About This project

The Florida Heritage Foods Project is a community service-based pedagogical initiative centered on the historical, cultural, nutritional, and culinary value of crops that are significant to Florida’s multicultural history. Through the lens of food, this project-based teaching approach empowers students to take a proactive role in interpreting Florida history and promoting a more sustainable food system in their community. Instructional tools designed and developed by an interdisciplinary team of community college faculty and staff engage students in topics and issues related to local food security, public service, and multiculturalism in the classroom and beyond.

Participating Faculty and Staff

Dr. Joshua Braley

Religion

Dr. Joshua Braley

Religion

Joshua Braley holds a BA in religion from the University of Florida, an M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary, and an MA and PhD in religion from Vanderbilt University. He has taught at Vanderbilt University, Columbia Theological Seminary, and the Florida Center for Theological Studies. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Religion (University of Chicago), the American Journal of Theology and Philosophy, and the Journal of the Charlotte M. Yonge Fellowship. Since 2004 he has taught religion at Santa Fe College.

Eva Casanas

Chinese

Eva Casanas

Chinese

Adjunct Professor Eva Casanas has been teaching Chinese Language classes at Santa Fe College since 2016. She is also an instructor of Chinese language at University of Florida. She has a M.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from San Francisco State University. Casanas supports the study of sustainability at Santa Fe College. She co-organized the Fruits and Vegetables Sustainability Poster Contest in 2020 with Dr. Marcela Murillo VDB

Dr. Sarah Cervone

Humanities and Religion

Dr. Sarah Cervone

Humanities and Religion

Dr. Sarah Cervone is an Associate Professor in Humanities and the Director of the Florida Heritage Foods Project at Santa Fe College. She earned a Phd in Anthropology, an M.A. in Religion, and a Certificate in Instructional Design at the University of Florida. After finishing her Fulbright-funded dissertation research on local culture and economic development in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco in 2010, she returned to the U.S. and started a farmers market business. She developed and directed two U.S.D.A projects related to rural development and local food entrepreneurship in Florida farmers markets in 2015 and 2017. She currently teaches African, European and American Humanities and Religion at Santa Fe College. She has a special interest in agricultural humanities, Florida heritage foods and farming, draft power, historical horsemanship and international contributions to Florida agriculture. When she isn’t in the classroom or at the farmers market, she can be found managing water buffalo and cracker cattle in Hawthorne, Florida.

Email:sarah.cervone@sfcollege.edu

Dr. Mirian Hay-Roe

Natural Sciences

Dr. Mirian Hay-Roe

Natural Sciences

Dr. Mirian M. Hay-Roe is a faculty member at Santa Fe College, Department of Natural Sciences, and a Research Associate at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Florida and a Master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She is also an Economist from Universidad San Martin de Porres and received her bachelor's degree in Biology from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. Dr. Hay-Roe research specializes in ecology, behavior, integrated pest management, and environmental conservation. She has published in peer review journals, and her work has been highlighted in BBC, National Geographic, and the University of Florida scientific magazine Explore. She has worked at the U. S. Department of Agriculture and taught at the University of Florida, the University of Texas at Austin, and Texas State University at San Marcos. Dr. Hay-Roe is currently the coordinator of the SF-USDA project Florida Heritage Foods: Connecting Local Foods with Local Culture in Florida Farmers Markets.

Val Leitner

English and Humanities

Val Leitner

English and Humanities

Val Leitner has been an Adjunct Professor at Santa Fe College since 2011 for the departments of English and Humanities. She holds a master's degree in English, and a bachelor's summa cum laude in English and a bachelor's summa cum laude in Classics from the University of Florida. She has worked in local food systems in the non-profit world since 2009 - she was one of the founding members of our local kitchen incubator, Blue Oven Kitchens (now Working Food). She has volunteered - and cooked on the woodstoves - extensively at both Dudley Farm Historic State Park in Newberry, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park in Cross Creek. Val is also an oyster and clam farmer; her shellfish business is called Oystercatcher Shellfish (oystercatchershellfish.com).

Dr. Diana Matthews

Library Sciences

Dr. Diana Matthews

Library Sciences

Diana Matthews serves as Professor, Librarian at the Lawrence W. Tyree Library. She has a Master of Arts in Library Science from the University of South Florida and a Master of Education in Educational Technology from the University of Florida. She provides research support for all aspects of the Florida Heritage Foods grant, including purchasing relevant books and other resources for the library collection.

Dr. Marcela Murillo-VDB

Spanish and Humanities

Dr. Marcela Murillo-VDB

Spanish and Humanities

Dr. Marcela Murillo serves as an Assistant Professor and Spanish Discipline Coordinator at the Department of Humanities and Foreign Languages at Santa Fe College, Florida. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Spanish Literature and an M.A in Women’s Studies, Gender and Sexualities from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on femininities, gender representation, and Andean literature. As an educator, she is interested in the incorporation of technology and internationalization of her Spanish and Latin Humanities classes. She has conducted virtual exchanges with universities from Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil. She is pursuing a Master's in Educational Technology to further her knowledge in the integration of technology in the classroom.

Email:marcela.murillo.vdb@sfcollege.edu

Dan Stepp

Fine Art

Dan Stepp

Fine Art

Dan Stepp is an associate professor of drawing and painting at Santa Fe College. He received his B.A. in graphic design from the University of Florida and an M.F.A in painting at the New York Academy of Art. Dan's paintings are narrative images that investigate labor, leisure, myth, religion, initiation, tools, technology, interpersonal dynamics, group dynamics, and artifice and authenticity. They have been exhibited in shows regionally and around the country. He has been teaching at Santa Fe for 20+ years in the Visual and Performing Arts department.

Dr. Ann Thebaut

Director for the Center for Applied Ethics and Humanities

Loretha Cleveland

Designated Faculty Speech

Loretha Cleveland

Designated Faculty Speech

Loretha Cleveland is Designated Faculty at Santa Fe College in the Department of Humanities, Communications and Languages (HCL) since 2020, currently teaching Public Speaking and Digital Mass Media classes. Professor Cleveland is also the Professional Development Liaison for the HCL department. She obtained a master’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, and a bachelor’s in Public Relations, with a minor in Speech Communications, from the University of Florida. She has been a vice president of marketing and sales for a large insurance company, was employed by the Florida Department of Financial Services as an insurance Marketing and Consulting Manager and is the ongoing President/Founder of a non-profit, Florida’s Truth Be Told Incorporated. Professor Cleveland is currently the assistant director of the SF-USDA project Florida Heritage Foods: Connecting Local Foods with Local Culture in Florida Farmers Markets. Her family has been a part of the Florida farming community for four generations.

Previous Participating Faculty and Staff

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Vilma Fuentes serves as the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Santa Fe College where she provides leadership for the college’s sustainability and international education initiatives. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida and an M.A. in International Studies from Florida International University. Dr. Fuentes has worked closely with faculty during the past decade in order to incorporate the study of sustainability into the curriculum at Santa Fe College. She has supported sustainability film festivals, sustainable art competitions, as well as the development and/or use of various outdoor living learning labs. Dr. Fuentes has managed and/or been an active participant in two of the college’s Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages (UISFL) grants. In addition, she has directed several grants sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, including a Capacity Building Grant, a 100,000 strong in the Americas grant, an NEH Latino Americans grant, and twelve Community College Administrator Programs. The later were implemented in partnership with Florida State University.

Dr. Nicole Nesberg

American History

Dr. Nicole Nesberg

American History

Prof. Nicole Nesberg, Migizi Miigwan, is a Designated Faculty Member specializing in American, African American and American Indian History. She received her B.A. in history from the University of Michigan, M.S. in international relations from Florida State University, and M.A. in history from Eastern Michigan University. Since 2006, she has been employed at SFC in the Social Sciences department. She is a proud, engaged member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, married into an African American family and has two beautiful tri-racial sons. She specializes in race and gender as it applies to American History. Her belief that cultures can be learned through food, protein options, cooking techniques, plant availability dovetailed nicely with Florida Heritage Food project.

Elizabeth Ziffer

French

Elizabeth Ziffer

French

Elizabeth Ziffer has taught since 2015 as Adjunct Professor of French at Santa Fe College. She holds a M.A. in French and Francophone Studies from the University of Florida and a M.A. in Foreign Language Education also from UF. Additionally, Elizabeth serves as president of the Alliance Française de Gainesville which supports language instruction and cultural events for the Francophile community in our area.

Administrative Support

Kathy Anderson

Kathy Anderson is a Santa Fe College Alumni and a current University of Florida student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management. She is currently serving as a Grant Assistant for the Florida Heritage Foods project. Her past experiences as a Coordinator in The Office of International Education at SF, as well as community volunteer leadership roles have enabled her to incorporate her diversity skills into the 8 multi-cultural events and annual symposiums. In addition, she hosts a Global Conversations Café series at SF.

Bhakti Gibson

Bhakti Gibson is a current student at Santa Fe College pursuing her Associates Degree in Information Technology. She is currently working as a student grant assistant with the USDA Grant Heritage Foods project at Santa Fe College. Bhakti contributed Hindi, Somali and Swahili translations to the “Planting a Florida Heritage garden chart”. She has also assisted with gathering baseline data from farmers and consumers during select local farmer’s market locations. Additionally, she is an IT technician with a local business.

Gabriel Frank

Gabriel Frank is a current student at Santa Fe College and the University of Florida pursuing a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering. He is currently working as a student grant assistant with the USDA Grant Heritage Foods project at Santa Fe College. Gabriel is a graphic designer using his skills to contribute to creating recipe cards. Furthermore, he provides additional support for cultural events and symposiums related to the USDA Grant Heritage Food project. He enjoys many out-door activities, including boating and surfing.

Santa Fe College

Marketing & Communications

Santa Fe College

Marketing & Communications

Gina Scinto, Senior Graphic Designer Destiny Scott, Graphic Designer Jay Anderson Web Developer Ayanna Fox

Santa Fe College

SF Media Studio

Santa Fe College

SF Media Studio

To learn more about us visit https://www.sfcollege.edu/cat/media-studio/who-we-are/index. Below are some more links about our serves: Our Main Page: https://www.sfcollege.edu/cat/media-studio/index -- the Media Studio supports the mission of the college by connecting students, faculty, and staff through professional audiovisual services. Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SFMediaStudio Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/sfmediastudio

About This project

Dr. Joshua Braley

Eva Casanas

Dr. Sarah Cervone

Dr. Mirian Hay-Roe

Val Leitner

Dr. Diana Matthews

Dr. Marcela Murillo-VDB

Dan Stepp

Dr. Ann Thebaut

Loretha Cleveland

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Dr. Nicole Nesberg

Elizabeth Ziffer

Kathy Anderson

Bhakti Gibson

Gabriel Frank

Santa Fe College

Santa Fe College

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