Leadership

Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry

Theodorea Regina Berry, Ed.D.
Vice Provost and Dean
Email: theodorea.berry@ucf.edu
Dr. Berry’s Faculty Profile

Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry serves as the University of Central Florida’s Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies with a tenured faculty appointment as Professor of Curriculum Studies, Department of Learning Sciences and Research, College of Community Innovation and Education. She spearheads UCF’s academic policy initiatives and praxis for all undergraduate students and leads university-wide curriculum efforts while supporting university-wide initiatives to advance undergraduate education. Additionally, Dr. Berry provides leadership to college faculty teaching courses in majors and minors offered in the college, including four degree-granting programs, among them the innovative Bachelor of Integrative General Studies. Read more about Dr. Berry’s professional journey.

Wayne H. Bowen, Ph.D.
Associate Dean
Professor of History
Email: wayne.bowen@ucf.edu
Dr. Bowen’s Faculty Profile

Wayne H. Bowen is Professor of History and Associate Dean for the College of Undergraduate Studies (CUGS) at the University of Central Florida (UCF). As Associate Dean, he is responsible for developing and implementing policies and practices for undergraduate students at UCF and CUGS. Additionally, he provides oversight for the university’s General Education Program. Bowen is also a retired Colonel in the US Army Reserve and served in Iraq and with NATO in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Read more about Dr. Bowen’s professional journey.


Faculty

Danielle Eadens

Danielle Maya Pratt, Ph.D.
Interim Director, Interdisciplinary Studies
Associate Lecturer
Email: danielle.eadens@ucf.edu

Dr. Danielle Maya Pratt joined the Interdisciplinary Studies faculty at UCF in Fall 2019 as lead faculty for the Integrative General Studies program and has taught in Higher Education since 2005. She holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Education (foci: Criminology, Special Education, & Mass Communications) from the University of South Florida (USF). Her other graduate work includes two Master’s degrees, one in Educational Technology from Northern Arizona University (NAU) and one in Special Education from USF. She holds a Bachelor’s in Mass Communications from USF. After working in public schools as a special education teacher, she served as a Professor of Special Education and the Coordinator of a dual major (Special & Elementary Education) program at NAU and in a similar role at St. Petersburg College. Dr. Pratt is a national speaker, published author, and currently researches changing paradigms within education and beyond.

Devon Cadwell Bazata, Ed.D. 
Associate Lecturer
Email: devon.cadwellbazata@ucf.edu

Dr. Cadwell Bazata joined UCF in 2008 and Interdisciplinary Studies in 2013. She has a Doctorate in Education (Curriculum & Instruction with a specialization in College Teaching & Leadership) from UCF, a Master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from UCF, a Master’s in Journalism-News/Editorial from the University of Nebraska, and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a minor in math from the University of Kansas. Her work at UCF includes the development of the Integrative General Studies (BGS) degree program, Institutional Effectiveness assessment plans for the IDS and BGS degree programs, and a strategic communication plan based on the university’s dimensions of organizational culture. Dr. Cadwell Bazata’s research interests include the intersection of organizational culture and strategic communication as it relates to equity in opportunity in higher education; and interdisciplinary/integrative teaching, learning, and assessment.

Sharon Woodill

Sharon Woodill, Ph.D. 
Associate Lecturer
Email: sharon.woodill@ucf.edu
Dr. Woodill’s Faculty Profile

Dr. Woodill joined the University of Central Florida as a lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies in Fall 2016. She holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She holds an M.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies and a B.A. (honors) in Music (jazz piano). Her academic interests involve developing and facilitating opportunities to promote civil pedagogy through publications, workshops, and presentations. Her research focuses on educational technology for interdisciplinary studies, complexity theory, interdisciplinary methodology, and diversity and the environment.

Richard Plate

Richard Plate, Ph.D. 
Associate Lecturer
Email: richard.plate@ucf.edu
Dr. Plate’s Faculty Profile

Dr. Plate joined the University of Central Florida in August 2016 as lecturer in Environmental Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies. A central Florida native, Dr. Plate holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida and degrees in English and Chemical Engineering from Clemson University. He has taught courses in environmental science, environmental ethics and politics, marine resource management, and writing. He has authored numerous articles on the human dimensions of natural resource management and co-authored a textbook on sustainability. Dr. Plate’s research focuses on how people learn and make decisions about complex social-ecological systems.

Michael Gilbrook

Michael Gilbrook, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Email: michael.gilbrook@ucf.edu
Dr. Gilbrook’s Faculty Profile

Dr. Gilbrook joined the faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies in August 2003 to teach two courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the Environmental Studies program. He has 30 years of experience using GIS for a variety of environmental planning, facility siting, and environmental impact analyses for both the public and private sector. He holds a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology from the University of Central Florida and is both an AICP-certified planner and a GISCI-certified GIS Professional. Since Fall 2019, Dr. Gilbrook is also teaching an online section of the IDS 3150 “Foundations in Environmental Studies” developed by Dr. Richard Plate. Dr. Gilbrook says he gets tremendous satisfaction from the many former students who have found success in their academic or professional careers using the GIS skills they learned in the UCF Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies program.

Dr. Leah Gaines

Leah Gaines, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Email: leah.gaines@ucf.edu
Dr. Gaines’ Faculty Profile

Dr. Leah Tonnette Gaines joined the University of Central Florida in Fall 2021. Dr. Gaines holds a Ph.D. in African American and African Studies, with a concentration in Urban Education, from Michigan State University. She received a Master’s from Morgan State University, where she studied History and African American Studies. She completed her undergraduate studies at Towson University, where she majored in Psychology and minored in African American Studies. Her research interests are in structural inequities, urban education, student experiences, African American Language, Black women and beauty, race, and identity. She currently leads the study away initiatives for the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, and is proud to have taken UCF students to study diverse communities and cultures in New Orleans (2022) and Puerto Rico (2023). Some of Dr. Gaines’ recent published works include In the Midst of the Water Crisis: Language and Resistance in Flint, and “This Ain’t Just a Rap Song”: 2Pac, Sociopolitical Realities, and Hip Hop Nation Language. She is currently working on a book proposal that centers the ways in which one Baltimore City elementary school resists structural inequities such as lead contaminated water.

Karen Haslett, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Email: karen.haslett@ucf.edu
Dr. Haslett’s Faculty Profile

Dr. Haslett joined the University of Central Florida in Spring 2022 as a lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies. Dr. Haslett brings an interdisciplinary background to the program with a Ph.D. in Anthropology and an M.A. in Special Education, both from the University of Iowa. Her dissertation focused on linguistic ideologies and their impact on the education of Latinx students in Iowa. Dr. Haslett has been in the education field for almost 30 years. She has taught a variety of courses in educational, cultural, and linguistic anthropology at the University of Iowa and the University of Houston-Clear Lake. In addition, Dr. Haslett has 13 years of experience as a special education teacher at a high school in Iowa City, Iowa.

Mandy Pacheco

Amanda Pacheco, Ed.D.
Visiting Instructional Specialist, General Education Program
Adjunct Instructor, Interdisciplinary Studies / Integrative General Studies
Email: amanda.pacheco@ucf.edu
Dr. Pacheco’s Faculty Profile

Dr. Pacheco joined the IDS faculty in 2012 and has taught at the university level since 1999. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Delaware, an M.Ed. in Counselor Education from the University of Virginia, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Florida. Prior to her role with Interdisciplinary Studies, she served as the Interim Associate Director and Instructor for UCF’s Experiential Learning department, as the Assistant Director of Career Services at Stetson University, as the coordinator of a National Science Foundation grant focusing on work-learning initiatives, and as a corporate recruiter. She enjoys nonprofit work, having founded and led an interdisciplinary healthcare organization for young families, and currently sits on several boards. She consults on career and educational issues and has a special interest in helping individuals discover and use their unique strengths to build a satisfying life.


Part-Time Faculty

Helmet of a medieval knight

Sara Komenda, Ph.D.
Visiting Lecturer
Email: sara.komenda@ucf.edu
Dr. Komenda’s Faculty Profile

Dr. Komenda joined the Interdisciplinary Studies faculty in 2021, teaching an online section of “Foundations in Environmental Studies.” She has a Bachelor’s in Biology from TCU, a Master’s in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources and Conservation emphasizing Conservation Behavior from the University of Florida. Her research interests include the human dimensions of environmental conservation and technology’s influence on conservation behaviors. She has a broad, interdisciplinary background in environmental studies which includes experience in environmental education, nonprofit fundraising and marketing, conservation land trusts, and as a zookeeper.

Dwayne Thornton
Visiting Instructor
Email: dw802525@ucf.edu


Advisors

Pete Wallace

Pete Wallace
Academic Advising Director
Email: peter.wallace@ucf.edu

Mr. Wallace joined Interdisciplinary Studies in June 2008. Immediately prior to joining the office, he worked on curriculum development and program enhancement projects for the Interdisciplinary Studies undergraduate program while serving in the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Mr. Wallace earned a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Counselor Education before starting work full-time at UCF in 1999. He has served in Judicial Programs, Campus Life, Student Conduct, Dispute Resolution Services, and The Burnett Honors College before joining Undergraduate Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Luisa Cintron

Luisa Cintron
Academic Advisor
Email: luisa.cintron@ucf.edu

Ms. Cintron joined Interdisciplinary Studies in October 2013. Prior to joining the office, she worked as an Academic Advisor in the College of Education and Human Performance, where she provided advising to both undergraduate and graduate students in the College. She also coordinated the degree certification process of graduate students completing their master’s degree. Luisa earned a B.S. degree in Geography from Salem State University and a M.A. degree in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Central Florida.

James Smith

James Smith
Academic Advisor
Email: james.smith3@ucf.edu

Mr. Smith joined Interdisciplinary Studies in May of 2017. He was previously employed at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri, as Director of Recruitment. In addition, he worked at the Georgia State University Academic Advisement Center as an Academic Advisor III. James served in the US Navy for 23 years. He earned a B.S. degree in Workforce Education and Curriculum Development from Southern Illinois University and an MBA from Columbia College. He is from Atlanta, Georgia.

Amy Van Epps

Amy Van Epps
Academic Advisor
Email: amy.vanepps@ucf.edu

Ms. Van Epps joined Interdisciplinary Studies in May 2015. In 2009, she earned an Associate of Science in Photographic Technology from Daytona State College. While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, she worked in the office as a transition advisor assisting prospective students. Her areas of study were Behavioral and Social Sciences, Arts, and minor in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication. Amy graduated with a Master of Arts in Higher Education and Policy Studies from the University of Central Florida in May 2015. Prior to joining the office, Amy worked as a Student Services Advisor for Valencia College.

Helen Haynes
Academic Advisor
Email: helen.haynes@ucf.edu


College and Interdisciplinary Studies Office Administrative Staff

Iris Rios

Iris Rios
Administrative Assistant
Email: iris.rios@ucf.edu

Ms. Rios joined Interdisciplinary Studies as Administrative Assistant in March 2008. Prior to this position, she served for 17 years in various key positions including Operations Manager for the Counseling Department at Cuyahoga Community College. In that role, she worked closely with administrators, faculty, staff & community leaders to ensure retention and success of students until graduation. She has also worked as an English-as-a-Second Language Instructor in the metro Orlando area. Ms. Rios earned dual undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Real Estate/Mortgage Finance. She continues her studies in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Central Florida.

Jacob Isaacs

Jacob Isaacs
Academic Program Coordinator
Email: jacob.isaacs@ucf.edu

Stefani Francisco

Stefani Francisco
Academic Program Coordinator
Email: stefani.francisco@ucf.edu

Jenna Rembaum

Jenna Rembaum
OPS Student
Email: jenna.rembaum@ucf.edu

 


Dean’s Office Administrative Staff

Carolina Cabrera Lopez

Carolina Cabrera Lopez
Academic Program Coordinator
Email: carolina.cabrera-lopez@ucf.edu

Ms. Cabrera Lopez joined the Interdisciplinary Studies team in March of 2022. Prior to joining the office, she worked as a student assistant in the Dean’s Office for the College of Undergraduate Studies for 2 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2021. Carolina will soon be pursuing a Master’s Degree in the field of education or social sciences here at UCF.

Darryl D. Gordon

Darryl D. Gordon, Ph.D.
Program Manager
Email: darryl.gordon@ucf.edu

Dr. Gordon joined the College of Undergraduate Studies in October of 2023. Prior to joining the college, he served as the Coordinator of Student Academic Services and Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for UCF’s College of Health Professions and Sciences. Dr. Gordon also was a Career Program Advisor for Seminole State College’s EMERGE program and Coordinator of Special Populations at Daytona State College. Dr. Gordon earned his Ph.D. in Education from UCF, a Master of Education in Higher Education from Georgia Southern University, and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Florida A&M University. He currently serves as the president of UCF’s Black Faculty and Staff Association.

Aliandra Burgos

Aliandra Burgos
Academic Program Coordinator
Email: aliandra.burgos@ucf.edu

 

Brittany Nsouli

Brittany Nsouli
Executive Assistant
Email: brittany.nsouli@ucf.edu

Rylee Gawlik

Rylee Gawlik
OPS Student
Email: rylee.gawlik@ucf.edu

Knight helmet

Johann Warren
OPS Student
Email: johann.warren@ucf.edu


Communications

Barbara Smith
Senior Communications Director
Email: barbara.smith@ucf.edu

Courtney Jones
Multimedia Specialist
Email: courtney.jones@ucf.edu

Brian Pate
Web Content Specialist
Email: brian.pate@ucf.edu


Advancement

Shannon Duvall
Assistant Vice President for Development, Colleges and Programs
Email: Shannon.Duvall@ucf.edu

Madeline Worsham
Associate Director of Advancement
Email: ma143528@ucf.edu

Deborah Madaras
Administrative Assistant
Email: deborah.madaras@ucf.edu

Zayrimar Morales
Advancement Fellow
Email: zayrimar.morales@ucf.edu