Tribute to CFS Professor Dr. Teresa Nesman
Dr. Teresa Nesman, Applied Anthropologist and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Child & Family Studies at USF, passed away peacefully on August 6th in Tampa, FL after a long illness. Teresa was a special part of CFS for 20 years before retiring in 2015 to attend to her health and fulfill a few travel dreams.
Teresa was a highly valued colleague and dear friend to many and will be greatly missed. She will long be remembered for her many efforts to improve the accessibility of mental health services for diverse children and their families. She led several national research and evaluation efforts on cultural competence and reducing mental health disparities as well as numerous community-based collaborative projects targeting Latino children and families. Through this work, she contributed to numerous reports, monographs, book chapters, and presentations on the development of accessible service systems for diverse children, youth, and families. In addition, she developed graduate coursework on cultural competence and community-based interventions for diverse children and youth that continues to be taught in CFS.
She was born in Oriente, Cuba in 1957, where her parents were teaching in a rural vocational school. Her grade school years were spent in Alajuela, Costa Rica and Gainesville, Florida. She then attended high school in Tampa, where her father was one of the first professors of Sociology at USF and her mother was an advisor in the College of Education.
Among Teresa’s favorite pastimes were gardening – growing native plants and roses – and going hiking. In 2010, Teresa took a sabbatical in rural Haiti where she taught English and Spanish in secondary school, helped with an eye clinic and a young women’s leadership group, and taught basic Spanish to the staff. For many years she served on the Board of Directors of the Haitian American Friendship Foundation (HAFF), which she became involved with through her father’s work in rural agricultural development. She also helped to facilitate a planning process that transitioned the school into a community-run organization—a milestone for both HAFF and the community. (Photo: In Haiti in 2010, Teresa travels on motorcycle to Bohoc village from the airstrip at Pignon).
Teresa was once asked about something that made her proud. She said, “seeing someone overcome a challenging situation in a way that improves the situation for others, not just for himself or herself.” That is just how she lived her life, always helping others to improve their challenging situations.
A memorial service for Teresa will be held this coming Saturday, August 13th, at 2PM at Blount and Curry Funeral Home, 12690 N. 56th St. Temple Terrace.