In its eleventh season, The College of the Florida Keys’ VIP Series presents new opportunities to educate, entertain, and enrich our community. The 2025 CFK VIP Series features speakers and performers of local, regional, and national prominence to share their visions, ideas, and perspectives on an array of topics. Four evening events will be held in the College’s Tennessee Williams Theatre and one in CFK's Upper Keys Center. Tickets are $5 at the door; admission is free for CFK and Monroe County School District students.
Thanks to our sponsor Essentials Net Solutions
Dr. Jack Stein Grove will be drawing from 50 years of research and adventures in the Galapagos Islands, Dr. Grove will discuss the natural history and incredible wildlife of the enchanting archipelago.
Dr. Jack Stein Grove, a 1972 graduate of the College of the Florida Keys. Dr. Grove began his research in the Galapagos in 1975 when he sailed out of Miami on a three-month expedition. Since then, Jack has published numerous scientific and popular articles on his research. He worked with Jean Michele Cousteau, who wrote the foreword to his first book, published by Stanford University Press in 1997. During the presentation on January 15, Jack will share with the audience the natural history of the Islands and his adventures of the past five decades, guiding thousands of snorkelers and divers through this enchanted archipelago.
January 15 - 7pm Location: CFK's Upper Keys Center in Key Largo
January 16 - 7pm Location: Tennessee Williams Theatre, Key West
Dr. Spadaro will focus on landscape scale restoration of Caribbean coral reef communities. He will discuss manipulating ecological processes, such as grazing, to facilitate and support the restoration and recovery of coral reefs.
Spadaro's work is primarily focused on Florida’s Coral Reef, but he has active collaborative projects throughout the Caribbean including Belize and Mexico where he is part of a multi-national and multi-institution team working with a large native crab whose potential to facilitate large scale coral reef restoration is dramatic. His research is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Monroe County Tourism Development Council, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Mote’s Protect Our Reefs grant program.