2026 Faculty Champions

Andrew M. Abernathy is an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University’s School of Media & Strategic Communications. Abernathy is a mixed methods researcher who specializes in equity-based approaches for teaching and learning in journalism and mass communication (JMC). His research on alternative assessment methods in JMC was recently published in the Journal of Media Education, and his research on faculty perceptions of embedded remediation in JMC received the AEJMC’s Campbell Research Award in Scholastic Journalism in 2023 and was published in Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. His current research interests include the use of generative AI in creative and classroom contexts and the use of cross-cultural media literacy education to combat the effects of mis- and disinformation. Abernathy worked as a journalist and public relations practitioner for more than 15 years before he entered the JMC professoriate full time in 2020. He holds a B.A., M.A. and an Ed.D. from the University of Mississippi. 
 

Musa al-Gharbi is an assistant professor of journalism at Stony Brook University and a columnist for The Guardian (and previously, Al-Jazeera America and Salon). His freelance essays have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, CNN, The Atlantic, The Nation, New Republic and other outlets. His first book, We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite was published by Princeton University Press in 2024.

Maria Alvarez has been teaching journalism at the City University of New York for fifteen years. Before teaching, she was a general assignment, breaking news and investigative reporter for Newsday, the New York Post, the Hartford Courant and the Boston Globe, spanning a newspaper and magazine career that blanketed high profile murder trials from O.J. Simpson, to the Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel conviction for the murder of Martha Moxley. As a journalism lecturer, she turns her classroom into a newsroom. Student reporters are inspired to become independent journalists who work for the good of their communities instilling the ethics of community journalism and the ethics of fairness, balance and accuracy that verifies information and steers away from promoting opinion. 

Cliff Anthony, a journalist with 25 years of experience in the newsroom and 20 years in the classroom, strives to provide his students with opportunities to partner with mainstream publications. His students have covered elections and levy issues for Lorain County newspapers in Ohio. Cliff is actively involved in the Press Club of Cleveland and the Society of Professional Journalists-Cleveland Chapter. He has an MA in Journalism from Kent State University and is a recipient of the SPJ-Cleveland’s Distinguished Service Award. Cliff is adviser to The Carroll News, an award-winning student publication of John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio. 
 

Michael Arnold is a veteran public media leader with more than 25 years of experience strengthening local journalism and community service. He is Executive Director and General Manager of WFIU/WTIU and Indiana University Student Media. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at KUNC, Wisconsin Public Radio, Public Radio International, and several local news stations. Throughout his career, Arnold has focused on collaboration, sustainable business models, audience growth, and partnerships that expand the reach and impact of community-centered journalism.

Dr. Aaron Atkins is an assistant professor of digital media and journalism at Weber State University. He is the director of Studio 76, the Communication Department’s award-winning student media production co-curricular. His teaching focuses on the study and integration of technology in education, journalism, and media. He is the vice chair for the Broadcast Education Association’s (BEA) Interactive Media and Emerging Technologies division, and former chair of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)’s Community Journalism Interest Group. Aaron earned a PhD in mass communication from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and a master’s degree in communication from Virginia Tech. His research interests include virtual reality and media effects, community journalism, technology and digital media, and journalism history.
 

Mary is a teacher and journalist in Montana with a background in public radio and podcasting. She teaches young people the skills they need to help solve the local journalism crisis in rural and Indigenous communities. She travels around the state to teach journalism workshops, along with teaching experimental local journalism courses at the University of Montana. Mary has a master's degree in environmental journalism from the University of Montana. She has produced podcasts for HBO Max, Audible, Montana Public Radio, and MeatEater. Mary's favorite stories use sound to convey relationships between people and landscapes. She is the director of the Montana Media Lab at the University of Montana School of Journalism.  

Rosemary Avance, an assistant professor in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University, is a community scholar dedicated to supporting communities with limited access to local news, especially rural and Indigenous communities throughout Oklahoma. Her research includes the first qualitative study of Oklahoma’s news media ecosystem (published in 2023 in collaboration with Oklahoma Media Center), as well as studies on rural youth news use and preferences and on rural mental health information sources and literacy. She actively collaborates with KOSU, Oklahoma’s NPR affiliate, and Crosswinds, an Indigenous-owned news outlet based in Tulsa.

Atish Baidya is Editor in Chief at WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio. He is a veteran broadcast journalist with over a decade’s experience coaching award-winning student journalists. He began his journalism career at NBC 7 San Diego and the Associated Press. He then worked as a reporter in Ohio and West Virginia before serving as Multimedia Content Editor at WOUB. Prior to his current role, Atish was the Associate Director of Editorial at the University of Mississippi. Atish is passionate about developing the next generation of journalists and strengthening the connection between public media and communities in Southeast Ohio.

Gina Baleria, Ed.D., is associate professor of journalism, digital media, media writing, and podcasting at Sonoma State University and a former broadcast and digital journalist. Her book, The Journalism Behind Journalism: Going Beyond the Basics to Train Effective Journalists in a Shifting Landscape (Routledge 2021)explores how to cultivate intangible journalistic skills, such as curiosity, empathy, tenacity, recognizing implicit biases, and writing inclusively. Dr. Baleria also co-authored Writing & Reporting News for the 21st Century (Cognella 2018), winner of the 2020 BEA Textbook Award, and she produces and hosts the podcast News in Context. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with friends and family. She and her husband live in San Francisco.

Sonya Barnes is an Adjunct Professor and General Manager of WUTV at the University of West Georgia, where she teaches journalism and production courses and oversees the university’s public access television station. She has mentored students who have secured positions in major media markets nationwide. Barnes previously held faculty roles at Georgia College & State University and Fort Valley State University and worked in broadcast leadership at 13WMAZ, FOX24/WGXA, and WPGA-TV, as well as in communications for Wesleyan College. She holds degrees from Valdosta State University and the University of Memphis.

Dr. Sezgi Başak Kavaklı is an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University Shreveport. She advises The Almagest, a student-run news outlet that reports on campus and the Shreveport–Bossier community. She earned her PhD at Temple University, where she encountered community-centered journalism as both theory and practice. Her work focuses on solutions journalism, migration, and ethical reporting. Under her guidance, students learn to report on underrepresented communities with care and attention to informational needs.

Taci D’Angelo Batista is an Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of the MA in Journalism & Media Production and the MA in Communication at Sacred Heart University. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, she holds dual master’s degrees in Digital Journalism and Sports Communication from SHU. Before entering academia, she worked as a producer, reporter, and soccer commentator, experience that now shapes her student-centered teaching approach. She also serves as Senior News Producer for Fairfield County News, the university’s growing community news outlet. 

Beth Baunoch is an Associate Professor of Media Studies at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), where she has taught for over 13 years. She is the Mark McCulloch Endowed Teaching Chair and teaches media production, podcast journalism, film history, and digital media. Beth is deeply committed to student media, co-founding CCBC’s Film Society and New Media Collective to support student-led storytelling. She founded ForReal Media, a Baltimore-based podcast production house, and executive produced Good School., a journalistic podcast created with CCBC students. Her newest student-driven series, Know-It-All, airs on Baltimore’s NPR affiliate, WYPR.

Allison Bennett Dyche is a Teaching Professor in the Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh. She joined the faculty in August 2024, and has taught Media Literacy, Intro to Journalism & Nonfiction, Fundamentals of News Reporting, and Intro to Podcasting. Allison spent 16 years advising collegiate student media programs at SCAD, Appalachian State University and Virginia Commonwealth University, working with student-run media outlets including digital media, newspapers, literary magazines and radio stations. She has served in leadership roles in state and national college media advising organizations. Allison has worked as a journalist in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from Georgia Southern University, an M.A. in Documentary Photography from SCAD, and a Ph.D. in Media, Art, and Text from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mariam Betlemidze, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication & Media at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). Her research encompasses new materialism, poststructural media theory, social change, multimedia journalism, and equity issues on social media platforms such as TikTok. She obtained her Master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Utah. Prior to her academic pursuits, Dr. Betlemidze worked as a journalist in her native country of Georgia as well as neighboring countries such as Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Kendal Blust (she/her/ella) is an assistant professor of practice in the University of Arizona School of Journalism and a longtime reporter in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. Before joining the UA in August 2023, she spent five years as a reporter with NPR member station KJZZ at the Fronteras Desk bureau in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Blust covered a wide range of stories from northern Mexico, including cross-border business and trade, immigration, education, women's movements and the environment. She also worked for Nogales International, an award-winning community newspaper covering local news in Ambos Nogales. Her work in print and radio has received numerous awards and has appeared on national and international platforms including NPR, The World and the BBC.  Blust is from Tucson, AZ and received an M.A. in journalism from the UA in 2016.

Corrie Boudreaux is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at El Paso and an award-winning photojournalist in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border region. She received her Ph.D. in Latin American Studies from Tulane University. She is the author of "Hope, Community, and Visibility among Venezuelan Migrants at the Juárez-El Paso Border" (2025).

Dr. Aleaya Bradley is a media professional and academic leader with a background in journalism, digital media, broadcasting, and print. Prior to higher education, she worked as a news producer and writer, gaining experience in newsroom operations and multimedia storytelling. As Student Media Lab Manager, she oversees student-produced content across digital, print, and broadcast platforms while providing hands-on mentorship. Dr. Bradley specializes in experiential learning that mirrors real-world newsroom standards, supporting students in developing technical skills, editorial judgment, and professional confidence. Her work bridges industry practices and academic learning, preparing students for successful careers in media and communications.

Marsha Branch is a Media and Communications Consultant specializing in development communications. With nearly three decades of experience in print and broadcast journalism, her work has appeared with global outlets including the BBC, where she served as host, anchor, and producer; CNN; the United Nations; and The Huffington Post. Her award-winning portfolio spans sustainable development, food security, climate change, women’s and children’s rights, and MSME development. Marsha lectures in video production and digital storytelling across the Caribbean and serves as Lecturer and Student Media Adviser at the University of Vermont. She focuses on ethical, equitable storytelling about global challenges worldwide.

Nina Brook is a senior instructor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina. She helped establish partnerships for SJMC students with South Carolina Educational Television and The Post and Courier. Brook is the faculty adviser to The Daily Gamecock student newspaper. She is director of SJMC’s scholastic media programs, which serve middle and high school media programs across the Southeast. Prior to coming to SJMC, Brook worked as a journalist in Georgia, Minnesota and South Carolina, for former S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges and as a high school journalism teacher and program director.

Andrea Bruce is the Knight Chair in Visual Journalism at the University of Georgia. For 30 years she has worked as a photographer, educator, artist and writer whose work focuses on local news and ideas of democracy, concentrating on the social issues that are sometimes ignored and often ignited in war's wake.

Tim Bruno is Radio Catskill’s general manager and the host of its weekday local news and talk show Radio Chatskill. He previously served as a vice president for event production and talent relations for Viacom Entertainment Group, where he developed and co-produced multiple, yearly broadcast events across Spike TV, TV Land and Comedy Central. He was also a longtime staffer at NBC News, first as a producer for Dateline, where he received an Emmy Award for outstanding analysis of a news story, and then as a supervising producer for TODAY. He is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington.

Phil Busse is currently an assistant professor at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. He teaches journalism, and is the faculty adviser for the student media platforms, including the award-winning newspaper, the Pacific Index, and the newly launched BoxerTV. Phil spent nearly 25 years as a journalist, including launching the popular Portland Mercury in 2000 and starting the Media Institute for Social Change in 2006. In 2013, Phil launched the Rogue Valley Messenger in southern Oregon, and a community radio station XRAY in Portland. Phil graduated with a law degree from University of Oregon in 1997 and a B.A. from Middlebury College in 1992.

Maria Fernanda Camacho is a bilingual journalist, educator, and media leader who serves as an Assistant-In in the Innovation News Center (INC) and director of the Summer Media Institute at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. With a career spanning print, radio, and digital platforms Maria has been shaped by a deep commitment to community storytelling and public‑service journalism bringing years of experience reporting on issues ranging from disaster relief and government accountability to human trafficking and elections. Camacho has guided students inside the INC’s fast‑paced newsroom, helping young journalists find their voice and confidence through hands‑on reporting. Her leadership is grounded in both professional rigor and a genuine belief in the power of storytelling to strengthen communities. Maria holds credentials from the United States Press Agency, serves on the advisory board of the Santa Fe College International Center and is a proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalist (NAHJ). Maria earned both her bachelor’s degree in Media & Communications Studies and her master’s degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University.

Dr. Trisha N. Campbell is a Professor of Writing and Rhetoric, but mostly she considers herself a poet. She is interested in the immense intimacy of sound, recorded audio, and the durational necessity of audio production. Her work is really about creating connection through language (radio and otherwise). 

Brian Campion is the Director of Public Policy Programs at the Elizabeth Coleman Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) at Bennington College. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2010-2014 and in the Vermont State Senate from 2014-2024. He chaired the Senate Committee on Education from 2020-2024. Campion is currently a member of the Vermont State Board of Education. 

Gino Canella is an associate professor of journalism at Emerson College and a documentary filmmaker. His research focuses on social movements, visual culture, and labor. Gino produces documentary media in collaboration with grassroots organizers and studies how the political economy of communication influences the production and circulation of information. He is the author of Activist Media (2022), and editor of Raising Class Consciousness (2025).

Jonathan J. Cavallero is Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies at Bates College and the Founding Director of the Bates Film Festival. He has authored two books: Hollywood’s Italian American Filmmakers: Capra, Scorsese, Savoca, Coppola, and Tarantino (2011) and Television Directors, Race, and Gender: Written Out of the Story (2024). In addition, he co-edited Italian American Review’s special issue on “Italian Americans and Television,” and his essays have appeared in numerous journals. Cavallero sits on the editorial boards of Journal of Film and Video and Diasporic Italy as well as the executive council of the Italian American Studies Association.

Steven Chappell has been a media adviser and active member of College Media Association since 1993, and he was a professional journalist for 10 years before he began advising college media. He is the founder of the LinkedIn page (formerly a Twitter feed) @comminternships, which shares internship and job openings in communication jobs across the globe. He was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Pioneer 100 in its inaugural year in 2022, and he was inducted into the CMA Hall of Fame in 2023. 

Heather Claborn is the news director and general manager for KACU in Abilene, Texas. She has spent most of the past three decades working for public radio stations in New England and Illinois as a reporter, editor, host and news director. Claborn still occasionally gets to cover news stories, but she focuses most of her time mentoring student journalists at Abilene Christian University. Their award winning work airs on KACU’s newscasts, the station’s weekly news magazine the West Texas Dispatch, and the statewide public radio program the Texas Standard. 

Chandra Clark’s passion for storytelling started at 16 in a local newsroom and further included roles of senior news producer, freelance producer, and broadcast media marketing specialist. Her creative scholarship and research focuses on the impactful role of journalists in our society while teaching broadcast, multimedia journalism, and experiential learning. Clark has produced more than 40 award-winning mini-documentaries related to broadcast television and radio’s critical role as “first informers” in natural disasters. She is also the producer of the documentary “Do Right: the Stallings Standard” featuring National Championship Coach Gene Stallings and his family’s legacy to improve resources for people with developmental disabilities. 
 

Allison Cleary, a senior lecturer in the Digital Media & Communications department at Saint Michael's College, teaches reporting and writing courses, weaving in community engaged learning whenever possible. She directs the college's Writing Center, and is a core member of the Institute for Global Engagement, coordinating post-grad international service opportunities and the Peace Corps Prep certificate program. With a background in magazine journalism, nonprofit writing and international service, she believes that effective communication and journalistic storytelling help to inform and connect us as human beings and as stewards of the globe.

 Devin Colman joined the UVM faculty in 2024 as the director of the graduate program in Historic Preservation. He teaches courses on topics including architectural history, cultural landscapes, researching historic properties, and preservation policy. Prior to UVM, Colman spent 18 years with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation as the State Architectural Historian. In that role he oversaw state and federal regulatory reviews; managed state and federal grants; and facilitated listings of Vermont properties in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Colman earned his B.A. at in Art History at Colby College and his M.S. in Historic Preservation at UVM. He is involved with historic preservation activities at the local, state, and national levels, and currently serves on the boards of Preservation Burlington and the New England Chapter of Docomomo-US.

University faculty teaching undergraduate business and research curricula, Graduate/MBA studies and Doctoral level Nursing Leadership Studies including Organizational Behavior and Health Care strategy related curricula. Multidimensional healthcare professional, speaker/educator and business development executive who cultivates key relationships with hospital systems, managed care organizations, physicians, corporate and community leaders to facilitate strategies that garner partnerships and revenue growth. Has extensive management, marketing and teaching experience instructing healthcare professionals to embrace new pharmaceuticals, device modalities and clinical pathways to increase patient outcomes. Has educated other executive peers to execute successful strategic initiatives along with supervisory experience cultivating and motivating successful individuals and teams
 

Erin Cox is a two-time Emmy Award–winning television journalist and nine-time Emmy nominee who now teaches at her alma mater, Utah State University. One of the most thrilling aspects of her job is helping students contribute to their communities, win awards, and produce meaningful media content. The future of journalism has never been brighter, while the need for media literacy—and the 24/7 demand for content—has never been more urgent. Erin feels honored to shape the industry’s future by teaching students to seek truth, check sources, be creative, and communicate with clarity.

Claudia Cruz is the director of internships and managing editor of Noticiero Móvil at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she received the Administrative Faculty Member of the Year Award for 2025. Formerly, she was a technology reporter for CNET en Español and served as the local editor of Mountain View and Palo Alto Patch. Claudia was editor of El Correo de Queens and freelancer for The Manhattan Times. She’s a past president of both the state of Nevada and the Bay Area chapters of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Claudia has a M.A. from the Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, a J.D. from The Ohio State University, and a B.A. in Government and Latin American Studies from Wesleyan University.

Lourdes M. Cueva Chacón, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University. Her research focuses on digital journalism in the Americas and Latino/a/x Journalism in the U.S. Cueva Chacón has professional experience reporting the U.S.-Mexico border. Her research has been published in top-tier journals such as Digital Journalism, Journalism Practice, and Feminist Studies. She is co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Latino/a/x Journalism (with Jessica Retis, Routledge, forthcoming).

Dr. Andy Curran is a Professor and Coordinator of the Digital Media academic program at the University of Cincinnati-Clermont in Batavia, Ohio. Prior to starting at UCC in 2001, he spent 25 years in commercial radio as a Program Director, Music Director, News Director, and air talent in medium and large markets in all popular music formats. He also worked as a video producer. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Ohio University, and Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees from the University of Cincinnati. His research focuses on radio programming trends.

Ivana Cvetkovic (Ph.D., University of New Mexico) is an associate professor of communication at Cal Poly Pomona. She teaches primarily in the multimedia journalism option and is a CPP SPJ chapter advisor. Her research and teaching interests are situated at the intersection of media, technology and culture. She primarily focuses on online and social media news discourses, and multimedia message production across a variety of platforms. Professor Cvetkovic’s research interests have been influenced by her long-term career in journalism and rapid changes in the news industry. She has worked as a reporter for several daily newspapers in Serbia.

Farideh Dada is an Iranian-American journalist and educator who considers herself a global citizen, committed to peace, journalism and the students who represent its future. She began her education in Tehran, Iran, where she worked for Tehran Times and Yomiuri Shimbun. She later earned certification through the Women in Journalism program in Sweden and moved to the United States in 2002 to pursue a master’s degree in mass communication. A Chips Quinn Scholars alumna, she interned at the Poughkeepsie Journal and later worked as a copy editor at the Daily News in Palo Alto. She has taught at San Jose State University, De Anza College, San Jose City College and Menlo College. 
 

Laurena Davis, PhD, is an assistant professor of mass communication at Colorado Mesa University. Davis previously worked in journalism, public affairs and publishing. Her industry experience includes serving as managing editor for The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and contracted public affairs manager for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management. She is editor of the Colorado Book Award-winning “100 Years of Colorado National Monument.” As a 2024 Archie Green Fellow, Davis worked with a team of students to record an oral history collection titled “Taking Stock: Ranching Women of Western Colorado” for the U.S. Library of Congress.

Ana X. de la Serna started her career as photojournalist in Mexico. After ten years, she made the transition to academia and she is now an Associate Professor of Communication at Cal State Dominguez Hills. She teaches Newswriting in Spanish and Latinx News in the U.S. amongst other courses. 

Priyanka Deo serves as the Assistant Director of Media Strategy and Director of Student Media at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), where she also teaches as an instructor in the School of Communications and Media. She leads the UIS Observer. 

Alan Deutschman is a professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, where has taught magazine writing and travel journalism and created new courses on business journalism, data journalism, and narrative nonfiction. He serves on the board of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW). He is the author of The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, A Tale of Two Valleys, Change or Die, and Walk the Walk. Deutschman has been the Silicon Valley correspondent for Fortune, a senior writer at Fast Company, the “Profit Motive” columnist for GQ and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and New York Magazine

Amy DeVault is a faculty member in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University where she teaches classes in journalism and visual communication and advises the student newspaper, The Sunflower. In 2020, DeVault helped launch the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, serving as the project manager for a year and half. She has taught at state and national student media workshops for nearly 20 years and is serving as president of Kansas Collegiate Media and president-elect of National Scholastic Press Association. She also serves on the SPJ Kansas Pro Chapter Board. DeVault worked at The Wichita Eagle before joining the faculty at Wichita State in 2007.
 

 Kelley Helmstutler Di Dio is Executive Director of the School of the Arts, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Rush C. Hawkins Professor of Art. A specialist in Italian and Spanish early modern sculpture, she has authored or edited numerous books and articles on sculpture, artistic exchange, and collecting, most recently *Shipping Sculptures from Early Modern Italy* (2025). She lectures internationally, serves on major research and advisory bodies, and mentors emerging scholars through sustained professional service. An award-winning teacher, she offers courses in Renaissance and Baroque art and arts professional development.

Dr. Bailey Dick is an assistant professor at Bowling Green State University’s School of Media and Communication where she teaches journalism courses. Her research utilizes historical and critical approaches to better understand the intersections of gender, trauma, and power in news media. Before entering academia, she reported for the Toledo Free Press and the Chicago Sun-Times and spent three years in Washington, D.C. leading press and media work on high-profile political and issue campaigns. She received undergraduate degrees from Loyola University Chicago and completed her graduate work at Ohio University.  

 Laura's background is in community-based natural resource management and participatory action research. She is therefore an advocate of local journalism as a means for democratic participation in the environmental issues that have an impact on people's lives. The goal of her partnership with the CCN is to connect students to the role of local journalism in addressing environmental problems and to connect local community members in Vermont to the environmental issues that they can play a role in shaping. She has done research on community forestry, energy, and fisheries and uses mixed research methods, including participatory mapping.

Adam Elrashidi is an assistant journalism professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he serves as faculty adviser for student media. His professional experience includes newsroom leadership roles at NBC San Diego and Al Jazeera English in Washington, D.C. He also worked as a field producer and on-air reporter for Newsy (Scripps News). During the 2021–22 academic year, he was a faculty journalism fellow at the University of Southern California, providing mentorship and instruction to the student journalists of Annenberg Media. He earned a master’s in media studies from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Minnesota.

Hoda Emam is an award winning journalist and filmmaker with nearly 20 years of experience, covering in-depth research and reporting on health inequities, maternal mental health, adolescent health, postpartum finances and women in underrepresented communities. Her recent reports have been published by NBC News, the Harvard Public Health Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times. Hoda is a passionate advocate of inclusion within the world of journalism with a focus on providing a village for the next generation of journalists. She is currently a professor of visual journalism at the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas.

Shane Epping an assistant professor and director of the Model Professorship in Photojournalism at the University of Wyoming where he teaches photojournalism, introductory photography, and qualitative research methods. He earned his PhD in journalism from the University of Missouri after a decade as a professional photojournalist. His name has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal; his photos have been exhibited in solo and group shows across ten states in the past four years. Epping's research bridges scholarly inquiry and photographic practice, examining how images shape our understanding of place and identity.

Dr. Deepa Fadnis is an Associate Professor of Digital Media and Journalism at the University of Hartford. She is also the editor of Reporting Hartford, a digital news publication that operates as a hybrid educational lab and community journalism entity, dedicated to producing high-quality, non-partisan, public-interest journalism focused on the Greater Hartford area in Connecticut. The publication aims to serve as a platform that honors and highlights the multiculturalism in the Greater Hartford community, which has largely remained absent from mainstream news coverage. In the past, Dr. Fadnis has worked with the Economist and Mergermarket (Financial Times publication) in NYC.

Muhammad Fahad Humayun is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Evansville. His research examines journalism, professional legitimacy, and the impact of emerging technologies, particularly generative AI, AR/VR, and platform media, on newswork and media cultures. His scholarship has been published in leading journals, including Journalism Studies and Digital Journalism, and presented at major international conferences.

Josh Foreman writes about Mississippi and the broader South with his longtime friend Ryan Starrett. In their narrative history books, Josh and Ryan tell stories from New Orleans, Dallas, the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Delta, Jackson, Natchez, the Natchez Trace, and more. Josh began his writing career at Mississippi State University’s Reflector newspaper, where he was editor-in-chief in 2004-2005. He is now the advisor to the Reflector, where he is lucky to get to know the future leaders in Mississippi journalism. He lives in Starkville, Miss., with his wife, Melissa, and his three kids, Keeland, Genevieve and Ulrich. 

 Dr. Gillian Galford is a land systems scientist and Research Associate Professor at the University of Vermont. She is a nationally recognized leader in climate change science and sustainability. She directs the Climate Measurement Center of Excellence, where her work focuses on integrating data and decision-relevant indicators inform decision makers on the local impacts of natural hazards related to weather and climate. Dr. Galford’s research spans land systems, agriculture, and food systems, with an emphasis on translating science into policy and practice at state, regional, and national scales. She has led major interdisciplinary climate assessments and collaborates closely with governments, communities, and academic partners to support evidence-based decision-making.

Gallant is a filmmaker, visual journalist, and educator working at the intersection of creative practice, education, and community storytelling. As a professor in the Communications Department at Hilbert College, he helps students translate real-world stories into compelling visual narratives grounded in ethics, collaboration, and hands-on production. With more than two decades of experience in broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking including work with Reuters, Gannett, WGRZ-TV, and WKBW-TV, he has earned two Emmy Awards and honors from the AP and the National Press Photographers Association. His current work explores multimedia journalism and documentary storytelling to advance media literacy and social understanding.

Fernando Gallo is a former newspaper reporter with 15 years of experience across print, internet, radio and television, and a proud alumnus of both Sacramento State and The State Hornet (Class of 2008). Fernando earned his master’s degree from UC Berkeley and has taught college journalism since 2015. He has served as faculty adviser to The State Hornet since 2022, in which time the Hornet has won four national Pacemaker Awards.

Jesse Garnier has taught multimedia, design and online journalism at SF State since 1998. He is editor and publisher of SFBay.ca, a Bay Area news startup founded in 2011. Previously, Garnier directed editorial graphics staff in New York for the Associated Press, and online newsroom operations in San Francisco for both the Chronicle and the Examiner. Since 1997, Garnier has designed and developed websites for news organizations and community groups, including a bilingual multimedia site for El Tecolote in 2009. A Mission district native, Garnier is a 2010 graduate of SF State Journalism and recipient of a 2019 Society of Professional Journalists NorCal Excellence in Journalism award for design.

Ted Geltner is a professor of journalism at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia and adviser to The Spectator, the campus news organization. He was a professional journalist for 17 years in Pennsylvania, California and Florida. He’s the author of Flagrant, Self-Destructive Gestures: A Biography of Denis Johnson (University of Iowa Press, 2025), along with biographies of Harry Crews and Jim Murray. He lives in Gainesville, Florida. 

Michael E. Gouge is a senior lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. An experienced newspaper and magazine writer and editor, he teaches journalism classes and advises the school's student news outlet, The Blue Banner.

My educational and professional journey began in the communication department at Goshen College, Indiana, where I fell in love with journalism. I went on to earn a Master’s in Public Administration at Arizona State University and worked as a nonprofit leader in journalism and child advocacy for 15 years. It’s been an honor to return to GC. I treasure my role as adviser of the independent student newspaper, The Record. I serve as faculty adviser for the Prevention Intervention Network and for Goshen Monologues. I also direct our annual speech contest. This fall I started a doctorate of education in higher education leadership through the University of Southern Indiana. 

Emily Alexandra Guajardo Haskell is an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) in Oklahoma City, OK, as well as a Marketing and Communications Specialist for Oklahoma Complete Health within Centene Corp. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Emily is a first-generation professor interested in teaching students, conducting research, and serving her community as an avid communications practitioner. Understanding the importance of bringing industry experience into the classroom, Emily has served in numerous public relations, marketing and journalistic positions across the Texas and Oklahoma regions, within the sectors of higher education, STEM, government relations, and nonprofit communications; all with the focus of ensuring her students have access to real-world examples for application. As a doctoral candidate at the University of Oklahoma, Emily specializes in strategic communications with an emphasis in political and religious communication. She is involved in a variety of commissions and societies, and serves as the membership chair for AEJMC Religion and Media Interest Group. She holds her B.S. in convergence journalism and minor in history from Abilene Christian University and an M.A. in journalism and public relations from the Baylor University. 

Antoine Haywood is a journalism assistant professor at the University of Florida. His research examines local media ecosystems, community journalism practices, and public media history. As a community-engaged scholar, Antoine collaborates with a variety of organizations to promote local storytelling, information sharing, and civic engagement. His work has been published in journals such as Journalism Practice, Javnost - The Public, and American Journalism. Before academia, Antoine spent 15 years directing public engagement programs and youth media initiatives in Atlanta and Philadelphia, and has extensive experience serving on numerous nonprofit governance boards.

Marina Hendricks, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at South Dakota State University. She is the graduate coordinator of SDSU’s online Master of Mass Communication program and coordinator of the South Dakota High School Press Association. Her research primarily focuses on youth journalism. Previously, Hendricks was communications director at the Newspaper Association of America (now News Media Alliance). A West Virginia native, she was founding editor of the FlipSide teen journalism program at The Charleston Gazette-Mail. She served as head of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Scholastic Journalism Division in 2021-2023.

Noel Holton Brathwaite is an Associate English Professor at SUNY Farmingdale College in New York. Her research interests include digital literacy and composition, social annotation, and the rhetoric of science and technology. Her scholarship has been published in the journal Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture. Before joining academia, she worked as a print journalist, covering issues related to the health care industry. She was a reporter at The Roanoke Times, The Tallahassee Democrat, and a reporting fellow at The Philadelphia Inquirer. She is currently the Faculty Advisor of the Dale News student newspaper at Farmingdale.

 Dr. Ying Hu is a senior lecturer in the School of World Languages and Cultures at the University of Vermont. Her research examines instructional approaches that promote cognitive flexibility in advanced knowledge acquisition and application. In particular, she studies the abilities learners need to navigate complex concepts in real-world and rapidly evolving contexts, such as those involved in foreign language communication. These scholarly interests are reflected in her teaching, which emphasizes community-engaged learning, metacognitive awareness, and the purposeful integration of technology and new media to support holistic and integrative learning experiences.

Kyle is a professor of communication at Goshen College and the Chair of the Communication Department. He has been working in the video and media production industry for over 25 years. Kyle’s background is quite eclectic, from documentary film production to photography and even 5 years as a television producer and promotions director. Kyle has a Masters in Digital Storytelling from Ball State Univ. and a Masters in Fine Arts in Film Production from Asbury University. Kyle is also the Executive Director of FiveCore Media, the department’s video production company and Executive Producer of Globe TV, the college’s broadcast co-curricular. Kyle enjoys traveling, IndyCar racing and vinyl records. 

Joshua Jackson serves in the broadcast journalism industry as a news anchor, producer, and multimedia journalist. Before arriving in Kansas City as an evening anchor, he worked in several states across the country. He also won an Emmy and several other broadcasting awards during his Hearst Corporation tenure as a journalist. Joshua enjoys serving others and was named Belhaven University’s Young Alumnus of the Year in 2018 for his broadcasting accomplishments and work in the community.

Darren Johnson is Editor of The Legislative Gazette for SUNY New Paltz, a statehouse student journalism program and publication in Albany's Capitol. He's also a longtime faculty member journalist who owns a small rural newspaper group in Upstate New York and has written for scores of publications.

Melissa L. Jones teaches journalism and advises the student media at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Oregon. She's a former staff writer for The Oregonian and The Arizona Republic. 

Erin Jordan is an associate professor of practice in the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She took on this role after reporting in Eastern Iowa for 24 years for the (Cedar Rapids) Gazette and the Des Moines Register. Most recently, as an investigative reporter for The Gazette, Erin focused on the intersection of agriculture and the environment, among other topics. She is on the board of Investigate Midwest and teaches at the Iowa Summer Journalism Workshop.  

Twange Kasoma is currently an associate professor of digital journalism at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Kasoma prides in incorporating high impact practices such as service-learning, study abroad and research in her pedagogy. She kicked off her academic career at Emory & Henry University in Virginia where she established a journalism study abroad program to her native country Zambia. Her next tenure was at Radford University where she served as the faculty adviser for the student-run newspaper, The Tartan. Kasoma researches journalism professionalism and climate literacy, among other areas. She earned her doctorate from the University of Oregon. 

Carl W. Kenney II is an Assistant Professor at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, where he teaches MEJO 153: News Reporting & Writing and MEJO 459: Community Journalism. He also serves as managing editor of The Durham Voice, a community-based news publication. Kenney is an accomplished journalist, author, minister, and public intellectual whose career bridges media, faith, and social change. His reporting and commentary have appeared in The Washington Post, Religious News Services (RNS), Sojourner Magazine, The News & Observer, The Durham Herald-Sun, The Independent Weekly, and The Columbia Missourian

Yeon Erin Kim-Cho, PhD, is Department Chair of Communication at Grand View University, where she teaches journalism, media, and storytelling and advises Viewfinder Media, the university’s student-run organization. A former broadcast journalist, she brings professional newsroom experience into the classroom through experiential, community-engaged learning. Beyond campus, she serves as a Commissioner for the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service (ICVS) and is an active community leader working with immigrant communities across the Midwest. Her work bridges education, media practice, and public service to prepare students for ethical, engaged communication careers.

Kevin Kinder is a writer, editor, media strategist and educator. Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, he served as an arts and entertainment editor for a daily newspaper before stints in advertising, public relations and corporate communications. He's currently an instructor within the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas, where he leads the community journalism project known as the Razorback Reporter. Additionally, he maintains a freelance writing portfolio that helps him explore several of his personal passions, including the outdoors, running and experiencing live music. Learn more at kevinscottkinder.com.

As a former journalist and current science communicator based in Rhode Island, Shaun Kirby has reported on local communities, explained complex research and curated visual, graphic and written narratives for the past 12 years. In his current role with RI NSF EPSCoR, he mentors undergraduate students in science journalism through The Open Newsroom, a 12-week fellowship for RI undergraduates. Shaun holds a master’s degree in education (language and literacy) and, as a first-generation college student, seeks to empower students to share their own unique perspectives as the inquire deeply about how issues around science impact local communities. 

Georgia Kral teaches communication and journalism at Saint Peter's University and is also the Director of Student Media. Her department has received three consecutive grants from the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium for a partnership with the local news site Slice of Culture, founded by SPU alumni. Kral is a contributing writer at New Jersey Monthly Magazine and her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Eater, Dow Jones, amNew York and Food & Wine, among other publications. She is a graduate of Hampshire College and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Kral serves as President Elect of the College Media Association, which supports college media advisors and student journalists through conferences, training and advocacy.

Patrick LaBelle is currently the General Manager of WCCH 103.5FM from the campus of Holyoke Community College. He has previously worked for several Community TV stations in Massachusetts including Canton Community TV, FCAT Media, and Hadley Media. His favorite projects to be a part of up to this point include producing the documentary "Soldier X" for CCTV, the "South County Spotlight" for FCAT Media, and the ongoing "Live From Studio B" music series for WCCH. 

Adriana Lacy is Adjunct Lecturer and Assistant Director of Internships and Outreach at Brandeis University, where she teaches reporting in partnership with The Waltham Times, as well as courses in sports journalism and audience engagement. She is the CEO and founder of Field Nine Group LLC, a strategic communications consultancy specializing in the creator economy, social video strategy, and AI integration for newsrooms. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Adriana has held roles at The New York Times, LA Times, and Axios.

Kim Lauffer is a associate professor at Keene State, where she teaches journalism and social media and co-advises The Equinox. Her primary research focus is on media coverage of end-of-life issues, but she also examines pedagogy, disability and legal issues, and portrayals of deviance and crime. She joined KSC in August 2021 as an assistant professor of journalism, multimedia and public relations, and was promoted to associate professor in 2024. Kim has taught in middle schools, high schools, and colleges since the early ‘90s, except for a four-year stint as the web editor for Alma College (MI).

Matthew Leimkuehler (pronounced lime-cooler) is a Nashville-based music journalist and an assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University. He’s spent a decade-plus covering entertainment, with bylines including GQ, Rolling Stone, Forbes, The Tennessean & USA Today and more. At MTSU, Leimkuehler teaches courses like Feature Writing, Reporting, Advanced Reporting and leads a summer class to Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival for hands-on field experience. 

Michael Levitin is Journalism Department Chair and advisor to The Inquirer, the student newspaper at Diablo Valley College in the San Francisco East Bay. Michael received his BA in History from UC Santa Cruz and his MS from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. He got his start as a reporter covering the Cochabamba Water War in 2000 for the English-language newspaper Bolivian Times, and later worked for six years as a foreign correspondent in Berlin where he wrote for Newsweek, TIME, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times and other publications. In 2011, he co-founded The Occupied Wall Street Journal, the flagship newspaper of the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City. His 2021 book, Generation Occupy: Reawakening American Democracy, explored the movement’s lasting impacts on American politics and culture. His first novel, Disposable Man, appeared in 2019. 

Lance Liguez is an Assistant Professor of Practice and Faculty Advisor for UTA's award winning, student-run online radio station, while teaching real-life radio production and broadcast writing techniques in the classroom. Before teaching, Lance spent over a dozen years chasing fires, floods, city council members, and the man-on-the-street as a major market radio reporter. He is currently engaged in branding, audio creation, and programming the university's best-kept secret, UTA Radio.

Amanda Little is a Writer-in-Residence at Vanderbilt University where she teaches journalism and science writing. An author and longtime Bloomberg columnist, she is the founder and director of SUNN — the Students United News Network— a growing community of 150+ high school newsrooms across 35+ states; SUNN publishes the national student newspaper SUNNPost.com and citywide student newspaper, NashvilleSUNN.com. Amanda has written for the New York Times, Washington Post and the New Yorker, and interviewed figures from Joe Biden and Barack Obama to Mitt Romney and Lindsey Graham. Her TED Talk, "Climate change is a problem you can taste,” has been widely viewed. 

Ana Lourdes Cárdenas (Ed.D) is an associate professor at San Francisco State University. She is co-creator of the SF State Bilingual Journalism bachelor’s degree, the first of its kind in a public university in the U.S. She has been a bilingual journalist for more than two decades working for U.S. and Mexican media. Her research focuses on drugs and violence across the U.S. Mexican border as well as bilingualism in the U.S.

Chris Mansfield, a native of Sioux City, IA, has been a faculty member at Western Iowa Tech Community College since 2013.  Mansfield is currently the head of the Mass Communications department at the college.  He has led faculty and student teams in an advisory capacity in many endeavors, including a weekly live newscast and most recently the launch of KWSR, our student run radio station.  

Terry Marsh is an assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Norfolk State University. His professional background includes working with CBS/Viacom, where his experience included media sales, audio/video production, voice-over, and public/community relations. He has also worked as a public affairs liaison with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and as a tour publicist with Rowe Entertainment Group (Atlanta, GA), a national concert production company. His research interests include media diversity (with emphasis on African American representation in media), social media, educational technologies, and intercultural communication.  He also has a strong interest in African American media ownership issues and in fair representation of women and minorities in media content.  

Lilliam Martínez-Bustos is an Associate Professor at the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media. She teaches broadcast journalism, TV production and she's the faculty lead of the Spanish-language student newscast, Noticiero Caplin. She also teaches summer courses in the study abroad program in Seville, Spain. Before joining FIU, she spent over two decades as a broadcast journalist in English-language and Spanish-language television. She worked as a producer in the Washington bureaus of NBC-Telemundo and Univision networks. She’s also worked at local affiliates of PBS, CBS and ABC in Boston. In Miami, she was an executive producer with the CBS-TeleNoticias network. She earned a B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico and an M.A. from the University of Southern California.

Fred Martino, Ph.D., is Assistant Director of Student Activities at New Mexico State University, where he serves as Student Media Advisor for the newspaper/digital news operation The Round Up and the student broadcast radio station, KRUX-FM.  Prior to starting this role in April of 2025, Martino spent more than 25 years as a public media leader.   He served as Executive Director of Broadcasting Services at Southern Illinois, Director of Content/Assistant Executive Director of Broadcasting at New Mexico State University, and Director of News and Public Affairs for WGVU Public Media at Grand Valley State University.

Mark Maynard teaches journalism, creative writing and English composition at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. He has been a newspaper and online journalist and is a freelance writer, author, and documentary filmmaker. His story collection “Grind” was published by Torrey House Press, and his work has appeared in Nevada Magazine, This is Reno and The Reno News and Review. He is the director of the award-winning-documentary Piconland: The Quest for the Perfect Picon Punch, the story of how a potent cocktail became the official drink of the state of Nevada. 

Julie McCann is an award-winning writer and educator based in Ottawa, Canada who’s spent more than 20 years teaching in Algonquin College’s journalism diploma program. Recently, she has been weaving solutions and engagement journalism approaches into several courses and loving the energy it brings to her students’ work. She publishes a solutions-forward community newsletter called Nepeanville and is eager to learn more about collaborative news partnerships. Julie has worked as a staff writer and editor for national business titles and freelances for brands serving travel, parenting and women’s audiences.

Brian McDermott has taught full-time in the Journalism Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst since 2009. He started his career as a photojournalist in his native Pittsburgh, attended graduate school at the University of Montana, and along the way photographed for news outlets, magazines, and wire services across the country. At UMass, McDermott teaches a variety of visual storytelling classes. He also served as the Journalism Department Chair for six years and has published research on the visual world in journals like Social Media + Society and Journalism Practice.

Sarah McMahon teaches English and journalism at Pikes Peak State College. She is the current chair of journalism for community colleges across Colorado.

Meaghan Meachem is a graduate of Lyndon State College with a Bachelors degree in Television Design and Production and of Marlboro College with a Masters in Educational Technology.  She has worked for WFSB in Hartford, CT and was part of the launch staff for a 24-hour news station in Syracuse, NY.  She started teaching at Lyndon State College in 2008 and is currently a professor and program coordinator for Vermont State University Lyndon’s Communications program.  She oversees the multi-platform newsroom and teaches across many media disciplines.  Meaghan is also a Governor on the New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Josh Meltzer has taught photojournalism and video storytelling courses at Rochester Institute of Technology since 2015. Josh was a staff photographer for 9 years at The Roanoke Times where he was recognized as photographer of the year by the NPPA and was a 2008-09 Fulbright Scholar in Mexico in between his 15-year career as a newspaper staff photographer and now as a professor. This Spring 2026, he is teaching a community journalism course with a colleague and will be working with those students to begin to plan for a new hyper-local neighborhood publication within the city of Rochester.

Dr. Alanna Miller is an associate professor of communication and media studies at Fayetteville State University. Using her professional background in both journalism and the entertainment industry, Dr. Miller seeks to connect students with practical skill-building opportunities. She does this in her classes, through advising student media, and through connecting students with competitive internship experiences as internship coordinator. Dr. Miller is passionate about training student journalists to amplify the voices of FSU’s student population, including first generation college students, military-affiliated students, rural students, and students of color, and through this work ultimately creating richer community journalism for everyone. 

Debbie Miller is an instructor in English and journalism and a student media adviser at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, Arkansas. She is a former newspaper journalist and editor who started in journalism by writing for a local weekly newspaper while in high school. Her newspaper career included stints at various Arkansas daily newspapers. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Advisers, and the Associated Collegiate Press. She is serving a two-year term as president of the National Federation of Press Women. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Arkansas State University.

Paul Miller is an Assistant Professor of Communications at Central Penn College with a background in news journalism, media production, and higher education. He holds a doctorate from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Communications Media and Instructional Technology. As co-adviser of the award-winning Knightly News Media Club, Miller mentors students in podcasting, sports broadcasting, and digital storytelling. With professional experience in journalism and broadcasting, he brings real-world insight into the classroom, emphasizing ethical communication, media literacy, and experiential learning. His academic interests include holiday film culture, audience analysis, and the integration of AI in media education.

An award-winning teacher, Elaine Monaghan is a professor of practice at Indiana University-Bloomington, where she is interim director of the journalism program responsible for curriculum. Elaine spent 20 years in the field, mostly as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Moscow, Kyiv, Dublin, Kosovo and Washington, traveling with Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell. Elaine has also blogged about the election of President Barack Obama for Microsoft UK, worked as foreign policy reporter and writer for Congressional Quarterly and CQ magazine, and served as a Washington correspondent for The Times of London, where she authored a long-running column, Abroad in America. 

Jennifer E. Moore (Ph.D. University of Minnesota) is an associate professor and journalism program director at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She teaches courses in media history, digital journalism, and community news. Her research includes journalism history and participatory news practices. Moore’s research appears in The Civil War Soldier and the Press (2023), After the War: The Press in a Changing America, 1865–1900 (2017) and Sensationalism: Murder, Mayhem, Mudslinging, Scandals, and Disasters in 19th-Century Reporting (2013), and Journalism Research that Matters (Oxford University Press, 2021). Moore’s research has been supported by the National Broadcasters Association (NAB) and two National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Scholar Awards. Prior to academia, Moore worked as a radio reporter, marketing and public relations manager, and a digital content producer and manager.

Matthew Moore is the senior producer of Ozarks at Large, a local newsmagazine show produced by KUAF Public Radio in Fayetteville Arkansas. He also teaches advanced radio reporting at the University of Arkansas, which enables students to produce and file radio stories on two public radio stations across the state while still attending college.

Erica Moura is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years of experience. She began as a hyperlocal freelance reporter before joining a daily metro newspaper, where she launched the video department and an internet radio station. Her coverage includes the Sandy Hook shooting, Boston Marathon bombing, and 2016 Presidential Election. She has earned three Telly Awards for her series on LGBTQ+ youth in foster care and an Emmy nomination for her mini-documentary Robots in the Operating Room. She is now an Associate Professor of Practice at Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts.
 

Huyen Nguyen is a teaching assistant professor at Kansas State University, where she teaches various journalism courses, including interactive journalism design. She holds a doctoral degree in journalism from Ohio University, with research interests centered on news media economics. Her published journal articles focus on state media management, community news subscription, and innovative media formats. She also serves as the book review editor for the Journal of Media Economics, in addition to presenting her works at various conferences. Before entering academia, she worked as a magazine reporter and editor in Saigon, Vietnam.

 Sarah Nilsen is a Professor of Film and Television Studies at the University of Vermont. Sarah is the author of Projecting America: Film and Cultural Diplomacy at the Brussel’s World’s Fair of 1958 (McFarland, 2011), and co-editor most recently of White Supremacy and the American Media (Routledge, 2022), and Critical Race Theory and the American Media (Routledge, 2025). Sarah teaches classes on Disney studies and animal studies, has written extensively on Walt Disney, and is currently working on a manuscript, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Animals, about animal ethics and Disney classic animated features.

Natalie Pattillo is an investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker, and journalism educator whose work focuses on education, literacy, childcare, gender-based violence, family policy, and food and culture. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, Vox, New York Review of Books, Vice, New York Magazine, and Marfa Public Radio, among other outlets. She is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor of Journalism at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and serves as faculty advisor to The Torch, the student newspaper, and the Student Media Collaborative. She is the director and producer of the forthcoming documentary Writing for My Mother, which examines the declining adult literacy and its effects on American democracy, and co-director of the award-winning film And So I Stayed.

Dr. Camilo Perez Quintero is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies in the Communication Department at Regis University and Director of the PEAKS Co-Lab on Communication for Social Justice. A Colombian anthropologist and videographer, he holds an M.A. in Communication and Development Studies and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication. His scholarship and practice center on communication for social change, community media, and Southern epistemologies, with a focus on community and Indigenous media, participatory storytelling for social justice, arts-based research, and participatory action research. He co-founded the Communication and Social Change Co-Lab: JUI SHIKAZGUAXA at Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia, and the nonprofit Pasolini in Medellín, partnering with grassroots movements to foster critical thinking and counter violence. He has also served as a consultant for UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, and USAID.

Hugo Pérez received bachelor's degrees in both journalism and Spanish from NMSU in 1993 and is currently finishing his M.A. in Spanish literature. He has worked in commercial and public television, primarily as a TV news photojournalist in New Mexico and Texas. In 1999, he transitioned to the PBS affiliate KRWG-TV in Las Cruces. During this period he helped produce six documentaries in New Mexico, Albania and Croatia, including the documentary “El Favor de los Santos," which won the first regional Emmy for KRWG-TV and NMSU. Mr. Pérez has presented professional media and broadcast training workshops in Albania and at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. In 2006, he began work with the Belo Border Bureau (KHOU-11), where he covered the U.S.-Mexico border and the interior of Mexico including news stories related to drug cartel violence. Mr. Pérez is the recipient of three regional Emmy awards from the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, and two national videography awards from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Mr. Pérez currently teaches courses in field news videography, digital editing and studio production.

Ted Petersen is an associate professor of communication and director of student media at Florida Tech. He teaches journalism, mass communication, and research methods courses. Each spring he organizes Free Speech Week, a celebration of the First Amendment and freedom of expression. The week includes panel discussions, demonstrations, and a keynote speech. He earned his Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida. 

Tony Podlaski is the Department Chair of English, Foreign Languages, and ESL at Hudson Valley Community College. He also teaches the first-year writing classes and journalism, as well as coordinates the journalism internship program. Tony continues to work in the sports media field that expands more than three decades, including nearly 14 years on the Albany Times Union sports desk, more than 20 years freelancing for various public newspapers such as the Baltimore Sun, Rocky Mountain (Denver) News, Orlando Sentinel, New York Newsday, and over 30 years as a publicist and press box coordinator for the new York Racing Association during the Saratoga Racecourse meet and special events such as the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup.

Mr. Proshee is a graduate of Northwestern State University with over 25 years of experience in Marketing/Design and Print Media. He has a loving wife of 13 years and two boys ages (12) and (4) and a dog named Kobi. In his current role as Director of Student Media, he oversees student-led media initiatives and supports creative, ethical, and impactful storytelling. He is committed to mentoring students, fostering innovation, and strengthening campus media platforms. He works closely with student creators to develop their skills in journalism, broadcasting, and digital media while promoting responsible and engaging content. His work centers on collaboration, professional development, and creating opportunities for students.
 

Teresa Puente has spent her career reporting on immigration and Latino issues in the U.S. and has also reported extensively from Mexico. Previously, she was a staff reporter at the Chicago Tribune and was on the editorial board at the Chicago Sun-Times. Early in her career, she worked as a reporter for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach and The Orange County Register. Her recent journalistic work has been published in Newsweek, TIME, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, The Hill, The Miami Herald, Fox News Latino, Latino magazine, and In These Times. Puente, an assistant professor at CSULB, teaches News Reporting and Ethics, Social Media Communication and the Bilingual Journalism course. She founded the award-winning bilingual magazine ENYE and students publish content for the print magazine, website and social media platforms. She also is faculty adviser to the CSULB student chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and faculty adviser to 22 West Media.

Dr. Jodi Radosh is a Full Professor in the Department of Communication and Digital Media at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is the Director of Alvernia’s new Community News Lab. She earned a Ph.D. in Mass Media and Communications and a Master of Journalism degree from Temple University. Recently, she earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Global Higher Education Management. Dr. Radosh worked as a television reporter for various news stations, including WGAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Lancaster, PA. She co-wrote two video production textbooks, Shoot, Edit, Share and The Broadcast News Toolkit by Routledge Publishers. 

Wendy Raney is an associate professor in the Journalism and Media Production Department of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. She is a Lester M. Smith Distinguished Professor, the past chair of the Experiential Learning Division of the National Communication Association and a member of WSU's Teaching Academy. She prioritizes experiential learning in her teaching and works with colleagues at WSU and the University of Oregon to develop Murrow College's Rural Reporting Project. The project involves community-guided rural reporting by students and the potential to improve rural news coverage and immersive student learning.

Philip Reese spent the last 20 years finding, analyzing and visualizing data as a journalist and educator in the Sacramento region, mostly as a reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He got his start in data journalism at news outlets in his home state of North Carolina.
Reese has been awarded the Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Reporting and the George Polk Award for Medical Reporting. He is a five-time winner of the McClatchy President’s Award, the highest honor given by one of the nation’s largest news organizations, and was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Journalism.

Julia Rendleman is a freelance photojournalist and assistant professor of journalism at Southern Illinois University. She enjoys stories about history and place, community and the environment. Her work has been used to advocate for affordable housing reform and alternative approaches to substance abuse and rehabilitation. Julia has received four grants from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. A current (24/25) grant supports her work with students at Southern Illinois University to tell stories about America's fastest shrinking county - Alexander County, Illinois.

Julian Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), where he teaches television news with an emphasis on Hispanic American media. His work focuses on Hispanic media in the United States and the use of emerging technologies to strengthen awareness systems and community engagement. As Director of the UTA Hispanic Media Initiative, he leads efforts to advance Hispanic media education, journalism, and research through innovative, cross‑cultural collaboration. He is also a national Emmy‑nominated documentary producer whose storytelling highlights the human impact of climate and environmental change.

Michelle Rossi is an assistant professor of Journalism at Loyola University New Orleans. She holds a Ph.D. in Journalism from the University of Colorado- Boulder. Originally from Brazil, her academic career includes teaching at universities in both Brazil and the United States. Her research focuses on news coverage of marginalized groups, with particular emphasis on nonhuman subjects (animals). Dr. Rossi’s work has been published in top tier, peer reviewed journals such as Journalism Studies, Environmental Communication, and the International Journal of Communication. She also brings 17 years of professional experience in journalism and public relations, having worked as a reporter, editor, and editorial writer across multiple newspaper sections and press offices. 

Geoffrey Roth's first journalism job took him on quite the adventure. He was part of the original staff that started CNN, and worked as a writer and producer at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta and in the CNN Washington bureau. Roth then moved on to working in local TV news, where he spent most of my career. He has worked as a writer, producer, Executive Producer and News Director in several markets, including Washington, DC, San Diego, CA, Houston, TX  Charlotte, NC and Miami, FL. Roth created two News Departments from scratch in San Diego and Charlotte. As part of those operations, he developed the stations’ websites and social media platforms. 
 

Theodora Ruhs is an associate professor of journalism at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut. She earned a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Maine in 2016 and has a background in television and radio news. She has a long-held interest in local and community news and is a founding member of the CT Student Journalism Collaborative, which helps local news partners across the state find and republish student reporting through its CT Community News site. Her other interests include news literacy, journalistic norms and attitudes, audience perceptions, emerging technology and listening to podcasts with her dog.

Dr. Ryan is Professor and Head of the Communication Department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). Her scholarship focuses on children and the electronic media, and she is kicking off a Public Affairs and Statehouse Reporting program at UTC in Spring 2026. Dr. Ryan holds a BA in Psychology (University of Georgia), a BS in Communication (Kennesaw State University), an MA in Mass Communication (Georgia State University), and a PhD in Mass Communication (University of Georgia). She holds certifications in Excellence in Leadership (Kennesaw State University), the Psychology of Leadership (Cornell University), and the Women’s Leadership Program (Yale).

Alfredo Sanchez is an Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Production at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he also serves as Broadcast Journalism Faculty Advisor. He brings over 20 years of professional media experience, including leadership roles such as News Director at Telemundo Denver, and extensive work as a news and executive producer covering major events and breaking stories. An eleven-time Emmy winner, Sanchez has produced thousands of hours of news, sports, and entertainment content. He holds an MA in Journalism and is known for mentoring students, fostering industry connections, and preparing future broadcasters for careers in the evolving media landscape.

 Adriana Sanchez-Gutierrez received her PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Montreal, Canada in 2017. Before coming to the University of Vermont, she taught Spanish at Purdue University FW and at the University of Montreal. She is the author of Teatralidades del conflicto armado en Colombia. Dramaturgia de las víctimas (Peter Lang, 2019). Dr. Sanchez-Gutierrez has been engaged in different service learning projects since 2016, where she provides linguistic services to minorities. This includes Spanish radio, translation and interpretation services at Community Schools, Public Museums, and Medical and Legal communications.

Diane M. Sanders is a seasoned community-focused professional with over 30 years of experience in administrative leadership, human resources, program development and project management. She currently serves as a Community Impact Manager at Wayne State University’s WDET, where she builds meaningful partnerships and advances initiatives that strengthen communities. Diane brings a thoughtful, people-centered approach to her work and is deeply committed to equity, education, and creating lasting social impact.

Jacqueline Scott is an English and Communications professor at the Community College of Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland, where she is currently the Mark McColloch Endowed Teaching Chair. Recently, she led a Summer Honors Experience in which non-journalism majors produced in-depth feature articles and podcasts for CCBC’s online college newspaper, The Connection. In 2025, she was selected to be part of the Community College Civic Info Challenge led by the Journalism and Design Lab at The New School. She is excited to be part of the Faculty Champion cohort and looks forward to creating innovative ways to connect local news with community college students.  

Jake Sherlock is an instructor at Colorado State University and editor for The Ramspondents, a digital news publication that focuses on public life and safety in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Ramspondents is staffed by students in the CSU Journalism and Media Communication Department. 

Dr. Jeremy Shermak is a journalism educator with more than 20 years of college teaching experience. He holds a Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri, and a master's in writing pedagogy from DePaul University. He earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana University. Dr. Shermak currently teaches journalism at Cuesta College and has previously taught at Moraine Valley Community College (IL) and Orange Coast College (CA). A former reporter and newsroom professional, he has published in leading journals including Digital Journalism and JMCQ and is passionate about multimedia storytelling and student-centered journalism education.

Alex Siwiecki is an Assistant Professor, English, at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, He graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing, Fiction, from the University of Florida in 2018 and has been a professor teaching writing and journalism at Santa Fe College since. In 2025, Alex was a recipient of the Community College Civic Info Challenge for Santa Fe College, which invited educators to propose innovative and collaborative ways to bolster local news infrastructure at community colleges. 

Dr. Chelsea Slack is an assistant professor of communication and media studies at Southeastern Louisiana University and has served as faculty adviser to The Lion’s Roar since Spring 2021, primarily overseeing editorial content. She holds a Ph.D. in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design from Clemson University and is a graduate of the University of Memphis and Southern Arkansas University. Based in New Orleans, she is deeply involved in student media, digital pedagogy, and local creative communities, and also works as a freelance writer, editor, and social media content creator.

Lynne Snifka began her journalism career in television, working for PBS affiliates in Wisconsin and Alaska before moving to commercial TV, where she produced a nightly news magazine for an Anchorage, Alaska, CBS station. She’s also worked for magazines and daily and weekly newspapers as a staff writer, editor and freelancer. She’s been committing acts of journalism for more than 25 years and teaching the craft for 15. Snifka earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and a master’s degree in Northern History at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 
 

Anne Sosin is a public health practitioner and researcher and Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology of Dartmouth College.

Jessica Sparks (Ph.D., University of Florida, 2024) is an assistant professor of journalism at in the School of Communication and Journalism at Auburn University. Prior to entering academia, Sparks worked as a local reporter at a number of publications including The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Ind., AnnArbor.com in Michigan, and Bluffton Today in South Carolina. Sparks has also done work with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She is a proud alumna of Ball State University. Prior to her time at Auburn, Sparks was an assistant professor at Savannah State University.   

Charles St. Amand is the associate professor of practice in Suffolk University's Communication, Journalism and Media Department. Before joining Suffolk's full-time faculty in 2018, he had a 31-year career working for Massachusetts daily community newspapers: The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, The Salem Evening News, The Sun of Lowell and the Sentinel & Enterprise of Fitchburg, where he was the editor. He received his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Suffolk in 1986 and taught as an adjunct there from 2000-20017. He is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, and he and his wife, Pam, have three children and five grandchildren.

Jeremy St. Louis has nearly three decades of experience as a multimedia broadcast professional. He has worked with premier networks including CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and the multinational beINSPORTS Media Group.  He has extensive experience in both anchoring and live sports reporting and a wealth of knowledge in broadcast writing, media production and storytelling. He has done everything from community reporting to anchoring Super Bowl broadcasts abroad. In his current role at the University of Florida, he is teaching, mentoring and connecting the next generation of broadcasters with industry-level experiences and storytelling in and around the community of Gainesville.
 

Elizabeth Stoycheff is an Associate Professor of Communication at Wayne State University, where she serves as program head of Journalism. She teaches media literacy, news reporting, digital journalism, features, international communication, and quantitative methods. Her courses use experiential learning to immerse students in real newsgathering that highlights metro Detroit's strengths and responds to its challenges. Dr. Stoycheff is a former Scripps Howard Visiting Professor of Social Media and regularly serves as a research expert in local media. 

Terra Tailleur is an assistant professor at the University of King’s College specializing in digital news and professional practice. She teaches a variety of courses, from reporting fundamentals to the business of journalism. She also runs the School of Journalism’s internship program. Her recent projects and collaborations include the Climate Disaster Project and the Worlds of Journalism survey. She’s a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists’ ethics advisory committee and a director of J-Schools Canada/Écoles-J Canada. Before joining King’s, Terra spent nearly 20 years in newsrooms, mostly with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a reporter and senior writer.

Brian Thompson is the advisor of the award-winning Flagler College Gargoyle, a student-run news publication in St. Augustine, Florida. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the college’s Communication Department, where he teaches journalism classes, and he also serves as Flagler’s Director of Publications. He is a former journalist, editor and columnist who has won awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the Florida Press Club and other organizations. He has worked at The St. Augustine Record and The Jacksonville Business Journal, written for numerous publications, and holds a Master’s in Media Management from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.  

Amanda Tilghman started as an intern at WHCP Radio in High School and has loved radio ever since. After getting her B.S. in Audio Production from MTSU, she traveled back to Maryland and began working with WHCP. After a couple of years, she's become the manager, and loves the station!

From the newsroom to the classroom (with a few jump scares in between), Sky Tilley is an instructor at Winston-Salem State University helping the next generation master Mass Communication. With an MFA in Screenwriting from UNCSA, he specializes in the art of the thrill—crafting horror and thriller scripts. Before attaining his MFA, Sky spent three years as a CBS-affiliated multimedia journalist, chasing breaking news and falling in love with the art of storytelling. Whether grading papers or writing slashers, he is obsessed with the power of a well-told story.

Elizabeth Toohey is an associate professor of English at Queensborough Community College of The City University of New York (CUNY). A Books contributor for the Christian Science Monitor since 2009, she received a Nieman fellowship from Harvard University for her innovations in teaching community college students journalism. Her essays have appeared in Studies in the Novel, the Journal of Religion & Film, Persuasions, Terror in Global Narrative: Representations of 9/11 in the Age of Late-Late Capitalism, and Film International. She is currently at work on a book on the value in college journalism as a public humanities.

Christine Uthoff has been serving as student media advisor and journalism lecturer at Eastern Michigan University since 2020. Previously, she worked as a reporter, editor, columnist, opinions editor and digital content director at newspapers and television stations across the country, including The Ann Arbor News in Ann Arbor, Michigan; the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, in Montana; The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, WWMT-TV in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and The Bristol Herald Courier in Bristol, Virginia. 

Victoria Valenzuela is a reporting coach at Chaffey College in Southern California, overseeing the journalism department’s prison reporting fellowship. She is also an independent journalist covering social justice and prison issues. She has been published in the LA Times, BuzzFeed News, Guardian, Truthout, The Intercept, Ms. Magazine and more. She has also worked with USA Today, The Marshall Project and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists as an intern, and held fellowships with ProPublica, Just Media, the LA Press Club and the Law and Justice Journalism Project. 

Amy Walters is an award-winning journalist, editor, podcast leader, and educator. At Colgate University, she teaches one of the nation’s first audio-and-video podcasting courses. She helped build Al Jazeera Media Network’s flagship global news podcast, The Take, scaling it from a weekly audio show into a daily audio-and-video format, defining its voice and reaching more than one million listeners and viewers. Before that, she helped launch the first weekly investigative journalism podcast, Reveal, with the Center for Investigative Reporting. She began her career at National Public Radio, producing Morning Edition and All Things Considered, covering the United States' wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, while also working closely with NPR’s Investigations Unit. Her work has received Peabody, duPont-Columbia, Robert F. Kennedy, Edward R. Murrow, Webby, and Anthem honors.

Hillary Warren teaches journalism and advises T&C Media at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH. A former radio reporter and producer, she is interested in finding ways to reach young adult audiences with hyper-local news. Warren is past president of the College Media Association. 

Peg Watts has been actively involved in student media for 15 years. Currently he is the faculty advisor for Gannon University's student-run paper the Gannon Knight. She also teaches journalism classes in the Speech Communications Department at Gannon University. 

Kamille D. Whittaker is an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Digital Media at Clark Atlanta University where she is the Faculty Advisor for The Panther Newspaper. In 2020, she co-founded the award-winning community journalism nonprofit Canopy Atlanta. She most recently served as managing editor of Atlanta Magazine. Her tenure in journalism is rooted in the Black Press—from Black Voice News newspaper in her hometown of Riverside, California, to Liberator Magazine, Atlanta Tribune, and Atlanta Daily World. She’s currently researching the Caribbean presence in the South through a narrative and digital humanities storytelling project.

Christine Woodside is Connecticut-based journalist specializing in environment, American history, and mountain adventure. She is the editor of the journal Appalachia. She has written for major outlets ranging from The New York Times to Yankee and Politico. She has taught journalism history, environmental journalism, and other classes at UConn since 2019, and her students’ work has appeared in outlets around Connecticut. Her three books include a mountain memoir and Libertarians on the Prairie, which traces the influence of early libertarian politics on an iconic children’s pioneer book series.

Doualy first joined NPR in 1999 as a production assistant for Morning Edition, and has since worked as a producer, editor, director and reporter for NPR's award-winning newsmagazines. She's also worked at Minnesota Public Radio and at NPR Member Stations: KERA, KPCC and KCRW. In the role of Professional-In-Residence, News and Current Affairs, at WRHU, Doualy mentors students in the production of news, current affairs, talk and special content (excluding sports content). She works with WRHU’s management team fostering connections with the local community through student engagement, community volunteer engagement, and coverage of news and issues important to the community.

Molly Yanity (Ph.D., Ohio University) is a professor of sports media & communication at the University of Rhode Island, where she also directs the program. She is a two-time, previous chair of AEJMC’s sport communication interest group and board member of the International Association for Communication and Sport. She has co-edited three academic collections on the FIFA Women’s World Cup and been published in several journals and edited collections. During the 2019 WNBA season, she covered the Connecticut Sun for The Athletic, and has also recently been published in Women's Health and The Conversation. Before her career in higher education, Yanity was a full-time sports writer on the West Coast for 15 years. 

Dr. Xu "James" Zhang is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Austin Peay State University. He holds a PhD from the University of Tennessee and an MA from Texas Tech University. His research has included examinations of practices  in international reporting. His research has appeared in Journalism Practice, Journalism Studies, Visual Communication, International Communication Gazette, the International Journal of Communication, and Media, War and Conflict.