The administration and staff of the College of Arts and Humanities keep the college running smoothly and efficiently. This fall, we welcome several new and familiar faces to critical roles.
Delia Garcia, ’00, ’01MS, ’19Ph.D., has been a longtime advocate for UCF students. Garcia started working at UCF as a student assistant in 1998, served as assistant director of the UCF Office of Academic Support and Information (OASIS) and was the founding director of College of Arts and Humanities Student Advising (CAHSA). She steps into the role of Interim Assistant Dean following Lynn Hepner’s retirement. Having collaborated with Hepner to evolve and strengthen student success initiatives, Garcia brings years of experience and expertise, as well as strong relationships across the university, to the position. She holds three degrees from UCF: a B.A. in English, an M.S. in Criminal Justice and a Ph.D. in Texts and Technology.
With Garcia’s transition from CAHSA to Interim Assistant Dean, Kendra Gilbertson ’09MA has been asked to serve as Interim Director of CAHSA. Gilbertson has worked in the college’s advising office since 2012 and has a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration from UCF. In 2021, Gilbertson was recognized as an advisor that champions student success with UCF’s Pegasus Advisor Award.
Anne Bubriski will serve as Interim Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program following Maria Santana-Rogers resignation from the position in May of this year. Bubriski joined UCF’s Women’s and Gender Studies as a lecturer in 2014 and has also served as the Coordinator for the Young Women Leaders Program and previous interim director. She holds an M.A. in Women’s Studies and a Ph.D. in Sociology.
“Transitions are challenging. I’m grateful that our college has such qualified and experienced personnel who can step into these roles and maintain for stability for our faculty and students while we conduct searches over the next year,” said Jeff Moore, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.
In Advancement, Vince PremDas was hired in January as Executive Director for Advancement – Special Initiatives. He will lead fundraising efforts for UCF’s new Center for Innovation in Arts and Entertainment. Prior to joining UCF, PremDas served as Director of Development for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, TN, where he oversaw the capital campaign that raised over $60 million in private and public funding. In his 20-year career, Vince has spearheaded major giving and development campaigns across various industries, including education, nonprofit, health care and government. His work resulted in significant philanthropic gifts at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Levin College of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School, Radford University College of Business and Economics and Fisk University in Nashville.
“We looked at many strong candidates,” said Moore. “Vince’s experience with similar fundraising efforts made him an excellent choice for this high-priority project.”
Azela Santana, who has been the Associate Director of Alumni Engagement for the college since 2016, was promoted to Director for Advancement, focusing on the arts. Chris Hixon ’15, ’21MA has been hired as Director for Advancement, focusing on the humanities. Hixon previously served as the Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving for UCF Advancement.
Morganne Flood ’21 has joined the marketing and communications team. Prior to CAH, she worked in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as Communications Specialist.
The university’s Service Enhancement Transformation was initiated to unify most finance and HR activity at the college and division level into specialized roles solely dedicated to finance and HR. The dean’s office welcomes the following individuals into their new roles:
CAH HR Business Center
Suzanne Lin, HR Business Center Manager
Steven Blackburn, HR Coordinator I
Bahar Darban, HR Coordinator II
Pamela McGlinchey, HR Coordinator III
Drake Montoya, HR Coordinator I
Jessica Nguyen, HR Coordinator II
CAH Finance Business Center
Cathy Radzai, Assistant Dean and Finance Business Center Manager
Haley Baker, Finance/Budget Analyst II
Lisa Clendenning, Travel & Procurement Coordinator I
Patricia Coderre, Travel & Procurement Coordinator II
Angela Harris, Finance/Budget Analyst II
Barbara Kelly-Hursey, Finance/Budget Analyst II
Maureen Landgraf, Travel & Procurement Coordinator II
Julie Martorana, Finance/Budget Analyst II
Denise Matias, Travel & Procurement Coordinator III
Christine Michel, Finance/Budget Analyst II
Joe Schofield, Manager, Budget
“Our staff has worked tirelessly on making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved,” said Moore. “Thank you to the business Center Managers for their careful planning, the staff who have moved to new roles for their flexibility, the department heads and staff remaining in the units for their patience and persistence, and the SET Transition Team for the time they invested in the process.”