Strategic Talent Group

Kayla is an energetic, proven 15-year marketing veteran who specializes in omnichannel, bespoke marketing and communications strategy. A former higher education marketing agency professional, Kayla understands the unique opportunities that exist with prospective student communications, and is ready to take UF’s enrollment marketing strategy to the next level. With depth of experience in storytelling through social media, video production, and user-centered web and print design, Kayla is looking forward to showcasing UF in new ways to attract prospective students and their families.

Dr. Hinman, the Dr. Frederick A. Schwertz Distinguished Professor of Life Sciences in the departments of Biological Sciences and Computational Biology, has headed Carnegie Mellon’s biology department since 2019 and served at the university since 2006.

She has been the director of the GERN Advanced course at the Marine Biology Lab since 2023 and this year won the A.O. Kovalevsky Medal from the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists for extraordinary achievements in evolutionary developmental biology and comparative zoology.

Dr. Hinman earned her bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and zoology in 1989 and 1994, respectively, from the University of Queensland in Australia, and her doctoral degree in zoology in 2000 from the university’s Department of Zoology and School for Marine Science. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, advised by Professor Eric Davidson, in 2006. 

https://news.ufl.edu/2024/07/whitney-lab-director/

Migliaccio, a professional engineer, earned her Ph.D. in biological and agricultural engineering. She began her UF career in 2005 as an assistant professor at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead. There, Migliaccio focused on water conservation and management, while teaching graduate courses. She became a professor in UF’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in 2015 and has served as department chair since 2018.

https://news.ufl.edu/2024/10/cals-dean/

Knowles began his law enforcement career as a Hernando County sheriff’s deputy in 1988 and transferred to the Gainesville Police Department in 1991. At GPD, he served in various areas, including Uniform Patrol, Special Operations, Narcotics/Vice, State Attorney’s Task Force, DEA Task Force, and Human Resources. He also served as GPD’s Rifle Team Commander and SWAT Commander.

https://news.ufl.edu/2024/11/veteran-officer-tapped-to-lead-ufpd/

Dr. Garland comes to this role with deep knowledge and understanding of the School of Theatre and Dance. She will celebrate 20 years at the College of the Arts this summer. Dr. Garland is an Associate Professor of Theatre in the school’s BA, BFA, and MFA programs. Her primary teaching areas are Movement, Stage Combat, and Period Styles Movement. Tiza holds her Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Texas Tech University, her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Theatre Pedagogy with a focus in Movement and Fight Direction, and her BA in Theatre, Spanish and Asian Studies from Western Michigan University.

https://arts.ufl.edu/in-the-loop/news/uf-school-of-theatre-and-dance-appoints-dr-tiza-garland-as-director/

https://www.jou.ufl.edu/2024/07/15/ufcjc-appoints-veteran-journalist-rick-hirsch-as-inaugural-director-of-the-collier-prize-for-state-government-accountability/

https://www.jou.ufl.edu/2024/07/23/veteran-meteorologist-tim-miller-to-lead-ufcjcs-weather-and-emergency-network-operations/

Melissa is a transformative leader with over 15 years of experience in higher education, including more than a decade dedicated to UF Online. As the program’s architect for recruitment and student services, she was instrumental in establishing the foundation for growth—creating systems that empower teams to achieve uncompromised excellence. Her early and ongoing leadership has been vital to UF Online’s rise and continued position among the nation’s top-ranked programs. Known for her strategic mindset, infectious enthusiasm, and student-first approach, Melissa consistently wins hearts and minds while raising the standard for online education and team performance.

Her appointment reflects the university’s continued investment in the future of online education and affirms her reputation as both a trusted campus leader and a nationally recognized voice in the field. With deep institutional knowledge, cross-functional expertise, and a leadership style that blends vision, agility, and authentic connection, Melissa is uniquely positioned to lead UF Online into its next chapter—one defined by innovation, collaboration, and lasting impact.

https://aa.ufl.edu/news–announcements/articles/article-4/

https://warrington.ufl.edu/directory/profiles/13645/

As director of Talent Acquisition and Onboarding, Audrey Gainey oversees UF’s Strategic Talent Group, which aims to identify, attract and engage potential and current faculty and staff and serves as a consulting group to departments throughout the university.

Gainey brings more than 24 years of experience in recruitment, selection and hiring to the UFHR team, having most recently served as talent acquisition manager for the City of Gainesville.  There, she led a team of eight in the development of recruitment and sourcing strategies, analyzed hiring needs and provided employee hiring forecasts and championing various initiatives.

Gainey has also led a number of system implementations, including the City of Gainesville’s automated onboarding process and background integration.  She served as the HR Change Champion for the City’s ERP Implementation efforts, a member of the City’s Equal Opportunity Diversity Committee and a member of the City’s Core Equity Leadership Team. During her tenure with the City, she was selected as an Emerging Leader, recognized for her commitment to diversity and awarded for her exceptional team efforts to staff a major City project.

Gainey holds a master’s degree in organizational management and a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She is also a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SPHR-SCP) and a Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) through the National Career Development Association.

Mackenzie Burkett leads the Strategic Talent Group(STG). STG serves as the University’s Internal Executive Search Team and is dedicated to identifying, attracting, and engaging top-tier talent for UF. As an internal consulting group, we leverage our passion for UF and deep understanding of the university’s culture and values to tailor recruitment strategies for our campus partners.

Mackenzie, also known as Mack, has been with the University for over 6 years with time spent at the University of Florida Performing Arts before joining Talent Acquisitions as a Talent Consultant. Mackenzie holds a Talent Acquisition Specialist credential from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).  Before her role in Talent Acquisition and Onboarding, Mackenzie spent a decade in the performing arts and event industries across three states, holding various positions including Volunteer Coordinator, Event Planner, Stage Manager and Performer.