The Administrative & Professional Collaborative (APC) is the representative voice for the Administrative & Professional employees of FSCJ. In an effort to build cohesiveness, awareness and collegiality, each month we put a “spotlight” on one of our members.

This month’s spotlight shines on Dr. Deborah Fontaine. As Associate Vice President of Strategic Priorities, Deb provides Collegewide leadership focused on strategic planning to ensure the College’s effectiveness in fulfilling its mission. In addition, she oversees the College’s current Title III grant, BRIDGES, and works to infuse the Achieving the Dream principles into College initiatives and activities. 

Deb holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science Education from Stetson University, a Master’s of Education and Master’s of English from Eastern New Mexico University, and a Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric from Texas Tech University. 
Deb has volunteered in a variety of community and volunteer organizations throughout her career, holding leadership roles in K-12 organizations, military support organizations, and Rotary, to name a few.

Prior to joining the ranks of higher education, Deb taught middle school English in addition to American government and history at the high school level. She began her post-secondary career as an adjunct English instructor before joining Northwest Florida State College as a full-time instructor. There, she served as lead instructor for developmental English, Chair of the English/Communications and Social Sciences Departments, Interim Dean of General Education and Grants, and Assistant to the President for Accreditation. She has also served on and chaired numerous committees, including General Education, Curriculum, Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment and Student Success. 

At the state-level, Deb has worked with groups to redesign developmental English, revise the PERT and FCAT, and develop the Florida College Prep: English IV course for high school seniors. 

Her research interests include leadership development, assessment, institutional effectiveness, composition and technical communication pedagogy, writing program development, transfer theory, and data and text mining. 

Excited to be a part of the FSCJ team, Deb is appreciative of the collegiality and warm reception of her new colleagues and embraces opportunities to contribute to the institution’s success. 

Our spotlight shines on each campus/center at least once a year. Nominations for the spotlight may be directed to your campus representative or any officer. Learn more about APC on our website, http://blogs.fscj.edu/apcollaborative.