Speakers
Senator Nelson had a distinguished career in politics, serving Floridians in the State House of Representatives in the 1970s, the U.S. House from 1979-1991, State Treasurer/Insurance Commissioner/Fire Marshall from 1995-2001, and as U.S. Senator from 2001-2018. In 1986, he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia and served as NASA’s Administrator from 2021-2025.
Gilbert King’s Devil in the Grove won a Pulitzer Prize, and his most recent book is Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida. This book stems from his work as host and producer of Bone Valley, a multi-part narrative podcast about the wrongful conviction of Leo Schofield.
Gary Mormino is the Frank E. Duckwall Professor of Florida History emeritus at USF. His Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams and Dreams in the New Century are definitive accounts of modern Florida history. In 2014, he received the Florida Lifetime Achievement Award for Writing. In 2025, Mormino made history as the first inductee to the USF Florida Humanities Hall of Fame, an honor that celebrates the significant contributions to the humanities.
Evan P. Bennett is professor of history at Florida Atlantic University, where he teaches courses in Florida history. He is also a proud USF Bull!
Dalia Colón is the executive producer and host of WUSF’s The Zest Podcast and associate producer/co-host of WEDU Arts Plus on Tampa Bay’s PBS television station. Her first book, The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook, won gold in the 2024 Florida Book Awards.
Hilary Flower is professor of environmental studies at Eckerd College, where she teaches and engages in research about wetlands, global environmental change, and how climate change and sea level rise affect the Everglades. The University Press of Florida recently published her book The Kite and the Snail.
Dr. J. Michael Francis is Professor of History and the Hough Family Endowed Chair of Florida Studies at the USF St. Petersburg. His published work and digital history projects have earned international recognition, and in 2021 Spain's King Philip VI honored Francis with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, one of the country's most prestigious civil orders.
Rick Kilby is a graphic designer from central Florida and in addition to his two books (Finding the Fountain of Youth and Florida’s Healing Waters), he appears with Cathy Salustri on the weekly Florida Spectacular podcast. Rick enjoys creating awareness of Florida’s rich history, unique culture, and endangered natural environment.
Kerry Kriseman is a St. Petersburg, Florida, native and author of Accidental First Lady: On the Front Lines (and Behind the Scenes) of Local Politics, her memoir that provides a rare, unfiltered look into life of a 22-year political spouse. Kerry teaches memoir writing at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at USF St. Pete and Eckerd College.
Chris Meindl has been a geography professor at USF St. Petersburg since 2003, and he has directed the university's Florida Studies Program for more than a decade. His book Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics and Restoration won a gold medal from the Florida Book Awards and the American Association of Geographers Globe Book Award for Public Understanding of Geography.
Jody Noll is a senior lecturer in the history department at Georgia State University. His book, The 1968 Florida Teachers’ Strike, is an expansion of his honors thesis, which he wrote as an undergraduate student at USF St. Petersburg.
Leslie Kemp Poole is associate professor of environmental studies at Rollins College. A fourth-generation Floridian as well as an award-winning historian and journalist, Poole has long been interested in the history and literature of the state. Her book Tracing Florida Journeys: Explorers, Travelers and Landscapes Then and Now is the culmination of three decades of traveling.
Cathy Salustri lives in Gulfport and writes about Florida. The New York Times featured Backroads of Paradise, her travel narrative retracing Florida driving tours from the 1930s. Her second book, Florida Spectacular, celebrates what’s right with Florida. Cathy owns The Gabber Newspaper and appears weekly on the Florida Spectacular podcast.