Floyd Scholars at Florida Atlantic

🎉 The Floyd Scholars Program is proud to announce its 3rd cohort of seven new Floyd Scholars!

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming our newest scholars at a special Meet and Greet alongside our inaugural and second-cohort Floyd Scholars. Together, this growing community now stands 18 scholars strong, with three recent graduates already carrying forward the mission of leadership, scholarship, and mentorship.

The Floyd Scholars Program continues to invest in the next generation of higher education leaders through research support, professional development, and a commitment to “pass it on” by mentoring others.

Please join us in congratulating our newest Floyd Scholars:
Dr. Sheila Walden, Angela Almaguer, Janelle Freire, Laura McDermott, Andrew Moreira, Emily Chavez Nunez, Kimberly Chirinos

Learn more about each of these outstanding scholars and their journeys here:
🔗 https://www.fau.edu/education/centersandprograms/floyd-scholars/scholars/

Congratulations to our newest cohort—we are excited to welcome you to our community!

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Thank you, Brian White!

Your support of the Floyd Scholars Program and our Higher Education Leadership students has made a lasting impact. As one of our 50+ Founders, your generous financial support and selfless service as a mentor have helped our students better understand career pathways in athletics and leadership. Your presence at our mentoring events and commitment to student success will be greatly missed at FAU. Wishing you continued success at Virginia Tech!

On a personal note, Dr. Floyd is a proud Hokie alumna — so it’s a heartfelt Go Hokies from the Florida Atlantic Owls! 🦉🧡🦃

Two Floyd Scholars proudly represented Florida Atlantic University at the 3rd Annual Think Outside the Blocks Corporate Breakfast, held on April 23, celebrating 55 years of service by The Fuller Center. Pictured on the far left in red is 2026 Floyd Scholar Dr. Sheila Rodriguez Walden, Director of Accreditation Assessment and Analytics. Also pictured in red is 2025 Floyd Scholar Sita Ramnarace, Assistant Director for the Office for Academic and Student Services.

✨ Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Vanessa Kay Herrera, Ed.D.

The Floyd Scholars Program is proud to recognize Dr. Vanessa Kay Herrera for her continued leadership, mentorship, and commitment to student success at Florida Atlantic University.

Dr. Herrera recently returned to FAU as the Director of First-Generation Student Success, bringing with her extensive experience in higher education leadership, student affairs, and student advocacy. A proud two-time FAU alumna, she serves as a mentor to Floyd Scholar Amber Nicole, supporting her academic and professional development throughout her doctoral journey as a first-generation college student and emerging higher education professional.

Most recently, Dr. Herrera supported participant recruitment for Amber’s Advanced Qualitative Inquiry research project and continues to provide mentorship as she prepares for dissertation fieldwork focused on high-achieving first-generation college students.

Her dedication to mentorship, leadership, and student support continues to strengthen FAU’s “First and Proud” community while inspiring future scholars and higher education leaders.

Thank you, Dr. Herrera, for your mentorship, encouragement, and commitment to student success. 💙❤️

Congratulations to Dr. Susan Richard, Inaugural Floyd Scholar, on the conferral of her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Research Methodology from Florida Atlantic University. 🎓

Susan began the doctoral program in Fall 2022 as a first-generation college student and successfully completed her dissertation titled, ‘The Road to Senior Leadership: Senior-Level Administrative Women Leaders in Division I Intercollegiate Athletic Departments.’

Dr. Deborah L. Floyd served as Susan’s program advisor and co-chair of her dissertation committee alongside Dr. Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski and Dr. Stacy Volnick

Congratulations, Dr. Richard, on this outstanding accomplishment.

Floyd Scholar Spotlight:

Congratulations to inaugural Floyd Scholar, Kelli Listermann, on receiving the Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Educational Leadership and Research Methodology at Florida Atlantic University.

Kelli currently serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Editorial Assistant for the Community College Journal of Research and Practice. To date, she has contributed to 10 scholarly publications, including 7 journal articles, 2 book chapters, and 1 book review. She is first author on two journal articles and sole author of a published book review.

Her scholarship reflects a strong commitment to higher education research, community colleges, and equity-centered leadership.

We also recognize the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Deborah L. Floyd and Dr. Cristobal Salinas Jr. throughout Kelli’s academic journey. As an Inaugural Floyd Scholar, Kelli is thankful to her mentors Dr. Russ Ivy and Dr. Jeni Hart.

Congratulations, Kelli, on this well-deserved recognition and continued scholarly success!

Leadership is not just about personal success, it’s about creating opportunities for others to grow, lead, and succeed.

Floyd Scholars embody this commitment by supporting one another, building meaningful connections, and intentionally lifting others along their journey in higher education and beyond. Through mentorship, collaboration, and shared purpose, we are not only developing ourselves as leaders. We are shaping the future of higher education together.