Presenters

Jacqueline Amorim is an Associate Teaching Professor of English in the Writing and Rhetoric program at Florida International University, where she serves as the First Year Writing Online Teaching Success Coordinator. Her co-authored publications include “Online Teaching, Linguistic Diversity, and a Standard of Care: Developing a Shared Curriculum at a Hispanic-Serving Institution” in Working with and against Shared Curricula and “Role Play: Conversational Roles as a Framework for Reflexive Practice in AI-Assisted Qualitative Research” in Journal of Technical Writing and Communication.

Tori Arpad-Cotta is the chair of art and art history and an associate professor of art at FIU, where she teaches ceramics. She received an MFA from the University of Arizona, Tucson in 1996. Her site-based practice ranges deep, into the rusted remnants of farms past, and far into the as-yet-unbuilt places accessible only by foot and kayak. She has been an artist in residence at AIRIE, Everglades National Park, and Land Arts of the American West, a field-study program at University of New Mexico. Arpad-Cotta received a Florida State Cultural Council Artist’s Fellowship and an NCECA Emerging Artist Award. Exhibitions nationally and internationally includethe Shumen Biennial, Bulgaria, and her work has been featured in Land Arts of the American West by Bill Gilbert & Chris Taylor, Confrontational Ceramics by Judith S. Schwartz, and Ceramics: Mastering the Craft by Richard Zakin. In addition to teaching, she works the earth on a few acres in the Redland Agricultural District.

Ozan Atalan, born in Gallipoli, Turkey, in 1985, is a visual artist and Assistant Teaching Professor of Graphic Arts at Florida International University. He holds undergraduate degrees from Anadolu University's Faculty of Law (2007) and Dokuz Eylul University's Faculty of Fine Arts Sculpture Department (2013). He earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University School of Visual and Performing Arts as a Fulbright scholar (2016) and his Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Yasar University's Graduate School, Faculty of Art and Design (2024). Ozan has taught sculpture courses at Syracuse University (2015-2016) and art&design courses at the Visual Communication Departments of Izmir University of Economics (2016-2023) and Yasar University (2024). His transmedia, interdisciplinary, and research-based work, primarily focused on video installations, explores the intersection of social sciences such as psychology, anthropology, and philosophy with natural sciences like biology, quantum physics, and ecology. His works address the coevolution of human and nonhuman forms, incorporating eco-queer performativity from a critical posthumanities perspective, and have been exhibited at prominent national and international venues, including the 16th Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Montpellier Contemporain, Pera Museum, and Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst.

Julio Capó, Jr. is Associate Professor of History and the Public Humanities Lab at Florida International University. He is the award-winning author of the book Welcome to Fairyland: Queer Miami before 1940 and curator of several exhibitions, including Queer Miami: A History of LGBTQ Communities for HistoryMiami Museum.

Shawn Anthony Christian is an associate professor and chairperson of the Department of English at FIU. He is also affiliate faculty in FIU's African and African Diaspora Studies and Women and Gender Studies programs. He received a PhD in English and education from the University of Michigan. Professor Christian is the author of The Harlem Renaissance and the Idea of a New Negro Reader and lectures and publishes generally on twentieth-century African American literary and print culture. His scholarship has been published in several journals and books, including American Periodicals, CLAJ, Ethnic Studies Review, MAWA Review, Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers, and the volumes Reading African American Experiences in the Obama Era, The Harlem Renaissance Revisited, Editing the Harlem Renaissance, African American Literature in Transition: 1930–1940, and The Cambridge History of the American Essay. His varied leadership roles include a term as associate provost at Wheaton College and vice chair of the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.

Rebecca Friedman is  the founding director of the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, FIU's hub for the humanities, and she isa professor in the Department of History. She received a PhD in Russian history from the University of Michigan in 2000. She is a specialist on the history and culture of modern Russia. Her monograph Modernity, Domesticity and Temporality in Modern Russia: Time at Home was published with Bloomsbury in  2020. She is also author of Masculinity, Autocracy and the Russian University, 1804–1863 and editor of Russian Masculinities in History and Culture and European Identity and Culture. In addition to her role with the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, Friedman has been a leader at FIU in a number of capacities, including serving as the director of the European Union Center of Excellence/European and Eurasian Studies and as a faculty fellow in the provost’s office.

Michelle Grant-Murray, choreographer, educator, author, scholar, performer and Artistic Director of Olujimi Dance Theatre, earned a BS degree in Dance Education (Jacksonville University), MA degree in African Studies (Florida International University) and MFA degree in Choreography (Jacksonville University). Michelle has presented work throughout Europe, Asia, South America, the United States and the Caribbean. She is Associate Professor Sr. and Coordinator of Dance at Miami Dade College, Artistic Director of Jubilation Dance Ensemble. She is the founder and host of The Black Artist Talk, Founder and Executive Director of the Artistry In Rhythm (A.I.R.) Dance Conference, Co-Founder of Florida Black Dance Artists Organization and author of Beyond theSurface: An Inclusive American Dance History. She is a Knights Arts Champion and serves as an Artist inResident at Deering Estates as a Community Partner as well as a multi-recipient of the Miami Individual Artists Award. Currently, Michelle is researching the performative intersections of Eco-feminism, Ecology, and Sustainability of the Black Female Body.

Prof. Jake Guyton's core objectives as an educator are to incite within his students the inspiration, sense of accomplishment, and deeper understanding of the practical applications that result from the pursuit of education—both within and beyond the institution of higher education.

Over the past twelve years, Jake has been an English instructor in a variety of capacities— from academic and creative writing to speech to accent improvement and every level of English as a Second Language.

He holds degrees in Creative Writing, English Literature, Linguistics, and Foreign Language Education: TESOL and is currently enrolled in the Teaching and Learning: Curriculum, Cultural, and Social Studies PhD program at FIU, where he also received his B.A. and M.A. degrees.

Outside of his career in academia, he is the author of Electric Drapes: A Poetic Exploration of Artificial Intelligence and the Human Condition and an avid songwriter. His writing and music center on themes of racial, social, and environmental justice and advocate for education and self-development as a path towards a more just, equitable, and prosperous society.

Dr. Carmen Lopez is a Professor of History at the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College.  She earned a B. A. and M. A. at Florida International University and holds a PhD from the University of Miami. She teaches courses in American, World, Holocaust and Women's history for the Department of Social Sciences, the Honors College and MDC Online, where she serves as the developer for history courses. She also serves on the Changemaking Committee and the Miami Dade College Civic Literacy Student Success Workgroup, teaching review sessions to prepare students for the Florida Civic Literacy Exam.  She also serves as the faculty advisor for the student organization Disability Pride.  She has published articles in Tequesta Journal and History Miami Magazine and has worked several times with Cengage Publishing to revise their Global Americans textbook and create supplemental instructional materials.  She has mentored students for the Humanities Edge Undergraduate Research Program and most recently, served as a member of the Humanities Edge Faculty Learning Community.

Cristina Ebbage is a Career Advisor for FIU's Career and Talent Development department. Cristina holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Florida State University, and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from FIU. Her past experience working in student services at Miami Dade College, includes extensive professional experience helping students achieve their goals. She is now committed to empowering students with the information they need to succeed in career exploration as well as prepare them for the application and nterviewing process with employers whether it be an internship, job, or graduate school. 

Clotilde M. Picart-Laguer is a Career Specialist and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Communications at FIU with more than 20 years of experience in labor law. Ms. Picart-Laguer’s educational background includes a Juris Doctorate and master’s in labor relations from Interamerican University, and a bachelor’s degree in systems of justice from Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in Puerto Rico. She served as an administrative judge in labor matters and represented the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in labor and torts disputes and real estate endeavors. In addition, she was a solo-practitioner in family and labor matters representing the interests of marginalized individuals before the judicial court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Charles Donate is the coordinator of FIU's Center for Excellence in Writing. He has taught the Writing Assistant Program seminar course since 2012. He has an MFA in creative writing from Boston University.

Olivian Aradanas is an Education Specialist at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, where she helps make art accessible and engaging for K–12 students, university audiences, and the public. She supports not only educational tours but also coordinates public programs and interactive workshops to create connections with art and artists. An alumna of Florida International University (FIU), Olivian earned her bachelor’s degree in Art History and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Asian Studies.

Amaris Cruz-Guerrero is the Museum Educator at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, where she develops and facilitates educational programming for K-12, university students, and the public. Cruz-Guerrero studied Art, Art History and Religious Studies at Florida International University and is currently earning her master's in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Cruz-Guerrero is also a practicing artist in Miami and co-founder of Comedor Azul.

Lourdes Ranero has been an active member of the museum community for over 24 years, specializing in registration and collections management. Since January 2020, she has held the position of Chief Registrar at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, where she oversees the museum’s collection management and preservation efforts. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology from the University of Puerto Rico, as well as a second B.A. in Psychology. She also earned an M.A. in Public Affairs with a focus in Arts Administration from Turabo University and a Museum Studies Certificate from the Smithsonian Institution.

A passionate advocate for Caribbean cultural institutions, Lourdes sits on the executive board of the Museum Association of the Caribbean (MAC), where she leads the Newsletter and Communications Committee. She also shares her voice and expertise through her contributions to El Adoquín, a cultural newspaper in Puerto Rico, enriching the broader conversation around heritage and the arts in the island.