Rosemarie O’Bourke is Division Chair of Visual and Performing Arts and teaches in both the Music and Theatre programs. She has Master’s Degrees in both Music and Theatre from the University of Florida and St. Louis University, and did post-graduate work in the Master of Fine Arts Program in Theatre at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. She has performed and directed professionally in theatres in the North and Southeast U.S. and has been at GCCC for over 20 years. She is the mother of three and the grandmother of two boys and a girl. She is a rabid Gator fan and U.F. football season ticket holder and loves her place in the North Carolina mountains. Her contact information is robourke@gulfcoast.edu, (850) 872-3887
Tammy Marinuzzi-In 2005 Tammy received her Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Ceramics from the University of Florida. Currently she is an Assistant Professor at Gulf Coast Community College in the Visual and Performing Arts Department. She has also taught at the University of Florida in Gainesville and abroad at Golden Bridge Pottery in Pondicherry India, and in Skopelos, Greece. In addition to maintaining an active teaching schedule, Tammy is a working studio potter. Her works can be seen at Pendland Gallery, NC, Florida Craftsmen, FL, The Clay Studio of Missoula, MT, Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, OR, and at Lillstreet Art Center, IL. Her work is in permanent collections in Yixing Ceramics Museum –, Skopelos Greece - Skopelos Art Foundation, and in Jingdezhen China at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute. Her contact information is tmarinuzzi@gulfcoast.edu, (850) 769-1551 ext. 2890
Jason Hedden is an Assistant Professor of Theatre in the Division of Visual and Performing Arts. He holds an M.F.A. in Acting from The Ohio State University where he was a finalist for the 2005 Graduate Associate Teaching Award. He also holds theatre degrees from USF and GCCC. He spent years in Seattle as a professional actor and freelance teaching artist. Regional acting credits include The Tempest and the all male version of Taming of the Shrew both with Seattle Shakespeare Company and a two year tour of The Phantom Tollbooth with Book-It Repertory Theatre. His most recent original solo work, Resurrecting Van Gogh, premiered at the Creative Center in NYC in January of 2007. Jason is glad to be back home at GCCC. His contact information is jhedden@gulfcoast.edu, (850) 769-1551 ext. 2889
Scott Kirkman is a faculty member teaching in the Music Production Technology program and in the Music Program as well. He is originally from Illinois, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Business from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Scott attended Florida Atlantic University and completed his Master of Arts in Conducting. He has taught music to elementary through high school students. While at Florida Atlantic University, he conducted the University Women’s Ensemble as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. At GCCC, he teaches courses in the Music Technology program, private voice lessons, and is the conductor of the GCCC Concert Chorale and the Jazz Ensemble. His contact information is skirkman@gulfcoast.edu, (850) 769-1551 ext. 6037
Judy Harrison is an Associate Professor of Music at GCCC where she teaches Music Theory, Sight Singing & Ear Training, Piano, and Understanding Music. She is the director of the Singing Commodores. Ms. Harrison has been at Gulf Coast for eight years and has taught at the community college level for twenty years. She received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University, and master’s degrees from Georgia State and Florida State Universities. Her contact information is jharrison@gulfcoast.edu, (850) 769-1551 ext. 2821
Rusty Garner is Associate Professor of Music and founder of the new Music Production Technology program at GCCC. He has been at Gulf Coast since 1991, and has taught a wide variety of courses. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas (BM cum laude, in Orchestral Performance) and New England Conservatory of Music in Boston (MM in Music Literature). Rusty has conducted and performed in dozens of symphony orchestras, ballet and opera orchestras, as well as musical theatre orchestras in Arkansas, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas and Florida. Rusty is also a composer with several complete theatre scores published, and has recorded two complete albums of original Native American flute music. His first NA album, Mesa, spent over 6 months in the top 10 of the Native American music charts when it was released worldwide in 1997. Some of Rusty’s music from that album was used in the award-winning documentary film, Chosen, by Iranian-Finnish film-maker Alexis Kouros. In addition to his musical experience, Rusty has extensive training and experience in theatre as an actor, director and designer. And, not to slight any of the arts, Rusty is a published writer and poet, and has also worked professionally as a graphic artist. His only child, Holly Garner-Ponce, curiously not learning a clear lesson from her father about working in the arts, completed her Master’s degree in Art History at George Washington University and is currently on the Registrar’s staff at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. His contact information is rgarner@gulfcoast.edu, (850) 769-1551 ext. 2888
