William “Bill”  Emerson was raised in southern Indiana. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Indiana in 1987 and a Master’s degree from Indiana University in 1995. He began his career as an educator in 1987 in Santa Rosa County, Florida. He taught math at Pace High School and Gulf Breeze High School until the spring of 2000.

During this time, he taught Dual Enrollment College Algebra, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Calculus I, and Calculus II. In the fall of 2000, Bill was appointed to the position of  Assistant Principal at Navarre High School and then Principal of Navarre High School in 2005.  In 2009 he was promoted as the Director of High School Education to the Santa Rosa County District office and then appointed in 2010, as the  Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. He retired from this position in November of 2020 after completing a 31-and-a-half-year career. Post-retirement, Bill worked in several capacities with a local private school and at the Tiger Point Golf Shop. He was hired as the Dean of the Pensacola State College Charter Academies in January 2024.

Bill has been married to his wife, Lisa, since 1987. He has two daughters, Jessica and Laurel, who took coursework at PSC prior to earning Bachelor’s degrees at the University of Florida. Bill has two grandchildren.

Contact Dean Emerson

E-mail: wemerson@pensacolastate.edu

Phone: (850) 484-1781

Dr. Karen McCabe earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Marist College in New York, and the following year she completed the Advanced Standing Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University.  She completed a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership and acquired the New York state school principal and superintendent license.  Dr. McCabe completed a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Liberty University.

 Dr. McCabe has a wealth of experience in secondary schools including as a social worker and an assistant principal.   Most recently, she served as the Director of the South Santa Rosa Center at Pensacola State College.  During her tenure at the South Santa Rosa Center, she worked with two of the largest local high schools to offer Dual Enrollment with the College.  Creating and fostering a strong relationship with the principals, guidance counselors, parents, and students, Dr. McCabe helped to increase participation in dual enrollment. 

Contact Dr. McCabe

E-mail: kmccabe@pensacolastate.edu  

Phone: (850) 484-2347 

Kathryn L. Larson will be working out of our new Pensacola  Charter Academy Campus located in Building 11, in rotation with Charter Academy Principal, Dr. Karen McCabe.

Kathryn Larson was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. She earned her high school diploma at Pine Forest High School, and she returned to her alma mater for her very first teaching assignment as a 9th-grade English teacher.

Ms. Larson was awarded the President’s Scholarship to attend Pensacola State College, where she earned her Associate of Arts degree before transferring to Florida State University in Tallahassee. While at Florida State, she participated in internships with the United States Secret Service and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). She studied abroad for two semesters at the Florida State Panama Canal Campus in Panama City, Panama, before earning her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs.

As an educator, she has taught English at Pine Forest High School and Warrington Middle School, and she was an Instructional Coach at Workman Middle School. Ms. Larson earned distinctions from the Florida Department of Education as a High Impact Teacher with highly effective VAM score ratings. Her certifications include Reading Endorsement, English, and Exceptional Student Education. She earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida, where she is currently pursuing her second master’s in Instructional Design.

Contact Kathryn Larson, M.Ed.

E-mail: klarson@pensacolastate.edu 

Phone: (850) 484-1772