APA 2018-19 Board Election
The University of Florida Academic and Professional Assembly (APA) is an official UF organization sponsored by Human Resource Services for the special interests and needs of UF’s professional employees.
VOTE for the new board today. The election is open from midnight April 26 until midnight May 6.
As presented in the Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday, April 25, the 2018-19 slate is as follows:
President-Elect: Corina Velasquez, UF College of Medicine
Corina Velasquez is HR assistant director at the UF College of Medicine with a strategic focus on talent management. She is the principal touchstone and facilitator for onboarding new employees and is in the process of re-engineering College of Medicine HR goals and practices to be in alignment with organizational needs for new hires. Velasquez earned her Master of Science in organizational learning and leadership as well as her Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from Barry University. She currently serves on the Florida board for College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) as well as the Leadership Florida awards committee. Corina is an avid traveler, a passionate community volunteer, and assists organizations with a variety of charitable and fundraising endeavors.
Membership Chair: Florida Bridgewater-Alford, UF Office of University Relations
Florida Bridgewater-Alford manages the University of Florida’s campus communications outreach initiative, including UF’s Communicators Network, which comprises more than 300 campus communicators representing each UF college, unit, center and institute. A 22-year PR/communications professional, Florida is a member of the Florida Public Relations Association and helps local, state and national not-for-profit organizations with their communication/leadership strategic plans. She has received more than a dozen awards for her community/leadership work in the state of Florida. A UF graduate, Florida received her Accreditation in Public Relations in 2010. (Yes, that’s her real name, by the way. It’s a pretty cool story, too.) Florida and her husband, Roy, are very proud parents of future CEO/attorney Symone, a Girl Scout Cadet, and future scientist Reign, a soccer and basketball player.
Program Co-chair: Tammy Bleeker, UF College of Medicine
Tammy Bleeker has been with the University of Florida for five years. She serves as the assistant director of education & training for the Department of Pediatrics. In addition to the APA, her other professional affiliations include serving on the Executive Committee for the Association of Pediatric Program Directors, Wellness Coordinator on the UF/UF Health Wellness Committee and member on the Graduate Medical Education Institution Wellness Committee and Coordinator Advisory Council. Recent awards include UF Superior Accomplishment Award and UF Champions for Change – Health and Wellness. Bleeker is a graduate of UF’s Leadership Academy and will receive her M.Ed. from UF in Summer 2018.
Program Co-chair: Monica Delaorra, UF Health Communications
Monica Delaorra has been at UF for nearly two years as a marketing manager. In this role, Delaorra supports student recruitment marketing efforts for the UF College of Pharmacy. She holds a B.S. in journalism and M.S. in marketing from the University of Kansas.
Secretary/Treasurer: Micah Johnson, UF Levin College of Law
Micah Johnson has been a system administrator at the College of Law for 12 years. He has served on several campus-wide committees relating to technology as well as various committees within the Law School. Micah is active in the IT community at UF and has been a part of both championship teams in the UF Law Faculty/Staff Kickball Challenge. Johnson is also the reigning champion of the SLC Chili Cookoff at the Law School.
Publicity Chair: Jacob McAbee, UF Housing and Residence Education
Jacob McAbee serves as the area coordinator of Springs and Lakeside Complexes in the Department of Housing & Residence Education. McAbee has a background in marketing and advertising, as it was his minor when he completed his undergraduate degree at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. He was set on pursuing a career in sports broadcasting with his television production degree but found his niche in helping mentor college students and a passion for campus-wide programming. This led McAbee to Mississippi State University where he earned his master’s in counseling education with an emphasis in student affairs. However, that sports broadcasting aspiration did not die as McAbee was afforded the opportunity to be a public-address announcer at Mississippi State for volleyball, and that has carried on to here in Gainesville, as he now serves as the announcer for the nationally-ranked Florida Soccer and Florida Lacrosse teams.
Previously elected positions:
President: Krista Vaught, UF Levin College of Law
Past-President: Megan Kimmel, UF Health Communications
The election will close on May 6 at midnight.