his BA in English in 2013 and a Dual Masters in 2016 all from USFSP (MA in Journalism and MLA Interdisciplinary Studies) . Eric has worked as a teacher in Pinellas County and held a job as the Director of LGBTQ programs and Policies for the New York City Department of Education. He is currently the Director at Community Tampa Bay. A non-profit dedicated to ending all forms of discrimination. 

Time: 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: In-Person: Sarasota-Manatee English Society, USFSM Cafe
Host: Valerie Lipscomb

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting
Hosts: Jessica Cook, Mike Shuman
Bios:

Time: 11:00am to 12:15pm
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting 
Host: Michelle Taylor
Guest Speaker: Jenna Gatley

Bios:

Michelle Taylor  
Dr. Taylor is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at USF. She also directs the LIT 2000 program at USF and the Wesley Works Digital Edition, a collaborative project across multiple universities. She teaches undergraduates how to encode documents in XML to prepare them for publication on the Wesley Works website, which digitizes documents of various genres written by John Wesley, the 18th-century religious leader who founded the Protestant denomination Methodism. Training in XML can help students prepare for graduate programs in library and information science, humanities graduate school programs with a Digital Humanities focus, digital publishing, or tech careers in the private industry. Dr. Taylor will also be working with undergraduates outside of the classroom every semester for those looking for research experience. 

Jenna Gatley

Jenna Gatley is a senior English major with a concentration in literary studies at USF. She interns at the USF Special Collections and Wesley Works digital archives.

Time: 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting 
Hosts: Jessica Cook, Julia Koets
Guest Speakers: Angie Pitts, Haley Morton, Lindsay Everest

Bios:

Angie Pitts  
Angela is the current Communications Strategist for the City of Tampa. Her primary responsibilities include managing the City of Tampa’s social media profiles and assisting the Marketing & Communications department with all external communication needs. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of South Florida in May 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Professional Writing, Rhetoric and Technology. She is currently furthering her education at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Social Media. Angela is passionate about telling Tampa’s story and helping connect the community to local government. She is a proud Tampa resident, coffee addict, dog mom and comms nerd. 
 
Lindsay Everest  
Lindsay joined the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay in 2019 providing crisis abatement to those in need as an Intervention Specialist. She then worked as a Care Coordinator in a specialized department focusing on providing comprehensive peer support and wraparound services to youth and young adults with mental health concerns. Now, she works as a Supervisor managing different Care Coordination programs. 

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting  
Host: Emily Jones
Guest Speakers: Nic Coppage, Bishop Lay, Paul Schulz

Bios:

Nicole (Nic) Coppage 

Nicole (Nic) Coppage is a second-year Master of Social Work student at USF. She received her Bachelor’s in both English and Communications in 2021 from USF. Nic plans to pursue her clinical social work license after graduating to work with clients struggling with eating disorders and/or provide counseling to LGBTQ+ individuals. She is currently a social work intern at Metropolitan Ministries, as well as an intervention specialist at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. Nic also had the opportunity to be a social worker at CampOut, and LGBTQ+ youth summer camp, as well as act as an active member of the Tampa chapter of International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals. 
 
Paul Schulz  
Paul is a St. Petersburg, Florida native and fiscal & business professional. He currently serves as Manager, Fiscal & Business Administration at the University of South Florida. 

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm  
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting 
Host: Jessica Cook
Guest Speakers: Izzy Fraraccio, Emily de la Paz, Isabelle Kuhns, Kate Gehlen

Bios:

Mary Isabelle (Izzy) Fraraccio 
Mary Isabella graduated in 2020 and was hired to teach 8th grade Language Arts the following fall. She is now teaching high school English and plans on applying to return to USF for her Masters in English Literature next school year. 
 
Emily de la Paz 

Emily  is a graduate of English Literature and Cultural Studies with a minor in Art History from the University of South Florida. She currently teaches Middle School Language Arts and serves as the English Department Head at Starkey Ranch K-8 in Odessa, Florida. Emily is currently pursuing her Master's in Educational Leadership at USF. 
 
Isabelle Kuhns 

Isabelle Kuhns has a BA in English Literature with a minor in Communications and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the University of South Florida. She currently teaches English to Freshmen and Juniors at Sickles High School in Tampa, Florida. 

Time: 11:00 am to 12:30pm
Location: Virtual Teams Meeting
Host: Jessica Cook, Mike Stowe
Guest Speaker: Autumn Oliver, Johanna Estrada Vargas, Trinity Nirenberg

Bios:

Autumn Oliver

Autumn Oliver is an editorial assistant at Macmillan Learning, the educational division of Macmillan, where she has worked since May of this year and was an intern last summer. Before starting her career in textbook publishing, Autumn worked with Grand Central Publishing at Hachette Book Group as an editorial assistant. There, she worked with women's fiction and suspense/thriller. Autumn is originally from Florida but currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts, where she has traded cuban sandwiches for lobster rolls.

Johanna Estrada Vargas

Jhoanna Estrada Vargas is currently working as a Content Packaging Coordinator for Disney Publishing Worldwide. She is a graduate of New York University's 2021 Summer Publishing Institute. Prior to that, she graduated in 2020 from the University of South Florida where she majored in English with a concentration in Literary Studies.

Trinity Nirenberg

Trinity Nirenberg is a senior here at the University of South Florida set to graduate this upcoming Spring semester. She works full-time as an Author Manager at Gatekeeper Press, an independent publishing company located in both Florida and Ohio.

Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Location: EDU 115; Virtual Teams Meeting 
Host: Mark Leahy
Guest Speaker: Abbie Tioseco

Bio:

Abbie Tioseco

Abbie has 18 years’ experience in Technical Communication specifically in Tech and Software Development. She has spent 13 years at ConnectWise where she is currently Senior Manager of Documentation. Abbie is a Member of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Council, Philanthropy and Culture Groups. She received her BA from USF for English with concentration in Technical Writing and her MS from Northeastern in Technical Communication.