Faculty Profiles

Cecil Battiste
Mr. Cecil Battiste has been teaching accounting full-time since 1994. Previous to joining Valencia in 1999, Mr. Battiste was at El Paso Community College. His course experience includes Principle of Financial Accounting, Principles of Management Accounting, Cost Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Internships in Accounting and other related courses. Professional Experience. From 1989 until 1994, Mr. Battiste worked in both public and private accounting offices. His duties included preparation of financial reports and schedules, federal and state income tax compliance and planning, payroll tax returns and budgeting. Education and Certification. Masters in Accounting from Florida State University in 1989. B.S. in Accounting from Florida State University 1988. Associate in Arts from Valencia CC in 1985. Passed the May 1990 uniform CPA exam and remained licensed from 1990 to 2001. Personal. Professor Battiste grew up in Winter Park, Florida and is married with two kids. His interests outside the classroom include following the stock market, the valuation of business entities and college football.

TOP

Walter Martin
Walter Martin became involved in teaching accounting classes at Valencia in 1999 as an adjunct professor. He became a full time professor of business and accounting in August 2002 after realizing that he had found a new home in the academic world. The challenge of overlaying his vast corporate and business experience to students in the classroom was a strong motivating force that prompted him to leave his corporate world and make the transition to full time professor.

He began his education development track by earning his BS Degree in Finance and Small Business Management at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and then his MBA Degree from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. He taught his very first class of Small Business Management in the Dekalb County Community College system after working for Deloitte and Touch, Pyramidwest Development Corp. and Mobil Chemical Company. That is where his true love of teaching was developed. Feeling the need for more working knowledge he acquired experience in the Accounting, Finance, Operations, Small Business Management, and Food and Beverage business by working for top corporations and then his own food and beverage business.

In 1997, he moved to Orlando, FL to begin working at the Walt Disney World Resort as a Food and Beverage Finance Manager and then in 1999 took a position as an Area Manager responsible for a $9 million restaurant operation. He currently uses all of his experience to help motivate his students to do the best they can in their chosen career path and he will go out of his way to assist them with the learning process. He feels that it is his job to provide not only the academic side of the learning process, but also the practical on-the-job experiences and skill sets that will be necessary for students to be successful.

He is the proud father of two daughters and he hails from NYC and Hyannis MA. Professor Martin enjoys life; loves to travel and you will see him smiling around campus. If it is physical, he will do it as he loves the outdoors and all of the associated activities.

Nancy Staiger Portello
Nancy Staiger Portello recently joined Valencia Community College as Professor of Accounting. Mrs. Portello is a C.P.A. with “Big Four”, Fortune 500 and small business expertise. She has more than 20 years of business experience in manufacturing, construction, non-profit, attraction/entertainment and real estate industries. Professor Portello has conducted internal audits in the European, South American and the Far Eastern markets.

Recently Professor Portello served as Chief Financial Officer for BarrierMed, Inc. She contributed accounting, forecasting, budgeting, personnel and operational leadership to the BarrierMed team. Prior to this, Professor Portello was the Vice President/Chief Financial Officer for the new $50 million Orlando Science Center, a successful public/private partnership.

Professor Portello holds an MBA from the University of Cincinnati. She has also completed training in the Philip Crosby Quality Education System and Total Quality Management Programs. She is a member of the Leadership Orlando Class of 1993. An expert in non-profit accounting, Professor Portello has presented at the following meetings or conferences: Florida Association of Museums, American Association of Science & Technology Centers, Grant Professionals Network, Inc, and the Institute of Management Accountants.

Professor Portello and her husband have four children. She volunteers for Canine Companions for Independence and the Mental Health Association of Central Florida. Her hobbies include gardening and Tae Kwon Do.

TOP

Jane Wiese
Professor Wiese joined the Valencia Community College faculty in 1987.
Professor Wiese holds a BA, cum laude and an MAT in Teaching from Washington University in St. Louis. She earned an MSM in Management from Rollins College. Professor Wiese has also completed graduate work in western American history at the University of Arizona.

Professor Wiese served as an officer in the US Navy. During her tour of duty she served in the areas of communications and national security. Early in her teaching career, Professor Wiese taught high school American history, economics, and psychology.

Professor Wiese brings to her teaching practical experience in the financial services sector. After graduating from Rollins, she worked at Sun Bank as an accountant and financial analyst. She moved to Boulder, Colorado and opened a financial planning practice. She earned the Certified Financial Planner designation and practiced as a CFP after her return to Orlando.

Professor Wiese has worked for several publishers as a textbook supplements author, specializing in test banks. She is a regular presenter at state and national accounting educator conferences on topics such as curriculum development and classroom management.

Professor Wiese is a member of the steering committee for the Florida Association of Accounting Educators (FAAE) and a member of the board of Teachers of Accounting at Two Year Colleges (TACTYC).

Professor Wiese has received recognition from NISOD for the high quality of her teaching and service to the education profession. She has also received an endowed chair award from Valencia.

Professor Wiese is married and is a proud mom and foster mom. Three of her children attended Valencia and have gone on to the University of Florida, the Air Force Academy, and dental school.

In addition to her teaching and accounting program duties, Professor Wiese mentors international students. She attended high school in South America and graduated from Santiago College in Santiago de Chile. She has been a foster mom to high school exchange students from Brazil, Denmark, Japan and Macedonia. Professor Wiese is active in her church community serving as lector, Eucharistic minister and as a member of the finance council. Her hobbies include cooking, genealogy, and ball room dancing.

TOP

Laurie Larson
http://faculty.valencia.cc.fl.us/llarson

TOP