For the past year, the GHOF teacher committee has been working diligently, often late into the night, on the Guy Harvey Shark Collection, an integrated lesson plan for K-12 students and teachers. Our appreciation of their work, and that of all teachers during the pandemic, cannot be overstated. The Shark Collection will debut during the Spring of 2021. Thanks to those in this article for their dedication to the project.
Ashley M. Harvey
Ashley M. Harvey has taught in the Florida Public School system for 15 years, working in Leon County and her hometown of Miami. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Florida A&M University, a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Florida State University, and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in math K–14 from Concordia University. She has taught grades 2–5, held various school-based teacher/leader positions and has been a part of many community-based organizations.
Barbara Davis
Barbara Davis earned her bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1984 with an emphasis in ceramic sculpture. She then spent six years in Botswana with the Peace Corps, first as a volunteer teaching agriculture to high school students, then the last three years preparing new volunteers for their placement in country. In 1993, she earned her master’s degree at Florida State University and taught photography at FSU. For the next 10 years, she worked in education reform with SERVE. At age 42, she switched back into the classroom when she joined the art department at Florida State University School, a K–12 public charter school associated with Florida State University.
Courtney Starling
Courtney Starling is the secondary mathematics specialist within the Bureau of Standards and Instructional Support at the Florida Department of Education. Prior to joining the department, Courtney had experience as a high school mathematics teacher. She attended Florida State University and earned her Bachelor of Science in geography and Master of Science in curriculum and instruction, mathematics. Courtney has a passion to help students believe that
they are mathematicians
and recognize how mathematics is embedded around them every day.
Erin Brack
A Florida native and active diver, Erin Brack has worked for Bay District Schools in Florida teaching a variety
of science classes the past 20 years. She currently serves as the elementary science instructional specialist. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in sociology and in E.E.O. biology, and she holds a master’s in education from Florida State University. Erin also received a master’s degree from Miami University’s Project Dragonfly Global Field Program, where she
studied the impact of palm oil plantations on orangutans in Borneo, the health of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and
island biogeography in
Baja, Mexico.
Jennifer Infinger
Jennifer Infinger is the STEAM Education Specialist for the Florida Department of Education, and she boasts over 13 years of arts education and arts integration experience. She previously served as the School and Family Programs Manager at the University of Florida’s Harn Museum of Art, the Fine Arts Education Specialist at the Florida Department of Education, and the Education Coordinator at LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts. Jennifer earned her
bachelor’s degree in the history and criticism of art and her master’s in art education — both from Florida State University.
Jennifer Schmitt
The TSA for K–12 science in Santa Rosa County, Jennifer Schmitt has taught many science subjects, including marine biology, biology, anatomy and physiology, physics, life science, pre-engineering, and integrated science. She loves all things hands-on, and in her spare time, Jennifer can be found on the water or hiking in
the mountains.
Danielle Knapp
With 18 years experience in education, Danielle Knapp has taught in California, Mississippi, Virginia and now Florida. An avid staff developer the past five years, she also had the opportunity to teach conversational English in Japan for two years. A co-curriculum writer for the AVID Science Summer Bridges program, Danielle collaborated for the past three years on a standards-based training called STEAMposium for the state of Florida. Currently working for Lee County school district as the secondary science specialist, she says she loves “all things that involve the water — being near the water, in the water, and studying the living things
in the water.”
Kathy Nobles
Kathy Nobles is the Bureau Chief of Standards and Instructional Support for the Florida Department of Education. Prior to joining the department, Kathy had experience as an assistant superintendent, state data captain/regional data coach, K–8 principal, consultant at the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium, media specialist, elementary classroom teacher and para-professional. She earned a bachelor’s in elementary education and a master’s in library and information studies from Florida State University. Kathy obtained her educational leadership credentials through Florida A&M, and she earned Ed.S. and Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of West Florida.
Kristin Tyler
Kristin Tyler is currently a middle school art educator for Lake County public schools. A self-proclaimed “jack of all grades,” she has a passion for sharing knowledge and helping students discover their why over the course of the past 10 years. Tyler began her career in education as a Reading Interventionist for the Florida Center for Reading Research before moving into the private school setting in North Florida. Tyler holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in both studio art and art education from Florida State University. Outside the classroom, she works with small businesses and restaurants as a brand strategist and photographer through her business
Anchor & Odyssey.
Lark Keeler
Lark Keeler is a visual art instructor at NSU Art Museum and Saint Andrew’s Lower School. Over the past 20 years, she has taught visual arts in schools and museums, working with students of all ages and abilities throughout the communities of Florida. Ms. Keeler was awarded the Florida Art Education Association’s Museum Educator of the Year in 2010; since then, she has participated in the National Guild for Community Arts Education Leadership Institute and the NAEA School for Art Leaders. She now serves as a board member for the Florida Alliance for Arts Education.
Lesley Kirkley
Lesley Kirkley holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and currently serves students and teachers in Pasco County, Florida, in the role of senior instructional specialist for K–8 science. Lesley was a classroom teacher in the state of Florida for 14 years prior to shifting her focus to developing science curriculum and supporting science teachers. Lesley served on the development and facilitation team for the state’s standards-based professional development STEMposium Summer Conference. She shares her passion for science education with other educators through presentations at NABT and the NSTA STEM Forum. Lesley is passionate about the importance of science education to promote scientific literacy for
global citizenship.
Nancy Narvaez-Garcia
Nancy Narvaez-Garcia is the K–12 science program specialist for the Florida Department of Education. She was born in Miami and moved to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University. After graduating, Nancy remained in Tallahassee and taught middle school science in Leon County. She has worked in many roles at the district, school and community level — such as pacing guide and district assessment developer, representative at the Title I Advisory Council and school advisory council, and maintained an active role in community conversations that surrounded her students. Aside from learning and teaching, Nancy enjoys pottery and hiking.
Sherwin Salomon
Born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Broward County, Florida, Sherwin Salomon has always enjoyed mathematics and, later, science. As a child of Haitian immigrants, his mother would always say, “No matter what choices you make, make sure you do good in school and get a good education.” Understanding the value of education, Sherwin decided to officially go into education as his professional career. After attending the University of Central Florida and Stetson University, Sherwin spent a professional teaching career in Orange County before transitioning to Florida Virtual School as a math instructor and then curriculum specialist.
Tammy Danielson
The current K–12 mathematics specialist for Escambia County, Florida, Tammy Danielson previously served as a STEM Specialist with the Florida Department of Education, the district instructional coach for Escambia County, and as
a mathematics educator.
A graduate of the University of West Florida, Tammy has served on many state committees, such as Test Item Review, Achievement Level Descriptors development, Standard Setting, and most recently on the committee for the B.E.S.T. Standards with the Florida Department of Education.
Valerie Gaynor
A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Valerie Gaynor describes herself as a mix of unyielding passion for learning, a little craziness in the classroom, and a pinch of the ocean blue. Over the course of 20 years in education, Valerie has changed her classroom from the four walls of a school to an open world of nature that entices students to learn more, do more and question more. One of her current projects is coordinating with the Florida Department of Education on the development of Guy Harvey STEAM Collections. “Through my work with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation,” Valerie says, “we are working to ignite the passion in teachers to increase our reach for all students. This is truly a labor of love and respect for our watery world.”
