Master of Public Administration (MPA), Florida Gulf Coast University
B.A. in Communication, Florida Gulf Coast University

Courtney has collaborated with the College of Arts and Sciences, the Honors College, Undergraduate Studies, First Year Experience, University Admissions, Advising, Housing and Residence Life, and LLC administrators and faculty to develop courses, programming, service-learning opportunities, and coursework designed to create a community of learners, leaders, and servers who see the direct connection between their coursework, service, leadership, and our University mission. Courtney's areas of expertise include community engagement and service learning, non-profit organizations, and servant leadership.

Courtney partnered her LTS LLC cohort with non-profit organizations in Southwest Florida (SWFL) so that her students could develop and refine skills while simultaneously and collaboratively designing engaged scholarly products, conducting research, and completing meaningful, action-driven service-learning projects. Courtney's interest in creating a community of student leaders who work together on issues of sustainability (collaborative learning skills) allowed her to develop opportunities in the classroom and SWFL community for students to not only understand the value of civil service and engaged scholarship as it related to their academic experience (content knowledge) but the opportunity to evaluate and respond to the needs of their local community (critical thinking) through collaboratively designed projects that produced real, tangible, and beneficial results. Courtney's experiential approach to teaching provides opportunities for her students to understand the importance of being servant leaders who are equipped with the skills and knowledge to be active, engaged, and contributing members of their local and global communities. Courtney also researched and tracked the benefits of Living Learning Communities (LLC's) to FGCU, the Southwest Florida community, and LLC students and faculty, with a particular focus on how LLC's impact attainment, retention, and long-term academic, leadership, service, and social success on University campuses.

Courtney also has an interest in Restorative Juvenile Justice. Her multi-year study (June 2004-May 2007) of Restorative Juvenile Justice allowed her to facilitate School Accountability Board (SAB) sessions in the Collier County School District. Courtney served as the lead researcher and coordinator for the SAB and ran weekly board meetings with leading restorative justice practitioners, Collier County School campus officers, principals, guidance counselors, students, and parents, as well as police officers, and FGCU Political Science faculty and students. In her authored and published 75-page research brief, she examined the efficiency, long-term benefits, and effectiveness of the SAB on 130 middle and high school juvenile offenders. Courtney's research included case studies, a cost-benefit analysis, and a thorough review of the principles and practices of restorative juvenile justice. As part of her larger scope, her study analyzed crime rates, local and national trends, and best practices for preventing and reducing crime on K-12 campuses, while restoring justice and safety to the community. Courtney's study found that 90% of offenders successfully completed the SAB program and remained less likely to reoffend. Courtney's program assessment revealed that the SAB model was time efficient, cost-effective, and provided specific services for victims and offenders that followed best practices for restorative justice. As part of her focus on restorative justice as applied to middle and high school public schools, her research concluded that modern justice methods (incarceration, expulsion, etc.) do not solve, nor prevent, juvenile crime. However, restorative justice practices, as modeled in her SAB study, had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the school and community, reduced crime, and positively influenced how victims, offenders, and their community prevented and responded to crime.

Foundations of Civic Engagement
Directed Independent Studies
Integrated Core Senior Seminar
Humanities and Social Issues
Themes in the Humanities
Honors Freedom to Serve
Honors Lead to Serve
Honors Foundations of Civic Engagement
Honors Reading
Capstone for Integrated Studies Majors
Leadership Through Service

The SAGE Sourcebook of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. (Attention + Action: The Southwest Florida Paradigm for Community-Engaged Scholarship. C. Satkoski, B. Kliewer, B. Hollingshead, and J. Rhea) (April 2015)

Courtney has presented at numerous local, state, and international conferences including Florida Campus Compact, Florida Communication Association, Eastern Regional Campus Compact, Florida Mosquito Control Association, South Central Association of Blood Banks, International Listening Association, and more. Courtney has also represented the College of Arts and Sciences and Honors College and presented at dozens of lecture series, meetings, events, workshops, and new faculty trainings at FGCU and in the SWFL community. Specifically, Courtney has presented on a wide range of topics for Undergraduate Studies, the Honors College, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Lucas Center for Faculty Development, the Whitaker Center, and the Department of Integrated Studies that include, but are not limited to, topics such as: "Civic Engagement: Best Practices," "Leadership Through Service: Best Practices," "Leadership Through Service: The Million Dollar Cohort," "Teaching Excellence Award Winner: Best Practices," "Service Excellence Award Winner: Best Practices," "Innovative Course Design Winner: IDS 1931," "Service Learning and Community Engaged Projects," "Course Organization and Design," "FGCU Malaria Project: Partnering with President Jimmy Carter and the Clarke Cares Foundation," "Hunting for a Cure: Funding the Cure," "Service-Learning and Student Success," "Leadership Through Service (LTS) Living Learning Community (LLC) Model: How LLC's Impact University Attainment and Retention," and "The FGCU and LCMC Partnership: Expanding STEM Education in K-12 Education."

Courtney has won over three dozen awards for her work with service and leadership and has twice been awarded the Service-Learning Faculty of the Year. Courtney was also named the FGCU Faculty of the Year, the Dr. Helen Mamarchev Advisor of the Year, the Leadership and Involvement Outstanding Program and Outstanding Service Program of the Year, and the Lion's Club Community Service Excellence Award winner. Last, Courtney was named the National Society of Leadership and Success Educator of the Year, WINK TV's 2016 Service Award Winner, the FGCU Individual Faculty Service Excellence Award Winner, the Junior Instructor Teaching Excellence Award Winner, and the 2017 Engaged Faculty of the Year for all Florida Universities, a first time nominee and winner for FGCU.