Carrie Stevenson, Northwest FL Representative

Carrie Stevenson is the Coastal Sustainability Agent IV for the UF/IFAS Escambia County Extension Office. She has been with the organization since 2003. Her educational outreach focuses on preservation of local habitats and water resources, stormwater management, and preparation and mitigation for flooding, coastal storms, and sea level rise. She is a lead instructor with the Florida Master Naturalist Program and a prolific writer for Extension blogs and newsletters. Carrie holds a MS in biology/Coastal Zone Studies from the University of West Florida and a BS in Marine Science from Samford University. She is a Fellow in the Natural Resources Leadership Institute (NRLI) and Southern Region Representative for the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP).

Karen Rose, North Central FL Representative

Karen Rose is a lifelong naturalist and Florida native with a background in botany, ecology, conservation, landscape design, horticulture, and land management. In addition to being a lead instructor for the Florida Master Naturalist Program, she does invasive plant eradication for private clients, takes care of her aging parents, and stays actively involved in the lives of her four grown kids. She is very passionate about sharing the knowledge she's gained over the years, and has been known to stop strangers on the trail to ask if they know about the botanical treasures at their feet. She is certified as Level 2 Track & Sign with Tracker Certification North America.

Kelly Ussia, Northeast FL Representative

Kelly Ussia is the Supervisor of Outdoor Recreation for St. Johns County Parks and Recreation. She runs a wide variety of public programs including but not limited to kayaking, beach walks, archery, summer camp, fishing, and paddle boarding. She has worked for St. Johns County since 2015 and has helped to grow their programming team. Her undergraduate education is in Biology (BS) and Environmental Studies (BA) both from Florida Gulf Coast University. She has also received her master’s in Parks Recreation and Tourism Management from Clemson University.

Jason Robertshaw, Central West FL Representative

Jason is the Program Manager for Virtual Learning at Mote Marine Laboratory. He is the technical director for virtual learning connections and the multimedia producer for content. He also manages various educational technologies like Mote's distance learning studios. Prior to Mote, Jason worked in public television and in environmental project management for the state of Florida. He is currently the web developer for the Florida Marine Science Educators Association, a FMSEA/FWC Aquatic Species Collection Workshop instructor. Jason is a certified Florida Master Naturalist and Instructor and serves as the Central West representative on the FMNP advisory board.

Jackie Rolly, Central FL Representative

Jacqueline (Jackie) Rolly is a resident of Seminole County and Lead Instructor for Orange County at the Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, FL. She has been a lead instructor since 2012. She retired from Department of Defense Government service in 2006 and as a fourth generation Floridian, now has time to pursue her passion of conserving, restoring and educating about Florida’s native plants of the Florida she once knew. Ms. Rolly has served in various positions at the State and local chapter levels of the Florida Native Plant Society, and has been a member of the Orange County Chapter, Tarflower. Since 1997. Ms. Rolly has been salvaging plants from construction sites for over 15 years and has learned many techniques and tips for transplanting, propagating, and maintaining Florida’s unique native vegetation. Her work over the past 10 years in restoration at the Oakland Nature Preserve continues to provide knowledge in the native plant communities, geography, hydrology, and the wildlife that depends on those communities.

Sara Piotter, Central East FL Representative

Sara is Senior Environmental Educator at the Environmental Learning Center (ELC), a non-profit nature center located on a lush mangrove island within the central Indian River Lagoon. Her absolute favorite part of working at the ELC is helping others strengthen their relationship with nature. Through education programs, eco-tours, community events, interpretive media, and educational displays, Sara is able to share her love of nature in many different ways while serving at the ELC. In her free time, she enjoys cooking spicy food, tending to her army of houseplants, listening to live music, and all things nature - especially searching Florida’s trails for Palmetto Tortoise Beetles!

Kate Rose, Southwest FL Representative

Despite growing up in New Jersey, Kate became acquainted with South Florida waters when she earned her open water scuba certification in Key Largo at age 10. A life long gator fan, Kate attended the University of Florida, earning her B.S. in Marine Science and M.S. in Fisheries and Aquatic sciences.  Her thesis focused on the effects of trap confinement on stone crabs but she also has experience with sponge restoration following cyanobacteria blooms in Florida Bay and small scale tilapia aquaculture in Belize. As a student Kate earned several awards and Grants for her work including the ET York Junior Medal of Excellence from the College and Agricultural and Life sciences and the Outstanding 4 Year Scholar Award from the UF Alumni Association and Honors Program. Kate is a Lead FMNP Instructor in Charlotte County. When not at work, she can be found singing along to Broadway showtunes. 

Kristen Hoss, SE FL Representative

Kristen is an educator and ecological consultant who teaches FMNP in Broward County, produces in-school environmental and science education programs, and provides expertise for ecological surveys and monitoring. She has a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, a Masters in Conservation Ecology and Wildlife Sciences. and over 30 years of experience in the field of ecology (inclusive of marine, aquatic and terrestrial) and the management of natural areas and wildlife. Kristen’s passion is making a difference in people's lives, to the environment and to wildlife through working and partnering with like–minded people and organizations that share her vision of promoting sustainability through self-empowerment and education. Kristen’s work has been featured on the National Geographic Channel, Wildlife Views TV program, the Pompano Forum, The Pelican, the Miami Herald, Poder and By the Sea Times.

Graduate Representatives

Mary Calo, Central East Region, St. Lucie County

Mary-Ellen Boelhower, Central West Region, Sarasota County

Bob Creedon, Central East Region, Volusia County

 

Presidents Emeritus

Dr. Katherine Clements, Sarasota County Extension

Dr. Carol Wyninger, Duval County 

Jeanne Murphy, Sensing Nature LLC

David Griffis, Volusia County Extension

Training Partners

We greatly appreciate the organizations that have formed partnerships with the University of Florida/IFAS to offer Florida Master Naturalist Program classes through their facilities.

FMNP courses are posted throughout the year, so while you may not see courses on our schedule in your area at the moment, that doesn't mean one won't be held soon. If there are no classes listed in our schedule for your area, contact your local Instructor Team via the list of regions on the Course Locations page.