Our Staff

Dr. Nashid Madyun grew up in the small historic town of Helena, Arkansas. The town has a rich cross section of important historical periods; Civil War, African American Leadership during Reconstruction, and Gospel and Blues Music Heritage. Dr. Madyun attended Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University to obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees in History, and Southern New Hampshire University to obtain an MFA in Creative Writing. After working for the Department of Arkansas Heritage, he obtained a Doctorate in Management, conducting research in nonprofit sustainability and organizational leadership.

Dr. Madyun has served as the Director of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Texas State History Museum, President and General Manager of Gibson Retail Group (a division of Gibson Music Instruments), the Art Museum and Archives of Hampton University, and most recently, as the Director of the Carrie Meek and James Eaton Sr. Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

He continues to teach courses in Humanities, African American Art, U.S. History and Graduate courses in Business. Dr. Madyun has served on a host of boards and public service commissions; including but not limited to, the Blues Foundation, the Austin Arts Council, Arkansas Black History Commission, Virginia State Heritage Preservation Board, and the Visit Florida Cultural, Heritage, Rural And Nature Committee, and the African American History Task force for the State of Florida.

Patricia joined the Florida Humanities staff in 2001. She assists the Executive Director in the overall supervision and direction of the organization. Patricia is responsible for direct oversight and management of the grants and public programs team and leads Florida Humanities efforts to develop strategic partnerships statewide. In addition to the grants program, she has directly administered a variety of projects, including PrimeTime Family Reading Time, veterans’ programs, summer seminars for high school students and teachers, and special initiatives initiated by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Patricia holds a Master of Arts Management degree from the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a St. Petersburg native.

Brenda joined Florida Humanities in September 2003. Brenda is a native of St Petersburg, FL. She attended the University of South Florida where she earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting. Her previous work experience is mainly in the non-profit area. Previous positions include business manager with Lifelink Child and Family Services, CFO with Easter Seals/M.A.R.C, and director of accounting with PARC, a center for the developmentally disabled. As the Florida Humanities Chief Financial Officer, Brenda oversees the financial aspects of the agency, including the preparation of financial statements, budgets, and funding requests, reporting to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the state, and assuring the accuracy of the organization’s accounting records to meet required auditing standards.

A dedicated partner of Florida Humanities since its earliest years, Gary Mormino joined the organization as a scholar in residence in 2025 in order to advise on annual initiatives and storytelling objectives.

One of the great Florida historians, Mormino has written a wide range of academic and popular books including The Immigrant World of Ybor City (University of Illinois Press, 1987), Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida (University Press of Florida, 2005) and Dreams in the New Century: Instant Cities, Shattered Hopes, and Florida’s Turning Point (University Press of Florida, 2022). In 2025, Mormino became the first inductee of the Florida Humanities Hall of Fame.

Andrew joined Florida Humanities in May 2022. In his role as Director of Communications, Andrew oversees the development and execution of the organization’s communication strategies and branding opportunities that promote Florida Humanities’ diverse funding opportunities and public programming.

Andrew was born and raised in Miami. He received his Bachelor’s degrees in Communication Studies and Editing, Writing and Media from Florida State University and his Master’s degree in Digital Journalism from the University of South Florida. Before joining Florida Humanities, Andrew worked as a content producer for newsrooms across the state. He reported on environmental issues and politics for radio, print and television.

Janet Scherberger signed on as editor of Florida Humanities’ award-winning FORUM Magazine in January 2026. She has worked as a journalist and communications professional in Florida for more than 40 years. Prior to joining the Florida Humanities team, she served as Vice President of Communications at Tampa International Airport. She also worked as a reporter covering state and local government and politics at the Tampa Bay Times, where she was part of the Pulitzer Prize winning Politifact team, and as the editor of the University of South Florida alumni magazine.

Mara joined Florida Humanities in Fall of 2019. She is a native of the Tampa Bay area and graduated from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. As the Development Manager, she manages all aspects of the membership program for Florida Humanities and works closely with the Development Strategist to create/maintain development goals. She also oversees the development of all council-conducted programming.