Kent State Florence Staff

 

Florence has a talented and diverse team of more than 40 faculty and staff on-site. 

You can connect with our Florence Program Coordinators based in Ohio to learn more about what to expect, and get to know our team in Italy via their profiles below before you arrive.

Students stand outside of Palazzo Vettori, the KSU Florence Center Building.

 

Florence Program Coordinators

 

If you’re interested in learning more about study abroad options in Florence, you can first connect with our team based in Kent, Ohio. They are part of Kent State’s Office of Global Education and will support you before and after your experience in Italy, 

Kent State Florence Staff

Fabrizio Ricciardelli
A photo of Fabrizio Ricciardelli against a white backdrop.

Fabrizio Ricciardelli, Ph.D., was appointed Director of the Florence Center in 2012 after serving in leadership and teaching roles at Georgetown University at Villa Le Balze. Ricciardelli joined Georgetown University in 2004 and served for six years as Professor of History. Between 2010-2012, he was also selected as Academic Director and in 2010 he became the chairman of the scientific committee “Villa Le Balze Studies.” His academic experience includes journal articles, conference presentations, and several reviews. He has authored and co-authored numerous books on institutional and political history. His main field of study is Italian city-states in the social, economic, political, and cultural landscape of Medieval Europe. Some of his publications are: The Politics of Exclusion in Early Renaissance Italy (2007); I luoghi del sacro. Il sacro e la città tra Medioevo ed Età moderna (2008); The Culture of Violence in Renaissance Italy (2012); Umanesimo e università in Toscana (1400-1600) (2012); Late Medieval and Early Modern Ritual. Studies in Italian Urban Culture (2013), and Emotions, Passions, and Power in Renaissance Italy (2015), The Myth of Republicanism in Renaissance Italy (2015), A Tale of Two Cities: Florence and Rome from the Grand Tour to Study Abroad (2017), A Short History of Florence (2019), The Medici. The Power of a Dynasty (2021). His latest work is The City-States in Late Medieval Italy has been published in 2024. Ricciardelli has recently embarked upon the study of The Emotional Language of Justice in Renaissance Europe to investigate the separation between legal and moral norms, between crime and sin. Ricciardelli worked for National Geographic on The Secrets of Florence in 2009. In 2021 Ricciardelli was elected President of AACUPI, the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy. A native of Florence, Fabrizio Ricciardelli earned his undergraduate degree in Medieval History at the University of Florence and his Ph.D. at the University of Warwick in England.

Margaret Runge

 

A photo of Margaret Runge in a library.

Mags Runge earned her Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of South Carolina in 2005 and became a licensed clinical psychologist in 2006. As a part of her doctorate, she completed a one-year internship at the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bay Pines, Florida, where she gained specialized experience in treating trauma related to combat and sexual assault. She also was the Chief of Psychology for approximately from 2003-2005 at the Morris Village Alcohol and Addiction Treatment Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Since moving to Florence, Italy in 2005, Mags has enjoyed teaching study abroad students while also providing psychotherapy services to a wide range of clients through her private practice. She is currently affiliated with the Italian Institute for Davanloo’s Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, which is a therapeutic system developed by Habib Davanloo, MD, at McGill University, and the American Psychological Association. Mags is very active in research related to interpersonal violence and continues to work and pursue her interests in this area. Some of her publications include: An interplay between dispositional and situational factors: Intrapersonal models of relationship violence (2006); Lay persons' versus psychologists' judgments of psychologically aggressive actions by a husband and wife. Journal of Interpersonal Violence (with Follingstad, D. R., Helff, C. M., Binford, R., Runge, M. M., and White, J. D. (2004); Justifiability, sympathy level, and internal/external locus of reasons battered women remain in abusive relationships. Violence and Victims  (with Follingstad, D. R., Runge, M. M., Ace, A., Buzan, R, and Helff, C. (2001). Prof. Runge joined the Florence community in 2015.

Marijke Huegaerts

Marijke Huegaerts was born and raised in Brussels (Belgium), where she also earned  her B.A. in modern languages and management (1980). Following graduation she worked for a Dutch - Hungarian joint-venture in Brussels. In 1985 she spent 6 months in Australia traveling and working for a convention center. Upon her return to Brussels she worked as Management Assistant at Right Associates Inc., the first American outplacement company in Belgium. In 1991 she moved to Florence to become an Admissions Officer for an Italian language school of which Kent State was a partner.  She joined the staff of Kent State Florence in 2001.

Cecilia Angeletti

Cecilia Angeletti received her university degree in Economics in 1999 from the University of Perugia. In 2000 she took a course in business English language at the University of Bath. In the same year she took a Master class in “European Funding and Programmes” in Brussels, where she also worked in public relations office for Italian Development Partners European Consultants. After this experience abroad, she became an employee of several banks, insurance companies and financial organizations in Italy.  She joined the staff of Florence in 2002.

Rovena Gjoni

Rovena Gjoni earned her undergraduate degree (B.A.) in Economics and her graduate degree (M.A.) in Management and Business Administration, from the University of Florence. In March 2011 she participated in the “Firenze crea Impresa” project, organized by “Confindustria Firenze”. In June 2011 she participated in the 13th edition of the “Premio per il Marketing” ranking 29th. She joined the KSU-Florence Staff in January 2012.

Giorgio Ridolfi
A photo of Giorgio Ridolfi against a patterned background.

Giorgio Ridolfi earned his undergraduate degree in History at the University of Florence and his graduate degree in Historical Sciences at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna. In 2009, he began working at Sarah Lawrence College in Florence as Chaperone and Student Advisor. He joined the staff of Florence in 2017, working as a Receptionist and Student Advisor. Since July 2023, Giorgio has been the International Programs Administrator & Student Life Coordinator in Florence.



 

Elisa Varlaro

Elisa Varlaro received her bachelor's degree in modern languages and cultures in 2019 and master's degree in modern languages and literatures in 2022 from the University of Calabria. During her university career, she furthered her studies at the University of Huelva (ES) and won an English literature scholarship in Cambridge at Wolfson college. In January 2020 she participated in a conference on gender studies and in 2021 a conference on post-colonial studies.

In 2022 she started working as a student advisor at a provider program and in April 2023 she joined the staff of Florence

Miriam Daquino

Native to northern Italy, Miriam Daquino received her Architecture Master’s Degree from the University of Florence in 2009. Among her academic experiences there is the participation to the Erasmus program, the European study abroad program, through which she obtained a scholarship for the Universidad Politècnica de Valencia (Spain).

After graduation, she entered the hospitality industry and started working for major Tuscan and international luxury brands as receptionist and guest relations agent.

Since November 2022, she has been working at in Florence as Donor Outreach Manager and Student Advisor.

Luca Carosi

After high school, Luca Carosi began working as a plumber and general maintenance worker in a tourist resort. In 2004 he moved to Florence where he worked as a gardener and in 2008 he graduated from the university of Pisa with a degree in Social Service Science. In 2008 he began working at a Study Abroad Arts program in Florence as Assistant Health and Safety Officer and Assistant Facility Manager. He joined the staff of Florence in 2022 as Facility Manager.

Andrew Wyatt
A photo of Andrew Wyatt against a white backdrop.

Andrew Wyatt, Ph.D., joined Florence as Assistant Director of Student Affairs in 2023. He received his undergraduate degree in English from in 2016 and his Ph.D. in Italian from Columbia University in 2023. His research focuses on modern Italian literature and intellectual history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His dissertation, entitled Drafting Spaces: Four Literary Visions of the Northern Adriatic, explores the role that literature played in constructing the idea of the Northern Adriatic region. His academic experience includes conferences in the United States, Italy, and Canada, book reviews, a review essay, and published conference proceedings.

In addition to his primary role as a staff member, he also teaches courses on Italian language and literature.

 

 

Kent State Florence Faculty

 

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

Filippo Caprioglio
A black and white photo of Filippo Caprioglio

Filippo Caprioglio born on March 3, 1971, he graduated in architecture from the Iuav School of Architecture of Venice and then obtained the M-Arch II from Syracuse University School of Architecture, Syracuse, N.Y. Since 2001, his academic career has seen him as a professor of architectural studio class both at Syracuse University and then at University of Maryland, College Park, where he was awarded as Kea Distinguished Professor in 2008. He was also Visiting Professor of Practice at Drury University in 2013 and since 2009 has been on the faculty of the School of Architecture at where he still teaches. He was invited as Visiting Professor by prof. Wang Shu, recipient of the Pritzker Prize, at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, China in 2016 to teach an intensive workshop.

He designs with his firm Caprioglio Architects in Italy and abroad, undertaking projects of different scales and typologies. In recent years his professional career has mainly focused on the construction of new residential and commercial buildings.

He oversaw the design, transformation, furnishings and installations of private homes, apartments, as well as retail concepts, new offices and spaces for contemporary art, as well as urban furnishing interventions, in Italy and in the United States.

Alongside his activity as an architect, he also has a passion and research for industrial design which has led him to design lamps, furniture and everyday objects for Italian and foreign companies. In 2011 he won the prestigious "Good Design Award of the Chicago Athenaeum" for the IXI lamp designed for Leucos and in recent years he was awarded of important prizes and recognitions for his single-family homes projects in Europe, the United States and China.

In particular, the A Design Award in 2017-2018-2021 and 2022, The BigSEE Architectural Award 2021, The Luxury Lifestyle Award 2021 for the most beautiful luxury house in Italy as well as the nomination for the Italian Architect of the Year 2021 for the Spazio Berlendis project in Venice. In June 2022 he won, with the same project, the first international prize in New York for the restoration of public spaces in Italy. In 2023 he received a special mention from the jury of the In/Arch Award for his house in Cittadella (Padua).

The most significant projects have been published in magazines and books such as the New York Times, l'Arca, Dwell, Domus, IoArch, The Plan, among others.

Two the monographic books that outline his career:

“Thinking 360 - Filippo Caprioglio Architecture & Design” published by Mazzanti Libri in 2018 and “Filippo Caprioglio- Sette Case Sette Storie” published by Linea Edizioni in 2023. 

Marco Brizzi

Marco Brizzi is architecture critic and curator. He graduated from the Università degli Studi di Firenze, the city where he lives, and holds a PhD in Architecture. 

He teaches Architectural Design to CalPoly San Luis Obispo and Pomona students in Florence (since 2000), Video, Media, and Architecture and Theories of Architecture at Florence (since 2009). He has taught, among others, at Università La Sapienza in Rome, at Università degli Studi di Firenze, at Università degli Studi di Ferrara, at the Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino, at NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) in Milan and at IN/ARCH Istituto Nazionale di Architettura in Rome.  

He is a founder of Image, a company dedicated to promoting a better understanding of media issues in architecture since 2000. He established and directed Beyond Media, an architecture festival that took place in Florence from 1997 to 2009 and focused on videos made by architects in the context of a broader debate on architecture and media relations. He has been for 16 years director of ’i, online architectural magazine founded in 1995: the first and one of the most widely read Italian digital magazines on architecture. Among his other editorial activities, Marco has been editor in chief of FFF, magazine devoted to design visions for the city of Florence. In 2015, his intention to share a wide collection of architecture videos and his personal experience on this specific kind of documents brought him to create the archive/magazine The Architecture Player. He co-directs The Architecture Curator, supporting the creative development of emerging and established architecture practices. 

Marco Brizzi received prestigious acknowledgements. He has been appointed as a juror in competition and prize juries, in Italy and abroad. He is advisor for the Mies van der Rohe Award. As director of ’i he was finalist for the Golden Medal to architectural criticism awarded by the Triennale di Milano.  

 

Federico Grazzini

Federico Grazzini moved to London in 1998 after graduating in Architecture at the University of Florence, starting out as a 3D artist and visualisation expert. He joined Alsop Architects in 1999, getting involved with a wide range of projects, from architecture, product and furniture design to masterplanning, and also in a number of international competitions, amongst which the shortlisted design for the new Italian Space Agency headquarters in Rome and the winning entry for the masterplan of Rotterdam Centraal in the Netherlands.

From 2002 he worked as project and site architect of the installations for the 2nd Valencia contemporary Art Biennale under the direct supervision of Will Alsop and with the artist Bruce McLean, spending four months on site in Valencia, Spain, supervising the construction of 800 sqm of art installations and exhibitions.

In 2003 he helped to develop the Alsop range of products and furniture initiated with the Bienal, most notably for Alessi on the Tea and Coffee Towers project in the same year. He is still designing tableware and accessories for Alessi.

Subsequently he was employed at Marks Barfield Architects in London, for which I have worked on, amongst other projects, a feasibility stage of a Crossrail station and the Woking Art and Heritage Galleries project, detail design Stages E and F.

Moving back to Florence he began collaborating with the multi-disciplinary office Terrastudio, following a series of small scale interior projects and completion structures for a touristic port in Tuscany, also collaborating with the artist Maurizio Nannucci with the production of elaborates for his urban-scale installations.

For a brief period Federico collaborated with Fuksas MArch in Rome as a director of competitions and international projects and, after moving to Bologna, with Mario Cucinella Architects as team leader on the project for the new hq of ISTAT (Italian Statistics Agency) and on the detailed design of the facades of the new Four Hospitals in Tuscany (Prato, Pistoia, Apuane, Lucca). 

Federico sees his involvement with teaching as a complement to his work, something which is creatively inspiring and morally rewarding, helping him to push the envelope of professional practice. He began in 1997/98 after his degree, when he tutored at the Università degli Studi in Florence assisting Prof. Remo Buti, who also supervised his graduation thesis, in his course of Interior Architecture, following the work of 18 groups of 5th year students to completion.

In 2004-5, during his employment at Marks Barfield Architects in London, he was co-tutoring and lecturing Interior Architecture in a Degree Studio at the School of Architecture and Design, Brighton University. The subject of the studio was an investigation on the concept of inhabitable borders and the nature and function of physical barriers in the contemporary city. In 2005 he was invited as a guest at final critiques at a Diploma course at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.

Federico has been teaching and coordinating the Interior Design Studio at KSU Florence since 2006. The Studio deals with issues of contemporary interior design within historical contexts. For the same program he also directs the course named Study Tours, which involves a series of field trips to various Italian art cities and international events in Italy, such as the Salone del Mobile in Milan.

From 2008 to 2020 he also ran several English language courses in the private school  for international students Lorenzo De’Medici in Florence: Product Design, Design Materials, Modern History of Interior Design and Architecture and Contemporary Architecture.

All the courses are accredited by Marist College of Poughkeepsie (NY) and part of either a BA or PSC in Interior Design.

From 2010 to 2021 he has been directing the two propaedeutic first year courses of Metodologia Progettuale and Design I, part of the three-year course in Interior Design offered by IED Firenze (Istituto Europeo di Design). 

In the academic year 2014-15 Federico worked as adjunct professor at the University of Bologna participating in the Product Design Studio for second year students.

From September 2012 he teaches Furniture Design to international bachelor and master students at the Florence Institute of Design International (FIDI). Since 2016-17 he also supervised Interior Design thesis projects at FIDI in a course denominated Design Research/Design Systems, validated by the University of Chester (UK). 

Paola Giaconia
A photo of Paola Giaconia in a city setting.

Paola Giaconia is a licensed architect and experienced university educator.  

She graduated with honors, earning a diploma in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 1996. As a Fulbright Scholarship recipient, she obtained her Master’s Degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles in 1999. 

After work experiences at Morphosis in the USA and Massimiliano Fuksas in Italy, she established her own practice in Italy. Her project for the new civic center in Ranica garnered international attention through various global publications and received numerous awards. Shortlisted for the Gold Medal for Italian Architecture in 2012 by the Milan Triennale, the building had previously won the First Prize for Best Public Building from the Institute of Architects in Bergamo, Italy, in 2011, in a jury chaired by Aurelio Galfetti. 

Trained as an architect, Paola deliberately ventured beyond the conventional practice of architecture, engaging in academic, editorial, and curatorial pursuits.  

Her publications and articles in esteemed international magazines, including "Abitare" (Italy), "Architektur + Technik" (Switzerland), “de Architect” (Netherlands) and "Domus" (Italy), underscore her commitment to diverse pursuits. She has been a guest lecturer at various universities and cultural institutions worldwide, including the Politecnico di Milano, the MAXXI Museum in Rome, Dankook University in South Korean and Universidad CEU San Pablo in Madrid, Spain. As part of the board of the Beyond Media festival, she curated the SPOT ON SCHOOLS exhibition whose 3 editions (2003, 2005 and 2009) saw the participation of some among the most distinguished schools of architecture in the world (from SCI-Arc to Columbia University, from ETH to RMIT, from University of Hong Kong to the Architectural Association) that investigate the ways digital media have informed the conception and production of architecture. Paola's projects have been published internationally in “Metropolis” (USA), “AZURE” (Canada) and “Domus” (Italy). 

Among her publications: 

  • Giovanni Damiani, Thilo Folkerts, Paola Giaconia (eds.), The Kent State Forum on the City: BERLIN (dpr-barcelona, 2015).

  • Paola Giaconia, Eugenio Pandolfini (eds.), The Kent State Forum on the City: MADRID (dpr-barcelona, 2013).

  • Paola Giaconia (ed.), GEZA PRATIC (Silvana Editoriale, 2011).

  • Marco Brizzi, Paola Giaconia (eds.), VISIONS (Image PUBLISHING, 2009).

  • Paola Giaconia, Eric Owen Moss. The Uncertainty of Doing (Skira, 2006).

  • Paola Giaconia (ed.), SPOT ON SCHOOLS. SCRIPT (Compositori, 2005). 

Since 2007 Paola teaches Architecture Studio at , Study Abroad Program in Florence, Italy where, since 2011, she is also coordinator for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (Architecture and Interior Design programs). At Florence she orchestrates several streams of activity: from directing the academic program of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design to curating the lecture series and international symposia to teaching architecture and interior design studios. Since 2005 she teaches Architecture Studio at California State University Florence Program to 4th year students coming from CalPoly San Luis Obispo and Pomona and since 2009 she also coordinates the Architecture Program. 

She is partner at Image for Culture, a strategic international media advisor for architecture, and co-director at The Architecture Curator, supporting the creative development of emerging and established architecture practices. Paola is also is team member at The Architecture Player, a place to disclose new architecture stories, through video. 

Licensed as an architect in Italy since 1997, Paola brings a wealth of expertise to her roles as both a practitioner and educator. 

Maia Gahtan

A native of Berkeley, California, Maia Wellington Gahtan received her B.A. in both History of Art and Linguistics and her Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies from Yale University. She is the recipient of grants from the Fulbright Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and Villa I Tatti. Formerly a curator at Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, and Program Director of the M.A. in Museum Studies at Marist-LdM Florence, her scholarly interests concentrate on textual criticism, the history of collecting and museums, and more generally on the interplay between intellectual/cultural history, language, literature and the representational arts, especially of the Early Modern period.

As program director, she supervised over 30 theses on subjects ranging from ancient collecting practice to Picasso and instituted a Forum on Museums and Religion dedicated to bringing religious authorities in dialogue with museum professionals which produced four conferences and publications which she edited or co-edited: Museum; Churches, Temples, Mosques, Places of Worship or Museums?; Sacred Objects in Sacred Collections; Sacred Art and the Museum Exhibition, and Religion in Museum Education. Since then, she has written articles about religion and collections for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion and the Arts.

At the University of Rome La Sapienza, she is currently an Aggregate Professor for two Grande Progetti Ricerca (2021-2023; 2024-2026) and co-coordinator of a CIVIS/Erasmus+ course and workshop (2022-2026), both relating to her co-direction of the European language museum project, Eurotales - Museum of the Voices of Europe, and particularly its field venue, DIFFUSEUM, which embraces the fragments (called “traces’) of linguistic cultures—tangible and intangible—embedded in public monuments and material culture diffused through a borderless Europe.

She serves on the editorial boards of the Voci del Museo series at Edifir and the open- source journal, Arts, is a member of the Research Advisory Group of the Forum on Education Abroad, and belongs to numerous professional associations among which SISCA (Società Italiana della Storia della Critica d’Arte), ICOM (International Council on Museums), CAAH (Consortium of Art and Architectural Historians), and IANLS (International Association for Neo-Latin Studies). She regularly contributes to scholarly journals and edited collections and has curated exhibitions and edited a number of books beyond those of the Forum, among which Vasari’s Florence; Giorgio Vasari and the Birth of the Museum; Museum Archetypes and Collecting in the Ancient World; Monographic Exhibitions and the History of Art; Collecting and Empires. An Historical and Global Perspective; Museums of Language and the Display of Intangible Cultural Heritage.  

Alberto Francini

 

A black and white photo of Alberto Francini.

 

Alberto Francini (Florence, 1969), is an architect and PHD. He graduated from University of Florence with Professor Alberto Breschi in Urban Project. He wrote his PHD thesis on the shape of the city entitled MILANO IN THEORY with supervisor of Professor Cesare Macchi Cassia at Milan Polytechnic.  

He collaborated with architect Giuliano Fiorenzoli in New York (1995) and with architect Massimiliano Fuksas in Rome (1997-99). 

In 1999 he co-founded the architecture and urban planning firm METROGRAMMA, fulfilled the role of designer and project manager in the fields of architecture and urban planning.

In 2017 he began his personal activity and founded ALBERTO FRANCINI Architecture & Urban planning with headquarters in Milan and a branch office in Doha, Qatar.

He avails himself of many consultants and collaborators.

Many of his works and as Metrogramma owner have distinguished themselves and have become topics of international interest. Among the many planning projects, the urban densification scenarios for the growth of the city of Bolzano: Habitat BZ 2001 (Italian Gold Medal for Architecture) and the Territorial Government Plan of Milan city (PGT2011) currently in force; as regards architecture, the Domus Malles residences (INARCH 2010 Award), the third prize project at the international Competition the new Head Quarter of the Lombardy Region (2003) and the latest project near Milan, Scalo Milano City Style (2016), a contemporary shopping center oriented towards the world of design, food, and fashion, deserve a special mention.

Many are the projects abroad carried out by architect Alberto Francini such as the VVIP Buildings and the bridge claddings on the Qetaifan Islands of Lusail City in Qatar as well as a tourist resort dedicated to the world of skiing, called "Sunny Valley", in the Urals, Russia. 

Alberto Francini together with the Qatar Green Building Council and a multidisciplinary team of sociologists and engineers is carrying forward the idea and the project of a sustainable city, The Green Desert Shadow Project, without CO2 emissions and in which natural ventilation, biophilia and biodiversity contribute to reinterpreting the Qatari Heritage through a contemporary and futuristic eye.

In 2019 he  won an urban project for the development of a Russian district in Ekaterinburg, RC Brusnizin Masterplan in Berezovsky, still ongoing (The Plan Award 2020, Honorable Mention). He is currently carrying out for Earthna, a non-profit policy research and advocacy center, established by Qatar Foundation, a research of a sustainable high density building prototype completely independent from the planet's resources on hot arid sites. 

Since 2005 Alberto Francini teaches Architecture Studio at in Florence.

He has been professor at South Ural University in Chelyabinsk RU from 2009 to 2015  and adjunct professor at Università degli Studi di Ferrara from 2007 to 2012. He was teaching assistant of Professor Cesare Macchi Cassia at Milan Polytechnic from 2000 to 2007.

Alberto Francini was responsible of several academic design activities both in Italy and abroad, among the others he thought in Columbia University in New York (USA), UIC, Chicago (USA), Strelka (Moscow), University of Mendrisio (CH), Detroit Mercy (USA), QUT Queensland University of Technologies (AUS),Qatar Green Building Council (QA), University of Milan, Rome, Ascoli, Pescara, Lucca, Genoa, Venice, Trieste, Florence, Syracuse University in Florence, Cornell University (USA), Domus Academy in Milan.

Alberto Francini has presented his works at many international architecture exhibitions such as Architettura in digitale, Comunità Resilienti, Biennale di Venezia in 2021; the 12th International Architecture Biennale, People Meet in Architecture in 2010; the 11th International Architecture Biennale, Out There in 2008.

Alberto Francini has been the curator with his office Metrogramma of the international Architecture Biennale “Barbara Cappochin” in 2010.

Many are his publications, books like ‘SuperInfrastructures. High-density productive settlements’ in 2003; ‘4city. Densification scenarios in Bolzano’ in 2001 and articles in international magazine such as Domus (Italy), Abitare (Italy), Metropolis (USA), The Plan (Italy) and The Plan Journal (USA). 

Guido Incerti

Guido Incerti graduated in architecture from the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di  (IUAV)  in 2000, he received his PhD in Architectural Design (ICAR14) in 2010 from the PhD school of the Faculty of Architecture in Florence. 
He is currently a counselor in the Bologna Order of Architects.

In the early 2000s he collaborated with Will Alsop in Rotterdam, DillerScofidio+Renfro in New York and Studio Archea in Florence among others. 

In 2005 he founded nEmoGruppo Associati with offices in Florence, Milan and Abu Dhabi. Their activities lead them to win numerous national and international competitions in architecture and landscape design. Among the awards they have received is the 2011 Inarch Marche Prize for the Gamba Manifatture project and an honorable mention at the XXIII Compasso d'Oro for the “Universo Rietveld” exhibition design at MAXXI, Rome. 

He also participated with DillerScofidio+Renfro in the 2008 Venice Biennale and later in the 2010 Shanghai Expo. 
In 2014, he founded, bda bottega d'architetti to deal with resilient spaces and small- and medium-scale reuse and sartorial architecture to develop his professional research on waste materials and sustainability of the discipline. His achievements include some reconstruction and new architecture in the earthquake-affected areas of Emilia Romagna and the crater of central Italy, exhibited in 2018 at the Milan Triennale as part of the "Reconstructions" exhibition, the redevelopment and regeneration of some rural complexes, and various reuse projects including school interior redevelopment projects as part of the "Making School" project of the Reggio Children Foundation. Academic activity sees him in 2010 and 2011 Visiting Tutor at the Royal College of Art in London, from 2012 to 2023 he teaches at the Department of Architecture, University of Ferrara. He also collaborates with Domus Academy in Milan and IAAD in Bologna.

In 2019, he was appointed as a member of the Curatorial Team of the Italian Pavilion "Resilient Communities"-principal curator Alessandro Melis-at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, held in 2021, and in charge of the "Story of a Minute" section on resilient communities in the post-earthquake period.

His work has been published in various architectural magazines and portals such as Abitare, Domus, and Dezeen. At the same time, as a writer - free-lance critic - he writes and has written for architecture magazines such as Abitare, Area, and Domus. From 2008 to 2012 he edited "Opere," a Tuscan architectural magazine published by the Florence Architects Foundation.

He edited for Skira the monograph "DillerScofidio + Renfro,. The Ciliary Function "on the American studio designers of, among others, the High Line and "The Shed," and also for Skira, with Michela De Poli, "The Atlas of Recycled Landscapes." With Lettera Ventidue, "Transformations: stories of contemporary landscapes". Now about to come out, for D Editore, "Story of a Minute," an essay on the work executed for the 17th Architecture Biennale. 

Duccio Ferroni

Duccio Ferroni graduated in Architecture from the University of Florence in 1984. As a student he started working at Paolo Fiori’s architecture firm as a junior partner since 1980. In that position he developed key roles in planning and architectural design, especially abroad (Lagos, Nigeria). He later completed his education at the IIT in Chicago in 1989.In the same year he joined Perkins and Will architecture firm where he further increased his interests in social and institutional projects, under the supervision of chief designer and partner, Ralph Johnson. While still in Chicago he started his collaboration with the US-based Chilean architect Rodrigo del Canto, working on rehab projects for theaters, elementary schools as well as private residences. In 1995, following his unyielding commitment for different opportunities and challenges, he moved to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to join Teknikaria architectural firm where he worked on large commercial and residential projects. 

He returned to Europe in 1996 and started his own architecture firm, while teaching at the University of Florence as adjunct professor in architectural design. He teaches at in Florence since 2008. He currently works between Italy and the US (Chicago) where he still maintains strong professional collaborations with Mozer & Associates. His work especially focuses on historical building preservation and restoration. 

Sylvie Duvernoy

Sylvie Duvernoy is an architect, graduated from Paris University in 1982. Later in 1998 she received her PhD degree from the Architecture Department of the University of Florence, specializing in architectural drawing and representation. After teaching classes in architectural drawing for several years at the engineering and architecture schools of the University of Florence and the University of Ferrara, she currently teaches at the Design School of the Politecnico di Milano in addition to the Florence Program of .  

Her PhD dissertation and following post-graduate research focus on the reciprocal influences between mathematics and historical architecture. The results of her studies have regularly been presented in international conferences, and published in several international journals. She has been editor for the Nexus Network Journal published by Springer, and is a founding member of the international association ”Nexus - Architecture and Mathematics”. 

In addition to research and teaching, Sylvie always maintained a private professional activity. After working for a few years in the Parisian office of an international Swiss architecture firm, she has been partner ever since 1989 of an associate office in Florence (“Studio Orsanmichele”), whose projects range from remodeling and restoration to new constructions, in Italy and abroad. 

Sylvie is also a visual artist: a watercolourist and painter. Her artworks have been shown in galleries and other spaces, especially in Paris-France (1985), in Valletta-Malta (1990), in Leipzig-Germany (since 1994), and more recently Florence and Padova in Italy. 

Among her many publications, the textbook written for students:

Sylvie Duvernoy, Elementi di disegno (Le Lettere, 2011). 

Roberto Nesti

Roberto Nesti obtained his Master of Arts degree from the Fine Art High School in Florence in 1975 and graduated in architecture from the University of Florence in 1982. He published articles in the magazine “Professione Architetto” from 1985 to 1990. His activity includes architecture, interior design, industrial design, and writing. Since the 1990’s he has collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution, the Duracell Group, and several industrial design companies. He has had several professional experiences in the following countries: Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic, France, USA, Algeria. He taught interior design at SACI in Florence from 2004 to 2007. He was professor of digital design in the Fashion Department of the Faculty of Architecture in Florence, Italy from 1997 to 2007. Since 2008 he teaches Sketching and Drawing at in Florence. 

  

Colomba Pecchioli

Colomba Pecchioli, born in Florence in 1976, is an architect graduated with honors from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Florence. 

Licensed as an architect since 2004, after being founder of collaborative networks such as "ottoperotto" with the aim of promoting contemporary architecture in Florence and being awarded in national and international competitions -among others, the New Pedestrian Mobile Bridge in the Arsenale site in Venice, she founded in 2012 as senior partner [P+P] architetti associati, working mainly on interior design projects and reuse and restoration projects on historical heritage for private clients. 

Since 2003 she flanked her professional activity with teaching activity, first in the Florence Faculty of Architecture as Teaching Assistant, then in IED -where she is Thesis Supervisor in the Interior Design Department and in SRISA-Santa Reparata International School of Art, where she is Adjunct professor of Design. In -Florence Program she has been teaching since 2018 the Reading Cities Course and more recently the ID Studio. 

In 2009 she was a promoter of the renewal of the Board of Architects of Florence, becoming the first woman as a President in 2012. After that she was nominated as a Board Member of the Florence Architects Foundation, where she was elected President from 2019 to 2021. 

Jacopo Gresleri

Jacopo Gresleri (Bologna 1971), architect, graduated with honor in Architectural Design at the University of Ferrara, PhD in "Architecture, Urban Design, Conservation of Housing and Landscape" at the Politecnico di Milano, he works as a freelance professional in Bologna. He’s a licensed Professorat Lector at AQU Catalunya. 

Adjunct professor of Architectural Design (English track) at Politecnico di Milano and of Reading Cities at (Florence), previously at Politecnico di Torino and Università di Ferrara. A former Visiting Lecturer and Visiting Critic at BUT (Brno), (Florence), California State University (Florence), NYIT (New York), Syracuse University (London), Maryland University (Florence), Roger Williams (Florence), Genoa, Alghero and Parma, he has participated as a speaker at conferences and seminars in Italy and abroad on the topics of cohousing, collaborative living and housing for the elderly. He has been involved in national research (Politecnico di Torino, Università di Ferrara, Università di Palermo in MIUR-PRIN and FAR) and international (Politecnico di Torino - EPFL Lausanne) and with ILAUD.  

Exhibition and architectural event curator, member of the Scientific Committee of the Licosia’s “Póleis” publishing series, and the author of essays, articles and monographs he also acts as a peer reviewer for some international Journals. 

College of the Arts

Guido Riccitelli
A photo of Guido Riccitelli against a dark backdrop.

Guido Riccitelli graduated from the POLIMODA Institute in Fashion Design in 1995, he immediately began working for some companies in various areas of the fashion sector, working in a wide variety of product sectors, ranging from Design to Product Development. As part of his experience, he has worked for Byblos (style assistant), Trussardi (Design Office), B.P. Studio (Design of Knitwear), Lineapiu' System (Design and Multi-brand Product Development) and Gucci (Design of Accessories - bags - belts). Since 2008, he has been teaching in  schools and Universities courses in   Fashion Design Area ( Illustrations, Fashion Design and Collection Planning, Draping and Moulage) . In these institutions, he has been able to combine all the experiences he has gained during his almost 15 years of corporate experience. 

Barbara Guarducci

Barbara Guarducci is a trend forecaster and accomplished creative director engaged in textile and craft design endeavors with a strong emphasis on social value. She leverages her professional expertise in projects where craftsmanship serves as a social and economic tool, contributing to the creation of high-quality ethically-made collections. Presently, her focus lies in supporting the textile craft supply chain through creative collaborations centered on a circular and design-driven approach, connecting artisans from her native country, Italy, and also from around the globe, to the mainstream industries of fashion and design.

For more than two decades, she has worked on international cooperation projects in creative direction and design training, fostering creative connections between artisans, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from various regions in the Global South, and the fashion industry. These efforts have involved significant collaborations with various UN agencies such as UNIDO, ITC, as well as international NGOs, and since 2010, the Zegna Foundation. Her extensive work experience spanning across Southeast Asia, Africa, Central and South America has shaped her concept of ethical design, honest fashion, and above all, reinforced her commitment to sustainability and humanity within her profession.
Barbara has cultivated a distinctive viewpoint encompassing the diverse facets of the industry, amalgamating her multidisciplinary experience. She has established a long-term role as an international lecturer, contributing to undergraduate and master courses on trends research, sustainability, and fashion future. Her teaching portfolio includes collaborations with various fashion academies and universities worldwide, notably Polimoda from 1999 to 2005, UC Universidad Catolica, Santiago, Chile from 2016 to 2021 and the , Florence Fashion program since 2012.
Furthermore, Barbara is a long-term contributor and trend research specialist at VIEW Publications.

Driven by an enduring passion for implementing creative initiatives with positive social impact, Barbara spearheads ‘Mending for Good’, an innovative consultancy focusing on fashion upcycling, craftsmanship and social values.

Fabiana Vannuccini

Fabiana is multi-faceted, energetic leader with proven ability to effectively manage projects. She earned a diploma in Marketing and foreign Languages in Florence, then started to work in the textile industry as a customer representative. She opened her own buying office in 1993, a link in fashion product development between European retailers and Italian suppliers, mainly operating in the Denim market segment. She later became Product Development Manager and R&D Director for different brands, including Levi’s, 7 for all Mankind and True Religion, among the American ones. She was appointed to be the CEO of an Italian-owned finishing company, dealing with all main international brands in Sportswear. In 2014 she got to know the Resident Director of Fashion Institute of Technology, Florence Program, who offered her a job, and became passionate about the teaching world. Now Fabiana mentors and coach undergraduate and graduate students at Polimoda International and Florence Program. She teaches a variety of courses including Sustainable Denim Supply Chain, Benchmarking and Market Analysis, Global Merchandising, Product Development. She continues to keep her feet in the industry, providing business development advisory to fashion denim brands and full package suppliers. Her strength is to bridge the gap between strategy and execution and contribute to sustainable value.

Sabine Strehl

Sabine Strehl, born in Germany in 1962, has built a remarkable career in fashion and education, now based in Florence, Italy.

Since 1993, Sabine has been teaching pattern making and sewing at Polimoda, FIT NY, and . She expanded to online teaching in 2020, connecting with students worldwide.

In the '80s, Sabine showcased her talent working as a pattern maker for "Ghezzi" in Italy. Her expertise caught the attention of iconic designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, for whom she crafted leather
collections, and Emilio Pucci, where she contributed to their renowned designs. She also crafted wedding dresses at "Morbar Sposa" in Florence and worked with "ELHO" Sportswear in Munich.

Her educational background is impressive, with a Master's in Pattern making from “Muller & Sohn”, recent training in Clo 3D, and foundational training in Munich, including an apprenticeship in haute couture.

Sabine's dedication and talent have earned her respect in both the fashion industry and academia.

College of Arts and Sciences

Doris Kessenich
An illustrated photo of Doris Kessenich.

Doris Kessenich is a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist for children and juveniles (licensed practitioner). She specialized after her studies in experimental psychology in the field of eating disorders working 5 years in a mental health facility conducting group therapy in mindful eating, body image, assertiveness, and relapse prevention. Since 2011 she implemented her expertise in Forensic Psychology working as an appointed expert witness for lawyers in the civil, juvenile, and criminal court. In her spare time, she enjoys inline skating being a former professional Rollerblader and she practices agility with her two Australian Shepherds. 

Anna Gravina
A photo of Anna Gravina in a library.

Anna Gravina earned her undergraduate degree in Italian Literature at the University of Florence with a thesis published in 2006 on the genesis of XX century's standard biographies of Italian Renaissance classics as Machiavelli, Guicciardini and Savonarola. Subsequently she graduated at the Siena University for Foreign Students obtaining the DITALS Diploma in Didattica dell'italiano come lingua straniera, (the certificate officially recognized for teaching Italian as a second language.)

Anna Gravina has a long experience as a teacher of Italian as a second language to international students in the main schools of the town. The courses of General Italian she has been in charge of include the study of Italian grammar as well as conversation courses. She has also been responsible for the syllabus and the didactics of courses addressed to American college students. She has regularly assisted the staff direction in programming preparation courses to DELI, DILI and DALI official certifications, and she has taken part as an examiner in the evaluation process. At the same time she has been teaching Italian (as a free-lance teacher) to chief executives of some international major companies.

Laura Visentin
A photo of Laura Visentin against a stone wall.

Laura Visentin earned her undergraduate degree in Classics, specialization in Medieval Archaeology at the University of Florence with a thesis on Early Medieval  London (1997) written after an Academic year spent at Royal Holloway, University of London and in cooperation with the Museum of London.

She earned her three years Master in Medieval Archaeology at the University of Florence with a thesis on the history and archaeology of Corsignano, before her transformation in Pienza by pope Pio II. 

Since 2002 she is adjunct professor for  American Study abroad Programs; beside teaching, she also guide students to school’s fieldtrips in Tuscany, Venice and Rome. She has been teaching at AIFS, FUA, Lorenzo de’ Medici and Siena School For Liberal Arts a wide range of classes in the field of Archaeology and Art history, including courses on Pompeii, guiding students to Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Since 2014, she is adjunct Professor for Kent State Florence, holding a course on “Roman Achievement” and taking students to Rome, Venice and Siena.

Her main field of study is the historical and archaeological  transformation of the town from roman times to the medieval period.

She has digging experiences in Italy (i.e. Medieval Castles in Tuscany - 1995-1999, Benedectine monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno, excavations directed by British school at Rome - 1995, Roman villa of Passo Lombardo in Rome - 1997) and abroad (Byzantine city of Halutza, excavations directed by University of Beer-Sheva, Israel - 2000).

Since 2016 Laura Visentin is also a free-lance Licensed Private Tour Guide. 

Laura Fenelli
A photo of Laura Fenelli against a colourful background.

Laura Fenelli, originally from Parma, has a Ph.D in Medieval History from the University of Bologna.

Since 2007 she been living and working as an art historian in Florence. She works on the history of medieval and early modern images and saints’ iconography and hagiography. She has received several national and international fellowships (in Paris, EHESS; Berlin, UdK; London, the Warburg Institute, Bologna, Università degli Studi, Florence, KHI; Niki & Istituto Sangalli) and has published widely (including two books and several articles). Her ongoing research activities include ‘Saints’ Iconography between Middle Ages and Early Modern Times’ and ‘Tracing the devotional topography of the Miraculous Image in Post-Tridentine Europe’. Since 2009 she has taught medieval and modern art history for U.S. college programs in Florence. She has joined Kent State Florence in 2015, where she is the Arts and Sciences program coordinator and she teaches Renaissance Art. Since 2020 she also teaches an online class of Medieval Art for the School of Art of Kent State (OH).  Since 2013 she has helped develop high school art history textbooks for Italian publishers like Giunti TPV and Loescher. 

Davide Lombardo
A photo of Davide Lombardo in a classroom.

Davide Lombardo is currently Global Lecturer in History, Metropolitan Studies and Liberal Studies at NYU Florence and also teaches Political Science at Florence and a course on Race and Identity in Italy at CEA. He holds a doctorate in History and Civilization from the European University Institute (Fiesole, Italy) as well as a French (Grenoble II) and Italian (Pisa) degrees in Modern History. His research focuses on European History from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. In 2009, he was Visiting Research Fellow at the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University, Visiting Fellow at the Yale Center for British Art, and Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Huntington Library. In 2020 and 2021 he was Visiting Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Liberal Studies at NYU Shanghai. His latest work is an edited volume - with Marcella Simoni, Languages of Racism and Discrimination in Twentieth-Century Italy, Palgrave 2022.

Cristiana Milli
A photo of Cristiana Milli with a natural background.

Cristiana Milli was born in Florence, where she studied classical languages and studies and then graduated in International Studies. Later she specialized in Teaching Italian as Second Language and received her Master’s degree in International and Diplomatic Studies at the University of Bologna. In May 2016 she partecipated in the course “Dyslexia and Foreign Language Teaching” organized by the University of Lancaster (UK) and in 2019/2020 in the course “Experts in Language Learning” organized by University of Parma. In 2023 she received her Master in “Teaching Italian to foreigners” at the University of Urbino. . After an experience as teacher of Italian language to immigrants, she has taught Italian and Culture at many North American programs and institutions for many years. At the moment she teaches Italian Language at and at California State University in Florence. Her study and interests are focused on cross-cultural and intercultural studies.

Rebecca Branconi
A photo of Rebecca Branconi in front of the sea.

Rebecca Branconi, Ph.D., is an Academic Affiliate of Biology at Pennsylvania State University, a Biology Professor at Florence and a professional naturalistic and scientific Illustrator. Branconi earned her undergraduate degree in General Biology and her master degree in Animal Behavior at the University of Florence. In 2011, she earned her Ph.D. in Ethology, Ecology and Evolution at Boston University, USA.  Her academic experience includes journal articles, conference/seminar presentations, and several mentoring activities. Her research interests include marine behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. More specifically, her main field of study is the formation, maintenance and transformation of animal social groups. Among her publications are: spatial autocorrelation in three habitat quality indicators sets the stage for evolution of adaptive dispersal plasticity in a coral reef fish (2023, Coral Reefs); social evolution in anemonefishes: formation, maintenance, and transformation of social groups (2022, In: Evolution, Development, and Ecology of Anemonefishes: Model Organisms for Marine Science); the next frontier in understanding the evolution of coral reef fish societies (2021, Frontiers in Marine Science); negotiations over parental care: a test of alternative hypotheses in the clown anemonefish (2021, Behavioral Ecology); ecological and social constraints combine to promote evolution of  non-breeding strategies in clownfish (2020, Communications Biology); sensory cues underlying competitive growth in the clown anemonefish (2020, Behavioural Processes). Currently, she teaches “Scientific Inquiry and Observation of the Natural World” at Florence and “Function and Development of Organisms” and “Environmental Marine Biology & Sustainability” at Pennsylvania State University.  

Lucilla Spini
A photo of Lucilla Spini against a light background.

Dr. Lucilla Spini is a bio-anthropologist with advanced academic training in the natural and social sciences as well as in the humanities.  Over the past 20 years, Dr. Spini has held various positions within the UN System (UNESCO, FAO and United Nations University) and international NGOs, working on global environmental change, sustainable development, science/policy interface, and gender lens. From 2015 to 2019, she co-organized the Scientific and Technological Community Major Group at the UN for the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences at McMaster University and as a Giorgio Ruffolo Research Fellow in Sustainability Science at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a Policy Leader Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute.  She is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Cultural Heritage Sciences of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISPC). She holds a B.A. (Honors in Anthropology) from New York University, a Laurea in foreign languages and literatures from the University of Florence, and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in human biology and Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) in biological anthropology, both from the University of Oxford. In 2020, she has published the book “Of Scatterlings and Stakeholders: diversity, inclusion and transnational governance for sustainable development” (Pontecorboli Editore, Firenze).  At KSU-Florence she teaches “Global Climate Change”, “Conservation of Natural Resources” and “Food Security and Sustainability”.   

Claudia Rossano
A photo of Claudia Rossano against a red background.

Claudia Rossano earned her undergraduate degree in Biology (2001) and got her Ph.D. in Ethology and Animal Ecology (2004) at the University of Florence (Italy). Part of her work on biological clocks was undertaken at the School of Biosciences in Birmingham (UK), where she started a collaboration that resulted in the publication of several papers on the ecological and physiological significance of circadian and ultradian rhythms in animals. Since 2002 she actively participated in numerous EU Framework programs on comparative and integrated approach to the ecology of Mediterranean coastal zones, cooperating with several Universities and Institutes mainly in Europe and North Africa (CNRS, Rennes, France; School of Biosciences, Birmingham, UK; HCMR, Heraklion, Crete; Universitè de Tunis, Tunisia; University of Alexandria, Egypt; Università di Cagliari, Italy). From 2011 to 2015 she worked in the Mapmed Project, on use of bioremediation technologies in Mediterranean touristic ports and transfer of monitoring tools to institutional authorities, with a task on the evaluation of the ecosystem status based on the association of water and sediment macrofauna to phytoplakton and microbial communities. Her research interests included biological rhythms, behavioral variability and adaptation, semi-terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity, conservation and animal ecology.

She still has occasional research contacts with University of Florence and she is actually involved in adult education following the UE directives on development of competences.

She collaborates with Florence from 2017 with the courses Elements of Genetics, Ecology and natural history of Mediterranean ecosystems, Human biology and Human biology Lab. Currently, she teaches Human biology and Elements of Genetics.

Course descriptions

Elements of Genetics (Spring)

The Course is organized in four main modules that cover Classical Genetics, Quantitative Genetics, Molecular and Population Genetics, and Functional and Medical genetics with the aim of providing tools to understand mechanisms of inheritance and genetic relevance to biological and biomedical research and technologies. This upper-division course assumes solid knowledge of material covered in BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (BSCI 10120).

Human biology (Fall)

This course is an introduction to human biology and as such will cover all aspects of the human organism from biochemistry to cells to organ systems to disease and death.  Whenever possible, course topics will be related to every day issues and concerns.  Minimal science background is needed for this course, but good listening and study skills are essential! If and when allowed by local authorities and Kent State policy the course includes a visit to a natural sciences exhibition, which includes an important collection of anatomical waxes.

Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship

Simone Anselmi
A photo of Simone Anselmi in a library.

Simone Anselmi has taught International Business and International Marketing at program in Florence, where he currently teaches the course of International Entrepreneurship and he is also the coordinator of the Business Program. Since 2002 he also taught the courses of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and International Management at Syracuse University campus in Florence where he currently teach a course of Made in Italy and Luxury Marketing. Simone Anselmi has also more than ten years of experience in consulting, training and coaching. During these years he has participated as trainer in many change management programs targeted to executives and managers and has structured and conducted specific training, coaching and action learning projects in Organizations like: Pirelli, Unicoop Firenze and Unicoop Tirreno, Conad, McArthurGlen, Intesa San Paolo, Monte dei Paschi , BNL, Electrolux, Whirlpool, Telecom Italia,  BMW, Tod’s, Stefanel,  Ikea, API – IP, ABB, Valtur,  Zegna.

He previously worked approximately ten years previous in Organizations as an account executive in the marketing / sales area.  He graduated in Economics and Statistics at the University of Florence. He has an MBA (SDA Bocconi, Milan) and a Certificate in Marketing / Advertising (NYU, New York). He is trainer certified with NLP, after NLP Practitioner and Master level degree. At the moment he also works as a trainer, consultant and business coach mostly with entrepreneurs and medium – small organizations executives on issues related to Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales process, Interpersonal Communication, Leadership and Public Speaking.

Sara De Masi
A photo of Sara De Masi in a courtyard.

Sara De Masi earned her Master Degree in Management and Business Administration at the University of Florence. In 2011 she got her Ph.D. in Economics, Markets and Institutions at IMT – Institute for Advanced Studies, one of the top post-graduated schools in Italy. Between 2010 and 2014 she joined New York University, Leonard Stern School of Business where she studied as a visiting Ph.D. student and a post-doc researcher. She is the author of numerous papers on strategic management and corporate governance. Her research interests include innovation, firm growth, academic spin-off, regulated companies, business and government relations, executive compensation, and board composition. Some of her papers are: Competitive strategies and innovation in academic spin-off (2014); Innovation and firm growth among different institutional frameworks and corporate governance systems (2013); Incentive compensation and incentive regulation: Empirical evidence (2014); and Independent directors: are they really effective or just a myth? (2014). Sara has worked as a strategic consultant for many institutions and business organizations. Currently, she teaches “International Business” and “Government and Business Relations” at Florence and “Corporate Governance” at University of Florence.

Alessandro Giannozzi

Alessandro Giannozzi is Adjunct Professor of Finance at and professor of Corporate Finance at the University of Florence. He earned his Ph.D in Finance at the University of Trieste and he was Assistant Professor of Finance at Link Campus University-Rome. In 2010 he joined to teach Business Finance. He has authored and co-authored several books and papers on finance and company valuation. His main research interests are credit rating estimation, risk management, company valuation and investment decisions. He is the author of several papers published in international journals such as Journal of Banking & Finance, Financial Markets, Institutions and Instruments, Journal of Empirical Finance, Longe Range Planning, Journal of Small Business Management. He is a co-organizer of the International Risk Management Conference, one of the most relevant international conference in the field of banking and finance. He has been consultant and financial advisor for multinational companies in the paper industry, in the wine and fashion sectors. 

College of Communication and Information

Fabio Corsini
A photo of Fabio Corsini in a library.

Fabio Corsini, Ph.D., is the coordinator of the Communication Program – College of Communication and Information, at Florence Center. He earned a BA in Political Science (2005) and an MA in Communication Studies (2006) from The University of Florence and a PhD in Sociology and Social Research (2011) from the University of Molise.

At KSU–Florence he served as professor since 2010 and he taught a variety of courses for the College of Communication and Information, for the Fashion Program (College of the Arts) and for the College of Arts and Sciences. In his role as academic coordinator, he develops programs, academic activities, field trips and course syllabi by working as a liaison between the Kent campus and Florence.

He has been Research Fellow at the University of Urbino (2014-2018) and collaborates as lecturer and adjunct professor with different Italian Universities (Sapienza University of Rome, Accademia Costume e Moda, Unicollege Firenze) and American College Programs in Florence (UCEAP–University of California Education Abroad Programs).

As a researcher he is interested in mediated representations and more specifically in the evolution of television narratives and how they represent relevant contemporary issues such as diversity, gender, and cultural identities. He also investigates brands and brand communication strategies, with a focus on made in Italy in relation to Italian fashion, Italian food, and wine.

He has published various articles focused on mediated representations – mainly television narratives – and on fashion branding and consumer culture. In 2014 he co-edited with F. Monceri Schegge di genere. Dagli stereotipi alla cittadinanza (Pisa: ETS, 2013). Together with P. Biondi and F. Monceri, and as member of the International Short Movie Festival UniversoCorto, he co-edited five volumes (2014-2021) on short movies and the representation of diversity for the book series Sakura (ETS Edizioni). In 2018 he coauthored the book together with Bernardo Valli Quel che resta del Made in Italy, Liguori, Napoli. In the same year he edited the book Italian Pop Culture: Media, Products, Imageries, for European Studies Series published by Viella. 

Tina Fallani
A photo of Tina Fallani in a library.

վԲ FԾ earned her degree in Film Editing, Video and Film at the Scuola del Cinema, Regione Lombardia RAI, Italian Radio and Television Network. She earned her diploma in Script Writing with Tonino Guerra at Evviva Il Cinema, Repubblica di San Marino and studied Law at the University of Florence. She started teaching History of Italian Cinema in 1992 in Florence and currently teaches for Georgetown University Villa le Balze.

Since 2013 Prof. Fallani has taught Italian Cinema at Florence. She has worked on many feature films, including: first assistant film editor, The Secret Garden, directed by Agnieszka Holland; assistant film editor, Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola; first assistant film editor, The Godfather Trilogy, directed by Francis Ford Coppola; assistant film editor, Godfather III, directed by Francis Ford Coppola; assistant film editor, Henry and June, directed by Phil Kaufman; film and sound editor, The Neon Empire, directed by Larry Penn; sound editor, Mountains of the Moon, directed by Bob Rafelson; assistant sound editor, Dead Poets Society, directed by Peter Weir; film and sound editor for post-production, Best Shot, Fantasy Film Ltd.; translation consultant on Willow, directed by George Lucas; film and sound editor, Of Men and Angels, directed by William Farley; and worked on The Unbearable Lightness of Being, directed by Phil Kaufman.

She has been a jury member at the San Francisco International Film Festival and a coordinator of the Florence Film Festival. 

Francesca Passeri

Francesca Passeri, Ph.D., is Professor of Branding and Social Media Strategies for Italian Lifestyle and Professor of Luxury Market at Florence Center. She earned a BA at the School of Law (1998) and an MA in Communication and Media (2000) from The University of Florence and a PhD in Information Communication Technology (2012) from the University of Florence.

Before starting her academic career, she worked and collaborated with important fashion and luxury brands.

At KSU Florence she has been working as professor since 2012 and she taught a variety of courses for the College of Communication and Information, for the Fashion Program and for the College of Hospitality Management.  Since 2018 she has been coordinating the Hospitality Management internship program for the College of Education Health and Human Services. She also participated in academic activities, fieldtrips and lectures.

She collaborated as adjunct professor with the College of Political Science, University of Florence coordinating the academic activities of the international program CoMundus as well as teaching marketing and communication related courses within the same program. As adjunct professor, she also taught marketing and communication at the College of Political Science, University of Florence, and she organized courses of public speaking within the same college. She also collaborated and collaborates as adjunct professor for several American College Programs in Florence, teaching fashion and luxury related courses as well as marketing and communication courses. 

As a researcher, she is interested in brands and brand communication strategies, with a focus on made in Italy and its main fields in particular Italian fashion, Italian design, Italian food, and wine.  Her researches are also focused on sustainable practices in fashion and luxury, marketing strategies of Italian lifestyle related brands, as well as on the analysis of brand management in luxury and fashion.

She has published various articles focused on sustainability in fashion, fashion and culture, fashion corporate museums as tool of brand communication.  In 2019, she participated at the cultural festival “L’eredità delle donne”, at Florence within the panel “From luxury to excellence. New branding strategies of Italian Lifestyle and the role of women in the construction of the country branding made in Italy”.

In 2019, she participated to the Rome Fellows Symposium, Richmond University “From Handcraft to Luxury: Branding Italian Style”. In 2019, she organized the conference “Study Abroad: the discomfort zone. Teaching the Other: Intercultural Challenges in Study Abroad”, at ISI Florence. In 2020, she participated at the conference “Colors, fabrics, patterns – African fashion as inspiration and identity statement”, Black History Month Florence, ISI Florence.

In 2020, she coauthored the journal “Beyond” The ISI Florence and Umbra Institute Studies in International Education.

She is founder and member of FLICK (cultural association), Factory for Learning International Culture and Cross Creative Knowledge. 

College of Education, Health and Human Services

Marco Bracci
A photo of Marco Bracci against a colourful background.

Marco Bracci got his B.A. degree in Political Sciences, his M.A. in Communication and Media and his Ph.D. in Sociology of Communication at the University of Florence. From 2002 to 2012 he taught sociological courses and was research collaborator at the Department of Sociology and Political Sciences, University of Florence. Marco began teaching at important US Study Abroad University programs in Florence in 2013.

He is adjunct professor at in Florence – where he teaches SPAD 45024 SPORT IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE (Summer Institute) - at University of Minnesota-Florence, at AIFS Global Education Center – Florence, and at Gonzaga in Florence. He is member of the American Sociological Association (ASA), and the Steering and Monitoring Committee of IRPET. Marco is AIFS Academic Advisory Council member (2023-2025).

His research interests focus on social and cultural changes in late modernity, media, popular music, sports, food and education abroad. His publications include monographs, essays and chapters in books. Some of his books are: Da Modugno a X Factor. Musica e società italiana dal dopoguerra a oggi (2010); Radici di Ferro e Futuro d’Acciaio (2012); and The Dark Side of the Moon. Viaggio nell’identità dei Pink Floyd (2013).

He has recently co-authored the following publications about the Study Abroad Sector: the sociological research Study Abroad in Italy. Fra economia della conoscenza, turismo e soft power (2021), and the only existing students’ guidebook in English Study Abroad in Florence (first edition, 2022 and second edition, 2023).

Some of his include: Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu. Storia e Consumo Culturale di un Brano Made in Italy da Sanremo 1958 ai Grammy Awards, in S. Cinotto and G. Crisanti (edited by), Un Oceano di Stile. Produzione e Consumo di Made in Italy negli Stati Uniti del Dopoguerra (2023); The “journey” of personal identity in The Dark Side of the Moon, in Human development, ed. by Beatriz Pena Acuna (2013); Online music listening and consumption, and the re-definition of personal identities in our radical modernity, in Popular culture: A Reader, ed. by Beatriz Pena Acuna and Otto Von Feigenblatt (2013).

He is co-founder and newsroom member of the cultural review where he writes about media, society, food culture and sports. 

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