Faculty/Staff

School of Arts, Entertainment, and Design faculty are dedicated to students and are practicing art professionals in Orlando and beyond. These photographers, painters, sculptors, curators, and other active members of the arts and cultural communities help bring the immediacy of the arts, connection to the local industry, the creativity of its practitioners and the passions of its leaders to the classroom.

Faculty

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Rose Thome Casterline

West Campus, 5-146

    Professor Thome Casterline is an artist-educator who has been teaching at Valencia College since 2001. She believes that anyone can draw, paint, and design – it’s teachable. Her teaching merges student experimentation with traditional fine art training, fostering foundational and creative thinking skills through the lens of contemporary and social art issues. This approach builds student confidence and their evolving artistic “styles.” Professor Thome Casterline earned her BFA from Kent State University and her MFA from SCAD. She serves as the program chair for West campus and the DTC and teaches classes including Drawing I, Design I, Life Drawing, and Painting I and II. You can view examples of her work at: rosethomecasterline.com
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    Andrew Downey

    East Campus, 3-117

    Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Professor Downey shares an experience with his students: earning an AA from Valencia College. He believes that students learn best anything which requires skill by doing and more importantly through practice, practice, practice. Being in the studio working and doing exercises that build one skill on top of the next, students should start to see their skill develop and can also see their strengths and weaknesses and be able to work on improvement and growth. Professor Downey earned his BFA from UCF and his MFA from UF. He serves as the program chair for East and Osceola campuses and teaches classes including Drawing I and II, Design I, and Printmaking I and II.
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    Michael Galletta

    East Campus, 3-118

    Professor Galletta worked as a professional studio potter for 7 years before accepting a position at Valencia College in 1986. He has an extensive 45 year exhibition record spanning the” Young Americans, Clay and Glass”, 1978 in NYC at the American Crafts Museum through “Things Overlap Over Time,” a 3-person show with Nancy Jay and Jackie Otto-Miller in 2012 at the Tallahassee Community College art gallery. He most recently showed in “On Purpose“ a group ceramics exhibit show at the Casselberry Sculpture House. Professor Galletta earned his MFA in Ceramics with a minor in Sculpture from Wichita State. His classes include Drawing I, Sculpture I and II, and Ceramics I, II, and III.
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    Viktoryia McGrath

    Downtown Campus,

    Professor McGrath is a facilitator who engages students and creates a rich learning environment with an emphasis on active learning, critical thinking, and collaboration. She believes that an approach that accentuates individual relationships while also fostering a community-minded environment in and out of the classroom is crucial to student success. Born in Minsk, Belarus, Professor McGrath earned her BFA in Communication Art and Graphic Design from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and her MFA from the University of Cincinnati. Her courses include Drawing I, Drawing II, Design I, Design II, Art History I, and Art History II.

    Faculty

    NameDepartmentPositionPhone
    Rose Thome CasterlineArt WECProfessor, Art
    Andrew DowneyArt EACProfessor, Art(407) 582-2327
    Michael GallettaArt EACProfessor, Art(407) 582-2328
    Viktoryia McGrathFine Arts DTCProfessor, Art(407) 582-1300


    Part-time Faculty

    If you are having difficulty reaching your professor via email, please call the Dean's Office at 407-582-2340.

    NameDepartmentPositionPhone
    Haris AhmadArt WECPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-1481
    Nargges AlbekordArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-2340
    Dennis AngelFine Arts DTCPart-Time Faculty, Art
    Cassandra AnselmoArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-2340
    Courtney CanovaArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-2340
    Dino CasterlineArt WECPart-Time Faculty, Art
    David CumbieArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-2340
    Tara Gibbs-TokarskiArt WECPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-1300
    Chelsea GliddenGraphics Tech OSCPart-Time Fac, Graphic Design
    Naah GordonDigital Media DTCPart-Time Faculty, Art
    Kyle HendleyArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-4108
    Edgar HernandezGraphics Tech OSCPart-Time Fac, Graphic Design(321) 682-4895
    Kathleen MarquisArt WECPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-7428
    Allan MaxwellArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-2328
    Brittany MetzFine Arts DTCPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-5730
    Jesus MinguezArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-2340
    Fernando MolinaresFine Arts OSCPart-Time Faculty, Art
    Richard MunsterArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art
    George ParkerArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art
    Leeann RaeArt WECPart-Time Faculty, Art
    Camillo VelasquezArt EACPart-Time Faculty, Art(407) 582-2340


    Studio Assistants

    NameDepartmentPositionPhone
    Devyn GoingArt EACArt Department Assistant
    Eva Grant-CarmackArt WECLaboratory Assistant II(407) 582-1300
    Faren LeJeuneArts & EntertainmentAdjunct Instructor, Event Support Creative(407) 582-2268
    Warren PerkoArt EACArt Department Assistant(407) 582-2340
    Youn Myat ThiriArt WECLaboratory Assistant II