Meet Our Instructors
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I am a native of the Central Florida area and attended the University of Central Florida, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. I went on to receive a master’s degree in Public Administration from Troy University, in addition to serving in the Navy for four years. During my time at the University of Central Florida, I met my future wife. We married and had two sons, Langston and Malcolm, who kept us busy with a variety of sports played during their attendance in the Orlando public schools. It was not a surprise that our sons hold this interest as I have always been a sports enthusiast. Now that our sons have grown and my wife retired from her position as a Managing Engineer with Lockheed Martin, our new favorite pastime is traveling within the US and to different countries.
In the past, I have worked in local government as a manager, with responsibility for a diverse set of departments. This led to insight regarding the importance of coordinating teams and working as a productive team member, which is an essential quality to have when coordinating the process of purchasing or selling a home. My real estate experience includes previously owning a mortgage company, so I understand the importance of attention to detail, time management, and coordination of different players to ensure your purchase or sale stays on course from inception to completion. Additionally, as an investor and landlord, I have real-life experience with negotiating to ensure my customers receive the best possible services and Return on Investment (ROI).
As part of my continuing education, I have acquired my Short Sales & Foreclosure Resource (SFR) certification from the National Association of Realtors. My most recent educational accomplishments include attaining a Broker Associate License in 2012, Real Estate Instructor's License in 2017, Leading Real Estate Relocation Certification, and Leading Real Estate Luxury Portfolio Certification.
My objective as both a realtor and Instructor is to never stop learning, so I can provide my customers and students with the best possible service. I am excited about the continual transformation of the Central Florida region from agricultural into a diversified economy, and the opportunity to share my knowledge with students as they begin a new career path.
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Wendell began his real estate career in New York City, where he worked in real estate, construction, and development for a Fortune 500 Company. During his time in New York, Wendell became deeply involved in negotiating leases and renewals with retail mall ownership groups, selling company real estate holdings to developers, and was mentored by renowned business leaders in a fast-paced setting that demanded success. Upon relocating to Florida, Wendell set out to earn his Florida Sales license, then a Broker license as he stepped into the Florida real estate market. He then stepped into the banking industry under Sallie Mae, working his way up the Training Director position until his 1998 departure.
Wendell went on to earn Florida Real Estate Instructor license in 2001 and then a Florida Broker license. He is a Broker Associate with Watson Realty Corp. as a member of the Courchaine Commercial Group, which specializes in commercial investment properties, commercial leasing, and property management. Wendell has worked in the Real Estate Instructor capacity at FSCJ and numerous private real estate schools in Florida and. He continues to gain more technical expertise to better serve his customers and students as he has earned Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), Certified Instructor Facilitator (CIF), and Certified Investment Specialist (CIS) designations. In addition to this, Wendell is a certified technical writer, with 40 hours training in info-mapping.
Wendell’s teaching approach links course material to specific, real world relatable experiences, allowing the students to better retain the concepts. Wendell utilizes his 35+ years of experience in hands-on, face-to-face customer service to provide quality instruction to his students so that they can excel in a real estate career.
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Al has had lots of experience helping people make good decisions; Real Estate, Financial (particularly banking), and Educational. After an almost 20 year career in education which included high school teaching and coaching, college teaching, and serving as a state educational coordinator, Al became a commercial lender and retail manager for Barnett Bank in 1985. As a banker, he was successful in helping customers, both wealthy and not so wealthy, achieve their savings and borrowing goals. He continues to stay in touch with the lending community and is well able to help buyers obtain the best financing for their home or investment purchase. In 1996, he left banking to embark on another career helping folks get what they want. Soon after he joined the Watson Realty Corp team, he continued studying real estate and earned the well-known GRI designation. GRI stands for Graduate of the Realtor Institute. Very few Realtors have this designation as it signifies more than 100 additional hours of classroom study in serving the public professionally and practically in real estate matters. In 1997, Al went a step further and obtained his Florida Real Estate Brokers license; another 72 hours of study beyond the basics! Then, in 1999, he accepted the invitation of Watson School of Real Estate to become an Instructor in their highly regarded pre-license education program. Al continues to teach two to three 60 hour classes each year, preparing others to obtain their Florida Real Estate Salesperson license. He does this while maintaining an active and successful Real Estate business of his own in the Watson Realty Corp family of professionals. Al is a devoted family person, married to Kathy since 1970 and father of a beautiful and talented daughter, Liz. Liz and her equally talented husband, Ren, are the parents of wonderfully precocious girls, Lilli and Eva. Happily, all live right here in New Smyrna Beach so they all get to see and play with each other whenever they want, which is all the time. That's the Good Life! Al served on the Board of Trustees of Daytona Beach Community College (Now, Daytona State College) for eight years under the Governorship of Lawton Chiles. In addition, he served for many years on the College's educational TV station Board of Directors (WCEU-TV 13, now WDSC-TV 15) and the College's Foundation Board of Directors. He has been an active Rotarian for more than 20 years and served as the president of the New Smyrna Beach Rotary Club in 1995-6. Kathy and Al each have received the coveted Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary International Foundation for their donations to that organization over the years. In addition, there is a very important place in Al's heart and life for charitable causes. He served for 13 years on the Board of Directors of Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, an affiliate of Halifax Health Medical Center, serving two years as its chairman. Al is also fond of ensuring generations of healthy Moms and healthy babies and has participated in the WalkAmerica/ March for Babies events in New Smyrna Beach for more than twenty years. He was chairperson of the event from 1991 to 1995. He continues to lead his Rotary Club of New Smyrna Beach each year in fundraising AND fun-raising for this cause through their "Spirit Station" at this popular event. Kathy and Al have also been ardent supporters of American Cancer Society events for all of the years they have been in New Smyrna Beach. Kathy was on the Board of Directors of the ACS New Smyrna Beach Chapter for many years and served as its chairperson. They continue to participate in and raise money for the Annual Relay for Life event held each April in Riverside Park. Their favorite activity in this event is walking the survivors' walk in the very wee hours of Saturday morning when all is quiet and it's easy to reflect thankfully on all the blessings of a great life in a wonderfully caring community.
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Ashley is a Broker Associate who offers a rigorous, yet supportive learning environment with field experience to enhance student understanding and performance. She employs optimism, time-management, and test-taking strategies to develop her students’ confidence. With teaching experience on the university and public-school levels, she is well equipped to navigate the variety of learning needs present in educational settings. Helping others achieve their greatest degree of understanding is essential and the cornerstone of her teaching style. Ashley is committed to the success of her students, which is why frequent and thorough reviews of critical content are featured throughout the course.
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Stephanie is a Jacksonville native who has a passion for teaching. Beginning as a swim instructor, she went on graduate with Honors from the University of Florida (go Gators!!), holding a bachelor’s degree in Education. After graduating, Stephanie began teaching in Interlachen, Florida. She took an ESOL teacher position in Jacksonville, then found her passion as a science teacher at LaVilla School of Arts. While teaching, Stephanie obtained her Florida Sales Associate license in 2020, then went on to attain her Florida Real Estate Instructor license in early 2022.
Stephanie still considers herself a lifelong learner, receiving a fellowship from the National Geographic Society Educational Fund to study dolphins in Greece and was recently awarded the Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship to fund a dream Earthwatch expedition.
Stephanie has over three decades’ worth teaching experience, including an ESOL certification, and hybrid virtual classroom instruction during the pandemic. Her teaching approach is inclusive of many learning styles, including check backs, acronyms, and real-life scenarios for conceptualization. Stephanie presents material and engages students, while breaking the concepts down into manageable pieces so that the information can be easily retained.
Along with being a teacher, Stephanie is a mom of three successful adults. She is the daughter of a builder and has an appreciation for architecture that was instilled in her at a young age. Becoming a real estate associate was a dream come true for Stephanie and she is very eager to help you accomplish your goals and see your dream realized too!
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Paul relocated to North Florida from Maryland, where he attended the University of Baltimore and received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. He and his wife have raised two sons, both of which are Clemson University alumni. (Go Tigers!)
Paul held a sales associate license in Maryland before branching out to other fields, including software development and implementation, business consulting in marketing, business start-up, and operational efficiency. After moving to Florida, Paul decided to continue a career in real estate, obtaining his Sales Associate license in 2007, Broker Associate license in 2016, and a Real Estate Instructor license in 2017.
Paul’s teaching style employs various aids, including knowledge checks and repetition, to ensure that students retain the information. His classroom offers real-life applications of concepts, allowing students to engage and ask content questions.
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As a Broker Associate, Jessie Whitmore is a proven and dedicated REALTOR®, specializing in residential and condominium sales, first-time homebuyers, investment properties, luxury homes, waterfront property, over 55 communities, and vacant land throughout the Northeast Florida area. Jessie is also a licensed instructor with the Watson School of Real Estate, instructing the Florida 63-Hour Sales Associate course, the Florida 45-Hour Sales Associate Post License Course, and the Florida 72-Hour Broker course.
After retiring from the Navy, Jessie worked for the Federal Government in the Chicago, Illinois area while her husband completed his Navy career. In 2008, they settled in the Pensacola area where Jessie attained her associate degree in Culinary Management while working as a banquet and pastry chef. Jessie and her family moved to Jacksonville in 2008, where she took a position as a food service supervisor. She also furthered her education, receiving a degree in Business Management with a minor in Human Resources from the Florida Institute of Technology. In 2012, the company she worked for downsized, and Jessie found herself with extra time on her hands. She decided it was time to work for herself and enrolled in the Watson School of Real Estate 63-hour sales associate course, becoming a licensed REALTOR® in May 2012, joining the Watson Realty Corp Sunbeam office two days later. Furthering her real estate career, she earned both her broker’s license and real estate instructor’s license in August 2016 and began teaching for the Watson School of Real Estate in October 2016. Real estate designations and specialties include Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) (2018); Gold Key Certification (2021); Military Relocations Professionals (MRP) (2015); Certified Military Specialist for U.S. Military on the Move (MOM) (2018).
Although Jessie tremendously enjoys working in the field as a Broker Associate, regardless if it’s meeting new customers and walking them through the process of buying and selling real estate or staying in contact with past customers, she is passionate about being an instructor. Not only does Jessie bring hands-on knowledge to the classroom in teaching her students the laws and principles of Florida real estate, her engaging presentation style combined with student team building discussions and activities keep her students motivated and eager to start their own real estate careers.
