Staff Directory

Savannah Jane-Griffin

Savannah-Jane Griffin

Executive Director of Community Engagement and Inclusive Excellence

Savannah-Jane Griffin serves as the Executive Director of Community Engagement and Inclusive Excellence and Professor in the First-Year Seminar Program at Stetson University. She leads and manages the campuses efforts in community engagement, diversity and inclusion, and religious and spiritual life. She has ten years of higher education experience focusing on community-engaged learning, campus-community partnership development, social justice education, strength-based leadership, and nonprofit leadership. She has been nationally recognized for her work integrating community engagement across the curriculum and co-curriculum. She has facilitated regional faculty development institutes that guide faculty through the process of incorporating community-engaged learning into their courses. Savannah-Jane holds a Master's in Business Administration with a focus in Management from Stetson University, with her degrees she has consulted with many non-profit organizations and higher education departments facilitating strategic planning and strengths-based leadership seminars. She serves as the Vice President on the MainStreet DeLand Association Board, Board member of the Greater Union Life Center, and has served as a Bonner National Fellow. Savannah-Jane has a passion for empowering individuals to use their strengths to create positive change in our local and global communities.

Kevin Winchell

Kevin Winchell

Associate Director of Community Engagement

Kevin Winchell serves as the Associate Director of Community Engagement at Stetson University. He is responsible for creating and leading engagement efforts between the campus and community, directing the Stetson University Bonner Program, supporting campus and community political engagement through student voter registration and outreach initiatives, supervising the CCE's AmeriCorps VISTAs and Bonner Coordinator and working with faculty to integrate community-engaged learning practices into their coursework. He also conducts research and shares national best-practices related to youth civic and political engagement, particularly through organizations such as Campus Compact, NASPA and the Bonner Foundation. Apart from his role in the CCE, Kevin also teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the University's First-Year Seminar and Honors Programs, focusing on the intersections of power, privilege and public policy through project-based learning. Kevin has been state- and nationally-recognized for his leadership and innovation in student civic and political engagement, including the Florida Campus Compact Community Engagement Educator of the Year, the Graham/Frey Civic Award and the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge.

Amber Finnicum-Simmons

Amber Finnicum-Simmons

Bonner Program Coordinator

Amber Finnicum-Simmons serves as Coordinator of the Bonner Program, where she works with a student leadership team to facilitate education programming and developmental nonprofit internships for members of the program. Amber is a Bonner alumna and a Double Hatter, with degrees in psychology (2016) and clinical mental health counseling (2019). She has been recognized as a First-Year Advocate by the division of Campus Life and Student Success and is a previous recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award and Newman Civic Fellowship. Amber previously served on the Board of Directors for the Neighborhood Center of West Volusia and has been an active member of the One Voice for Volusia coalition. Amber believes all people have the power to impact their communities through active citizenship, and her goal is to create a culture in which every Stetson student, faculty, and staff member builds a relationship with a community agency and connects their work to social change in central Florida.

Ashley Martinez

Ashley Martinez

Graduate Assistant: Community Partnerships and Operations Manager

Ashley Martinez serves as the Graduate Assistant: Community Partnerships and Operations Manager. She focuses on assessing the needs of community partners and interests of students to connect them in a mutually beneficial relationship. She also oversees the Greenfeather Committee, which is Stetson University's longest-standing tradition, focusing on education and raising funds for grant recipients each year. She received her undergraduate degree from Stetson University in May 2020 with a concentration in Communication & Media Studies and Sustainable Food Systems. Currently, she is taking coursework toward her Master's in Business Administration, also at Stetson University. Ashley loves helping students find their passion through community engagement, as part of the experiential learning process..

Markus-Daniel Jones

Markus-Daniel Jones

AmeriCorps VISTA: Economic Development Research Coordinator

Markus-Daniel Jones serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Center for Community Engagement, with a focus on economic development initiatives with the Dr. Joyce M. Cusack Resource Center and Stetson. He is working to address opportunities for local entrepreneurship and to develop resources for improving economic outcomes in Spring Hill, while providing Stetson students with opportunities for community-engaged learning. He has previous experience in community engagement work as a student in Stetson's Bonner Program, volunteering primarily as Program Coordinator at the Spring Hill Community Resource Center and serving as Senior Intern of the Bonner Program in his final year. Markus-Daniel graduated from Stetson University in the Spring of 2020 with a degree in Environmental Studies and hopes to pursue a career that bridges his passion for urban development and environmental restoration. He is passionate about economic development for its impact on both the health and wellness of the individuals in our global community and the environment we all share..

Taylor Hibel

Taylor Hibel

AmeriCorps VISTA: Economic Development Programming Coordinator

Taylor Hibel serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Center for Community Engagement, with a focus on programming related to economic development with the Dr. Joyce M. Cusack Resource Center and Stetson. She is working to reduce barriers to employment and create community partnerships to increase household incomes in Spring Hill, while providing Stetson students an opportunity for community-engaged learning. She has previous experience in community engagement work as a student in Stetson’s Bonner Program, volunteering primarily with the Spring Hill Resource Center as Director of Planning & Volunteer Coordinator. Taylor graduated from Stetson University in 2020 with a degree in Biology and a Certificate in Community Engagement. Currently, she is taking coursework toward her Master’s in Educational Leadership with a Higher Education concentration at Florida Gulf Coast University. She hopes to pursue a career in nonprofit management or higher education that allows her to follow multiple passions and continue working to advance social justice causes. She is passionate about celebrating the vibrancy of Spring Hill, creating new programs that benefit community residents and helping every student at Stetson find their passion for service!