Contact

Rebecca Piety

Director

Rebecca.Piety@ucf.edu

She currently serves as the Director of Testing and Evaluation at UCF. Prior to her role as Director, Ms. Piety served three (3) years as Coordinator of Computer-Based Testing services and four (4) years as Assistant Director. Ms. Piety is responsible for overseeing all testing operations at UTC, and serves as the Institutional Test Administrator (ITA) and CLEP Master Site Administrator (CLEP) at UCF.

Ms. Piety has been an active member of the National College Testing Association (NCTA) for over seven (7) years. She currently serves as a member of the NCTA Professional Development Subcommittee. Additionally, Ms. Piety is an active member of the Florida Association of College Test Administrators (FACTA). She serves as a State University System (SUS) Council Representative of FACTA and as Chair of the FACTA Assessment Committee. Ms. Piety also previously served eight (8) years as a member of the SDES Divisional Review Committee (DRC) and continues to be committed to the assessment process.

Ms. Piety is a graduate of UCF, having earned a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in Literature, and a master's degree in English Language Arts Education.

When she is not at work, Ms. Piety enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and friends.

Ana Mack, Ed. D.

Assistant Director

Ana.Mack@ucf.edu

Dr. Ana C. Mack has been at UCF since June of 2003 where she currently holds the position of Assistant Director of the Student Academic Resource Center. In this role, she oversees the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program (Project A+), manages student learning support services, and assists the SARC Director with leadership, institutional effectiveness, and management of the daily operations of the SARC office. During her years at UCF, Dr. Mack has been involved in leadership training, strategic planning, program assessment, grant writing, academic advising, orientation, and program development and implementation.

Dr. Mack has over 18 years of experience in academic support services, academic advising, learning assistance, developmental education, curriculum development, articulation agreements, and college classroom instruction. She has served in higher education institutions such as Valencia College, Seminole State College, Rollins College, Miami-Dade College and University of Miami, providing services and instruction to a wide range of college students, including non-traditional and at-risk populations.

Dr. Mack is a member of the National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She received the SDES Continuous Learner/Stands for Opportunity Award in 2006 and the SDES Experienced Professional Award in 2009. Her professional interests include learning theory, developmental education, college student retention, program evaluation, and learning assistance programs.

Dr. Mack earned her undergraduate degree in Mathematics Education from Universidad del Zulia, where she also completed graduate studies in Applied Math. She obtained her master's degree in Higher Education Administration from University of Miami and her Ed. D. in Higher Education Leadership at UCF.

In her spare time, Dr. Mack enjoys spending time with her husband David and family, traveling, and reading.

Abby Paul

Coordinator, Academic Advising Services

Abby.Paul@ucf.edu

Abby Paul has been with UCF since January of 2011 and is currently SARC's Coordinator for Academic Advising Services. In this role, she coordinates UCF's College Achievement and Pegasus Success Programs. The College Achievement Program (CAP) is designed for UCF students who enter the university with ACT/SAT subtest scores below the state of Florida minimums in the areas of English and math. The Pegasus Success Program is a summer bridge program designed to help selected freshman students successfully transition to the UCF environment.

Summer 2011 was Abby's first experience in coordinating the Pegasus Success Program and it was one of the most successful summers boasting a summer to fall retention rate of 99.3%. Additionally, Abby facilitates SARC outreach workshops on topics such as Classroom, Campus & Email Etiquette, Academic Integrity and Academic Decision Making. She is also an adjunct instructor with the College of Education, teaching SLS 1501 (Strategies for Success in College) to incoming students.

Abby is originally from Zanesville, Ohio. She attended Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City, North Carolina where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biblical & Theological Studies in 2004 graduating Magna Cum Laude. During her time in North Carolina she also earned a Certificate of Continuing Studies in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. After falling in love with the world of Higher Education Student Services she earned her Master of Education Degree in Higher Education Student Services & Conflict Resolution from Abilene Christian University in 2011.

Abby has been working in higher ed student services for seven years, primarily in the areas of Admissions and Advising. She comes to UCF from her previous work at Clark State Community College in Ohio where she worked in Admissions with four Credit-Based Transition Programs which provide high school students the opportunity to earn college credit prior to graduating. Abby enjoys assisting students in reaching their academic goals and helping them and their families build confidence in navigating the university environment.

Abby resides in Titusville, FL with her husband, Stuart, and son, Jonas Zeppelin (yes, named for the rock band). When not working with UCF students, Abby enjoys spending time with her family, baking, reading, running, and is actively involved with their church where her husband serves as Youth Minister.

Natasha Ford

Coordinator, Academic Support Services

Natasha.Ford@ucf.edu

Natasha Ford happily joined the UCF community as SARC's Coordinator of Academic Support Services in January 2011. Natasha is passionate about helping students achieve their best in and out of the classroom. Her position at SARC includes leadership, mentorship, training and assessment of a diverse student staff of 40+ peer tutors who offer academic support at three campus facilities and online. Natasha also coordinates SARC's outreach programming which includes over 80 annual events. Natasha coordinates SARC's academic workshop series, The Game Plan freshmen and family seminars, the Learning Fair academic resource conference, Study Union finals week programming and more. Natasha represents SARC at university-wide speaking events including Orientation and teaches a section of SLS 1501 Strategies for College Success. Natasha is a proud partner with the Veteran's Academic Resource Center (VARC) and participates on the VARC Advisory Board Committee.

In 2012 Natasha received the Student Development and Enrollment Services New Professional Award which is an honor bestowed upon a chosen member of the SDES staff who has shown exceptional service and dedication to the division within the first 3 years of employment. Additionally, one of the programs Natasha oversees, Study Union, was a 2012-2013 NASPA Excellence Awards Gold Winner in the Student Union, Student Activities, Greek Life and Leadership category.

Natasha comes to UCF from Southern California where she previously managed the Learning Resource Center at Oxnard College. In this role she supported both a diverse population of developmental math students and faculty members through academic support provided both in person and through web-based learning systems. Prior to her role at Oxnard College Natasha enjoyed a career as a public high school art teacher in downtown Los Angeles.

Natasha attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Pepperdine University where she graduated with honors, earning a Master of Arts degree in Education. When she is not serving or mentoring students, Natasha enjoys spending time with her husband Jonathon and their pit-bull Teeny, cheering on the UCF Knights and exploring all that Central Florida has to offer.

Michelle Nicholson

Learning Specialist

Michelle.Nicholson@ucf.edu

Michelle Nicholson began in May 2012 as a Learning Specialist and Supplemental Instruction Supervisor for SARC. She is originally from Michigan where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies from the University of Michigan. After graduation, Michelle spent several years working for community-based organizations in New York City schools. These organizations focused on implementing positive social skills and increasing academic excellence in students through the arts.

She is currently pursuing a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at UCF and she plans to blend counseling with her artistic background. Her goal is to find new and creative ways to educate and inspire people.

She is excited to call Orlando home and spends her free time doing yoga, experiencing Orlando's theater scene and enjoying the warm weather in Florida with her husband.

Kristen Horton

SI Graduate Assistant (Project A+), Learning Specialist

Kristen.Horton@ucf.edu

Kristen Horton joined SARC in May 2011 as a Project A+ Learning Specialist and Supplemental Instruction Supervisor. Her goal is to help students become independent learners through help with study skills and academic management. Kristen has served an academic community for several years with positions such as tutor, SI leader, teaching assistant, research assistant and sports instructor.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2010 and is currently working towards a Master of Arts degree in Counselor Education and certificate program in Expressive Arts/Play Therapy here at UCF.

In her free time Kristen practices yoga and meditation and also enjoys sports such as gymnastics and martial arts. Kristen is originally from a small town in Ohio but was excited to move to Florida to join the UCF community.

Caitlyn McKinzie

SARC Graduate Assistant, Learning Specialist

caitlyn.mckinzie@ucf.edu

Caitlyn began her Graduate Assistantship for the Student Academic Resource Center in May 2012. Caitlyn has worked within SARC in the past as the Graduate Assistant for the College Achievement Program during the summer 2011 semester. She recently completed a Graduate Research Assistantship with the Office of Research and Commercialization and is transitioning into a Graduate Assistant position for the Young Entrepreneur & Scholar program at UCF.

Caitlyn has previous work and research experience in differing locations on campus including the Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Program, the Marriage and Family Research Institute, and Wellness and Health Promotion Services.

Caitlyn is currently seeking her Masters in Mental Health Counseling and is working on her certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to the beach and exploring new places.

Sofia Moumouris

Academic Outreach Graduate Assistant

sofia.moumouris@ucf.edu

Sofia Moumouris joined SARC as the Academic Outreach Graduate Assistant in May 2012. She is originally from Central Florida and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2010.

Sofia assists the Coordinator of Academic Support Services, facilitates Academic Success Workshops and also conducts Learning Skills Consultations. She also promotes Academic Support Services for VARC. Sofia has previous research experience in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the Institute of Simulation and Training.

She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts degree in School Counseling at UCF. She enjoys spending her free time with family and friends, reading and watching movies.