BEN BROTEMARKLE, PRODUCER AND HOST

Ben Brotemarkle became Executive Director of the Florida Historical Society (FHS) in 2008. He is the Producer and Host of Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio Magazine of the Florida Historical Society, as well as the Florida Frontiers public television program. Prior to taking the helm at FHS, Ben was a Professor of Humanities at Eastern Florida State College (formerly Brevard Community College) where he was named Distinguished Educator and Endowed Faculty Chair of Academic Excellence. From 1992-2000, Ben was creator, producer, and host of the hour-long radio magazine The Arts Connection on 90.7 WMFE in Orlando. Dr. Brotemarkle holds a Ph.D. in Humanities with a specialization in Florida History, and has written five books on the history and culture of the state.

JON WHITE, EDITOR

Jon White is Director of Media Production for the Florida Historical Society. He has more than 30 years experience in educational broadcasting and earned a BA degree in Radio and Television from the University of Central Florida. In addition to editing the radio program, White is co-producing the television version of Florida Frontiers  which airs on public television stations throughout Florida. He has worked on several television documentary projects with FHS, including The Lost Years of Zora Neale Hurston which aired nationally.

HOLLY BAKER, ASSISTANT PRODUCER

Holly Baker is the Archivist at the Library of Florida History in Cocoa, and the Public Outreach Coordinator at the Florida Historical Society. Holly has a Masters’ Degree in Public History from the University of Central Florida. As a student there, Holly created the Knights HistoryCast (the podcast of the UCF History Department) as a way to channel her passions for storytelling and history. Holly also worked on podcasts for the Florida Historical Quarterly and the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.

CONNIE LESTER, ASSISTANT PRODUCER

Connie Lester is Associate Professor of History at the University of Central Florida and Editor of The Florida Historical Quarterly, the peer-reviewed, scholarly publication of the Florida Historical Society. Before joining the faculty of UCF in 2005, she was associate editor of the award-winning Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. She is also Director of the RICHES Digital Archiving Project. Dr. Lester currently serves on the board of directors of the Agricultural History Society, the Gulf South History Association, and the Conference of Historical Journals. In previous years she served on the editorial board of the international journal Agricultural History.

SEBASTIAN GARCIA, ASSISTANT PRODUCER

Sebastian Garcia is currently a Graduate Student in the History Department at the University of Central Florida.  During his time as an undergraduate with a double major in History and Biomedical Sciences, Garcia relaunched Knights HistoryCast as its new producer and has taken up production for the Florida Historical Quarterly Podcast. Garcia plans to pursue a doctoral degree in history and continue inspiring a love of history in students as a professor. As Media Production Assistant for the Florida Historical Society, Sebastian helps with field production of the Florida Frontiers Television series, as well as our radio program.