Meet our Talent Acquisition Board:
Dr. Angela Lodge (United States of America)
Angela Lodge’s expertise and passion contribute to bringing out the best, in the lives of those she is privileged to touch and to promote ocean literacy. Dr. Lodge is currently an Education and Outreach Coordinator at University of South Florida (USF) College of Marine Science. She provides professional development training for teachers, graduate students, scientists and others, on how to work effectively with youth and each other. Since earning her MSW from New York University, Dr. Lodge has held several positions working with individuals from diverse populations. She is skilled in the areas of foster care/adoptions, victims’ advocacy, medical and school social work, mental health therapy, homeless outreach, intervening for abused children and adults, diversity training and spiritual counseling.
Dr. Lodge’s current role at USF expanded her social science expertise, to include the appreciation and understanding of oceanography and the value of the ocean to the sustenance and well-being of all. Coordination of the Oceanography Camp for Girls, facilitation of K- Adult experiential STEM programs and active participation in ocean literacy research, equips her to teach and promote ocean literacy. Dr. Lodge is a Co-Founder of Tampa Bay Florida’s Chapter of the National Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ), Camp Anytown. Camp Anytown is a youth empowering experience, that teaches teens to respect, others who are different and fight bias bigotry and racism. Being a youth mentor, pastoral care counselor and palliative care worker, have been amongst Dr. Lodge’s favorite volunteer roles. Angela Lodge desires to be involved in supportive, educational, environmental, religious, humanitarian programs for as long as possible.
Victoria Damjanovic (United States of America)
Victoria Damjanovic completed her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Florida in May 2015. She started her role as the Director of the USF Preschool for Creative Learning in 2015. Additionally, she is Affiliated Faculty for the Early Childhood Education program at USF. Prior to graduation, she served as the Liaison between the Department of Education and the USF PCL for four years providing staff development for teachers. She received her B.S. and M.S in Development and Family Studies and Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas. She began her career as a teacher. She then began working with children diagnosed with developmental delays, specifically autism spectrum. This led to working with parents and teachers as a parent/teacher educator, and working in Head Start providing support to families and teachers within Easter Seals Tampa as a Developmental Specialist. Her research interests include inquiry-based teaching and learning with pre-service and in-service teachers, professional learning communities, Project Approach as a framework for children’s inquiry, and documentation as a tool for teacher learning.
DM Freed (United States of America)
DM Freed is an author, speaker, consultant and educator best known for his development of the global SEL curriculum: Discovering the Five Love Languages at School (Grades 1-6). A full-time resident of Washington State, DM holds a BA degree from Boise State University in elementary education and two masters; degrees from Whitworth University with certifications in counseling and administration. His forward thinking has resulted in revolutionizing the way educators think about student connections regarding their peers, families, and educational staff.