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Talline Martins is the Director of Education and Training from the Graduate Student Success department. She is responsible for coordinating professional development activities and programs for UF graduate students. These initiatives include providing activities and resources to help students set professional development goals, develop core competencies to successfully complete their graduate degree, and gain the necessary skills to transition into diverse career paths upon graduation.
Dr. Martins received her BS in Biology from Western Michigan University, and her Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She then received a NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology to continue her training at Duke University. Most recently, she was the Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Coordinator of Diversity Initiatives and Graduate Recruitment at the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Kimone Simmons joined the Gator Family in 2017 and currently serves as the Associate Director in Education and Training at the UF Graduate School. Prior to that she was the Coordinator for Living Learning Initiatives in the Department of Housing and Residence Life. Throughout her career she has focused on student engagement and development from a co-curricular standpoint.
Kimone holds an Associates of Arts and Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Richland, a Bachelor of Art in Sociology and Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She completed her masters degree in Counseling Education-Student Affairs from Mississippi State University and is currently working on her Doctor of Education in the School of Teaching and Learning, here at the University of Florida.
As a student affairs professional, Kimone is driven by fostering development experiences, creating, innovating, and strategizing for success through breaking barriers and the implementation of high-impact practices. She advocates for equity and creating spaces for inclusion and access while fostering a student-lead and centered approach to her work.
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Jim Gillespie is the Education and Training Specialist. His position focuses on the creation, development, and facilitation of programs aimed at providing graduate students with the experiences and dispositions for career success. These programs are grounded in experiential learning to best equip graduate students with the practical understanding to transition into valuable and rewarding post-graduation careers.
Dr. Gillespie received his BA in Philosophy from the University of Scranton and his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Florida. His academic, pedagogical, and professional life draws heavy inspiration from the work of John Dewey, from whom he learned the importance of experience-based learning for personal and professional growth. Most recently, he was an Adjunct Instructor of Philosophy here at UF.
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Audrey Hall is the Education and Training Specialist II. Her position revolves around equipping graduate students for success during their degree and onward by facilitating workshops, seminars, awards processes, and other programs. Her role promotes professional development through an emphasis on curriculum development, campus partner collaboration, and direct student support.
Audrey received her BA in English from the University of Mississippi, MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Florida, and MA in English from the University of Alabama. Through her degrees and recent work with UF’s College of Engineering, she has a background in higher education pedagogy and academic advising. She is also a published and anthologized poet.
Alberto is Graduate Assistant in the Education and Training area. His role focusses on program-experience research, curriculum development, and program design and evaluation for the Graduate School.
Alberto received his bachelor's degree in Psychology in Colombia and his master's degree in Human Resources in Spain. Alberto has served as a well-being manager and human resources consultant in Chile, as a training leader in different industries, and as professional leader in a program dedicated to supporting people displaced by political violence in Colombia, among other experiences. He is working towards his PhD with a research focus on leadership amid periods of transformation.
