Behind every renowned department is a talented and dedicated support team, and the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida is no exception. From fiscal responsibilities to departmental onboarding, the exceptional FSHN administrative staff makes sure students, faculty, and staff are ready to tackle their academic journeys.

In this article, meet the members of our administrative suite, and the next time you interact with them, be sure to thank them for their hard work!

Fiscal Department:

Shelly Stiriz

Tell me about your role in the FSHN administrative office.

I manage and overseeing the daily operations of the FSHN Department, including fiscal and post-award management, effort oversight, record keeping, reporting, account management, and administrative support. I provide strategic financial guidance, optimize resource allocation, and monitor financial performance.

What is your favorite part about working in the FSHN Department?

My favorite part about working here are the people.  I think we have the best department and the best people!!

What is something that people don’t know about you?

(1) We went to Cancun, Mexico on a family cruise and adopted a Maltese 2-year-old black dog.  She was the best dog we ever had, we had her for 12 years and recently had to put her to sleep.
(2) We had Jane’s Addiction give us a private concert in our driveway for us + 50 of our closest friends.

Dana Conway

Tell me about your role in the FSHN administrative office. 

My position in the department is Administrative Specialist II – I handle the post-awards for our department.

What is your favorite part about working in the FSHN Department?

I enjoy the administrative staff and the faculty are great to work with.

What do you like to do in your free time?

We have a hobby farm with:

• Two donkeys named Mini and Pearl,
• Two potbelly pigs named Dill and Pickles, and a duck named Duck (he is in love with Pickles and is always with her).
• Three chickens,
• Three dogs named Rusty, Lucy, and Harley Quinn, and
• Three cats named Jinx, Jazz, and Chip.
• We also have a handicapped turkey named Jake. He was born with a twisted leg, and he can only walk a few steps at a time.
• We feed 12-15 deer every night.

Denise Kirkland

Tell me about your role in the FSHN administrative office.

I am a Fiscal Assistant. My primary responsibility is to ensure charges and payments for our department are accurate and payable. This role also involves ensuring the proper funds are used for those payments. I oversee monthly reporting to complete the balancing of our funds. I assist staff and faculty with fiscal issues and reservations of the department van, conference rooms, and parking passes.

What is your favorite part about working in the FSHN Department?

Many people will say working with others. People read that and think that is just something someone says. For me, it is so true. The people in my department are awesome. It is a wonderful thing to say you enjoy working close with others. Our team is a productive team, but we also have fun while doing it. We laugh quite frequently, and as they say, laughter is the best medicine.

What are three things that people don’t know about you?

(1) I share a birthday with a former US president.
(2) My favorite color is blue.
(3) I love to attend ice hockey games.

Mary Ann Spitzer

Tell me about your role in the FSHN administrative office.

My title is Fiscal Assistant II, and my main responsibilities are to process shopping carts (requisitions) for department employees and to process travel requests and expense reports, including personal reimbursements. I also handle journal entries and other miscellaneous issues for the fiscal team. Since I have been here for 12 years, I can also back up the others on the fiscal team. I have done a little bit of everything over the years!

What is your favorite part about working in the FSHN Department?

I really enjoy working with the people in the FSHN department. Now that I’m working remotely, I don’t see everyone as often as I used to, but I know I can pick up the phone or text my teammates, and they are always willing to answer questions or help me with any issues. I feel like we really have a good team, and it helps us to serve the department the best we can.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy gardening, video games, and I really love to read. I take my Kindle with me everywhere I go. I’m working on turning a walk-in closet in my house into a hydroponic vegetable garden “greenhouse.” I am also trying to learn Korean along with my twin sister. We both love watching Korean television and listening to K-Pop music. A bit of background: I moved here from Wisconsin in 2010 with my twin sister. We live next door to our oldest sister on five acres in the country. My twin also works at UF doing the same thing I do in a different department, so I feel like I have a teammate at my remote location. I love animals and currently have three cats.

Human Resources:

Kelly Smith

Tell me about your role in the FSHN administrative office. 

I handle the faculty, staff, and graduate assistant onboarding processes as well as tenure/promotion and space allocation and effort.

What is your favorite part about working in the FSHN Department?

I like the people that I work with. I enjoy working with faculty and staff with their onboarding processes and helping our department grow.

What are three things that people don’t know about you?

(1) I like spending the weekends with my family at my pool (when it’s warm).
(2) I am known as the “Cheesecake Queen” at my church.
(3) I love karaoke singing.

Julie Barber

Tell me about your role in the FSHN administrative office.

I handle payroll, OPS and student appointments, tuition waivers for existing students, human resources changes to the FSHN website, and act as Kelly’s backup. I can give a historical perspective of the department when asked.

What is your favorite part about working in the FSHN Department?

The people and what they are doing! They are improving the lives of all healthy people as well as sick patients through food. Food science has so many cool projects–it is hard to believe that there is science in everything we eat.

What are three things that people don’t know about you?

(1)  My husband of over 40 years and I have 15 grandchildren. Twelve of them live locally, and if I am not in the FSHN Department, you will probably find me at a game, competition, or performance.
(2)  I have two very cute baby goats: Zeb and Esther.
(3)  I first started working for the FSHN Department in 1987 and retired from FSHN and UF in 2019. I guess I could not stay away!

Thank you to our wonderful administrative team!