Challenger Learning Center Full Time Staff
Michelle Personette
Director
Email Michelle
850.645.7827
Michelle Personette received her bachelor's degree in English from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla., and went on to receive her master's degree in mass communication with a concentration in advertising and public relations from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Michelle has worked on promotions and marketing for the Florida Everblades, an ECHL Hockey Team and Florida Gulf Coast University in the Office of Recreation and Leisure Services in Fort Myers, Fla. In Orlando Michelle continued her public relations work for Curly & Pynn Public Relations Management, Inc. on accounts for Universal Orlando, Holiday Inn Family Suites, Wuesthoff Health Systems and others. Additionally, Michelle received much of her fiscal experience when working for the University of Central Florida in the Budget Office of the College of Arts and Sciences. Michelle moved to Tallahassee and was hired as the Challenger Learning Center's marketing and sales manager in 2001 to plan the pre-opening promotions, marketing and fundraising efforts of the center. In 2005, Michelle was promoted to the center's director. Michelle currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Tallahassee Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Girl Scout Council of the Apalachee Bend.
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Teri Valente
Administrative Assistant
Email Teri
850.645.7770
A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., Teri attended St. Petersburg Junior College and has 23 years of professional administrative experience with the State of Florida. Teri began working at the Challenger Learning Center in 2001.
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Susan Borland
Co-Education Manager
Email Susan
850.645.7788
Susan received her B.S.E. in health education and administration with minors in biology and earth science in 1975 from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland. She is certified to teach health, middle school science, biology, and earth science and has more than ten years experience teaching in these fields. She did graduate work in science education at SUNY Cortland from 1975-1977 and SUNY Stony Brook from 1991-1994. She is currently employed by the Leon County School System and is assigned as the co-education manager for the Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee. Susan has a wide range of experience providing in-service training to teachers beginning in 1976 and continuing in her present position including aerospace education workshops, Mars City Alpha™, Cosmic EdVentures and the JASON project. She has experience writing curriculum materials and has worked as a paid consultant for National Geographic magazine. Susan has extensive experience working with underrepresented populations including inner city as well as rural populations and assists in the grant writing and fund development for the Challenger Learning Center’s educational outreach programs. She also has mentored middle school girls whose future interests were in careers in math and science, and was nominated in 2006 as a Champion for Children.
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Matt Watson
Guest Services and Operations Manager
Email Matt
850.645.7774
A native to the Tallahassee area, Matt Watson spent 10 years working in the commercial movie exhibition industry for Cinemark Theatres. Starting at the ground level as a part-time usher, Matt worked his way up the ladder learning all the aspects of movie exhibition in today's modern movie theaters. He was a part of the management team at six different theater locations in four different states. He was the general manager at four of these locations. Matt earned valuable IMAX experience while working in Tulsa, Okla., where he managed a commercial 3D IMAX Theatre in addition to the sixteen-screen megaplex theatre at the same facility. While working for Cinemark, Matt earned several awards including two regional Promoter of the Year awards and was a member of the President's Gold Club, an honor reserved for top performing theater managers in the company. Seeing an opportunity to move back home, Matt joined the Challenger Learning Center team in July 2004 as the guest services and operations manager.
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Jessie Riley Eason
Marketing and Sales Manager
Email Jessie
850.645.7772
Jessie R. Eason graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University in 2001 with a B.A. in communication and psychology. After graduation, she joined what is now Ziffer Stansberry Advertising Public Relations where she was promoted to senior account manager. Prior to coming to the Challenger Learning Center in 2007, she was the assistant director of communications for the Florida State University College of Law after serving as the communications manager for Florida State’s Thagard Student Health Center. Jessie has experience in all facets of marketing and communication including developing print and electronic promotional materials and public relations campaigns. In 2006, she received an Award of Distinction and a Judge’s Award from the Florida Public Relations Association for her work on the re-design of the Thagard Student Health Center Web site. She currently serves as board president of the not-for-profit organization Raising A Healthy Child, Inc., overseeing its annual Treats for Teens program.
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Harry Hawbecker
Program Assistant
Email Harry
850.645.7793
Harry J. Hawbecker received his B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Texas Christian University.
After graduation, he moved to Tallahassee were he took graduate physics courses from Florida State
University. During the same time period, he instructed Astronomy, Physics I, and Advanced Placement
Physics classes for Florida State University High School. Harry started at the Challenger Learning
Center in 2004 as a planetarium instructor and flight director. He currently is the Program Assistant.
His responsibilities include flying mission simulations, maintenance of simulation equipment, developing
and up-dating mission scenarios, producing new planetarium pre-shows, training part-time planetarium
instructors and flight directors, and providing Flight Director demonstrations.
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Reed Lambdin
IMAX SPP Technician & Chief Film Projectionist
Email Reed
850.645.7782
Reed Lambdin was born in Indiana but was raised in Tallahassee. Reed has spent the last 13 years working in the motion picture industry and came to the Challenger Learning Center in 2006. Recently, Reed completed a month-long training in Canada to become one of the few Certified IMAX SPP Technicians.
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Amy Fox
Senior Computer Support Specialist
Email Amy
850.645.7787
Amy Fox earned her Associate Degree in Information Sciences and Technology, specific to
computer networking, from Penn State University. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Amy spent
five years working for the Carnegie Science Center, one of the four Carnegie Museums in
Pittsburgh, before relocating to Tallahasee to work for the Challenger Learning Center.
Her duties there included computer support, theatrical lighting design and upkeep,
and exhibit maintenance. She also traveled with a robotics education exhibition on a regular basis
across the United States and Canada, setting up, repairing, and programming various industrial
and entertainment robots. With a diverse technical background including Digistar, IMAX, and
laser projection systems as well exhibits and computers, her broad knowledge base brings great
depth to the Challenger Learning Center staff.
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Nenad (Nick) Pavlovik
Accountant
Email Nick
850.645.7779
A Macedonia native, Nenad (Nick) Pavlovik graduated summa cum laude from the Florida State University College of Business with a Bachelor of Science degree in multinational business and an M.B.A. with a concentration in accounting. Nick was on the Dean's List throughout his time at Florida State University. During that time he worked as a tutor at Florida State University Athletic Academic Support, tutoring students in financial accounting, financial management, calculus for business and business statistics. Nick also worked previously as a financial administrator in his native country of Macedonia.
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