David Gormong, Tom Mazzone and Lori Sefton
As the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) resumes “business as usual” after 18 months of handling the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also pleased to welcome three new faculty members. “I’m excited to work with our new faculty,” says IAA Director Glori Hyman. “Along with their decades of classroom teaching experience, they bring fresh ideas and perspectives to Jull Hall that benefit all of us--faculty and students.”
David Gormong holds a B.A. in Music Theory from Asbury College and two M.A. degrees in Spirituality (St. John’s University) and Communication (Wheaton College Graduate School).
With an M.A. in Communications, he has a passion for preparing students to serve others through effective speaking, empathic listening, and an appreciation for our human diversity. Gormong has joined the IAA as an Oral Communication Lecturer.
What drew you to the IAA?: “It was an opportunity to teach communication in a university setting where my agricultural background is also honored.”
What you are most excited about?: “President Pine's emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion excites me. I look forward to seeing how I can contribute to creating a culture of respect and inclusion at UMD and in the wider community.”
Tom Mazzone is welcomed back to the University of Maryland campus this time not as a student (UMD ‘13 Agriculture Science and Technology/Secondary Science Education) but as the IAA Agricultural Technology Lecturer and Advisor. In 2021 Mazzone graduated from the University of Florida with an M.S. in Agriculture Education and Communication.
What drew you to the IAA?: “As the first person in my family to attend and graduate from college, I've always considered my graduation from University of Maryland to be one of my proudest accomplishments. The University of Maryland really pushed me out of my comfort zone as a student and laid out a path for me to pursue my passion for teaching, helping, and mentoring others. I often think, where would I be had I not gone to Maryland? The University of Maryland set the stage for how my professional life would later unfold, and I've been eternally grateful ever since. In many ways, I feel my return to the University is my way of giving back, and helping to ensure that our current and future students receive the same positive and empowering experience as I did.
The IAA also aligns with another one of my passions, which is instilling in others the confidence and skillsets they need to be productive with their hands. I’ve always found great pride in helping students tap into their unknown potential. Through kinesthetic instruction, students have a new ability to relay their knowledge through a physical medium. There’s unspeakable value in being able to physically produce results from what you know. What one can produce with their hands is almost a universal language that is not biased of their background, language barrier, sex, race, or religion. Developing a skill set allows all students to contribute meaningfully to society, whether that be welding, plumbing, wiring, wrenching, growing, or something else. I find it empowering and a major confidence boost for students as they leave the classroom with the resilience, grit, and determination they need to tackle whatever obstacles life may throw at them.”
What are you most excited about?: “I am most excited about developing a new curriculum that aligns with cutting-edge agricultural technology and putting it into the hands of our students. For the first time ever in agriculture history, UAV's or drones have granted producers the ability to monitor plant health of every single plant, every day, at every point of the growing season. This is fascinating to me, and something that I believe will hold a strong place in the future of agriculture. My hope is to develop a course that permits students to get hands-on with this technology and use the collected data in a variety of different scenarios to make educated, proactive, and environmentally friendly agronomic decisions.”
Dr. Lori Sefton joins the IAA as an Oral Communication lecturer after serving Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) for nearly 15 years as an instructor and administrator along with several other colleges around the nation. Dr. Sefton holds a B.S. in Radio-Television, an M.S. in Speech Education, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication all from SIUC.
What drew you to the IAA?: “I saw myself fitting in here. It was a combination of the people, hard-working staff, student focus, and practical teaching philosophy.”
What you are most excited about?: “Definitely being in the classroom full-time after being an administrator and a teacher at my last college.”
Please visit the faculty/staff page for contact information for IAA faculty and staff, or meet them in person at one of our upcoming events.
