Seven Exceptional Broward College Professors Recognized with 2021 Endowed Teaching Chair Awards

Each recipient is awarded a $13,500 grant for professional development and classroom enhancements

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (April 26, 2021) -- During a special faculty meeting on Friday, April 16, seven Broward College professors were recognized for their excellence in the classroom as recipients of an Endowed Teaching Chair (ETC) award for the 2021-2022 academic year. The winners will each receive  $13,500 to be divided equally ($6,750) for professional development and/or classroom enhancements and $6,750 for an honorarium used at the recipient's discretion.

The Endowed Teaching Chair awards were launched in 1989 in celebration of the College’s 30th anniversary. The ultimate goal was to provide the opportunity for at least ten percent of the College’s faculty to achieve this status in recognition of their outstanding efforts in the classroom. With the support of philanthropic individuals, businesses, foundations, and city organizations, the Broward College Foundation met its original goal of 30 chairs and now has 36 Endowed Teaching Chairs.

“We are incredibly thankful to our donors for making these awards possible each year,” said Nancy O’Donnell-Wilson, vice president of Advancement and executive director of the Broward College Foundation. “Our partnerships with private donors will continue to benefit the Broward College community for generations to come.”

The awardees were selected following an in-depth review of their professional work by a panel of their peers. Dr. Maria Bernal and Dr. Behnoush Memari served as co-chairs of the ETC faculty selection committee. Broward College Foundation Board of Directors member Ann Porterfield chaired the Community Selection Committee, who selected the finalists from a group of 16 semi-finalists. Members of the community committee are ETC donors, community and/or industry leaders. Members of the community committee this year included John Bochak, JoAnn Cremata, Tom Schon, David Verlin, Barbara Wells, as well as Porterfield.

 “These seven professors have distinguished themselves, going above and beyond to create wonderful experiences for our students in the classroom,” said Dr. Jeffrey Nasse, interim college provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “The entire leadership team at Broward College congratulates their achievement of being selected for an Endowed Teaching Chair Award.”

The 2021-2022 Endowed Teaching Chair (ETC) recipients are:

Professor Ruth Lazard-Germain,  associate professor, Pediatric, received the R. Irene Craney Fischley ETC. Lazard-Germain, a native of New Jersey, has been an instructor at Broward College for eight years.

Professor Mariah Reed, received the Gaddis Corporation ETC. Reed is a tenured professor at Broward College and a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Radio and Television Artists and the Actors Equity Association. When not teaching, acting, or directing at Broward College, Reed spends her time writing plays or performing in television and film projects.

Professor Oyinka Coakley was awarded the Bank of America II ETC. Coakley is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant with more than 20 years of experience in public and private accounting. She has been a faculty member at Broward College for 14 years and was previously awarded the William D. Horvitz Endowed Teaching Chair in 2014. She is an entrepreneur as the owner of SuiteOne event venue and an advocate for teens with her nonprofit organization My Future My Choice Inc.

Professor Pezhman Jatala received the Bank of America I ETC. Jatala grew up in Lima, Peru and fell in love with movies early on. He studied film to earn his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Oklahoma, and later earned his Master of Fine Arts at Florida State University. After several years of working in the film and television industry in Los Angeles and Miami, he found his true path in teaching filmmaking. At Broward College, he launched the Film Production Technology program and currently serves as its program manager since 2014.

Dr. Joanne Kampiziones-Ying was awarded the Cleveland Clinic ETC. Dr. Kampiziones-Ying has taught at Broward College since 2009. She is an Associate Professor of Music at Broward College’s North Campus, where she remains active in bringing performing arts to the campus and serving as a member of the College Assessment Team, a position she’s held since it first started over ten years ago. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Miami and received her master’s and undergraduate degrees from the University of South Carolina.

Professor David Hennessy was awarded the Children’s Opportunity Group ETC. Hennessy earned his Bachelor of Arts and his Master of Arts in English at the University of Miami and a graduate certificate in Community College Education at the University of Central Florida. After teaching at the high school level in Miami-Dade County, he joined Broward College in 2001, serving in the English department at Central Campus. He specializes in the use of online and blended technologies in order to help make a quality college education accessible to all learners.

Dr. Rajendra Shakya was awarded the Margaret and Cato Roach ETC. Dr. Shakya is a professor of chemistry at Broward College’s South Campus. He completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2007 from Wayne State University and joined Broward College the fall of 2012. Since then, he has been dedicated to developing his students’ learning abilities, problem solving skills, and critical thinking capacity in general and organic chemistry.

For additional information about Broward College and its outstanding faculty, visit www.broward.edu.

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