Faculty & Staff Directory

Selena Ambush has been on, behind or in front of a stage since the seasoned age of six. She has worked as actor, director, and instructor at professional and municipal theatres throughout Central Florida and is a recipient of the Gulf Coast Arts Council’s "Distinguished Artist." Selena spent a season at Meadow Book Theatre in Detroit, Michigan’s largest professional theatre, and nearly a decade in New York City as a theatre professional. Off-Broadway, Selena has directed several new and established works with many reputable companies including Yankee Repertory, WOW Café Theatre, Sanguine Satellites, Actor’s Studio Playwright-Director Workshop, Little Spoons Productions, Bank Street Theatre, The Ukraine and the New York City Fringe Festival. She holds an MFA in Directing from the Actor’s Studio Drama School at New School University. Selena’s articles as a freelance writer of theatre previews and reviews have been seen in such publications as "The Village Voice," "L," and "Pod Magazine." She has been on the faculty at Bronx Community College, part of the City University of New York, and The College of New Rochelle. At present, Selena is a member of the theatre program faculty at Penn State Altoona and directed last year’s production of "SkyLines" by 2008-09 Emerging-Writer-in-Residence David-Matthew Barnes.

Yolanda Avent, Director of Institutional Equity and Diversity, joins us from Virginia Tech, where she most recently served as graduate research assistant in the office of academic assessment. In addition to that experience, Yolanda served as assistant coordinator of residence life, as a graduate assistant under Project ESTEEM, and served in a research fellowship with the National Science Foundation while at Virginia Tech. Yolanda has also served as the coordinator of student life at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Virginia and as the coordinator of the Multicultural Student Center at Georgia Southern University. She has served graduate assistantships in minority affairs and the School of Education at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Yolanda is also currently completing her PhD in Educational Psychology.