Administration

To report potential legal, policy, or ethical conduct violations or concerns, please use the University of Florida Compliance Hotline.

Business Services

Jana Barnash

Associate Director of Operations

(352) 294-3330

Jana Barnash manages the administrative and bookstore operations at ICS. Jana holds a BAS from Santa Fe College in Health Services Administration, and her career at UF includes work with Human Resources and UF Health. She is dedicated to streamlining processes and her work has been recognized with a Davis Productivity Award and a Superior Accomplishment Award. She enjoys time spent with family, travel, and board games.

Colleen Rosenberg

Administrative Specialist

(352) 294-3332

Colleen Rosenberg is the heart of administrative operations at ICS. She holds a BS in Communications from Ohio University and her background includes work with JP Morgan Chase in customer service, coaching new hires, participating in the manager-in-training program, and conducting corporate training. Outside of work, Colleen is passionate about fitness and her family.

Hope Norman

Administrative Assistant II

(352) 294-3320

Hope Norman has been a part of the ICS team for 22 years. She works as an editorial assistant for the EDIS editors and is an Administrative assistant II with the admin team.

Sheila Vasconcelos

Administrative Assistant

(352) 294-3301

Sheila Vasconcelos is an administrative assistant who helps keep the ICS team operating smoothly. She enjoys working with ICS where she gets the best of both worlds. She puts her great passions and degrees, a BS in Public Relations and Communication and an AS in Office Administration, into practice on a daily basis.

Bookstore

General Customer Assistance | (352) 392-1764 or (800) 226-1764

Jana Barnash

Associate Director of Operations

(352) 294-3330

Jana Barnash manages the administrative and bookstore operations at ICS. Jana holds a BAS from Santa Fe College in Health Services Administration, and her career at UF includes work with Human Resources and UF Health. She is dedicated to streamlining processes and her work has been recognized with a Davis Productivity Award and a Superior Accomplishment Award. She enjoys time spent with family, travel, and board games.

Sarah Hensley

Extension Bookstore Manager

(352) 294-3301

Sarah E. Hensley handles operations for the IFAS Bookstore with over 20 years in retail management. She holds a BA (English) from the University of Florida and an MS (Library & Information Sciences) from Florida State University. She enjoys reading, gaming, building LEGO sets and playing with her dog Luke.

Travis Jones

Accountant

Travis Jones is the accountant for the UF/IFAS Bookstore. He holds a BAS in Organizational Management and is currently back in school learning IT Security. He is the only forklift certified employee and is often tasked with running store while the rest of the staff is working at one of the various events around Florida. He enjoys driving rally cars, playing guitar, and spending time with his cats, Yokai and Hachi.

Rolando Negron

Acquisitions Editor

(352) 294-3304

Rolando Negron is the acquisitions editor for UF/IFAS Communications. He holds a B.S. in Biology and a M.Ed. His career includes work as a field biologist, science teacher, instructional technologist, and school administrator. He's passionate about science inquiry and an avid endurance sports enthusiast.

Branding Help

Tracy Bryant

Director of Creative Services

(352) 294-3319

Tracy Bryant holds a bachelor's in advertising from the University of South Florida. Since 1996, she's been a visual designer with diverse branding experience in direct mail, marketing, print, and higher education. Tracy is currently the Director of Creative Services at UF/IFAS Communications, University of Florida. In this role, she manages a team of creatives and shapes UF/IFAS' visual identity for Florida audiences.

Event Services

Chris Vivian

Associate Vice President

(727) 644-5791

Chris Vivian manages the ICS team to tell the UF/IFAS story to audiences all over Florida. Chris holds a BS from UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, and her career includes work in science non-profits like the American Heart Association and National Forensic Science Technology Center. Her work has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America, the American Marketing Association, Communicator Awards and more. She has a cat named Daisy and sings in the Gainesville Master Chorale.

Colleen Rosenberg

Event Coordinator & Assistant to AVP

(352) 294-3332

Colleen Rosenberg is the heart of administrative operations at ICS. She holds a BS in Communications from Ohio University and her background includes work with JP Morgan Chase in customer service, coaching new hires, participating in the manager-in-training program, and conducting corporate training. Outside of work, Colleen is passionate about fitness and her family.

EDIS / Publication Editing

Diana Hagan

Information Management Specialist

(352) 273-3418

Diana Hagan manages UF/IFAS Extension’s peer-reviewed publications and their online platforms. She has a master’s in Latin from UF and a master’s in Library & Information Science from USF. She enjoys fiber arts and word games.

Tracy Bryant

Director of Creative Services

(352) 294-3319

Tracy Bryant holds a bachelor's in advertising from the University of South Florida. Since 1996, she's been a visual designer with diverse branding experience in direct mail, marketing, print, and higher education. Tracy is currently the Director of Creative Services at UF/IFAS Communications, University of Florida. In this role, she manages a team of creatives and shapes UF/IFAS' visual identity for Florida audiences.

Susan Gildersleeve

EDIS Editor

(352) 294-3318

Susan Gildersleeve edits for Ask IFAS. She has a BA in English from UF and an MFA in fiction from the University of Iowa. Susan's newest pastime is darning socks, a perfect hobby for a perfectionist because there's no punishing learning curve: no matter how unskilled the darner, the sock will always be improved after darning. Plus, you can make beautiful plaid darns. So satisfying!

Gillian McGuire

EDIS Editor

(352) 294-3317

Gillian McGuire works alongside authors to copyedit and publish their research on Ask IFAS and the EDIS journal. Gillian graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, specializing in children's literature and in religion. She enjoys reading, nature-walking, caring for indoor plants, and roller-skating.

Amanda Quintos

EDIS Editor

(352) 294-3305

Amanda Quintos edits UF/IFAS peer-reviewed publications for the EDIS journal and Ask IFAS. She also writes blog posts for Blogs.IFAS.

Hope Norman

Editorial Assistant

(352) 294-3320

Hope Norman has been a part of the ICS team for 22 years. She works as an editorial assistant for the EDIS editors and is an Administrative assistant II with the admin team.

Heidy Ramirez

Spanish Communication Specialist

(352) 273-3567

Heidy Ramirez is the Spanish editor for EDIS / AskIFAS and supports Diana Hagan in the management of the journal. She is a graduated journalist with a specialization in Corporate Communication. Her career includes environmental journalism, media monitoring and strategic communication consulting. In her free time, she likes to write short stories and poetry. Quote: "Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude."

Graphics Design Services

Tracy Bryant

Director of Creative Services

(352) 294-3319

Tracy Bryant holds a bachelor's in advertising from the University of South Florida. Since 1996, she's been a visual designer with diverse branding experience in direct mail, marketing, print, and higher education. Tracy is currently the Director of Creative Services at UF/IFAS Communications, University of Florida. In this role, she manages a team of creatives and shapes UF/IFAS' visual identity for Florida audiences.

Heather Griffith

Graphic Designer

Heather Griffith is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator at ICS. She has an Associates of Science degree in Graphic Design and has been working as a Graphic Designer for 14 years. Heather firmly believes in teamwork and workplace community and volunteers as captain for the walking challenges for her department. Along with crafting, reading, and working out, Heather loves spending time with her husband and children.

Leah Welch

Graphic Designer

(352) 294-3321

Leah Welch is a member of the ICS graphic design team, creating everything from logos and infographics to brochures and banners. She started her design education with an A.S. from Santa Fe College and went on to gain a B.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Before landing at UF/IFAS, she was in-house at the Alachua County Library District and the Florida Museum. Leah spends much of her free time moving between artistic fixations and shooing her cat Olive off her computer keyboard.

Michele Wood

Graphic Designer

(352) 294-3322

Michele Wood is a graphic designer specializing in overall layout and production design for advertisements, brochures, magazines, reports, etc. Her newest challenge in the ever-changing industry is creating ADA-compliant digital pieces. Her work has been recognized by Graphic Design USA and the Association for Communication Excellence. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and cheering on the Gators.

Media Relations

Chris Vivian

Associate Vice President

(727) 644-5791

Chris Vivian manages the ICS team to tell the UF/IFAS story to audiences all over Florida. Chris holds a BS from UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, and her career includes work in science non-profits like the American Heart Association and National Forensic Science Technology Center. Her work has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America, the American Marketing Association, Communicator Awards and more. She has a cat named Daisy and sings in the Gainesville Master Chorale.

Luz Bahder

Public Relations Specialist, Spanish

(954) 994-8316

Luz Bahder is part of the ICS Spanish language outreach initiative. As a public relations specialist, she translates and transcreates content created by ICS into Spanish. Originally from Costa Rica with a master's degree in tropical biology, she is passionate about communicating science into relevant content for consumers. Luz draws from her heritage and academic training to promote content across Spanish-speaking media.

Meredith Bauer

Senior Public Relations Specialist

(352) 294-3303

Meredith Bauer is the media liaison for the Central Florida media markets for UF/IFAS Communications. She also handles hurricane communications for the department. She is a University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications alumna and was a journalist for more than a decade before joining UF/IFAS. She is also an adjunct instructor at the UF journalism school. She lives in Gainesville with her son and two cats.

Brad Buck

Senior Public Relations Specialist, Southwest Region

(656) 347-8422

Brad manages UF/IFAS news to media outlets in Southwest Florida. He earned a BS and MA, both from the UF College of Journalism and Communications. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, radio and TV reporter and assignment editor. Brad's work has been recognized by the Association for Communication Excellence. He has two dogs, loves the Gators and solving crossword puzzles.

Lourdes Mederos

Public Relations Manager, Southeast Region

(954) 577-6363

Lourdes Mederos lives and breathes South Florida and her Cuban roots. As an ICS public relations manager, she promotes research advances and programs led by faculty in southeast Florida. She also leads an ICS Spanish outreach initiative team to connect UF/IFAS science with Spanish-speaking audiences. A USF alum with bachelor's degrees in journalism and English literature led her to her first career as a bilingual journalist.

Vacant

Public Relations Specialist

Tory Moore

Marketing and Communications Specialist

(407) 608-8164

Tory manages ICS project traffic in Workfront and develops campaigns to support UF/IFAS strategic communications priorities. She's most passionate about improving user experiences and helping clients meet their goals. When not playing traffic control in Workfront or helping clients develop successful marketing campaigns, Tory can be found chasing around her three kids, riding her horse or enjoying Orlando’s theme parks.

Photography

Tyler Jones

Photographer

(352) 294-3764

A Masters graduate in Mass Communications from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications and a Bachelors degree in International Relations and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, Tyler has been an ICS photographer since 2007. He is proud to serve IFAS by visually documenting IFAS research and innovation.

Cat Wofford

Photographer

(334) 488-9769

Cat is a 2019 graduate of Auburn University with a degree in studio art photography, though her photo background began with sports. Cat began photographing JV sports during her freshman year of high school and never put down the camera. An IFAS photographer since the fall of 2021, Cat enjoys documenting UF research and Florida's natural resources.

Social Media

Aaron Alexander

Social Media Manager

(352) 294-3308

Aaron manages the UF/IFAS flagship social media channels and provides support for all unit accounts. He uses his knowledge of online trends and social media platforms to work with ICS creative teams to create content that cuts through the noise on social. Aaron holds two bachelor's degrees from Western Carolina University (Marketing & Entrepreneurship). Before ICS, he helped small farms improve their online presence.

Jaz McKibben

Social Media Specialist

(352) 294-3302

Jasmina McKibben is a Social Media Specialist at IFAS Communications, and holds a BA in Cinema Production from Point Park University. She is passionate about educating and inspiring others about the environment. Her career includes nonprofit work in Florida and Peru, where she co-authored a scientific publication in Oryx - The International Journal of Conservation. In her free time you can find her diving Florida's caves.

Web Services

Dr. Tennille Herron

Web Services Manager

(904) 323-1690

Tennille is a Florida native with over two decades of digital experience. She has a doctorate degree in technology and systems management. At IFAS Communications, Tennille oversees and provides strategic direction for the UF/IFAS digital presence and manages the day-to-day operations for the UF/IFAS Web Services Team. Together, their work provides central support to bloggers and web builders throughout Florida. She loves to explore botanical gardens whenever she travels.

Shirley De Leon

Online Community Manager

Shirley De Leon is the Online Community Manager for Web Services at UF/IFAS Communications. She develops strategies that help subject matter experts elevate their content to reach a wider audience. She has earned a B.S. in Journalism and a M.S. in Health Education and Behavior from UF. Her work experience includes 3 years in blogging and 4 years in web. She loves to try new recipes with her air fryer and listen to music.

Jennifer Hugus

Web Developer

(352) 294-3311

Jennifer Hugus is a Web Developer and Trainer for the UF/IFAS Web Services Team. She has over 20 years of web development experience, and holds a M.Ed from the University of Florida in Instruction and Curriculum / Educational Technology. She performs front-end web development in TerminalFour and troubleshoots system issues.   In her free time, Jennifer enjoys gardening, growing African Violets and raising tropical fish.

Willie Ortiz

Web Content Specialist

Willie Ortiz is from Utuado, Puerto Rico. He has a Bachelor in Agricultural Education and Communications from the University of Florida. His experience includes international development, community engagement, and multicultural advocacy. Beyond his professional life, Willie's passions lies in travel, cooking, and international development.

Frank Samandari

Web Writer

(352) 294-3323

A background in broadcast journalism enables Frank to effectively communicate with diverse audiences and across a variety of platforms. In his spare time, Frank enjoys performing music; participating in community theatre; nature excursions; visiting art and cultural venues; pleasure reading and creative writing; volunteering; and building special memories with friends and family.

Thomas Zapor

Web Developer

(352) 294-3312

Thomas Zapor is a Web Developer and Programmer for UF/IFAS Web Services. His primary role is developing the code behind UF/IFAS web sites, building custom database web applications and creating custom frontend modules for web sites. He has a B.A. in Communications from the University of Central Florida. Away from the keyboard, Thomas enjoys wildlife photography while exploring the many state parks of North-Central Florida.

Video Services

Al Williamson

Video Production Manager

(352) 294-3759

Al Williamson is the Video Production Manager with IFAS Communications Video. After earning a Telecommunications degree from UF, he worked in a motion picture film lab and in TV news before joining UF/IFAS in 1986. Al has produced numerous videos with UF/IFAS, from educational videos, to public service announcements to nature themed productions recorded throughout the state and even an aerobics video.

Kat Antunes

Video Producer

(352) 294-3760

Kat brings her journalism background to video production, infusing her work with a keen storytelling instinct. Having navigated science communication and higher education, she's now a dedicated contributor to UF/IFAS' land-grant mission. Her favorite part of the job is delving into a diverse array of subjects. Off the clock, you can catch her dissecting a documentary or taking in the sights and sounds of nature.

Luke Humphlett

Video Producer

(352) 294-3761

Luke Humphlett produces video content to tell the UF/IFAS story to audiences all over Florida. Luke holds a B.A.S. in Video Production Technology from Santa Fe College. He has prior professional experience in commercial video production and documentary video production. He’s passionate about storytelling and visual quality. On the weekends you can find Luke at coffee shops, kayaking or cheering on the Florida Gators.

Bill Kelsey

Educational Video Producer

(352) 294-3763

Bill Kelsey’s work as an ICS video producer has him showcasing IFAS research, education and Extension through writing scripts, shooting and editing video, and performing voiceover narrations Bill is an FAA-certified drone pilot who has become proficient at shooting video from aloft by completing a drone cinematography master course, then practicing maneuvers during some 50 hours of flight time.

Marc Turchin

Video Producer

(352) 294-3762

Marc is part of the ICS video team. Marc holds a BA in Liberal Studies with a Minor in Screenwriting from UCF. He has worked as a videographer/producer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and was a member of the Florida Press Corps in 2005. Marc also worked as an Assistant Director in Film working on films such as Fast and the Furious, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Oscar-winning film Beginners.