Meet Your Instructors

Nathan Kurland offers over forty years of high-energy Communication & Public Speaking expertise to FIU and G1Y. Mr. Kurland received his BA in History and Communication from Penn State University and an MA in Rhetoric & Public Address from Temple University. Mr. Kurland is passionately dedicated to the idea of mandatory public speaking instruction as a requirement for all, repeat, all university students. Mr. Kurland's career is a virtual prism of communication diversity. He has taught public speaking at Temple University and the Free School of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as private sector corporate communication. Nathan has been an Associate Professor with GIY since its inception. His two favorite words- preparation and energy. Outside of FIU, Mr. Kurland serves as Chair of the Miami Bayside Foundation, Chair of the Coconut Grove Art Festival, and Vice Chair of the Coconut Grove Neighbors Association.

Hi there! My name is Nicholas Anderson and I’m a professor in the Writing and Rhetoric Department and Global 1st Year Program. You might have me as an instructor for your upcoming English composition courses. Before working at FIU, I received an AA in English from Miami Dade College, a BA in English, summa cum laude, from FIU, and an MA in Linguistics, also from FIU. Go Panthers! My teaching philosophy focuses on helping students develop their own identity, independence, and agency as writers, thinking about how to use writing and rhetoric in digital contexts and outside of the university setting, and creating a classroom culture of diversity and mutual respect. I have been teaching at FIU for eight years and also enjoy composing in a number of different genres, including websites, novels, video games, poetry, and linguistics research. If you have a creative project, blog idea, or entrepreneurial endeavor, I’d love to talk to discuss it with you! In the coming semesters, I look forward to working with you and seeing your great and innovative projects.

A native of New Jersey, Jason Ehlen moved to Miami Beach in 1999. He has a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Hampden-Sydney College and two master’s degrees from FIU (MA: Asian Studies, MFA: Fiction), and he studied Chinese at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China. Before coming to FIU, he taught ESL in China and Colombia. He’s taught Business English within companies such as Exxon, Falabella, and LVMH. At FIU, he is a Teaching Professor in the Writing and Rhetoric Department and teaches exclusively for the G1Y program. His fiction has been published in The Battered Suitcase, Everything’s Broken Too, and Akashic Press’s “Monday’s Are Murder” webseries.

William Lisenbee specializes in teaching multilingual students in first-year composition courses. He received his MA in English Literature from Florida International University and regularly teaches ENC 1930, ENC 1101, and ENC 1102. Prior to coming to the Global First Year program at FIU, he worked for six years tutoring student-athletes with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. He credits much of his appreciation for multilingual students to his work as a tutor. Professor Lisenbee's teaching philosophy is that to write and to communicate well are very important skills that every college student can develop. I teach writing as problem-solving, exploration, and self-expression. Writing can be a difficult process, but one that is made easier when students bring their own experiences and motivations into the classroom.

Stephanie Londono is an adjunct professor in the Religious Studies Department. She is currently working on her doctorate in Cultural and Religious Studies at Claremont Graduate University and holds an MA in Religious Studies focusing on women and religion. Her investigations have centered around religion, ethics, and society, focusing on women and issues of memory, violence, and peacemaking in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has published on women and conversion in Miami, Orientalism and Islam in Latin America, and Liberation Theology. Before entering into the academic world, she practiced journalism for over five years covering sports. Today, along with teaching, she also participates as a commentator on religion, culture, and politics on CNN and other media outlets

Dr. Chad W. Chumbley was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He earned his Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Forensic Science from Eastern Kentucky University in 2010. Following his undergraduate studies, he earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University in 2016 with research focusing on the quantitation of pharmaceutical drugs in biological specimens using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry. To combine his undergraduate degree in forensics with his graduate degree in analytical chemistry, he began working for the Federal Department of Justice in his current position as a forensic chemist in 2018. He joined Florida International University as an adjunct professor teaching Survey of Forensic Science in the spring of 2020.

Professor Yasbel Acuna-Borrero has been teaching writing for over 15 years. She began teaching as a graduate assistant at the University of Miami where she earned her Masters of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. Since then, she has taught writing in multiple institutions including Nova Southeastern University, Miami Dade College, and more recently, at FIU where she has been for the last 8 years. Professor Acuna Borrero has published numerous works of poetry and creative non-fiction. She is also the recipient of the Rosine Offen Memorial Prize for writing. She lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and their daughter, Gala.

Dr. Donovan A. McFarlane is an Adjunct Lecturer in Politics and International Relations (PIR) in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Florida International University. He earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences at Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Liberal Studies in Political Science with a 4.00 GPA (M.L.S.) from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Fort Hays State University (FHSU), a Master of Science in Law (M.S.L. magna cum laude) from California Southern University School of Law, a Master of Public Administration with Honors (M.P.A. Hons.) from the School of Security and Global Studies at American Public University, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the School of Arts and Education at St. Thomas University. Dr. McFarlane has over 15 years of higher education teaching and research experience and has taught from associate to doctoral level courses across diverse institutions including Barry University, Nova Southeastern University, St. Thomas University, Westcliff University, Liberty University, Broward College, and City College. He is published in several peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of International Affairs and Global Strategy, Journal of Civil and Legal Sciences (JCLS), International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS), Open Ethics and Law Journal (OELJ), Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization, Journal of Public Policy and Administration, and the Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (JMR). Dr. McFarlane is originally from Jamaica, West Indies. He likes writing essays and studying cultures and watching foreign films based on history and culture.

Juan Castro is currently a mathematics instructor at FIU. He has been teaching lower division Mathematics for more than 4 years here at FIU. Juan Castro is involved in developing new teaching methodology and is a certified hybrid instructor. Juan Castro and his colleagues developed a new hybrid course for Business Calculus which he is currently teaching. Juan is interested in combination and sports. He obtained his bachelor's and master's in Mathematical science at FIU. He has an academic certificate from FIU in actuarial science. Juan's future goal is to take and pass the Actuarial science exams form the Society of Actuaries (SOA)