Robert A. Cuccia joined St. Petersburg College as an Adjunct Professor in 2014 following a long professional, academic and military career in public communications/affairs. His college/university teaching experience includes: 42 years of adjunct faculty work at the University of Maryland, University College (MD);  two years on the graduate adjunct faculty at the American University (D.C.); and two years at Northern Virginia Community College.  He served as a guest lecturer in public affairs and public speaking at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD; and at Valparaiso University (IN).  He retired from active and reserve naval service as a Captain(O-6)in 1995.  He was commanding officer of two Naval Reserve Public Affairs units.  His federal civil service and private sector experience includes media relations, national information campaign direction, radio and tv public service announcement creation and production, speech writing, radio station ownership, and on-site communications experience in Australia, Canada, the Far East and Europe.  He received the Federal Government's Distinguished Career Service award in 1993.  He earned his bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University (IN), his masters degree from The American University (DC), and he also completed extensive doctoral work in American Studies and Mass Communications at the University of Maryland. He is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA.