ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

FULL CIRCLE: Florida State University Panama City grad Brittany Infinger, ‘10, puts her business administration degree to work at her alma mater to welcome students for the fall.

TIME Wellspent

FSU PC GRAD BRITTANY INFINGER, ‘10, IS IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING MEMORIES

by: Jan Waddy

Wellspent Events owner Brittany Infinger set up custom balloon garland featuring garnet and gold in the Holley Academic Center to welcome students to campus for fall, as her experience at FSU Panama City came full circle.

“I loved going here,” said Brittany, who earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration in 2010. “I was a lifelong Florida State fan. My parents said I could have student loans and go to Tallahassee or stay here and get a part-time job and not have debt. I decided to go for no student debt and still get the beach. I’m very much a water person.”

Brittany lived at her parents’ Lynn Haven home and pursued her degree, while working retail and restaurant jobs on the side.

“And I helped my parents with their business marketing,” said Brittany, whose parents own Coastal Emergency Restoration Team. “I met a lot of people here at FSU Panama City, and it’s neat to see how everyone I went to school with has grown their businesses and are doing different things now. With a business degree, you can literally do anything. We opened a restaurant.”

BUSINESS DEGREE LAYS FOUNDATION

Brittany and her husband, Chris — a classically trained chef, opened Beau’s Meat & Two plus BBQ in Panama City Beach in October 2018, the same month Hurricane Michael hit. Since then, they’ve continued to adjust their business model throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Chris always knew he wanted to be a chef and open a restaurant, but he didn’t know about the business side of things,” Brittany said. “I’m used to being behind the scenes.”

After years of decorating for parties, including hosting them at Beau’s, Brittany incorporated Wellspent Events into an “official business” this year.

“Chris would cook, and I would set the table. People are always so happy; it’s a way to bring people together for food and a good time,” Brittany said. “I was doing balloons for my daughter’s birthday and others wanted that, too.”

Their daughter, Vivi, turned 5 this year.

“I began working for myself so I could see my child grow up,” said Brittany, who enjoys the flexibility that comes from owning her own business. “My business degree set the foundation for everything. You don’t know how much you need a degree till you’re sitting there with a business plan. Having a business background went hand in hand; I did my planning along the way. I knew how to set things up and what to avoid.”

Just as restaurant hours have been adjusted based on the staffing and customer demand, Brittany’s personal business plan has been flipped. After Beau’s opened, she initially sought to create a lifestyle brand.

“The business class taught me that you should do what you enjoy but also what is going to be successful. Whenever you have a business take off, you listen to that. This balloon business used to be my side gig, but I flipped them, and now art is my side gig,” Brittany said. “Now I have my own daughter who gets to see my work ethic owning my own business. She’s so smart, and I want her to see she can do what she loves.”

For more about Wellspent Events, visit facebook.com/ wellspentevents.

BIG CELEBRATIONS: Brittany Infinger’s balloon arches can last several days in the right temperature-controlled conditions.

DEDICATED SERVICE

BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS PROGRAM SERVES GENERATIONS FROM COAST TO COAST

by: Audrey Post

Sometimes you just have to seize the moment. In the late 1990s, a movement in the field of psychology aimed to serve people with developmental disabilities and autism. Around the same time, Florida State University’s Department of Psychology ended its Panama City-based graduate program in applied psychology.

Jon Bailey, FSU Tallahassee faculty since 1970, had served on the initial board certifying behavior analysts and wondered who was going to train practitioners to support these newly identified patients. He found his answer on the Panama City campus. The master’s program in Applied Behavior Analysis launched in 1999 — the first of its kind at a public university in Florida — with just under a dozen students and Bailey at the helm.

TEAM EFFORT

Through his research and certification board service, Bailey knew the coursework and field training needed for an ABA program. Ellen Berler, then psychology associate chair, provided feedback and shepherded the plan through necessary channels. Their combined skills helped gain approval.

“I couldn’t have done it without her,” Bailey said.

As a clinical psychologist with a behavioral background, Berler, now retired, was intrigued by the proposal.

“He designed it based on students’ needs, and people saw how it would benefit the campus and community,” she said.

Advertising generated interest locally, and Bailey touted the program to faculty from other universities during academic conferences, so they could then recommend FSU’s program to their graduates.

ELEVATED EDUCATION

FSU’s ABA program was unique: It met all certification requirements, and every student could secure an assistantship and tuition waiver. Within five years, the program met academic accreditation and professional certification standards.

“What Doctor Bailey has delivered is aspirational,” said psychology chair Frank Johnson, who also described Bailey as a mentor. “It gives a new point of contact between the general public and the discipline of psychology.”

The ABA program accepts 16-18 students a year and only in the fall because of the order classes must be taken. Practica are woven deeply into the curriculum, and the cohort is usually split between Panama City and Tallahassee. Classes are taught via live interactive television, and faculty commute to ensure personal contact with all students. Bailey, professor emeritus, teaches one class a semester. “Dr. Bailey’s vision for establishing Tallahassee and the Panhandle as a hub for ABA training is something we have continued to strive toward,” said Amy Polick, FSU ABA alumna and current program faculty member. “Among our primary missions is to pay it forward by providing the same high-quality training we received from Doctor Bailey.”

CHART TOPPER

Randy Hanna, FSU Panama City dean, said the program is vital, locally and nationally: More than 300 graduates practice evidence-based behavior analysis therapy across the U.S.

“The best part,” Hanna said, “is our graduates are able to meet the needs of the children.”

FSU’s ABA program was ranked No. 1 in the country twice in the past five years and three times in the past six years, which means that 100 percent of graduates passed the national certification test the first time.

PERFECT PRACTICE

Co-located with the ABA program is FSU’s Early Childhood Autism Program, which serves as a practicum agency for ABA students. Since 2001, students working under the supervision of FSU ABA alumni have served autistic children ages 2 to 23 with behavior therapy through ECAP.

“ECAP functions like a training hospital for graduate students learning to conduct effective, evidencebased ABA therapy with children with autism,” said Polick, who also serves as ECAP development director.

In the beginning, ECAP provided home-based behavioral services to children with autism, but the addition of an on-campus clinic in 2012 and a Parent Resource Center in 2015 have been integral to serving more than 100 families over the past two decades. ABA program alumna and current ECAP Program Director Nikki Dickens attributes her success to outstanding preparation.

EARLY CHILDHOOD: ABA grad student Leah Silver works with an ECAP client.

“When I graduated in 2005, I used skills from the ABA program to start my career with the State of Florida. It was my dream to return and serve the program that gave me so much,” Dickens said. “In 2013, I rejoined the ECAP team as program administrator. Now, we lead the country in training ABA graduate students and helping families affected by autism.”

A SPECIAL COLLECTION: “Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, 2002” is an oil on canvas by Artis Lane.

by: Jan Waddy

The nationally recognized Kinsey Collection of African American Art & History shares stories of resilience, creativity and achievement spanning more than 400 years.

The traveling exhibit will be set up in the Holley Academic Center at FSU Panama City from Friday, April 15, through Sunday, July 3. In advance of the opening, the Kinseys plan to visit FSU PC on Feb. 1 to speak for Black History Month.

“The story is not a Black story; it’s an American story,” said Bernard Kinsey, who has cultivated the collection with his wife, Shirley, over more than 40 years. “We are really proud of our work and believe it’s the kind of work America needs right now.”

The Kinseys see themselves as “caretakers” of the art and artifacts that convey a significant part of the American story through African American paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, rare books, and documents — from a bronze bust of Frederick Douglass to letters by Malcolm X and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary source historical objects and artifacts date from 1595 to the present day, and artwork dates to 1865, painting a clearer picture of African American’s triumphs despite overwhelming obstacles.

The 1595 baptismal document is from the archives of the diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, “the oldest known existence of African Americans in the U.S. before Jamestown,” Bernard Kinsey said.

Rosa Parks’ 1998 book, “Quiet Strength,” was signed to Shirley Kinsey. Parks was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1999 for refusing to move to the back of a city bus Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama.

“People know about Rosa Parks, but 100 years before that there was Elizabeth Jennings Graham,” said Bernard Kinsey, referring to the teacher who insisted on her right to board a New York City horsecar.

Bernard Kinsey refers to the “myth of absence,” explaining that contributions by African Americans,

THE KINSEYS: Khalil Kinsey, left, is pictured with his parents, Shirley and Bernard Kinsey, whose historic collection of art and artifacts spans more than 40 years.

whether in science, industry, politics or art, were omitted from history books and the collection aims to provide the narrative.

“What we’ve been trying to do all these years is give these names a voice,” Shirley Kinsey said.

The Florida Department of Education has adopted the Kinsey Collection as the basis for instruction of 3.6 million students on African American History. The family published “The Kinsey Collection: Shared treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey” that features items on display in the exhibit as well as other items of interest in their collection.

“We are always thrilled to work with educational institutions; it’s so great for fostering dialogue,” said son Khalil Kinsey, chief operating officer and curator of the collection.

As rich as the collection they have gathered is the personal story of the Kinsey family.

Shirley Kinsey was raised by her paternal grandmother, Susie Plummer Pooler, in St. Augustine, where she had a happy childhood grounded by extended family and basking in the Florida sun. She is drawn to artwork that reminds her of those Southern roots, such as Hughie LeeSmith’s Untitled 1951 oil painting that depicts a Black girl with pigtails jumping rope by a dirt road.

Bernard Kinsey and his five siblings grew up in segregated public housing in West Palm Beach. His parents, Ulysses B. Kinsey and Christine Stiles Kinsey, taught him the importance of education and financial responsibility. His father, an elementary school principal, helped integrate schools in Palm Beach County and fought for equal pay and education for black teachers and students.

Shirley and Bernard Kinsey, who will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary Feb. 11, met at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical (A&M) University in 1963 after a civil rights demonstration, where Shirley was arrested. Her activism was inspired by King, who had led protests in her hometown that summer.

“We received training from campus groups on how to respond during a demonstration, who to trust and how to dress. I had to dress up to go to jail,” said Shirley Kinsey, who said her grandmother did not want her to get involved in protests out of fear of what could happen to her. “Bernard was more diplomatic and helped me negotiate the channels on campus.”

She described Florida A&M as “an oasis,” a “bubble” in the middle of a segregated city, where they had to fight for rights, such as going to the movies.

“Students on black college campuses led the civil rights movement,” Bernard Kinsey said. “Civil rights activist John Lewis catalyzed young people for marches, bus rides and voter registration.”

After the Kinseys married in 1967, they set a goal of traveling to 100 different countries during their lifetime. Bernard Kinsey’s job as the first African American sales rep for an oil company brought them to Los Angeles, where Shirley Kinsey was hired as an elementary teacher. They only lived on one paycheck, buying their first house in 1971 and saving money for their travels. They started close to home with National Parks, such as Yosemite.

“Once you start traveling and getting involved with other cultures, you see similarities and influences,” Shirley Kinsey said. “There were similarities with Native American sculptures that were connected to us. We were leaving our mark on other cultures and didn’t even know about our own.”

They traveled for 10 years before their son was born.

“We wanted to travel, see things, go places, learn languages, cultures and food,” Bernard Kinsey said. “It’s hard to carry prejudice when you deal with other cultures.”

Khalil Kinsey joined his parents on their journeys and grew up surrounded by vivid paintings and sculptures from around the world. In the Kinsey Collection book, he wrote, “It was through my parents’ passion that I discovered my own, but it was also through their passion that I discovered my heritage.”

During his fourth-grade history assignment for school, he and his parents realized they could only trace their family tree back four generations. This led to their “rediscovering” of the African American story.

“Really, we feel this is a human story on the human experience and connection, illuminating the story not known,” Khalil Kinsey said. “In 2005, the LA Times wrote an article, ‘The Walls Do Talk,’ that garnered attention from the California African American Museum in Los Angeles, because of the balance of art and historic narrative. Other museums took notice. We share information in a unifying way.”

During the past 15 years, the Kinsey Collection has been seen by more than 15 million people at places such as the Smithsonian, Disney’s EPCOT, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago, and in Hong Kong.

“We have a saying: ‘God, grant me a gift to give to someone else who needs it more than me.’ The Kinsey Collection embodies it — how people who had so little did so much,” said Bernard Kinsey, who retired as a Xerox executive in 1991. “At the end of the day, it’s about a partnership and a dream.”

The Kinseys have built community partnerships along the way. The FSU PC exhibition is being sponsored in part by Panama City Toyota, Walborsky Bradley and Fleming, PLLC, and the St. Joe Community Foundation, which each provided a $25,000 gift to help bring the exhibit to the community. Individual sponsors include Dr. Carrie Baker.

Greg Finley, dealer principal of Panama City Toyota, said he sees this as an opportunity to stand against ambivalence in the tense racial climate of recent years. “I thought, ‘What can I do in the vast universe of problems?’ This collection served to answer that partially, if not fully.”

Brent Bradley, partner at Walborsky Bradley and Fleming, PLLC, expressed the firm's desire to be involved. “Walborsky, Bradley and Fleming is proud to be a sponsor of the Kinsey Collection, a worldwide treasure of African American history and art. We believe that art has the power to transform hearts and minds and build unity."

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Becky Kelly at rebecca.kelly@pc.fsu.edu or 850-770-2151. To get involved, organizations and schools can contact Dr. Irvin Clark at (850) 770-2101 or iclark2@pc.fsu.edu.

SCHOLARSHIP CREATES STUDENT LIFELINE

by: Jan Waddy

Isabella Barbour, ’22, has juggled jobs, caring for sick family members, and college courses through the aftermath of Hurricane Michael and the COVID-19 pandemic. A first-generation college student who grew up in a one-income family of five in Bay County, Barbour has known she wanted to go into the field of psychology since she was 14 in order to help others, but didn’t know she would be able to afford Florida State University. Today, Barbour is a Garnet & Gold Scholar, a member of the Mortar Board and Phi Sigma Theta national honor societies, and she is on track to graduate from FSU Panama City with a bachelor’s in psychology and a minor in social welfare.

The FSU PC Promise Scholarship removed the financial barriers.

“I cannot express the amount of relief I felt when I received an email stating that I had been awarded the FSU PC Promise Scholarship,” Barbour said. “I had just transferred to FSU PC and had begun the process of wondering how I was going to be able to afford the cost of attendance, books, tuition and fees, as my federal financial aid would not cover the full amount.”

Barbour, who was homeschooled from kindergarten through 12th grade, transferred to FSU PC in fall 2020 to pursue her bachelor’s degree after receiving her A.A. from Gulf Coast State College. But reality soon hit when she wasn’t sure how she would balance school with working the jobs necessary to afford it.

“With the assistance of the scholarship, I have not only been able to continue my education, but also excel in my classes,” Barbour said. “Most importantly, I have proved to myself that I am worthy of a college education.”

The FSU PC Promise Scholarship, which took effect in spring 2021, was established as part of the FSU PC Promise to remove financial barriers so students can achieve educational goals. Through funds provided by generous area donors, free tuition and fees are provided to full-time undergraduate students from Northwest Florida counties of Bay, Gulf, Liberty, Gadsden, Jackson, Calhoun, Franklin, Washington, Holmes, Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia who have a combined family income of $60,000 or less — recently increased from $50,000 or less — and are pursuing a degree at FSU Panama City.

The Chapman Family Foundation provided the lead gift to establish the FSU PC Promise Scholarship, and in April 2021, The Chapman Family Foundation Center for Academic Advising and Student Success was named in the family’s honor. Contributors also have included The St. Joe Community Foundation, Pam and Larry Perry, and an anonymous donor.

“Earning scholarships is more than just an accolade for hard work,” Barbour said. “It is sometimes the only thing that stands between someone and completing their dream of a college education.”

The FSU PC Scholarship is renewable every term if the recipient continues to meet the requirements, which also include taking 12 credit hours per semester, maintaining a 2.0 GPA, and completing 30 hours of community service per semester.

Barbour has exceeded requirements, taking as many as 15-18 credit hours, and she currently has a 3.7 GPA. She has volunteered in the community with a children’s ministry for the past eight years. In September, Barbour was elected treasurer for the Psychology Club for the 2021-2022 academic year. She also serves as one of four student mentors in the Florida State Experience class led by psychology professor Tyler Towne, PhD.

"She’s just one of those people students want to be around, talk to and trust,” Towne said.

For more details, visit pc.fsu.edu/promise-scholarship.

PROMISE FULFILLED: Isabella Barbour, '23, is a recipient of the FSU PC Promise scholorship.

CHAPMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION HONORED: At left, (from left) Randy Hanna, Pamm Chapman, Joey Chapman, Jeannette Chapman, Kristian Chapman, Anna-Lee Chapman, Isabella Barbour, Nathan Chapman, Si Clemo, and Elizabeth Chapman appear during the April 2021 naming ceremony.