FSU Libraries Advancement Board

Vall recently retired after 30 years at FSU’s Film School. She was Faculty Senate President for three years and member of the Board of Trustees for Ringling College and Ringling Museum. She taught at FSU’s International Center in Valencia and was a Fullbright Scholar working on a documentary film in Russia.

She received a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts degrees from California State University - Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in Communication Theory from FSU.

Vall joined the Advancement Board in 2016.

Carrie has been working in academic libraries for twenty years. For thirteen years she was the Dean of Libraries at Eastern Kentucky University and is currently the Dean of University Libraries at William & Mary. She is leading the library’s campaign to raise $25 million; William & Mary ranks first among public universities for alumni giving. Carrie is interested in organizational culture and leadership, storytelling as a way to demonstrate the library’s impact on learning and research, and re-thinking library space in collaboration with non-library partners.

Before coming to higher education, she was a teacher and high school librarian in St. Johns and Pinellas Counties in Florida. She earned her B.S. in Elementary Education at Florida State University and her MLIS at the University of Southern Mississippi. She’s active in Kiwanis and civic engagement in her local community. She enjoys cooking, walking, and traveling. While at Florida State University, Carrie was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and served as the Vice President for Pledge Education and Panhellenic Council Member. She was an orientation leader, a Seminole Ambassador, and belonged to the Order of Omega and Gold Key.

Carrie joined the Advancement Board in 2015

Monica is a retired researcher who previously worked at the Scripps Research facility. She earned her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Univeristy of California - Riverside. Her father is Paul Dirac, the famed Nobel Laureate, who taught at FSU for many years.

Monica and her family have donated many primary source research materials to University Libraries Special Collections. Monica is an honorary member of the Advancement Board.

Paul is a retired physician (graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School) who spent his entire career at Mayo Clinic, attaining the academic rank of professor of psychiatry and medicine.  His major career activity was Sleep medicine.  He served a term as president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and was director of the sleep medicine clinic at Mayo Clinic.

His hobbies include book and antiquarian map collecting.  Although Paul is a U.S. Army veteran, his real love is the sea and he is an avid sailor.

Paul has three children, one of whom received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at FSU.

Kris is on the faculty at the University of Copenhagen and teaches the History and Philosophy of Science. From 2008-2019, she was an instructor with FSU Teach. She was a longtime member of the Faculty Senate Library Committee.

She is a retired U.S. Navy Meteorologist and has published numerous journal articles and three books. Her latest book, Make it Rain (Univ. of Chicago Press 2017) was awarded the Louis Battan Prize by the American Meteorological Association for best meteorology book of the year. Kris serves as chair of the American Geophysical Union’s Editorial Advisory Board and is a reviewer for a number of history of science journals.

Kris graduated from University of California, Riverside with an A.B. in Mathematics; the US Naval Postgraduate School with an M.S. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography; and from Oregon State University with a Ph.D. in History of Science.

Kris joined the Advancement Board in 2014.

After retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps, Mark went on to serve 33 years as SunTrust Bank’s First Vice President. Mark served on FSU’s Board of Trustees from 2010-2020, was Vice Chair of the Board and chaired multiple committees during his tenure. He and his wife Nan actively support FSU veteran initiatives and have been a generous contributors to student scholarships, faculty endowed positions, and numerous campus building projects. Mark has served on many FSU advisory boards: FSU Foundation Board of Trustees, Alumni Association Board of Directors, College of Business Board of Governors, Real Estate Center Executive Board and the Undergraduate Studies Development Council.

Senator Bill Montford is a fifth generation Floridian. He served as a State Senator for District 3 from 2010-2020. As a member of the Florida Senate, Senator Montford served as Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Chair of Senate Commerce and Tourism, Chair of the FSU Legislative Caucus, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, and member of the Senate Appropriations, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, Senate Rules, and Joint Legislative Auditing Committees.

Senator Montford served as School Superintendent in Leon County from 1996-2006. He attended Florida State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics Education and a Master of Science Degree in Administration and Supervision. Senator Montford is active in several professional and civic organizations and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his dedication to education, his community, and to the State of Florida. Senator Montford also received the Florida State University Circle of Gold Award in 2020.

Senator Montford and his wife, Jane, have two children and five grandchildren.

Kristi has been a long-time faculty member and administrator at the University of Cincinnati. She is currently serving as the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. She understands the importance of experiential learning and how this approach contributes to student success. She is a champion of developing faculty and played a key role establishing a women’s leadership program at the University of Cincinnati.

Kristi has an Art History undergraduate degree from FSU and a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. Her research interests are in the Early Modern Dutch and Flemish Art.

Kristi joined the Advancement Board in 2016.

Melissa has been at Iowa State University for a number of years and is currently the Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at ISU’s Foundation. She had previously worked at FSU’s Foundation. Melissa has an established track record for implementing new fund raising strategies and for getting results. In 2013, she was the recipient of the Governor’s Staff Award for her dedication to Iowa State and the support for community programs in the surrounding area. Melissa is active in the local United Way campaign, Medical Center volunteerism, Ames Foundation (projects around town, build playgrounds), and the Parks and Rec Board.

Melissa graduated from Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in History and from FSU with a Master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in non-profit management.

She has two dogs: Milo, a Silver Lab and Rory, a Black Lab. She loves Cyclone sports, the arts, theater, and keeping up with the Seminoles. Even though Melissa left FSU years ago, she still loves the university and the people associated with it.

Melissa joined the Advancement Board in 2018.

Prior to retirement, Anne served as a faculty member in the English Department and held various administrative positions at FSU with the last eight years as the Dean of the Faculties. She has been an advocate and champion for students and faculty success. Anne served as President of the Library Advancement Board from 2017-2020.

Anne earned an undergraduate degree in English from FSU and graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.

Anne joined the Advancement Board in 2009

Nancy has many years of experience working in higher education with the Board of Regents and the State University System. She recently retired as Vice President of the management consulting firm MGT of America. She is active in the Rotary Club as a member of the Board and Chairs the Rotary Foundation Committee. She and her family have a longstanding relationship with raising funds for FSU and recently established the Robison Family Scholarship at FSU’s College of Human Sciences.

She has degrees from the University of Binghamton (B.S. in Business Administration) and University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign (M.A. in Employee and Management Relations).

Nancy joined the Advancement Board in 2019.

Anne is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of South Florida (USF). Through her career at USF she has served as Interim Director for the School, Chair of the Master’s in Social Work Program, and Associate Director. Anne has directed the Florida Kinship Center, a statewide center housed at USF that serves and supports grandparents and other relatives raising over 370,000 children in our state. The Center provides information, education, counseling, advocacy, training, policy planning, and research. In addition to Anne’s work at the University, she is a licensed psychologist in the State of Florida.

Anne’s father, Robert M. Strozier, was President of FSU from 1957-1960. She is proud of her connection to the Strozier Library and Florida State University.

Anne is involved in her community through helping women, the elderly and kinship caregivers. She loves to exercise, read, and travel.

Anne is an honorary member of the Advancement Board.

Kathy recently retired from Florida’s State Board of Administration as the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to that she was Vice President of Finance for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She remains active in numerous civic groups and community fundraising initiatives.

Kathy earned an undergraduate degree in Accounting from FSU and is a licensed CPA. She attended the Executive Program at the University of Virginia and the Core Human Resources Management Program at Cornell University.

She has served on the Advancement Board since 2009 and was Board President from 2014-2017

Nancy retired as Superintendent of Schools in 2013 from Orange City Schools, Pepper Pike, Ohio (suburb of Cleveland, Ohio). She started in public schools as a high school English teacher, became certified as a reading specialist and then, with an interest in gifted education, finished her Ph.D. in special education, gifted, reading, and curriculum and instruction. Her dissertation focused on the gifted reader, metacognition and comprehension strategies. This focus led to research and published articles on learning disabled gifted readers, comprehension strategies and gifted students use of metacognition for comprehension. Nancy contributed to several books on gifted education and special needs gifted students and was a speaker at both national and international conferences. Remaining in public schools while serving as adjunct at the University of Akron and teaching at Kent State University, Nancy worked as Coordinator of Gifted Education, Director of Curriculum and Instruction and, for the last five years of her career, as Superintendent of Schools.

Nancy was also involved in civic work through various organizations, served as member of Highland Schools Board of Education for 23 years, Medina County Career Center Board of Education for 16 years and as a member of several Superintendent councils/boards.

Nancy received her B.A. from Florida State University, an M.A. from Kent State University and a Ph.D. from Kent State University.

Nancy joined the Library Advancement Board in 2019

Julia retired as the Dean of University Libraries in 2018, a position that she held for eleven years. Prior to coming to FSU, she was the Dean of Libraries at Ohio University. With a long history of raising funds to enhance student success and to improve library facilities, Julia continues to use her experience to serve on various library boards to advocate for support.

Julia graduated from FSU with an undergraduate degree in English and earned a graduate degree in library science from Emory University.

Julia joined the Advancement Board in 2018.