April Boney, MSN, RN is a professor in the nursing program. As the course lead for Maternal-Child Health, she has 25 years of experience in the field of maternal-child nursing, including 14 years in leadership positions prior to returning full-time to academia in 2017.  Ms. Boney teaches theory, clinical, and lab on the Key West Campus as well as the Upper and Middle Keys centers. She obtained her Associate of Science in Nursing from Louisiana Tech University in 1996, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northwestern State University in 2000, and a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Healthcare Education from University of Phoenix in 2008. She is currently enrolled at American Sentinel University in Denver, Colorado working towards her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Educational Leadership.

Having previously taught at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Ms. Boney is passionate about educating our future generation of nurses using active strategies and a hands-on approach to learning. Her membership affiliations include: Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), American Nurses Association (ANA), National League for Nurses (NLN), and Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) – Chi Alpha Chapter.

Dr. Echenique’s formal education includes a doctorate in Education (Florida Atlantic University), an MBA (University of Georgia), a master's in Mathematics (University of Texas at Arlington) and a bachelor's in Applied Mathematics (Auburn University). In addition to formal education, attending workshops and conferences contribute to his pursuit of education as a life-long learner.

Dr. Echenique has extensive experience teaching a wide range of mathematics and education courses ranging from developmental courses to differential equations. Other courses include statistics and math methods for teachers. In addition, Dr. Echenique has worked outside academia for multiple companies as an engineer, computer programmer, systems analyst and consultant. 

"Education is a lifelong fundamental right and should be accessible by all seeking to enhance their knowledge base. Everyone learns differently, and reasonable accommodations should facilitate their academic endeavor. Learners come from varied disciplines and cultures. Recognition of these differences brings forth a rich tapestry of experiences to the academic setting. 

Characteristics of nursing education should have theoretical framework foundations and mirror similarities that are utilized by clinical nurses who provide care for our global communities. Professionalism and compassion should be transferred from concepts of care to the class setting, incorporating humanity to ensure successful outcomes."

Dr. Vijay Khanal holds a master’s degree in Physics from Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal and a doctoral degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Nevada, Reno. His doctoral work focused on developing solar active high surface area tantalum oxide nanoparticles and their nitrogen derivatives. Dr. Khanal began his teaching and research with the University of Nevada in 2012 and has taught various courses in physics and chemical engineering.

A list of research projects undertaken by Dr. Khanal includes: synthesis and photoelectrochemical application of iron modified bismuth titanate for clean fuel generation, synthesis of high surface area ultrathin tantalum oxide, tantalum oxynitride, and tantalum oxynitrdie nanoparticles and their application in gas/liquid phase environmental remediation. He has mentored and co-advised students ranging from high school to graduate, their majors ranging from fundamental physics to applied chemical engineering. A patent is under preparation for a novel nitridation protocol on tuning oxygen to nitrogen ratio in a facile and inexpensive synthesis of tantalum oxynitride that Dr. Khanal developed during his Ph.D.

Dr. Khanal’s first-authored publications include the following: "Insights into the photoactivity of iron modified bismuth titanate (Fe_BTO) nanoparticles," Catalysis Today, 2018, "The Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Properties of Tantalum Oxide and Tantalum Nitride," Journal of Electrochemical Society, 2019, and "A Selective Synthesis of TaON Nanoparticles and Their Comparative Study of Photoelectrochemical Properties," Catalysts, 2020. "A benign pathway for photocatalytic detoxification of NOx using Tantalum oxide nanoparticles" is under review for publication.

Dr. Khanal joined CFK in January 2019 as a full-time faculty of engineering technology.