Faculty & Staff

Vicki is a Prevention Program Coordinator at FCPR and the coordinator of the Calhoun/Liberty Prevention Partnership Grant sponsored by the Florida Department of Children and Families, in sponsorship with Chemical Addictions Recovery Effort (CARE). Vicki formerly coordinated and implemented the Green Dot Bystander Intervention project in Calhoun and Liberty counties.  Vicki was previously the Drug Epidemiology Network representative for Washington County where she collected surveillance data on opioid deaths and local drug patterns and trends for the State Outcomes Epidemiological Workgroup. She continues to work with local community coalitions to increase community connectedness and awareness of the prevention projects. Prior to her work with prevention projects, she taught at Blountstown Elementary School and Blountstown High School and brings with her 35 years of teaching experience and expertise. She holds a BA and MS from Florida State University in elementary education and reading. Her work with FCPR provides her the opportunity to continue to offer school-based prevention programs, including in her hometown community of Blountstown and to the students of Calhoun and Liberty counties.

Katie Burtoft brings her wealth of experience and expertise to The Florida Center for Prevention Research, having joined our team in 2024. With a background in Higher Education and over six years of dedicated service within non-profit, community-based organizations, Katie is deeply committed to supporting families and individuals in need. Holding both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Family and Child Sciences from Florida State University, Katie's academic foundation complements her practical experience, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing community needs. At FCPR, Katie is the coordinator for all of our Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention evaluation projects.

Monica Laughlin serves as the Senior Administrative Specialist at The Florida Center for Prevention Research, where she oversees office administration, procurement, travel, and human resources; and supports the fiscal management of sponsored projects. Before joining FCPR in 2024, Monica served in the financial and administrative management and support of two other centers at Florida State University and for a not-for-profit foundation that founded and continues to support a research center at FSU. From 2005 to 2023 Ms. Laughlin served as Business Manager of the Claude Pepper Center and the DeVoe L. Moore Center at FSU in the management of the centers' financial, human resource, project, and administrative operations.

Tyriq Stewart joined The Florida Center for Prevention Research in 2024 as a Research Data Analyst specializing in epidemiology and biostatistics. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, an M.P.H., and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health Degree at Florida A&M University. Tyriq serves the Data Analyst for the DCF Applied Opioid Research Project. With extensive experience in infectious disease prevention, program evaluation, and public health research, Tyriq has contributed significantly to advancing health initiatives through data-driven strategies. Tyriq has worked on diverse projects involving epidemiological analysis with the Florida Department of Health and the CDC. He has also served as an adjunct professor, mentoring future public health professionals, and has presented research at national conferences. He plans to become a well-rounded researcher to give back to the community by engaging in community-based participatory research.

Serenity Vasile is a Program Associate at The Florida Center for Prevention Research, contributing to DCF's Opioid Applied Research Project. Serenity graduated from Florida State University in Fall 2023 with a dual degree in Psychology and Public Health with minors in Statistics and Public Administration. Serenity has previous work experience as a Research Assistant at the Florida Center for Reading Research where she did data collection, data entry, and data clean up. She plans to pursue a master's degree in public health and later on a JD in Health Law.

Bonnie Wertenberger joined The Florida Center for Prevention Research as Prevention Program Director in January 2021. She has managed state and federally funded prevention programs including grants in the areas of sexual violence prevention, alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse prevention, juvenile delinquency prevention, and participated in the drug epidemiology network. She has also managed a multi-district virtual education program and has over 20 years experience as a classroom and virtual instructor. Ms. Wertenberger has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education and an M.S. in Vocational Education with a technology specialty from University of Central Florida. Ms. Wertenberger holds a Florida Teaching Certification in Business Education, as well as training certifications in the following prevention strategies: Green Dot, LifeSkills, Too Good for Drugs, Guiding Good Choices, Active Parenting of Teens, Motivational Interviewing, and TOPS.

Emma Westley is a Program Associate at the Florida Center for Prevention Research, where she assists with the Opioid Applied Research project. In Spring 2024, Emma graduated from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) with a double major in Social Work and Psychology. In her time at UNH, Emma provided crisis support to survivors of interpersonal violence as an advocate. Additionally, she has worked as a Research Assistant at the Prevention Innovation Research Center, which aims to prevent sexual violence, relationship violence, and stalking. Emma hopes to promote community well-being through her involvement at the FCPR.

Karen Zak is a Prevention Program Coordinator at The Florida Center for Prevention Research. Karen's primary role is the coordination of the Wakulla Drug-Free Communities program, a federal grant sponsored by the CDC, in partnership with the Wakulla County Coalition for Youth (WCCY, https://wccy.org/). Karen is a Tallahassee native as well as a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She currently resides in Wakulla County where she is deeply involved in the community and is passionate about strengthening the work of the WCCY and bringing additional prevention services to the community.