Faculty & Staff

Faculty

Dr. Julia Kroeker is Professor of Early Childhood Education at Florida Southwestern State College. She has nine years of experience teaching preschool and kindergarten in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Kroeker completed her Ph.D. in early childhood education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her dissertation was entitled, "Indoor and Outdoor Play in Preschool Programs: A Mixed Methods Study." While at the University of Nebraska, Dr. Kroeker also earned a certificate in Mixed Methods research. She earned a Master of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education with an early childhood endorsement from Hastings College in Nebraska. She has presented research at national and international conferences, including the North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) and The Association for the Study of Play (TASP). She hopes to share her passion for teaching and learning with her students, as well as her excitement for play in early childhood education.

Dr. Regina Miller

Dr. Regina Miller is a Professor of Education at Florida SouthWestern State College. She teaches T.E.S.O.L. (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) courses for students in the Bachelor of Science Degree Program and serves as the ESOL Coordinator in the School of Education. Dr. Miller has experience as a special education teacher, behavior management specialist, staffing specialist, learning resource specialist, online writing consultant, online associate faculty for graduate education courses, and adjunct professor for E.A.P (English for Academic Purposes) courses. She has spent many hours in the classroom at all grade levels as a classroom teacher and behavior management specialist. Dr. Miller holds a Master of Science in Specific Learning Disability, an Educational Specialist (Ed. S) in T.E.S.O.L, and Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Terri Ratini

Dr. Terri Ratini is a Professor of Education at Florida SouthWestern State College. She began her teaching career in 1992 in Chicago and has taught mathematics, reading, science, and social studies in a variety of public and private settings. She completed her doctorate at Florida Gulf Coast University where her research and dissertation focused on discourse in the elementary mathematics classroom. She holds a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University and earned National Board Certification as a middle childhood generalist. She assisted the National Center for Technological Literacy in developing a STEM curriculum and served as a national field site teacher for the Museum of Science and Industry in Boston. Dr. Ratini has published articles in The American Journal of Qualitative Research and The Journal of Curriculum Theorizing.

Dr. Kelly Ross

Dr. Kelly Ross Kantz Roy joined the faculty at Florida SouthWestern State College as Professor and Coordinator of Early Childhood Education in fall 2016. She began her professional experience in Western New York more than 35 years ago teaching preschool and providing early intervention and family support services for children with developmental challenges. Dr. Ross holds a Ph. D. in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood Special Education from Iowa State University. She completed her multi-disciplinary Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees at Buffalo State College and the University at Buffalo respectively. Dr. Ross has managed both private and public inclusive educational services in such varied locations as eastern North Carolina, the Commonwealth of Dominica, and Paris, France. She has been a professor of Early Childhood Education at Danville (Va.) Community College, the University of the (US) Virgin Islands, Hood College, and the University at Buffalo. Dr. Ross has presented at numerous regional, national, and international conferences. She has garnered more than $3,000,000 in grant funds for various projects throughout her career. Her scholarly interests lie in the study of outdoor environments and their impact on self-determination and learning for young children.

Dr. Joyce Rollins

Dr. Joyce Rollins has been a professor of Elementary Education at Florida SouthWestern State College since January, 2009. Dr. Rollins completed her doctorate in education in July 2016 where her research and dissertation centered on mathematics anxiety in elementary education teacher candidates. Her master's degree, from George Mason University was in Transformational Education. There, she also received the Teaching and Learning Award in 2000.

Prior to coming to FSW, Dr. Rollins taught with renowned scholars in the Initiatives in Educational Transformation program at GMU for seven years. Dr. Rollins coauthored the article, "Singing in my own voice: teachers' journey toward self-knowledge" published in the July 2008 edition of the Journal of Transformative Education. Dr. Rollins spent twenty years teaching elementary school in Arlington, VA where she received multiple honors including Teacher of the Year and Math Educator of the Year; she was also nominated for the Disney American Teacher Award. After teaching elementary school for twenty years, Dr. Rollins was the Vice President of Bell School Network where she traveled nation-wide providing educational support to K-12 schools. Since joining FSW in 2008 she has received the NISOD award for excellence and the School of Education's Outstanding Educator Award. In addition to teaching ELED program oversight, Dr. Rollins is the co-advisor to KDE. Dr. Rollins was hired by FSW when the baccalaureate degrees in education were just developing and is proud to have been a part of the success not only of the School of Education but of all the graduates that are now improving the education in southwest Florida.

Dr. Angela Valuta

Dr. Angela Valuta is Professor of Education at Florida SouthWestern State College. She began her teaching career in 1987 in Romania, where she taught for 12 years before moving to the United States. After she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Edison (Florida SouthWestern) State College, she taught for 10 years at the elementary and middle school level, being recognized as a High Impact Teacher by the Florida Department of Education and a recipient of the Florida Best and Brightest scholarship. Dr. Valuta holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the American College of Education, and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in effective classroom management from the same institution. Her research focused on the experiences of novice second-career teachers. Pursuing her desire to provide mentorship and support to teachers, she worked for 4 years as a curriculum resource teacher and instructional coach, providing professional development, training, and coaching to K-8 educators at different stages of their professional careers. Dr. Valuta also served for 3 years as an adjunct professor in the School of Education at Florida SouthWestern State College. She is excited to be part of the FSW family and committed to inspiring and empowering her students and future educators to become reflective practitioners and lifelong learners.

Dr. Brian Botts

Dr. Brian Botts has a rich history of enhancing public education in S.W. Florida. His career began as a science teacher in 1996 at Lehigh Senior High School when it was a brand new high school in the district's East Zone. After a successful career teaching Biology, Physics, and Chemistry for both Honors and Advanced Placement students, he transferred his professional efforts into Administrative work. As an Assistant Principal, Dr. Botts helped LSHS move from a brand new high school through the next 10 years of defining itself as a leader in academics and a designated Center for the Arts for students living in the area. One important concept at LSHS that was implemented with direct influence from Dr. Botts was the idea of a Freshmen Academy. This decision and effort was designed to help students leaving middle school make a solid transition into high school life in terms of adjusting both academically and socially. This experience of opening a school and establishing a solid academic trajectory led to his re-assignment as an Assistant Principal to open East Lee County High School's new permanent building as a last step before becoming a school principal. After spending two years as Principal of Fort Myers Middle Academy, Dr. Botts has served as the Principal of Florida SouthWestern Collegiate High School – Lee. Florida SouthWestern Collegiate High School – Lee is a premier educational organization that functions as a charter school in collaboration with the Lee County School District and Florida SouthWestern State College. The organizational and personal commitment that Dr. Botts brings to the school through Science Technology Engineering and Math serves as a focus for students and teachers. This focus has helped Florida SouthWestern Collegiate High School – Lee earn top honors in Lee County on standardized tests while de-emphasizing the FCAT and other high stakes testing in our day to day operations. The schools focus on project based and constructivist activities is designed to help students make real world connections between subject material and their personal lives. Recently, FSWC – Lee became the first and only public charter school in Florida to earn STEM accreditation through AdvancED.

After earning a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from FGCU to begin his administrative career, Dr. Botts completed his Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from Barry University with a dissertation focus on how different forms of knowledge flow through an organization. During the course of earning his undergraduate degree in Chemistry, he held several research jobs in the fields of bio-technology, mechanical engineering, and aerospace research contract administration. While married with four daughters and working in public education over the course of past 14 years, he has demonstrated that forging strong connections between families, students, and schools is the best groundwork from which to promote high levels of academic achievement.

Kathie DiLascio

Kathie DiLascio is the Coordinator of Operations in the School of Education. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Supervision and Management from Florida SouthWestern State College and an Associate in Arts degree from Edison State College. Kathie has worked in post-secondary education since 2002 holding positions in the School of Health Professions and the Office of the Registrar as well as supporting Senior Administration at FSW before coming to work in the School of Education. She is a member of the Association of Florida Colleges, Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society, and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Kathie has been nominated for the FSW Staff of the Year Award, an award that recognizes outstanding public service, mentorship, and dedication to student success.

David Koehler

David Koehler is the Recruiting and Advising Specialist in the School of Education at Florida SouthWestern State College. He began his teaching career in Oxford House, MB (Canada) over 18 years ago. He has earned a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University and a Bachelor of Education degree in Elementary Education with concentrations in English and Geography from the University of Winnipeg. During the past 18 years, he has taught elementary, middle, and high school students in a variety of private and public school settings. As the Academic Success Director at Southwest Florida College, he managed tutoring services and instituted new initiatives to improve student retention and student success. He was also awarded the Educator of the Year award in 2007 and the President's Award in 2012.

Michelle Wier

Michelle Wier joined our FSWC Collegiate High School - Charlotte campus faculty as Principal in the 2018-19 school year. She has been an educator and instructional leader for the past twenty-seven years serving most of those years in Charlotte County, Florida. She is originally from Columbus, Ohio where she completed her Bachelor's Degree from The Ohio State University and began teaching Marketing Education in Hamilton, Ohio. She married and moved to Florida in 1993 and began teaching middle school students in the areas of varying exceptionalities and at-risk cohorts. She moved back to the high school level teaching Diversified Career Technology and Business Management classes at Charlotte High School for a decade and then moved into the role of Dean. She earned her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership in 2007 from Florida Gulf Coast University and joined the Student Services team at Charlotte Technical College. She became an Assistant Principal at Lemon Bay High School in 2012 where she oversaw student services, activities, facilities, and discipline until she joined the faculty at FSWC. She is excited to bring her vast educational and administrative experiences to FSWC - Charlotte and become a Buccaneer!

Dr. Sherry Blanset

Sherry Blanset is the Placement Coordinator for the School of Education. She is a life-long resident of LaBelle, Florida where she graduated from LaBelle High School. After high school, she started a family before earning her Associate in Arts (2011) and Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (2013) from Edison State College. She enjoyed teaching in both Lee and Hendry County Schools, where she taught 3rd and 5th grades and K-5 as an art and music teacher. Throughout her career, Ms. Blanset has advocated for both teachers and students of underserved populations and communities through speaking engagements at the Federal Department of Education and the Florida Senate. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instructions at the University of Florida where she was awarded the highly competitive Dassler Transformational Leader Award in Education (2020, 2021), the Evelyn Weitzel Excellence in Educational Advocacy Award (2019, 2020), and named an Outstanding Graduate Student (2019, 2020, 2021). She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a Major in Educational Law and Policy from the University of Florida. Sherry remains passionate about supporting educators and students, and is very excited to be a part of the School of Education at Florida SouthWestern State College.