Anthony Margiotta brings over two decades of expertise in the Marine Engineering field, enriched by his service in the US Coast Guard. He holds an Associate’s Degree in Engineering and is equipped with numerous industry certifications from Yamaha, American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), the American Welding Society (AWS), and Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). Among his most distinguished achievements are his roles as a Yamaha Maintenance Certification Program Instructor, ABYC Master Technician, and being honored as the ABYC Teacher of the Year in 2021.  His teaching philosophy revolves around the belief that a blend of knowledge, skill, and hands-on experience is essential for cultivating successful marine technicians. He is dedicated to fostering a comprehensive and dynamic learning environment that integrates both theoretical understanding and practical application. By emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving, and meticulous attention to detail, he prepares his students to meet the challenges of the marine engineering field. 

Dr. McCoy is originally from Idaho, earning her B.S. at the University of Idaho, followed by a PhD from Colorado State University in Forest Sciences with an emphasis in natural resource economics. After living and working in Utah for 13 years both as faculty and in the private sector, she moved to the Florida Keys in 2012 along with her husband and son. Dr. McCoy returned to school and earned her MBA from Saint Leo University a few years later, joining the CFK faculty full-time in 2019.  Dr. McCoy has taught over 15 different courses at CFK but she primarily teaches macroeconomics, microeconomics, and several upper division business courses.

Kayla Moody is a Registered Nurse with a BSN and a certification in Medical-Surgical Nursing. She graduated from Coastal Alabama Community College with her ADN in 2018, her BSN from Chamberlain University in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Nursing Education through Chamberlain University. She has been a CMSRN (Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse) since 2022. Her experience in nursing ranges between medical-surgical, oncology, critical care and perioperative care. She is a military wife and a first time mom to their baby boy, Bo. Outside of educating, she can be found spending time with her husband, son and dog named Chester. As a nursing educator at the College of the Florida Keys, she hopes to help prosper educated, safe and competent nurses into the medical field."

 

Matthew Posey, a dedicated learner, has earned an Associate of Applied Science in Marine Engineering, Management, and Seamanship from the College of the Florida Keys. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Technical Management from Southern New Hampshire University and an AS in Engineering Technology from the College of the Florida Keys. With 17 years of experience as a Chief in the U.S. Coast Guard, Matthew now serves as an instructor at the College of the Florida Keys. In his free time, he enjoys living on his boat and relishing all the Florida Keys offer.

Scuba diving has been a passion of Lucja Rice for 24 years. She has been a dive professional since 2000, working as a Divemaster and Dive Instructor in Egypt, Cyprus, Croatia, Norway, Poland, and the USA. She is a Master Instructor with Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), and Technical Diving Instructor with Technical Diving International (TDI), Instructor Trainer with Emergency First Response (EFR) and she is also Divers Alert Network (DAN) Instructor. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management in 2001 and Master’s Degree in Tourism Economics in 2004 at The School of Economics in Warsaw, Poland.

Rice is currently employed as a full-time faculty for AAS Diving Business and Technology program at The College of the Florida Keys teaching a full range of courses from basic scuba diving to instructor level courses. She has more than 5,000 dives, over 40 diving certifications and has trained more than 1,200 students. Rice continues her professional development, including training in technical and closed-circuit rebreather diving. She always looks for opportunities to challenge herself during diving experiences with deeper, more complex dives.

Dr. Semcheski joined the CFK faculty full-time in August of 2020, following working as an adjunct since 2016. After earning undergraduate degrees in Biology and Marine Science at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Semcheski earned a master's degree in Biology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. His thesis focused on the molecular phylogenetics of the snapper family of fishes (Lutjanidae). He remained at Old Dominion University for his doctoral work of examining diversity trends and community composition of benthic and planktonic microalgae of the lower Chesapeake Bay. Throughout his time in graduate school, Dr. Semcheski worked in the Phytoplankton Analysis Laboratory at Old Dominion, carrying out phytoplankton assessment projects for the Chesapeake Bay Monitoring Program, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Department of Health, and numerous other studies throughout the mid-Atlantic, Central America, and Europe. Upon beginning his full-time employment at CFK in 2020, Dr. Semcheski was tasked with developing the curriculum for and delivering courses in the new Bachelor of Science in Marine Resource Management degree program. Since then, Dr. Semcheski has taught the following courses: Marine Conservation, Marine Socioeconomics, Nearshore and Offshore Ecology and Assessment, Forensic Marine Science, Marine Resource Economics, Marine Policy and Management, Geographic Information Systems, Coastal and Estuarine Ecology, Seminar in Marine Resource Management, MRM Capstone Course, Oceanography, Marine Biology, and Marine Data Collection.

Amber Severson enjoys working with students and teaching mathematics at The College of the Florida Keys. She has a background in Mathematics Education and Teacher Preparation. She earned a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education from Bemidji University and completed graduate work was at the University of Minnesota.

Before teaching at CFK, Amber taught at Southwest Texas Junior College and at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, among other universities and high schools in Minnesota.

Mrs. Severson enjoys cooking and spending time with her family.

Jesus (Jesse) Vazquez is the Founder and CEO of J.A.N. Consulting Group, Inc. http://www.jancg.com/; a boutique consulting firm focused on the Foodservice industry. Previously, Dr. Vazquez owned and operated several high-volume restaurants, a catering company, and a management company. He is a former Senior Business Analyst for Brickell Opportunity Partners, a venture capital firm, and mentor and workshop presenter for SCORE.

Dr. Vazquez has counseled industry professionals on leadership and improving operational and financial performance. He is an accomplished, resourceful, and versatile business executive with 30+ years of experience in multi-unit business operations, leadership development, high-performance team coaching, research processes, and the hiring and training of staff for the successful management of high-visibility, high-volume business operations.