The Career Employees' Council (CEC) is the representative voice for the Career employees of FSCJ, with the goal to be committed to the continuous development of a collaborative work environment whereby the value and respect of Career employees are elevated through increased recognition, involvement and opportunities to achieve a higher degree of excellence. In this spirit, we put a "spotlight" on one of our members each month.

September’s Career Employees' Council (CEC) Spotlight illuminates Laboratory Manager Lance Culver. Lance began working at FSCJ in 2021; he is assigned to work with the Urban Agriculture Initiative.

He meticulously seeds and maintains over 1,000 plants weekly to contribute to crucial aquaponics and hydroponics research. These plants serve research purposes and supply the FSCJ Downtown Campus Culinary Department and Cafe Frisch with top-quality produce.

As an educator, he assists in the development curriculum for agriculture-related classes for Continuing Workforce Education (CWE) at FSCJ. He helps equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in this field.

 He serves as the primary representative for FSCJ's Urban Agriculture Department. As a college-community liaison, Lance fosters connections and collaborations between the College and the local community. This role allows him to promote urban agriculture initiatives and raise awareness about the importance of sustainable practices. Under his direction, the Urban Agriculture Lab at FSCJ thrives as a hub of research, education and community impact, making a lasting difference in sustainable practices and the future of agriculture.

Beyond education and community engagement, he designs new processes and engineers specialized equipment for the fully functional aquaponics farm, located at Downtown Campus.

What Lance enjoys about his role at FSCJ is promoting sustainable practices through aquaponics and hydroponics research. Teaching agriculture classes, serving as a liaison and operating the aquaponics farm bring him great satisfaction. He says, “It's a fulfilling role with a positive impact on the community and the future of agriculture."

As the Urban Agriculture Initiative Laboratory Manager for FSCJ Downtown Campus, he is involved in developing CWE classes for career employees and other potential students related to Urban Agriculture. Through communication with the CEC, he ensures the curriculum meets the needs and interests of career employees and other potential students.  

Lance is a proud graduate of FSCJ. After graduating, he transferred to Florida State University (FSU) to earn a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. At FSU, he worked under Dr. Sanford Saffron in Chemical Physics, specifically the Material Science of Thin-film Technology. This led him directly into a career within the Solar Industry as a Research and Design Chemist, working for one of the largest solar panel manufacturers in the United States.

As an FSCJ part-time employee, his time is consumed by the responsibilities of the position. However, in the future, he plans to become involved in the administrative duties of developing new agriculture-related programs at Downtown Campus.

When Lance is not at FSCJ, he is engaged in his community, volunteering with the St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry. He enjoys using his chemistry skills to brew beer, as a hobby, when not working.