Meet the CATS

Julie Mura

Senior Director, Learning Assessment & Effectiveness

a.k.a. CAT Master

Dr. Julie Mura was raised in Cleveland, OH and received her PhD in Geography from Florida State University, with her dissertation titled, Geographical Conflict in Bolivia: Mobilization of Identity by the Comité Pro Santa Cruz. Julie continues her interest in Latin American social movements, with specific research focused on spatial imaginaries, cartographic representations, and archival documents. She has taught Geography and Geographic Information Systems courses at Broward College for many years and serves on a number of departmental and College-wide committees. 

Laura Rambarose

CAT

Laura Rambarose is first-generation to attend college in her family and has always valued education. She is aware of how unique our student demographic is and what challenges may arise. Laura is a Professor of Psychology, and has been teaching various courses which include Developmental, General, Adolescent, Child, & Advanced General at Broward College since 2007. She holds a MS from Nova Southeastern University in Mental Health Counseling and has taken courses towards her EDD with a concentration in Higher Educational Organizational Leadership.  

In addition to teaching, Professor Rambarose serves as the advisor to Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Central Campus and to Project Stay Gold Club to raise awareness of Human Trafficking. She also is very passionate about mental health and sharing of resources via webinars and podcasts.  

If Professor Rambarose is not reading, cooking, or walking you can find her practicing spells from the Harry Potter series and writing children’s storybooks for her son.  

Kieron Prince

CAT

Dr. Kieron Prince is a geologist working at the intersection of climate and carbonate geology, studying the impacts of sea-level and ocean currents on the alteration of carbonate sediments. Dr. Prince received his BSc in Geology from Loma Linda University in 2013, his MSc from Baylor University in 2015, and a Doctorate from Texas A&M University in 2020. He has been an Assistant Professor of Geology at Broward College (Central Campus) since 2020 and teaches courses in the STEM pathway including earth science, oceanography, geology and hydrogeology. Dr. Prince can be reached at kprince@broward.edu.    

Laura Iossi

CAT

Dr. Laura Iossi has been teaching at Broward College since 2000 and has been participating as CATs team member since 2013.  Additionally, Dr. Iossi has served as the math developmental education coordinator and corequisite algebra coordinator for Central campus. She specializes in Statistics and Co-requisite Algebra courses, alternative formats, and addressing affective barriers to success. She has earned two Endowed Teaching Chairs at Broward College and strives for continued improvement in the classroom., Dr. Iossi earned a B.S. in Mathematics and a B. A. in Theatre from Florida Atlantic University, an M.S in Mathematics from Purdue University, and an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership from Florida International University.   

Jasmine Vazquez

CAT

 Professor Jasmine Vazquez has been teaching a variety of mathematics courses at Broward College since 2009. These courses include College Algebra; both MAC 1105 and MAC 1105C, Foundations of Mathematical Reasoning (MGF 1106), Pre – Calculus (MAC1140), and other variety of Mathematic courses. Professor Vazquez has currently been involved in working with projects that involve artificial software and the impact on student learning which has led to collaborations with fellow colleagues and course builds within the college.  

Prior to joining Broward College, Professor Vazquez earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Barry University in 2003 with a minor in Biology. Then earned her Master of Arts in Teaching in 2006 from Grand Canyon University. She also currently holds a teaching certificate for Mathematics 6 – 12 with the FL Department of Education with a specialization in Exceptional Student Education (ESE) for K – 12.   

Jasmine Vazquez – jvazque2@broward.edu 

Vanessa Hörmann

CAT

Born and raised in Suriname, South America, Dr. Vanessa Hörmann earned her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from Florida Atlantic University.  She has been a biology professor at Broward College’s Central campus for over 15 years and teaches a wide range of topics for the STEM pathway; including non-majors biology, anatomy and physiology, and genetics.  Dr. Hörmann’s teaching philosophy centers around making lecture topics relatable to the student’s field of study, while encouraging active learning and critical thinking.  Dr. Hormann can be contacted at vhormann@broward.edu  

Josh Kimber

CAT

  Here’s my quick take on assessment: Assessment is really about enhancing student learning by enhancing assignments and activities over time. Yes – we pay attention to competencies and learning outcomes, and yes – we use rubrics to score student work, but the purpose of doing all of that is to ensure that our assignments are helping students learn. As educators, we’re always enhancing our own assignments. Assessment helps us enhance them in ways that help students achieve important learning outcomes, and it often gives us a common framework for evaluating common learning outcomes across different classes.  

    My main tip: Use the assessment process to engage in meaningful conversations with colleagues about your assignments and learning activities. When you assess student work, think about the learning outcomes that the work is meant to address and see if there’s anything you can do to make the assignment even better over time. Use assessment scores as your way of testing the success of your adjustments.  

    As for me, I’ve been a member of the CATS and before that the GEOATS for many years now. I was also part of our Quality Enhancement Plan that focused on critical thinking (one of our core general education competencies). Most recently, I was the chair of the General Education Task Force and had the honor of leading an excellent team of folks from across BC as we updated our competencies, learning outcomes, and the overall general education framework. That process helped remind me that assessment is a powerful tool that we can use to enhance teaching and learning. It can be used to help us fulfill our vision and mission at BC. We can use assessment to make sure we’re transforming students’ lives every day – or – to monitor some important parts of that work.   

    When I’m not doing assessment, I teach philosophy and ethics as part of the AHCD Pathway. My office is on Central Campus.   

    Let’s keep the assessment conversation alive. Feel free to contact me to discuss competencies, learning outcomes, assessment, or to brainstorm assignments and learning activities. I enjoy talking about assessment 🙂 

David Hennessy

CAT

David Hennessy, a Miami native, earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees in English from the University of Miami. An Associate Professor of English for Central/Online Campuses, he has taught at Broward College since 2001.  He has served as a Lead Technology E-Associate/Faculty Development Coordinator since 2005, helping to lead the College’s training and development efforts in implementing a variety of learning technologies. He has served on the CATS team since its inception in 2009, remaining a vocal advocate of using assessment to facilitate continuous improvement in teaching and learning. 

Lori Albrizio

CAT

Lori Albrizio has been an academic research and instructional librarian for over 20 years, with 25-plus years of experience in postsecondary education. Professor Albrizio started her career at Broward College in 2005 as an adjunct instructor of developmental writing and was hired as a full-time Faculty Librarian in 2010. Professor Albrizio teaches information literacy across the curriculum for all of the college’s pathways and continues to teach developmental writing courses, including in the new online live modality. Her research interests include sustainable development of open educational resources (OER) and embedded librarianship as a student success strategy. 

Professor Albrizio graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton (now known as Binghamton University) with her Bachelor’s degree in English and General Literature and obtained a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida. 

Michael Hurlburt

CAT

Dr. Michael Hurlburt teaches philosophy courses at the south campus and online. Statistical analysis is one of his favorite hobbies. For over 10 years, he’s done statistical analysis of NBA players and teams to learn about their efficiency and productivity. He used to create spreadsheets to evaluate trends and corresponds with NBA analysts from around the country. Michael enjoys assessing our practices so we can find ways to improve.  

David Perdian

CAT

Dr. David C. Perdian, Associate Professor of Chemistry, received his B.S. in Chemistry from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Iowa State University.  After completing a post-doctoral research position at the United States Department of Energy, Dr. Perdian joined the faculty at Broward College in 2010.  In 2015, Dr. Perdian was named the Dr. Barbara J. Bryan Endowed Teaching Chair and earned the Professor of the Year award at Broward College’s North Campus.  Since 2016, Dr. Perdian has also served as a Faculty Development Coordinator for the Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning.  In 2021, he was named Professor of the Year award at Broward College’s North Campus for the second time. In addition to teaching, Dr. Perdian conducts research on how to use technology to promote learning; he has won three Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Awards from Broward College and the Aspen Institute’s Faculty Innovation Grant for this work. 

Joanne Kampiziones-Ying

CAT

A highly respected and accomplished educator and performer, Dr. Kampiziones-Ying has concertized throughout the U.S. and abroad.   

Her research includes presentations on the importance of piano pedagogy in a performance degree and teaching and assessment strategies for college-level music courses.  Recent projects include a comparative analysis on pedagogical techniques in Asia versus America. 

Dr. Kampiziones-Ying has also published articles in Piano Pedagogy Forum, an on-line piano pedagogy journal.  Her performances and workshops on twentieth-century Greek piano literature have been enthusiastically received throughout the country, including national and regional conferences of the College Music Society, as well as the South Carolina Association for Music Education. 

Dr. Kampiziones-Ying holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Keyboard Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Miami, a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy, a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of South Carolina.  Prior to her appointment at Broward College, Dr. Kampiziones-Ying was Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Piano at Coker University in Hartsville, South Carolina.  While there, she was on the Board of Directors for the South Carolina Music Teachers Association as Vice President of Competitions as well as a member of the Hartsville-Coker Concert Association. 

Dr. Kampiziones-Ying was awarded the Cleveland Clinic Endowed Teaching Chair Award in 2021.  She is currently Professor of Music, a position she has held since 2009, and Performing Arts Coordinator at Broward College’s North Campus.

Helen Henderson

CAT

Helen Henderson earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Mathematics from the University of South Florida. She has been a tenured Assistant Professor of Mathematics for Broward College since 2013. Professor Henderson has taught both lower and higher-level mathematics courses and is the coordinator for several mathematics courses at the college.  She has been on the CATS team since 2015 and served on the General Education Task Force. Professor Henderson continues her education by participating in the ACUE (Association of College and University Educators) course and is an advocate for true assessment in the classroom.

Behnoush Memari

CAT

Dr. Behnoush  Memari is a senior professor of chemistry with over 30 years of teaching experience. She started teaching at Broward College in 2000 and has been a member of the College Assessment Team (CATs) since 2009. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Ferdosi University of Mashhad, Iran and later went on to earn her Master’s and Doctorate in Forensic Analytical Chemistry from Florida International University. She has been a recipient of three Endowed Teaching Chairs since 2003. With a passion for Chemistry, Dr. Memari’s goal is to develop both intellectual and behavioral skills in her students to ensure their success in academic and professional pursuits. She emphasizes a balance between rigor and flexibility and is dedicated to helping students achieve their potential. 

Billy Jones

CAT

Dr. Billy Jones is an Associate Professor of English. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Florida International University (FIU), a Master of Science in English Education from FIU, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Education from Barry University. He currently teaches English Composition, African American Literature, and Creative Writing at Broward College. 

Dr. Jones’ research interests focus on curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on infusing instructional technology into post-secondary instruction as well as leadership development. His recent, published work includes a mixed methods research study that explores the implications of incorporating action research projects in college level English Composition courses. 

In 2021, Dr. Jones was recognized as an Honorary Lifetime Member of the South Florida Writers Association (SFWA). In 2018, he was recognized as Broward College—South Campus’ Professor of the Year. 

Additional CATS

The Shy CATS –  When we capture their pictures, we’ll post them here…