Alumni Engagement

Julia earned her B.A. in history from then–Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College). She went on to earn her M.S. and Ph.D. in computer and information science from the University of Pennsylvania, pivoting her career to investigate natural language processing and speech. She is currently the Percy K. and Vida L.W. Hudson Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, where she also served as department chair. She studies speech and natural language processing, most recently text to speech; false information on social media and its intent; multimodal humor; radicalization in online videos and social media; charismatic speech; entrainment, emotion and empathy production and recognition in conversation; and deceptive, trusted and mistrusted speech. Julia previously worked at Bell Laboratories and AT&T Labs on text-to-speech synthesis and then created their first human-computer interaction research department.

She has served on numerous professional boards and awards committees—including the Association for Computational Linguistics Executive Board and the International Society for Conversation Analysis (ISCA) Board (2005–2007 as president), and is a fellow or member of eight academies/societies. Julia was editor-in-chief of Computational Linguistics from 1993–2003 and co-editor-in-chief of Speech Communication from 2003–2006. She received the IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award, the ISCA Medal for Scientific Achievement and the ISCA Special Service Medal. Since 2020, Julia has been an Amazon Scholar in a program designed for academics who want to work on large-scale technical challenges while continuing to teach and conduct research at their universities.

Ingrid started hanging around then–Florida Presbyterian College as a high schooler when her father, Dr. Richard “Dick” Bredenberg, joined the faculty in the mid-1960s. She soon decided to enroll at FPC, completing her degree requirements in just three years to earn her B.A. in comparative literature with a minor in Asian studies. Ingrid regretted cutting her time at Eckerd short and returned in 1977 to direct the Elliott Gallery, curating shows and various art events. She has maintained a close connection with Eckerd over the years—mentoring students, recruiting prospective students, and serving on her 45th, 50th and 55th Anniversary Class Reunion committees.

Ingrid went on to earn her M.A. in industrial and organizational psychology from the University of New Haven and later, with her mother, co-founded Bredenberg Associates, a consulting and team training practice. During her more than three decades as a strategic leadership coach, Ingrid has guided dozens of executive and management teams through strategic visioning and planning and served on the faculty of Marlboro College Grad Center, University of South Florida St. Petersburg, the Omega Institute, and Leadership Pioneer Valley. She lives in Gulfport, Florida, with her husband, Berkeley Grimball—a musician, jeweler and sculptor. She continues to be of service as a strategic leadership coach, mentoring and training others to build vibrant, resilient communities and organizations. She supports her alma mater as a member of the Kadel Society and the President’s Collegium, and she never misses an opportunity to connect her community back to Eckerd.

Margaret graduated from Eckerd with a B.A. in visual arts. She went on to Florida State University to earn her master’s in communication and her Ph.D. in arts education with a focus on critical art theory. She recently retired as an associate research professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City, where she developed interdisciplinary programs and conducted research in health professions education, funded by federal government agencies and private foundations. Prior to her work in the health sciences, Margaret primarily worked in the arts, holding positions as the executive director of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, the New Mexico State Council on the Arts, and the Center for Creative Studies at UMKC.

As a practicing visual artist, Margaret brings to her research an artistic lens, visualizing collected data as an interpretative tool in finding meaning. Her research has been widely published in scholarly journals in medicine, surgery, nursing and the social sciences, and she has presented at various national and international conferences. Her artistic works have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, and her recent work captures the essence of the embodied experience of surgeons and the psychological impact and societal erasure of aging women in America. Postretirement, Margaret continues her research through the Surgical Innovations Lab at the UMKC School of Medicine, collaborating with researchers in medicine, social science and the performing arts.

Kathy graduated with honors from Eckerd in 2010 with a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry. Following her graduation, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member at Eckerd, helping to coordinate environmental initiatives including the recycling program and service learning opportunities. She went on to earn her M.S. in urban sustainability from The City College of New York and currently serves as New York City’s first-ever citywide director of rodent mitigation, a position widely known as the “rat czar.” She leads the City’s efforts to reduce the rat population by implementing evidence-based strategies and coalition building—skills she developed as an Eckerd student.

Kathy has spent her career fostering relationships between people and their environment in an effort to deepen a sense of belonging and ownership. As program lead at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she was part of the team to activate the newly imagined Discovery Garden—connecting people and plants through immersive, hands-on exploration. At the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Sustainability, she developed the nation’s largest zero-waste program and led the team charged with educating the next generation of environmental stewards. As the District of Education’s Queens director of space planning, she worked with schools and communities to optimize building utilization and improve facilities, marrying physical spaces to educational needs. Kathy lives in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn with her wife, Kate, and their dog, Marvin.

Originally from Chicago, Vicki attended then–Florida Presbyterian College at the end of the 1960s during a critical point of change for the campus and the country. She graduated with a B.A. in Spanish and minors in French and education. Having spent her junior year abroad in Madrid, she returned to earn her M.A. in Spanish literature at New York University’s Madrid campus. She then landed a major sales and management role with the Berlitz Schools of Languages in 1973. As a branch director, she developed and managed foreign and English language-training programs for celebrities, corporations and governments. Years later, Vicki sued Berlitz for sex discrimination—Bartelt v. Berlitz Schools of Languages would be her legacy to all United States women and similarly disenfranchised parties. Her case would become the legal precedent for over 30 federal cases, including Morgan et al. v. U.S. Soccer Federation and Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and its subsequent Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

Vicki went on to a 20-year career in the staffing industry as a woman and minority business enterprise owner and CEO. As a local and state industry leader, she developed training programs not only in sales, but also in employment law and recruiting ethics. Later, she transitioned into the corporate side of human resources and is now semiretired as a pro bono career coach. Grateful for her Eckerd experience, Vicki is a longtime contributor to the College and a member of the President’s Collegium.

Barbara graduated from Eckerd with a B.A. in biology and a minor in anthropology. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in genetics alongside a master’s in international policy from the University of Georgia in 2022, showcasing her dedication to interdisciplinary studies. She is currently an associate biological scientist at global policy think tank the RAND Corporation, leveraging her expertise in biosecurity and science diplomacy to address pressing global challenges. Her research investigates the impact of emerging biotechnologies on biological risks, and she also works to highlight the vital role of science in diplomacy, including studies on science diaspora networks.

Barbara’s contributions to the field of biosecurity have been recognized with honors—including the 2024 ELBI Fellowship from Johns Hopkins University, the 2019 American Institute of Biological Sciences Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award, and the 2020 National Science Policy Network Science Diplomacy Fellowship. Additionally, she had the honor of speaking at the 2023 United Nations General Assembly on the topic of why youth in STEM are integral to achieving sustainable development goals.

Jenn and Chris both served on the Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team. Chris earned a B.A. in biology with a concentration in marine science. He was an EC-SAR first mate, recovery diver, instructor and team leader. Jenn graduated with a B.S. in marine science,  was an EC-SAR first mate, and worked in the Waterfront Office and in Boathouse Checkout. In 1996, they married in Birmingham, Alabama, surrounded by fellow Eckerd College and EC-SAR alumni. They made St. Augustine, Florida, their home and share two children, Mikayla and Jackson.

For the past 15 years, Jenn has worked for Water Street Capital, an investment firm in Jacksonville. She reports directly to the president/managing partner of the firm, facilitating all business and personal matters, serving as his liaison for his family foundation, and managing the executive assistant team. She remains involved with Eckerd’s Waterfront, recently serving on the program’s 50th Anniversary Steering Committee and Social Media Committee.

Chris just celebrated his 29th year at Gemlux marine hardware, where he works as an outside sales representative as well as an inside sales manager, and currently serves as the inventory and allocation manager. Jenn and Chris still reside in St. Augustine and enjoy various watersports—including inshore fishing, fly fishing and surfing—along with hiking and traveling. They are loyal supporters of the Waterfront and are members of Eckerd’s 1958 Society.

Elaine earned her B.A. from Eckerd in visual arts, followed by an M.A. in communication from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in intercultural communication with an emphasis on human-computer interaction, which she earned with distinction from the University of New Mexico. She is a former Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar to Florence, Italy, Il Bisonte Foundation for Art and Printmaking. A former fellow of the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, she conducted research with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, the French National Institute for Computer Science, and British Telecom Global Research and Development.

During her 27-year career as a social scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, Elaine has led a $26 million research portfolio contributing to various government stakeholders. Most recently, she led “team of teams” productivity research for the Department of Energy Office of Science Exascale Computing Project’s high-performance software. Previously, Elaine served as a scientific advisor embedded in the Office of the Secretary of Defense Advanced Distributed Learning. Her vision has bridged art and science, modernizing immersive technology-mediated experiences and serious games. Her pioneering concepts are featured in a TEDx talk on digital learning ecosystems. She was recognized with the New Mexico Information Technology Software IT Excellence Award in 2007 for Best Solution in Innovative Research for the U.S. Government video game Adaptive Thinking Leadership, which also was lauded by the Defense Science Board. Elaine is a recipient of the Department of the Army Award for Patriotic Civilian Service and was named one of the Outstanding Women of Sandia National Laboratories.