The Global Schools Project Team is comprised of practicing teachers, administrators and curriculum developers at the K-12 level. These post-masters, adjunct faculty are selected for their content and pedagogical knowledge of social studies education and its praxis in contemporary and diverse elementary, middle, and high school settings. The faculty are recognized as scholars, leaders and expert practitioners at the local, state, national and international levels and provide a breadth of knowledge, perspectives and practical experience that is truly unique.
Dr. Mark Amen received his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland in 1978. He has been at USF as a faculty member in the Department of Government and International Affairs since 1982. His research interests include issues of globalization and political economy, globalizing cities, governance and finance/credit, and theories of international relations. Dr. Amen teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in political economy, international relations theory, the European Union, and globalization. Since coming to USF, he has served as Director of the International Studies Program (1990-93), Chair of the University’s Liberal Arts Committee (1991-1993) and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences (1993-2001). Outside of work, Dr. Amen enjoys playing golf, biking, classical music, movies and traveling.
Rina Aybar was born and raised in New York. She went to boarding school in Rhode Island and graduated from Molloy College in New York with a B.S. degree in Accounting and Economics. Upon moving to Tampa, Florida, in 2003, she decided to pursue her Masters degree in Social Science Education. In 2005, Rina graduated with an M.A. from the University of South Florida and has been working as an American History and Economics teacher at Wharton High School ever since. In addition to teaching, Rina has presented at numerous conferences including the National Council for the Social Studies and the Florida Council for Social Studies. Rina joined the Global School Project team in 2006 and has been an active participant in the development of lesson plans.
Robert Bailey received a B.A. in International Studies and an M.A. in Secondary Social Science Education from the University of South Florida. He served for four years as a child abuse investigator for the State of Florida prior to joining the faculty at Jefferson High School Magnet for International Studies as a social studies teacher. Robert has presented at state, local and international conferences on his work with global curriculum and has developed and published numerous lessons for the Global Schools Project. He received a fellowship for the 2004 Law Related Education program allowing him to study for five days in Tallahassee at the Florida Supreme Court with the Supreme Court Justices serving. In the summer of 2005, he was selected to the Florida Supreme Court’s Justice Teaching Institute, where he worked with the court’s Justices over four days. Additionally, he has participated in the University of Florida and Coca-Cola World Citizenship Program which enabled him to live and work in Zambia improving school conditions. He sponsors several clubs at his school including the Human Rights Club and the Mock Trial Club. His students regularly place first and second in Jefferson’s Annual Cultural Festival. Robert is an active member with both professional teaching and human rights organizations and his cognate is Global Education.
Christina Bratager was born and raised in Florida, and has lived in Tampa since 2002, graduating with her B.S. in Social Science Education in 2005 from the University of South Florida. Straight out of school, she began teaching world history and world geography at Wesley Chapel High School, infusing concepts and activities from programs like History Alive!, Project Citizen and Geography Alive!, which engage her students in learning and promoting higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. After nearly three years, she decided to return to the University of South Florida to work on her M.Ed. in Social Science Education, which she obtained in 2008, while continuing her fourth year of teaching. Not only does Ms. Bratager enjoy furthering her experiences and knowledge by participating in the Global Schools Project, but she also runs the Model United Nations Club at WCHS. Ms. Bratager is excited that she will launch the new A.P. Human Geography course at her school and is looking forward to the challenge. She hopes to continue to grow by working with her students, the Model United Nations and the Global Schools Project for many years to come.
Dr. Bárbara C. Cruz is Professor of Social Science Education at the University of South Florida as well as the director of the Global Schools Project. Her research interests include global and multicultural perspectives in education, with an emphasis on ethnic minority students. Other work includes innovative teacher preparation practices, active learning strategies and textbook bias. In addition to academic publications, she is the author of several Hispanic biographies and young adult books on educational issues such as school dress codes, single sex education, school violence and civil rights.
Margie Dennie graduated from Lane Technical High School in Chicago, IL, in 1980 and it is there that she first learned to value diverse cultures. She received her Bachelors in Social Work from George Williams College in 1984 and completed additional coursework at various colleges and universities in Illinois and Florida to receive her certification in Elementary Education, Middle Grades and High School Social Studies and a M. Ed. from the University of South Florida.
Margie has been married to her best friend, Dr. Kevin Dennie, Sr., for 27 years. Together, the couple lovingly reared three adorable children who are now successful young adults. Her eldest son, Kevin, Jr. is a loving husband, father of two and unswerving law Florida enforcement officer. Her daughter, Coretta is a School Psychologist intern. Her youngest son, Cory is currently entering his senior year as he pursues an undergraduate degree in preparation for continued training to become a Dr. of Physical Therapy.
Margie Dennie was instrumental in the founding of Living Faith Baptist Church of Tampa where she remains active. References to Margie’s spiritual journey are featured in the books The Saints Among Us (1992) and The Next American Spirituality (2000).
Margie is also a dedicated educator and lifelong learner who continues to complete courses in preparation for teaching youth ages 3-18 in the church and the public school setting. Margie has presented at educational conferences and religious women’s conferences. For nearly eighteen years, she has been an educator in the public school systems of Chicago, IL and Tampa where she works tirelessly, developing learning strategies to help students acquire a love for learning as she strives to be an positive example and mentor to her students. She routinely works with students on an individual basis help them reach their goals. Margie is especially gratified when former students visit and thank her for “not giving up on them” and “not allowing them to give up on themselves.”
She was instrumental in organizing a mentoring program at the high school where she teaches and currently sponsors the Model United Nations Club. Additionally, Mrs. Dennie has functioned in the role of lead teacher in the Tampa Bay Global Classrooms Model United Nations program and has been part of the Global Schools Project at the University of South Florida since 2005. Mrs. Dennie’s life goal is to make the world a better place by being a positive influence in the lives she touches. She values global education as a way of helping the next generation develop an understanding of the various cultures that make up the world in which we all live, nurture respect and tolerance for those who are different from themselves and learn how to actively engage as global citizens to improve conditions in local communities, preserve national excellence and promote peace and fairness throughout the world.
Though not a native Floridian, Joy Fauntleroy has established herself in the Sunshine State. After graduating from Durant High School, she went on to the University of Miami to study Sociology and History but returned to Hillsborough County thereafter and has been a teacher in the public school system for the past eight years. She began at the middle school level, teaching a seventh-grade class in a drop-out prevention program. Her next teaching assignment took her to Alonso High School, which is where she has been teaching for the last six years. The courses she has taught include American Government, Multicultural Studies and A.P. Human Geography. In addition to participating in the Global Schools Project, she has sponsored Alonso’s FCA and History Fair team. In her free time, Joy volunteers with the Tampa Museum of Art, travels with friends and spends time enjoying the Bay area.
Joel Goodrick is a Social Studies teacher at Lennard High School in Ruskin, Florida, where he teaches a Latin American History elective course that he helped create for the Hillsborough County Public Schools. The course has been very popular with the students and has provided students with an in-depth study of the modern history and culture of the region and its impact on the United States and rest of the world. Joel’s students recently won first place at the Hispanic Heritage Festival of Tampa Bay for their country exhibition showcasing the history and culture of Argentina. Joel will be teaching an additional Latin American History course for Hillsborough Community College starting in the fall of 2009. He also sponsors a community service club at Lennard that affords students the opportunity to earn community service hours.
Rebecca Lee Harris joined the Center in January 2002. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from George Washington University. Prior to joining the Patel Center for Global Solutions, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC. Her research interests include agricultural policy, rural development and issues of sustainable development.
Chuck Leitzke
John Miliziano
Kelly Miliziano is currently the social studies department chair at Wharton High School in Tampa, Florida, and taught in New York City and Athens, Greece before coming to Tampa in 1995. She received her undergraduate degree in Social Science Education from New York University and Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of South Florida. She has conducted numerous workshops on the subject of teaching for higher order thinking in the social studies. Mrs. Miliziano has organized Model United Nations conferences for high school students both locally and internationally and is currently involved with the implementation of the U.N.A. Global Classrooms curriculum. Mrs. Miliziano has an interest researching the effective use of technology with an emphasis on incorporating global and multicultural perspectives into the high school social studies curriculum.
Melissa Mousseau is currently a teacher at Robinson High School in Tampa Florida. She has taught a variety of courses including AP American History, AP United States Government and World History. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Education in December of 1996 and a Master of Arts in Teaching in 2006.
Melissa is a member of FCSS, NCSS and The Global Schools Project. Through the Global Schools Project, Melissa has helped develop a variety of lesson plans aimed at promoting solutions for global problems. Specifically, Melissa’s lessons have targeted human rights issues including the use of young children as combat soldiers in several less-developed nations. In addition to human rights, Melissa has developed lesson plans which encourage students to get involved in local and national politics by assessing a candidate’s short and long term energy plans to deal with the current energy crisis.
Jennifer Orjuela has been a teacher at the Thomas Jefferson International Studies High School for more than five years. She specializes in the subject areas of Psychology, Sociology, and American Government and her current focus is on World Cultural Geography and A.P. Human Geography. You can also view Jennifer Orjuela in the News.
Originally from New York, NY, Lorena Ortiz has made the Tampa Bay area home for the last eight years. She has been a member of the Global Schools Project since its inception and it has been instrumental in many of her lessons and pedagogic skills. She teaches World History to a range of students from Advanced Placement to ESE at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel. Teaching beyond the textbook has been key to a successful 17-year career. Field trips to local museums, renaissance festivals, and using technology to build relationships with schools from Bangladesh, Tajikistan and Palestine through Relief International Global Classroom as well as class simulations and role-play have made learning interesting for her students. A lesson on the effects of Industrialization will end up with the class selling t-shirts to save the rainforest in Madagascar. Her love for travel allows her to incorporate pictures and artifacts in her lessons. Lorena is also the adviser to the Model UN club and takes her students to local, state and national conferences each year. Her class and club motto is Think Globally Act Locally. She has received the 2008 Claes Nobel, National Society of High School Scholars Educator of Distinguish Award, 2009 Dr Theron Trimble Florida Council for the Social Studies Teacher of the Year and has made Who’s Who Among High School Teachers in past years.
A lover of World History and the social sciences, she is constantly continuing her professional development by participating and being recipient to many state and national programs such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Consortium of Teaching about Asia, Bill of Rights Institute, Red Cross Exploring Humanitarian Law and NCTA China/Korea Study Tour. She is an active member of National Council for the Social Studies, Florida Council for the Social Studies, World History Association and United Nations Association – United States of America. Lorena has been a College Board World History Advanced Placement reader since 2005. Lorena plans to pursue a PhD in Social Science Education at the University of South Florida in 2010.
Kelly Reynolds teaches World History at Wharton High School. She co-sponsors the Model UN club at her school and has chaperoned students to conferences in cities like New York, Boston and Princeton, N.J. She is also finishing her Masters in Secondary Social Science Education at the University of South Florida. She is currently the secretary of the UNA-USA Tampa Bay chapter.
Also Contributing:
Amanda Colborne
Jonathan Cook
Gary Padgett
Ernestine Woody
