People Group Archives: Dean's Advisory Board

Olivia received her bachelors and masters from the University of Central Florida in Forensic Chemistry. She joined the College of Sciences Alumni Chapter post bachelor’s degree graduation as the student liaison. Since then, she spent 4 years working closely with the board, while still being in grad school and working, officially became the Board Chair […]

Dr. Melissa Patton is a seasoned educator and product management expert with 15+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams and scaling organizations through product-led growth (PLG). Her accomplishments include enterprise experience which led to a lean start-up that thrived in implementing technology solutions and executing innovative products in a data and customer driven environment. Additionally, […]

Since receiving his bachelor’s in forensic chemistry from UCF, Charles has gained experience working in the fields of forensic and environmental chemistry while also participating on multiple non-profit boards. Currently, Charles is the senior chemist at Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) contractor-run chemical analysis laboratory. His lab is one of four operational quality departments that support […]

Jay A. Shah, MBA, LUTCF, CLTC is a financial advisor at Eagle Strategies/New York Life for over 16 years. In this role, he assists business owners and families with wealth management, planning for life events, legacy planning, retirement and achieving financial security. Additionally, he assists business owners with employee benefits plans, retirement plans and rollovers. […]

JJ Mackle is a Realtor with Premier Sotheby’s. Originally from Texas, she has lived in Winter Park for the last 25 years and has been active in the real estate industry since 2011. JJ earned her Master’s in Communications from UCF in 2000 and her B.A. in History at Southern Methodist University in 1997. She […]

Born in India, Dhanya Nair came to the US when she was 3 years old. After raising two college educated children, Dhanya made the decision to follow her passion and earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCF. Studying as a non-traditional student impacted her view of the world and the struggles that college […]

With more than 25 years of experience, Jeff is the head of King & Spalding’s Section 337 practice at the U.S. International Trade Commission. He also represents clients in antidumping, countervailing duty, and safeguards investigations at the ITC and U.S. Department of Commerce; Section 232 investigations at the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security; Customs […]

Gary L. Wentz, Jr. is vice president, Government and Commercial Programs for United Launch Alliance (ULA). In this role, Wentz leads the mission management, hardware integration, program management and launch operations for ULA’s government and commercial customers, as well as the team responsible for ULA’s role in human spaceflight. Wentz previously served as ULA’s vice […]

Donna Lockhart is a professional market researcher using qualitative and quantitative methods with multivariate statistical techniques to produce actionable insights that drive business results. Over her career, she has consulted in the areas of guest satisfaction, concept/product testing, consumer behavior and segmentation, ad testing, go-to-market strategy and needs assessments, sales strategy and commissions, employee engagement […]

Ida V. Eskamani a first generation Iranian-American and the daughter of working people. Born and raised in Orlando, Ida earned dual degrees in Political Science and Sociology as an undergraduate, as well as a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida. UCF is a family tradition for her family; Ida’s father, big […]