The Speakers

Renako Banks

Renako is the Reservations Coordinator for the University Commons and Event Services Department. She plans, coordinates and manages marketing and customer development. She coordinates the administrative functions of the sales efforts in the department and assist in the development, execution, and optimization of marketing initiatives. Renako spent 13 years in the wireless industry before her position with UWF. She enjoys technology crafting and volunteering for various non-profit organizations.

Kennyattah Cox

Kennyattah Cox is the Assistant Director for Building and Event Services for University Commons and Event Services. Kennyattah assist unit leaders with all event services areas within the University Commons, which includes Reservations and Conference Services, Audio Visual Services, event setup, and day of event support. Additionally, she oversees the Service Desk & Ticket Center and coordinates the department's student employment initiatives as well.

Amos Davidson

Amos serves as the Coordinator for Student Activities. In this role, Amos advises members of the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and promotes student involvement by encouraging students to engage in campus activities. Amos’ professional passions are creating a positive student experience that promotes a sense of belonging, providing students with opportunities to develop as global citizens and future professionals, and forming inclusive environments for all students. Outside of work, Amos enjoys playing tennis, reading, listening to Revisionist History podcasts, learning the ukulele, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Athena du Pré

Dr. Athena du Pré, a Distinguished University Professor in Communication, teaches leadership, health communication, workplace dynamics and interpersonal communication. She also directs graduate programs in strategic communication and leadership, and health communication leadership.

du Pré has diverse experience working in journalism, public relations and academe, converging in the fields of leadership and health communication. She has authored or co-authored five books, and several chapters and articles on various aspects of communication. She is the author of “Communicating About Health: Current Issues and Perspectives,” in 5th edition, and co-author of “Understanding Human Communication,” which is a best-selling communication textbook soon to be in 13th edition.

du Pré is a recipient of the Teaching Incentive Program award and has twice been honored with the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award. She was named UWF Distinguished University Professor in 2014. In that capacity, she is collaborating with 25 University students on an upcoming book. In the project, students work with leading scholars in the field to write chapters that highlight case studies in health communication.

She is the director of two year-long leadership development programs at the University — one for staff members and one for faculty. In the community, she has served as a leadership development coach in health care, finance, law enforcement and aerospace organizations. An advocate of service learning, she oversees students in several hundred hours of community-based projects per year.

She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communication from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, and a doctorate in communication from the University of Oklahoma.

Stephanie Dwyer

Stephanie Dwyer serves as the Assistant Director of Community & Employer Engagement at UWF. She holds both her bachelors and masters degrees in the area of psychology, studying Industrial and Organizational Psychology in-depth throughout her academic programs. For over nine years, Stephanie has provided career advising services to students/alumni in the Pensacola community. In her role at UWF, she works extensively to foster positive relationships with employers and organizations in support of their recruiting efforts, promote collaboration, and maintain institutional visibility. Stephanie is passionate about the work conducted in Career Development & Community Engagement and the role of the university as a whole in terms of economic development within the Pensacola community.

Sarah Fox

Sarah Fox is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a bachelor of science in retailing and consumer science and a minor in business administration. She earned a master of education degree in college student affairs administration at the University of West Florida. Sarah has professional experience working in corporate America for two well-known retailers, Walmart and Kohl's, and also has experience working for a Pensacola credit union as the marketing director for three and a half years. Sarah serves as the associate director for the High-Impact Practices and Experiential Learning team. She focuses on developing and educating students, faculty, staff, and community members on high-impact practices and experiential learning practices including internships and cooperative education opportunities. She also serves as a career coach for students and alumni on career education topics including, but not limited to, major and career exploration, mock interviews, résumés, curriculum vitaes and cover letters, and salary negotiation.

Ruben Gardner

Ruben B. Gardner Jr is a second-year undergraduate student from Mobile, Alabama, majoring in Psychology. Ruben knew he made the right choice coming to the University of West Florida. He stated that UWF was the best decision he ever made because of the family atmosphere and the infinite opportunities to make a valuable impact. Ruben has always had a passion for the student’s voice and because of that, he decided to continue that passion by getting involved. During his short time at UWF, he has served as the Freshman Committee Chair voicing the concerns of the freshmen class and overseeing projects. Ruben has now been elected as the Usha Kundu, M.D. College of Health Senator, and he served as The Budget and Allocation Committee Chair where he oversaw the Activity and Service fees allocation of 3.2 million dollars. In addition to SGA, his other involvement includes working for the Office of Undergraduate Admission as an Orientation Leader, a Student Ambassador for the Office of Alumni Relations and an AnchorDown mentor for the Office of First-Year Experience.

Dr. April Glenn

Dr. April Glen feels honored to have the opportunity to provide counseling services to UWF students. She is a proud UWF alumni and in many ways see UWF as home. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Alabama, a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a doctorate degree in education from the University of West Florida. In addition, she completed my master’s internship right here on the beautiful UWF campus at the Counseling Center in 2000. Her approach to therapy is eclectic with primary emphasis in humanistic, interpersonal and cognitive behavioral approaches. Dr. Glenn is a certified eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. Some of my professional interests include biofeedback, trauma, suicide prevention and LGBTQ+ issues. She currently coordinates suicide prevention programming for the UWF campus. She feels excited to work with UWF students in their journey of self-discovery to help them overcome life’s challenges and meet their goals.

Brookland Gordon

Brookland is a graduate assistant for the Student Government Association here at the University of West Florida. Brookland received her Bachelors of Science degree in Secondary Education with minors in Communication and Biology from Tennessee Technological University. While at her undergraduate institution, she served as the President for the Kappa Pi Chapter of Phi Mu Fraternity. She also served as a Senator for the College of Education and as a Student Orientation Assistant. Brookland is currently pursuing her Master's in College Student Affairs Administration. Brookland enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the outdoors, and traveling.

Katya Knapp

Katya is a part of the caring and professional team at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at UWF. She joined CAPS as a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in 2019 after her one-year pre-master’s internship at CAPS. She earned a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of West Florida. She also earned bachelor’s degrees in Law and Economics & Management. She is bilingual in English and Russian and has worked in the United States and abroad. She believes that virtually everybody can benefit from counseling to build a better self and enjoys helping UWF students to grow.

Kristil Knox

Kristil serves as the Graduate Assistant for Wellness Services. She is responsible for developing programs and outreach services related to prevention and health promotion for UWF students. She also oversees and assists the student staff and logistics of the Peer Educator program. Specific areas of focus include alcohol misuse and abuse prevention, sexual assault prevention, stress management, healthy relationships, and sexual health promotion. Kristil is currently pursuing a master's degree in Health Promotion and Worksite Wellness. She has a background in education and is a tobacco treatment specialist who regularly conducts smoking cessation classes in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.

Anna Lochas

Anna Lochas is the Administrative Specialist for Continuing Education. An active member of the UWF community, Anna is a member of the Event Leadership Team, the Academic Affairs Staff Development Council, and she has served on several committees. Anna is also the creator and coordinator of the Certificate in Event Planning, a professional development program open to all UWF faculty and staff members.

Anna has earned two degrees from the University of West Florida. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality, Recreation, and Resort Management, with a minor in Management in 2016 and a Master of Science in Administration with a specialization in Public Administration in 2019. Anna is also certified in Virtual Event and Meeting Management (VEMM) and Pandemic Meeting and Event Design (PMED) from the Event Leadership Institute.

Anna has been involved in several virtual events at UWF including overseeing the logistics for the Race and the Community series in October. Anna has assisted with the production and logistics for other virtual events including Navigating the Artist Perspective, An Evening with Joy Harjo, the Gulf Coast Digital History Project Launch, and the Holiday Home Bartending Alumni Event.

Mary Kate McBurney

Mary Kate McBurney is the Campus Activity Board graduate assistant and is a proud UWF alumna. She is pursuing her master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in hospitality and tourism management. Through her various extracurricular activities, she discovered a passion for event planning and believes in the power of events to connect people. In her free time, Mary Kate enjoys volunteering in the UWF community garden and spending time at the beautiful Pensacola beaches. She hasn’t had much free time since she volunteered to help with the Digital Dexterity Conference. She is a team player who wanted to experience the crazy planning, moderating and hosting of a virtual event and jumped into the planning with enthusiasm and excitement.

Anamarie Mixson

Anamarie Mixson serves as Director in the Office of the President. Included in her many responsibilities is oversight of executive level and high profile community events. She led the implementation of the EMS registration system and consults on many projects related to event planning. Anamarie teaches classes for the Certificate in Event Planning and is a member of the Event Planners Group leadership team.

Tim Moore

Timothy Moore currently serves as the associate director of Career Education in the Office of Career Development and Community Engagement at the University of West Florida. He earned a master of arts in public history in 2015 and a bachelor of arts in psychology and in history in 2005, all of which have been earned at the University of West Florida. Prior to his current role, Timothy served as an academic advisor at Pasco-Hernando State College and at the University of West Florida.

Clare Quina

Clare is a psychology major at UWF. She is certified by the Yoga Alliance as a registered yoga teacher and has a background in meditation.

Patti Spaniola

Patti Spaniola serves as the Director of Conferences & Events at the University of West Florida. She is an enthusiastic hospitality executive with a diverse range of experience in customer service, sales, meeting planning, team building and event design. She specializes in participant engagement techniques and how to deliver meaningful content in a memorable way. Patti tirelessly attends educational webinars, technology demos and virtual events to ascertain what tools and resources are most effective for event planners.

Teamwork and collaboration are Patti’s passion as she believes we achieve the best results together in a positive and safe space. She enjoys working with colleagues, volunteers, professionals, and students to help them experience the creative process together while achieving high value results for their events.

Patti earned an M.B.A. from Regis University in Colorado Springs, CO and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

She is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and Certified Event Designer (CED). In June 2020, she became one of 5 Certified Event Design Online Facilitators in the world earning a CED+ certification.

Haley Thompson

Hayley Thompson is a Certified Personal Trainer and USA-Weightlifting Level 1 coach. She is originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, but moved to Pensacola over 3 years ago to work as a Fitness Specialist for the United States Navy. She serves as a trainer and supervisor here at the University of West Florida.

Kaley Van Zile

Kaley Van Zile serves as a Residence Life Coordinator in the Department of Housing and Residence Life with diverse experience in student development, counseling, event and meeting planning, management and technology. Kaley currently coordinates the logistics for all large-scale departmental events and oversees the implementation of the department’s Residential Engagement Model, including resident interactions, community programming, assessment efforts and institutional reporting. Kaley has been involved in several virtual events at UWF and she is one of the first individuals at UWF to complete the new Certificate in Virtual Event Planning. Kaley earned her Master of Science in Counselor Education with a concentration in Student Affairs from Mississippi State University in 2017 and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems with concentration in Information Security from Florida Atlantic University in 2015. In her free time, she enjoys music, exploring the city of Pensacola, spending time with family and hanging home with her cats.

Lindsey Walk

Lindsey Walk currently serves as the director of Community & Employer Engagement at the University of West Florida (UWF). She earned a master of science in management and a bachelor of business administration from Austin Peay State University. Her past professional experience includes advising soldiers and family members regarding available degree plans as well as coaching them on career opportunities while working for the Army Education Center at Fort Benning, Georgia. Additionally, she served as a military education coordinator for the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) where she advised students on programs available at the college. In her current role, Lindsey oversees employer development and community engagement efforts for the Office of Career Development and Community Engagement at UWF.

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