Bob Graham Center for Public Service

Marianne Vernetson is the Interim Director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She leads the Graham Center’s academic programs, manages faculty and staff, and shapes the program’s strategic direction and priorities. Vernetson holds a master’s in public administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida State University. Since her arrival …

Timothy Karis (Ph.D. University of California, San Diego, 2013) is the undergraduate coordinator for the Bob Graham Center, and a lecturer in the International Studies Program at the University of Florida. As undergraduate coordinator, Karis will help integrate the Center's focus on civic engagement, public leadership, and public service with the International Studies program and curriculum. International Studies offers a vibrant, dynamic undergraduate program with approximately 275 students who pursue careers in government service, with …

Teresa Cornacchione, PhD, possess nearly 20 years of teaching experience at both the secondary and the postsecondary levels. She is excited to serve as the Center's Civic Engagement Coordinator, overseeing student voting efforts. She earned her doctorate in political science from Florida State University in 2018. Her research focuses primarily on legislative behavior of women, and on radical and anti-establishment political parties. She has publications in The Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy and Political …

Kevin Bird, Ph.D., serves as the Center's Experiential Learning Coordinator and Lecturer. He selects and works with students in the local CiviGators internship, the Tallahassee Internship, and the Washington Internship programs. Dr. Bird has also guided students’ experiential learning as a part of his advising and student support in UF's Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, and the Warrington Professional MBA programs. He has taught for multiple departments at Santa Fe College and …

Onursal Erol is the international experiential learning coordinator and a lecturer focused on the Middle East and North Africa. He graduated with a doctoral degree in political science from the University of Chicago in 2020. Prior to joining the Bob Graham Center, he taught for three years at the University of Southern California’s Department of Middle East Studies. His research and teaching interests include the Middle East and North Africa, social movements, urban and environmental …

Rebecca Burton is the program coordinator for the University of Florida Gulf Scholars Program, which supports Gulf of Mexico region colleges and universities in preparing undergraduate students as the next generation to address critical challenges in the region related to the focus areas of the Gulf Research Program – community health and resilience, environmental protection and stewardship, and offshore energy safety. Participating schools engage students from across the sciences, engineering, medicine, humanities, arts, and beyond …

Formerly the communications director of the Florida Sea Grant College Program, Dorothy Zimmerman has been a communications professional at the University of Florida since 1999. Her professional and personal accomplishments demonstrate an enduring interest in advancing citizens’ awareness of issues, increasing their ability to make knowledgeable decisions and engage with their community. She led one of the national Sea Grant network’s most impactful communications programs, consistently recognized for its innovation and cost-effectiveness. She has also …

Radhika Subramanian is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, where she earned dual degrees in Economics and Psychology. As an Honors student and John V. Lombardi Scholar, she had the opportunity to study abroad in three countries and explore policy issues from an interdisciplinary and global perspective. Over the course of her undergraduate career, she worked at the Graham Center as a Special Projects Student Assistant. In this role, she supported the development …

Leah Edwards is a senior studying political science and African-American studies here at the University of Florida. As a first-generation American and college student from Broward County, she is interested in topics involving institutional power imbalances, race relations, and democratic rights. Within the Center, Leah works under Dr. Teresa Cornacchione to facilitate civic engagement on and off campus, prioritizing voter education and registration. Outside of the university, she interned for the Alachua League of Women …

Sanay is a junior studying political science and international studies. With the Graham Center, Sanay works alongside Dr. Onursal Erol to facilitate student engagement in international experiential learning, including through the Global Interns Fellowship and the 2025 UF in Istanbul study abroad program. Having grown up in Istanbul, she is particularly passionate about the complex intersection between the Middle East and the West. She is also a John V. Lombardi Scholar and a Foreign Language …

Elena Ashburn is a senior majoring in political science and international studies, with minors in philosophy, African studies, and family, youth, and community sciences. At the Center, she assists with event photography as well as Center communications and online content. Elena is a Florida Cicerone, an ambassador for the Center for African Studies, and is actively involved in the Women’s Student Association and the Center for Undergraduate Research Board of Students. Her past roles have …

Surya is a senior political science and international studies major with a focus in Europe. As an Events and Programs student assistant, she works on planning and executing the Center's public programs, civic engagement opportunities, and co-hosted events. Surya is passionate about public service both within the campus community and beyond. She serves an official student ambassador with the Florida Cicerones, as well as the Secretary General for Gator Model United Nations, the largest debate …

Lizet Mejia is a senior majoring in political science and finance. At the Bob Graham Center, she works alongside Dr. Kevin Bird as an Experiential Learning Assistant, working with students selected for the CiviGators, Tallahassee, and Washington DC Internship Programs. Lizet currently serves as the Executive Director of the Office of Political Affairs at the Hispanic-Latine Student Association and has previously held roles at the American Political Science Association and UF’s Office of Federal Relations. …

Ava Minor is a junior at the University of Florida, majoring in English with minors in Public Service and the Sociology of Social Justice and Policy. At the Center, she collaborates with Dr. Cornacchione and Dr. Karis to support the International Studies and Public Service minor programs, as well as various undergraduate research initiatives. As a first-generation college student, Ava is deeply committed to issues surrounding social disparities and injustice, with aspirations to pursue a …