Highlight on Faculty

Program Chair

Robert Kargon, PhD, is the Willis K. Shepard Professor of The History of Science at Johns Hopkins, and Chair of the Master of Arts in Communication Program. Trained in physics at Duke and Yale, and in history at Cornell, Dr. Kargon is especially interested in the complex role of science in modern societies, in the evolution of method in physical science, in scientific institutions as mediators between society and discipline, and in applying digital technologies to learning.

His books include The Rise of Robert Millikan: Portrait of a Life in American Science (1982); Science in Victorian Manchester: Enterprise and Expertise (1977); Atomism in England from Hariot to Newton (1966); Kelvin's Baltimore Lectures and Modern Theoretical Physics (ed. with Peter Achinstein, 1987); and The Maturing of American Science (ed., 1974).

Dr. Kargon is helping to develop new ways of involving the public in scientific and technical questions. Toward that end, he currently consults to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Additionally, he has taught seminars for public administrators, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. He also organized a NATO workshop on science and development, lectured on historical perspectives on policy issues, served on the Scientific Council of the Maryland Science Center, and was a Director of the Baltimore Public Works Museum, where a special concern is outreach to the public.

Associate Program Chairs

Erika Falk, PhD, runs the Master’s Degree in Communication at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her doctorate in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Master's degree in Speech Communication from San Diego State University and a Bachelor's degree in Politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Prior to coming to Johns Hopkins, Falk served as Research Director of the Washington office of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. While there she supervised several research grants and wrote reports on diverse communication issues. She also worked on the data analysis team of the National Annenberg Election Survey. Her reports have been widely cited by the national press and on the floors of Congress.

She has published several articles on women and the American presidency. She is also the author of Women for President: Media Bias in Eight Campaigns, a book about how the media cover women candidates. Falk has also published on the history of rhetoric, the effects of sexist language, and civility in the House of Representatives.

Falk began her career as a public radio reporter and anchor. Additionally, she has taught university courses in political communication, public speaking, business communication, and overcoming communication apprehension. Besides serving as the Associate Program Chair, she currently teaches Thesis, Media Effects, Persuasion, and Research and Writing Methods.

Faculty Members

Susan Allen, MA, is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Communication Department at the University of Maryland where she has conducted research in intercultural negotiation, persuasion in terrorist media messages, public relations activities of civil rights organizations, and conflict resolution through communication. After working as a lecturer in English literature and writing at a university in western Maryland, Susan began studying for the PhD in communication in 2005. She has taught research methods, interpersonal communication, basic communication strategies and negotiation. Allen has studied and taught in Madagascar, Ireland, and Algeria as a way of understanding how people communicate across cultures. She teaches Research and Writing Methods.
Deborah Beck, MA, is the President of Beck Research, a research and strategic consulting firm. Beck works on domestic and corporate projects, providing strategic advice to political campaigns, issue campaigns, and corporations. Prior to heading her own firm, Beck was a Senior Associate at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. Her political clients included Governor Edward Rendell (PA), Senator Christopher Dodd (CT), and Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT) as well as assisting the DCCC on targeted races. Beck also has extensive corporate research experience, working to develop the strategic positioning for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ. She was the lead analyst for Communities for Quality Education, a national education advocacy organization. Before joining Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, Beck served as a Senior Analyst at Decision Research and as Deputy Research Director at Squier Knapp Ochs, a media and advertising firm, where she contributed to various campaigns including Clinton-Gore '96 and the Democratic National Committee. Beck received a graduate degree from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and her bachelor's degree from Vassar College. She teaches Research and Writing Methods and Polling for Strategic Communication.
John Bell John heads up the 360° Digital Influence team - Ogilvy PR’s global, digital word of mouth marketing practice designed to manage brands at a time when anyone can be an influencer and we are all influenced in new ways. His team has developed and executed social media strategy for clients as diverse as TJMaxx, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Lenovo, Unilever and more. The team’s focus is on engaging through conversations, outreach to new influencers and word of mouth marketing. John is a Web 1.0 graduate. As Creative Director at Discovery Communications, he transformed a single web site into 14 Web communities and services from DiscoveryKids.com to Animalplanet.com and more. In the early nineties, when interactive television was imminent, John headed up the creative studio for the joint ITV venture between Viacom and AT&T. Currently, John serves as the President of the board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. He teaches Public Relations in the Age of Digital Influence.
David Belman, MFA, is a founding partner of Threespot, an interactive strategy, design, and development firm headquartered in Washington, DC. His teams have developed and deployed online brand, communications, marketing, and user experience strategies for clients that range from The World Bank to U2, from the National Football League to Planned Parenthood. David’s areas of interest and experience include defining the online brand, developing winning user engagement strategies, and deploying effective online experiences. Prior to opening Threespot, David served as Vice President and Creative Director for Magnet Interactive (now AKQA), where he shepherded the online experiences for Kellogg’s, Nissan USA, and Crayola. His online work has won widespread recognition, including One Show pencils, Webby awards, and recognition in Communication Arts, ID Magazine and AIGA annual design reviews. He received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Montana, Missoula and a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He teaches Effective Web Design and Strategy.
Stephen Bickel, MS, is Director of Market Research at D&R International and has studied and applied social psychology to change behaviors for over 12 years. He has particular expertise in the application of behavioral science to energy efficiency and provides training and strategic consulting services in this area to companies, government agencies, and non-profits. Recent work includes behavioral critiques of new utility consumer engagement communication platforms, and strategic consulting to One Change, sponsor of the leading community based social marketing program for promoting environmentally beneficial behaviors. Previously at D&R, Bickel managed the ENERGY STAR for Windows, Doors, and Skylights Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. Bickel holds a Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He teaches Persuasion.
Shonali Burke, ABC, is an accredited, award-winning independent communications consultant based in the Washington, D.C., area, specializing in research-based, measurable, integrated communications supporting business objectives. Now in the second decade of her career, Shonali's experience includes working with for- and non-profit organizations including the ASPCA where, as the organization's Vice President for Media & Communications, she put in place the organization's award-winning communications measurement program. Her work has been cited several times in industry media including PRWeek and The Measurement Standard, and she speaks frequently on the multi-faceted business of public relations at industry events. In December 2007, she was named one of the top "40 Under 40" public relations professionals in the United States by PRWeek. Shonali is IABC/Washington's 2008-2009 President-Elect, and also serves on IABC's International Accreditation Council. She teaches Communication.org: Not-for-profits in the Digital Age.
Dona Coultice-Christian, MA, has extensive experience in federal government communication. She retired after a 29 year career that spanned enforcement, benefits-granting and senior management. Upon retirement, she was the Director of the California Service Center, the INS's largest adjudicative site with a combined public sector/contractor workforce of 1,000. She spent 5 years as the Associate Regional Director for Legalization and was significantly involved in establishing stakeholder advisory groups, delivering media presentations, speaking at public forums and preparing external and internal messages and documents. She has a BA in Communication Theory and an MA in Organizational Management. She teaches Managerial Communication.
Stephanie Cutter, JD, has spun political issues and crafted communications strategies for the nation’s leading political figures and campaigns. After serving as a Senior Adviser and Michelle Obama’s Chief of Staff on the Obama for America Campaign, Cutter became the Chief Spokesperson for the Obama-Biden Transition, developing message and communications strategies for the roll-out of the new Administration’s policies and cabinet. At the start of the Obama Administration, she worked as Counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner before becoming an Adviser to the President for the Judge Sonia Sotomayor confirmation battle for the Supreme Court. Previously, Cutter has served as Senior Advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy and Majority Leader Harry Reid, as White House Deputy Communications Director for President Clinton, and as Communications Director for the Kerry for President campaign. She has run her own strategic communications firm, The Cutter Media Group, and has developed and implemented research-based messaging, communications and outreach plans for several Fortune 500 companies; Senators, Governors, candidates, AARP, The ONE Campaign, and several national coalitions. She is a graduate of Smith College and the Georgetown University Law Center, and has frequently appeared as a Democratic strategist discussing the issues of the day on CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg TV and Fox News Channel. She teaches Political Communication Campaings.
Stephen Daley is a Washington-based communications consultant and writer who spent 16 years as a correspondent and columnist for The Chicago Tribune and a decade as a Senior Vice President at Porter Novelli, a global public relations firm. Daley spent seven years in the Tribune’s Washington bureau as national political correspondent and as the paper’s chief Congressional correspondent. Between 1990 and 1996 he wrote a Sunday column on national politics, and was the paper’s lead political reporter. He joined the Tribune in 1981 as a sportswriter. He spent three years co-hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, “The Sportswriters,” on WGN Radio. In 1984, he became the paper’s television critic and media columnist, covering television programming and new media issues. He moved to the Tribune’s Washington bureau in 1989. At Porter Novelli, Daley provided crisis communications counsel, media training, communications planning and materials development (op-eds, white papers, speechwriting) to a wide range of public and private sector clients. Daley has written for the Washington Post, the Columbia Journalism Review, Washingtonian magazine, the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, among other publications. As a member of the Tribune’s Washington bureau, he was a frequent guest on C-Span, CNN, MSNBC and NPR. He teaches Opinion Writing.
Esta de Fossard-Nelson, MA, MEd, was employed for 10 years at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs as a Senior Advisor in Entertainment- Education (E-E). Prior to that she was an independent international contractor in the field of education and Entertainment-Education. She recently returned to independent contracting and teaches E-E at Johns Hopkins Baltimore campus, and at the Zanvyl Krieger School of Advanced Communication in Washington DC. She has more than 20 years experience in E-E programming in the developing world, having worked in more than 50 countries. She is widely experienced in radio and television writing and production, and has been a consultant to Discovery Channel, NPR, and Barney programs. She is the author of more than 50 published books, including training manuals for E-E; school and college text books in Literature, Writing, Grammar, Logical Thinking; and children's books. She is a prize winner in the Australian Children's Book Awards. De Fossard teaches Behavior Change and Education through Entertainment and Intercultural Communication.
Dianne Donovan, MA, is an independent media consultant and editor whose clients include the Washington Post, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and Prism, the magazine for engineering education. Donovan, who specializes in persuasive and opinion writing, has been a vice-president and editorial page editor at The Baltimore Sun and prior to that was on the Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune. In her 25 years at the Tribune, she served as editorial writer, op-ed page editor, op-ed page columnist, literary editor, commentary editor and foreign-national desk copy desk chief. She has taught at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Oregon School of Journalism. Donovan is the recipient of the American Society of Newspaper Editors Award for Excellence in Editorial Writing, the Chicago Bar Association Award for Excellence in Editorial Writing and the Friends of American Literature Award for Literary Criticism. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., and Master’s degrees from the University of Missouri (Journalism) and the University of Chicago (English Language and Literature). She teaches Public Relations Writing.
Margaret Edmunds, PhD, is a health policy analyst and researcher who specializes in using strategic communications and information technology to reach policy goals. She has taught health policy and health communications at Johns Hopkins University since 1999 and co-developed an online course on risk communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health Preparedness. Currently a Vice President with The Lewin Group, Edmunds provides strategic management counsel for projects involving communications research and technology adoption. She has directed projects involving multimedia and multicultural campaigns and has held senior positions at the Institute of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, and Children's Defense Fund. Edmunds is the lead author of two books published by the National Academy Press and has published journal articles, book chapters, commentary, and media backgrounders. She received a multidisciplinary doctoral degree from Penn State and completed post-doctoral work at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and School of Public Health. Edmunds teaches Emergency and Risk Communication.
Jill Egeth, PhD, is a Lead Behavioral Scientist with the MITRE Corporation, within the Social, Behavioral, and Linguistic Sciences department. Her current research interests include: 1) Understanding and modeling the human/social/ cultural/behavioral terrain and 2) Assessing the nations' pandemic influenza health cognitions and the impact of these cognitions on emergency preparedness and response activities. Jill received her doctorate in Health and Social Psychology from Rutgers University. She teaches both Persuasion and Health Psychology and Behavior Change.
Heather Epkins, MA, has extensive experience in media-government relations having most recently served as the Communications Director for America's Travel Industry Association, as well as a broadcast journalist, on-air TV and radio personality and Capitol Hill press secretary. She founded an award-winning, nationally-recognized anti-drug abuse program and has worked on several national political campaigns. Epkins has also taken the communications lead for several strategic corporate and non-profit association campaigns regarding issues such as domestic national security and travel post-9/11, anti-drug abuse in youth, peer mentorship, family issues, tourism and elderly care, winning several national awards for her television advertising. Epkins received a M.A. from Louisiana State University as a Manship School Fellow in 1998 after conducting ground-breaking research on the impact of media violence on women's health. She is a national START Center (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and the Responses to Terrorism) fellow and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on how the "prestige press" of Washington, D.C. report on national security and terrorism-related issues. She teaches Media Effects.
Mark Fratrik, PhD, is vice president of BIA Financial Network (BIAfn), where he conducts industry studies on the broadcasting- and related industries, and consults with clients in these industries about their strategic directions. Prior to joining BIAfn, Fratrik served for nearly 16 years as vice president and economist at the National Association of Broadcasters. He received his Ph.D. and MA in Economics from Texas A& M University, and his BA in Economics (Honors) and Mathematics from the State University of New York. He is the author of several articles published in academic and business journals. Frantrik teaches Political Economy of Mass Communication.
Charles Fulwood, co-founder and Partner of MediaVision USA, is a veteran communications strategist and executive manager with more than 20 years of national and international experience. He specializes in crisis management, risk and emergency communications, litigation communications, and public media campaigns. Fulwood is the former Communications Director for Amnesty International USA, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Children's Defense Fund. Fulwood is also the co-developer of an online course on Risk Communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health Preparedness. He teaches Emergency and Risk Communication.
Simon Goldsworthy is Senior Lecturer in Public Communication at the University of Westminster, London. He established London's first Master of Arts course in Public Relations and has since added the teaching of Public Relations to the University's undergraduate programs. He has lectured to international audiences, including at Tsinghua University in Beijing and the Sorbonne in Paris, where he is a Visiting Professor. His civil service career included working at the UK's Central Office of Information and press office roles within a number of UK Government departments. He has also worked as a PR consultant in the private sector. He has written a wide range of academic articles on PR, propaganda, advertising and journalism and, with Trevor Morris, is the author of three books: Public Relations for Asia; Public Relations for the New Europe; and PR - A Persuasive Industry? Public Relations, Spin and the Shaping of the Modern Media. Goldsworthy teaches Public Relations and Public Affairs from a European Perspective.
David Helfert, MA, is Communication Director for U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie, who chairs a House Armed Services Subcommittee. Previously, He was Democratic spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, and worked for the chairman of an Appropriations Subcommittee. Helfert came to the House of Representatives in 2001, after six years as a Communication and Public Affairs Director in the Clinton Administration. He was a newspaper, radio and television news reporter and anchor, public information director for the Texas House of Representatives, managing partner of a marketing/advertising agency for nine years and a political/governmental media consultant for seven. Helfert has written and produced print, television and radio advertising for retail, corporate, association and public service clients, and more than 200 political campaigns. He did his undergraduate work in Journalism at the University of Texas and earned a Master's degree in Public Communication from American University in Washington, DC, where he has taught upper division and graduate courses in the School of Communication. He teaches Press Secretary: Theory and Practice and Political Communication Campaings.
Una Hildebrandt, MLS, serves as a Communications Consultant with Accenture, supporting a client in the federal government. She is an expert in the identification and use of specialized information resources to inform fact-based decision-making in audience selection, analysis, and understanding. She has more than 10 years of experience gathering and synthesizing information to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of communications programs for firms including Booz Allen Hamilton, Fleishman Hillard, and Porter Novelli. She holds a BS from Cornell University and a MLS from the University of Maryland. She teaches Understanding Markets and Audiences.
Margaret Holtz, MS, has more than 30 years of public relations and communication experience and is a consultant in strategic communication with both national and international clients. She was the senior civilian public affairs specialist in the Department of Navy for 18 years. She has extensive experience developing and managing strategic communication policy and programs and working with national media. She planned and led major events involving heads of state and was a key figure in DOD public affairs activities worldwide. Holtz began her career by writing for a number of publications and supervised a number of award winning publications and programs. She holds an MS in Public Relations Management from The American University. She is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America and teaches Introduction to Public Relations.
Anna Karavanov, PhD, has extensive experience in designing, conducting, and analyzing consumer market research and developing comprehensive strategic marketing plans and communication materials. She has led several social marketing campaigns and initiatives for the Federal Government and nonprofit organizations such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, American Diabetes Association, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the GE Foundation. Recently, for Corporation for Public Broadcasting and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Karavanov spearheaded a number of data collection efforts and message development for low-income populations and minority groups. Dr. Karavanov has also led a number of communication and research activities for private sector clients encompassing brand positioning and image studies. She has overseen creative processes to develop brand identity and various communication materials. Dr. Karavanov is currently an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. She teaches Communicating for Social Change.
Benjamin Lozare, PhD, is the Associate Director and Chief in the Training Division of The Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs. Dr. Lozare has more than 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and practice in international and development communication. He has served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the Health Sciences Campus of the University of the Philippines, as the first Director-General of the Philippine Information Agency, and as Deputy Secretary-General of the Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Center Foundation. He has consulted with UN agencies such as the World Health Organization, the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, and the UNFPA. At Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, he has led the development of SCOPE (Strategic Communication Planning and Evaluation), a computer-aided communication planning software used in training workshops. Dr. Lozare was an Eisenhower Fellow and recipient of the first Newsweek International Communication Grant. He obtained his Ph.D. in mass communications from the University of Wisconsin. He teaches Strategic Communication Program Management.
Monte Lutz, MBA, is a Senior Vice President of Digital Public Affairs for Edelman, where he is integrating social media into traditional public affairs initiatives. Monte is a social media pioneer who created his first political blog in 1998 - Voter’s Block. He also is the founder of Reelsoundtrack.com. Monte has been developing and implementing targeted marketing and PR campaigns for 14 years. He got his start in traditional media, working at CBS News and C-SPAN. As Vice President of The Public Forum Institute, Monte produced Congressional forums on health, education, and technology issues. He has led traditional, social media, and marketing programs for numerous organizations, including McDonald’s, Disney, Red Cross, OSHA, NASA and API. His work has been recognized by PR Week as one of the top crisis communications efforts of the year. He also produced an award-winning Super Bowl ad for Monster.com, which was ranked by USA TODAY as one of the Top 10 TV ads of all time. Monte previously served as a speechwriter for the U.S. Secretary of Labor and the publisher of Fortune magazine. He has bachelor’s degrees in Government and Religious Studies from Claremont McKenna College and an MBA from the University of Florida. He teaches Using Social and Digital Media.
Priyanka Matanhelia, MA, is a new media researcher and blogger. She is a doctoral candidate in the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism at University of Maryland, College Park. She is writing her dissertation on mobile phone usage among youth in India. In Washington DC, she has worked as a media researcher with CARMA (Computer Aided Research & Media Analysis) in Washington DC. Prior to coming to USA, she completed her Master’s in Communication from SNDT University, India. While in India, she was a lecturer at International School of Business and Media in Pune and a visiting faculty at Dept. of Communication Media for children, SNDT University; Dept. of Mass Communication, Pune; and Rosary Institute of Mass Communication. She also worked as a communications consultant/researcher for UNESCO, DFID, and Zenith Media. She also has experience in media production and direction. She teaches Introduction to the Digital Age.
Jad Melki, PhD, the research director of ICMPA and a faculty member at the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change, is a professor of journalism and media studies at the American University of Beirut. Melki was a broadcast and online journalist for over 10 years working with American and Arabic media. He was part of the Webby award and Press Club award winning Hot Zone team (Yahoo! News), covering the Hezbollah-Israel war of summer 2006. Melki’s research focuses on journalism and media education and curricular development, global media literacy, media development, coverage of war and terrorism, trauma journalism, and new and digital media. Melki received his Ph.D. in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. He teaches Research and Writing Methods, Essential Skills in Digital Media Literacy, and Thesis.
Mary Miscally, DrPH, MPH, is Director of Research at JVR Communications, LLC, a woman-owned health communications and social marketing firm. She leads study design, data collection, analysis, and report-writing tasks for formative, process, and impact studies that employ qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings inform the strategic planning, implementation, refinement, and dissemination of national and community-based public health and social service efforts. Her public and private sector clients have included the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Children’s Bureau, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Infectious Disease Society of America, Men Can Stop Rape, and American Social Health Association. Memi earned her DrPH at The George Washington University and MPH and BS at Tulane University. Memi teaches Research and Writing Methods.
Monica Moore, M.Ed., has completed doctoral course work in Education, Policy Planning and Leadership at the University of Maryland College Park and is the Executive Director of Academic Services in the Advanced Academic Programs at Johns Hopkins University. She has taught at College of Notre Dame, the University of Maryland and Florida International University in Miami. Moore is the owner of High Aspirations, LLC, an educational and management consulting service and possesses extensive experience in marketing and communication in higher education. She has served as a Senior Director at Georgetown University, Assistant Dean for Marketing & Outreach at American University and the Vice President for Enrollment Management at College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Moore holds a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts from Salisbury University and a Master of Education degree from the University of Maryland College Park. She teaches Organizational Communication.
Susan Morris, PhD, received her BA degree in Economics (with Honors) from Columbia University and her MA and Ph.D. degrees in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology from Johns Hopkins. She has several years' experience in the fields of publishing, economic research, the marketing of consumer and industrial products, and as an entrepreneur. She has also been an advisor and consulting editor in producing science documentaries for public broadcasting. Her published work examines how 19th-century scientists crafted their scientific writing to persuade and appeal to a lay public. Her current research includes scientific communication, entrepreneurship in science, and the history of communications technology. She teaches Introduction to Graduate Work and Publishing: Print to Digital.
Illa Moskowitz, PhD, earned her doctorate in Interdisciplinary Engineering Science from Clarkson University, NY and has undergraduate degrees in Physics and Materials Engineering from the Technion. She has been teaching courses in Statisitics, Logic, and General Science at Strayer University for five years. Illa has conducted scientific research on semiconductors and thin films and has published several journal papers related to this work. She teaches Research and Writing Methods.
Joan Mower, MA, is the director of development and public relations at the Voice of America (VOA), the largest U.S. international broadcaster. She directs public affairs, media outreach and public programs around the world for the agency. She also oversees special broadcasting projects in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Mozambique and Burundi. In 2007-2008, she worked at the Department of State, handling public affairs on Sudan and Darfur. She has done extensive media training and public speaking in the United States and abroad. Previously, she was the communications coordinator at the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which she joined after serving as the director of international programs/Africa and Latin America at The Freedom Forum/Newseum. At the foundation, she promoted press freedom, working with journalists, governments and the private sector. She is also a former Foreign Service Officer. Mower began her career as a journalist with UPI. In Washington, she worked for the Associated Press, covering the State Department, Congress and the White House. She graduated from the University of California/Berkeley with a degree in political science, and she holds an M.A. in African Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS. She teaches International Public Relations and Public Diplomacy.
David Nichols currently serves as Chairman of CounterPoint Strategies, a high-stakes communications firm with offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. He is the founder and retired Chairman and CEO of Nichols • Dezenhall Communications Management Group, Ltd., where he specialized in crisis management, risk communications and spokesperson training. Before forming Nichols • Dezenhall, he was senior vice president and account group manager at Needham Porter Novelli (Omnicom). Nichols began his career as an investigative news correspondent. He left the news business to become a campaign press secretary for New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay. He later served as Chief of Staff for the Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance, and was subsequently appointed Deputy Secretary of Revenue, a state cabinet-level position. He relocated to Washington, D.C. to become senior media spokesperson for the Cuban-Haitian Task Force under the Carter and Reagan administrations, where he managed crisis communications following the controversial 1980 Mariel boatlift. He has appeared as a spokesperson on numerous television network news programs. He is the author of Rules for Corporate Warriors (2001), a primer on crisis management. In addition to developing a unique crisis management formula, Nichols has written a series of articles and publications that define and examine crisis management strategies and media relations tactics. He teaches Crisis and Issue Communication and Spokesperson Development and Training.
Molly O'Rourke, MA, is a senior vice president with Hart Research and has been with the company for more than ten years. In that capacity, she has conducted quantitative and qualitative research projects for a variety of nonprofit organizations, corporations, political candidates, labor unions, and media organizations. O'Rourke has a special interest in women and politics and regularly conducts research for EMILY's List and its Women Vote program and other special projects aimed at better understanding distinctive trends in the women's electorate. She has also assisted with and directed the polling for several women candidates for federal and state offices. Before joining Hart Research, O'Rourke worked for Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), EMILY's List and for the Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute. For several years, she co-wrote a monthly column about politics and public opinion titled "Behind The Numbers" for The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper. O'Rourke graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University and holds a master's degree from the University of Michigan, where she was awarded a Kellogg Foundation Fellowship. She teaches Research and Writing Methods.
Grant Perry, JD, is a new media consultant, journalist and lawyer. Perry heads Evolution Strategies, a consulting firm specializing in media training, new media strategies and content development. Perry was an award-winning journalist at CNN, where he was a New York-based correspondent and then anchor of CNN International's London-based business program, World Business Today. Perry went on to work as a new media executive and consultant in Europe, the Silicon Valley and New York. He has produced live Webcasts, Web video, TV segments and marketing promotions for Yahoo, Salon.com, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Francis Ford Coppola. Early in his career, he was chief political correspondent for two network affiliates in the Midwest. Perry has taught journalism at American University and is a member of the Washington, DC Bar. Perry teaches Journalism in the Digital Age and Spokesperson Development and Training.
Ronald Phillips, MA, is President and CEO of REPUBLIC CONSULTANTS, LLC, which specializes in working with national security, technology, aerospace, and aviation organizations and corporations in order to help advance their federal policy objectives in Washington. Phillips started his lobbying career at Cassidy & Associates in the beginning of 2005 after serving as Senior Policy Advisor and Professional Staff member on the House Armed Services Committee. Prior to his time with the Armed Services Committee, Phillips worked for Representative Hunter in the GOP Leadership for five years at the House Republican Research Committee. While with Congressman Hunter, Phillips coordinated the activities of over fifty Republican Leadership Task Forces and handled all external communication and political development for the Research Committee. Additionally, he has held several other positions related to governmental and legislative affairs in both Washington, D.C. and in Florida, representing a total of 25 years of experience in all facets of federal government relations. Phillips has a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree, both in Political Science from Florida State University. He teaches Government Relations and Lobbying.
Joel Ranck, MBA, is the director of Continuing Education in the Health Professions at George Washington University Medical Center. He provides leadership, instructional design, new product development, meeting planning and marketing services for educational products directed a health care practitioners. Ranck is the founder of Lincoln Park Communications, a communications consultancy that serves healthcare, biotechnology, technology, market research organizations and economic development agencies. Over his 19 years as a communicator, Ranck has executed a variety projects for companies such as Children's National Medical Center, Pfizer, McCaw International, Ford Motor Company, First Union, Current Analysis, Pepco, and AIG, to name a few. He has worked for Eklektik Communications (Prague, CZ), Golin/Harris International and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Ranck has been recognized by both PRSA and IABC for excellence in communications. He teaches Integrated Marketing Communication.
Alan Rosenblatt, PhD, is the Associate Director for Online Advocacy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. He is a long-time and frequent speaker and author on digital media, advocacy, and politics, including social networking, blogging, grassroots, and mobile advocacy strategies. He is the founder of the Internet Advocacy Center; a Fellow at George Washington University’s Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet; and a blogger at the award-winning TechPresident.com and DrDigiPol.com. He is also a founding team member of Media Bureau Networks (MBN), a pioneer in streaming media services; a contributing editor to Politics Online; serves on the editorial boards of several scholarly journals dedicated to the study of the internet, politics, and government; and is a member of the Board of Directors for E-Democracy.org. With MBN, he webcasted live coverage of the 2000 Presidential Conventions. In 2001, he served as Vice President for Online Advocacy Services division at Stateside Associates. From 2003 to 2005 he served as Director of Training Programs at e-advocates. Alan Rosenblatt has a PhD in Political Science from American University, an MA in Political Science from Boston College, and a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Tufts University. He teaches Digital Political Strategy.
Andrew Schwartzman, JD, is the President and CEO of Media Access Project. He also serves on the International Advisory Board of Southwestern Law School's National Entertainment & Media Law Institute. His board memberships include the Advisory Board of the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Board of Directors of the Minority Media Telecommunications Council. His work has been published in major legal and general journals, including Variety, Electronic Media, The Washington Post, COMM/ENT Law Journal and The ABA Journal. He has also been a frequent guest on television and radio programs. In recognition of his service as chief counsel in the public interest community's challenge to the FCC's June, 2003 media ownership deregulation decision, Scientific American honored Schwartzman as one of the nation's 50 leaders in technology for 2004. He teaches Communications Law and Policy Making.
Adam Segal, MA, is a successful public relations and marketing executive who runs The 2050 Group, a PR consulting agency he founded in 2006. He is also the founder and director of the Hispanic Voter Project at Johns Hopkins University, an internationally recognized project that studies the ways candidates, parties, and groups reach out to Hispanic voters. Segal is one of the nation's leading experts on campaign communications efforts aimed at Hispanic voters and has established close relationships with Republicans and Democrats. Frequently cited by national media, he has appeared on numerous network and cable TV news programs. Segal contributed a chapter to "The Mass Media and Latino Politics: Studies of U.S. Media Content, Campaign Strategies and Survey Research: 1984-2004" (Routledge/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Jan. 16, 2008). He also directs the Johns Hopkins University Internet and Mobile Communication Project. Segal teaches Internet Strategies.
Claire Sheahan, MSc, is a senior vice president at Fleishman-Hillard International Communication's healthcare practice. She has more than twelve years of experience in media relations, public affairs, public health, and integrated communications. She has developed and conducted winning media strategies for programs ranging from corporate product launches to seat-belt safety campaigns, including generating regular coverage in top-tier print, radio, broadcast, and online media. Sheahan holds an MSc from the London School of Economics in Media and Communications, and her clients and employers have included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Amgen, Daimler Chrysler, and Cisco Systems. She teaches Media Relations.
Scott Talan, MPA, has worked in media, PR and communications in three distinct fields: TV News, Politics & Nonprofits. Scott has recently worked at the UN with UNICEF, Harvard University and the New Mexico Legislature. He currently is the Director of Communications for the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs (NASPAA.org) and has successfully developed social networking platforms using You Tube, Facebook & Wikipedia. Talan has worked as a writer at ABC News 'Good Morning America' for hosts Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson. He's also reported on-air for local TV news stations (Fla, NM, CA) in several states covering politics including the 2000 Presidential Recount story in Florida. Before news, Talan served as an elected city council member and Mayor of Lafayette, California. His first career was in nonprofit PR working for the March of Dimes. Talan received his Master in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School . He studied broadcast journalism at Stanford after getting his BA from University of California at Davis. Talan has written several travel stories on Cuba, Mongolia and Europe. Talan teaches Pitches, Press Releases & Messages.
Jill Tanenbaum, MA, is the President and Creative Director of Jill Tanenbaum Graphic Design & Advertising Inc., an award-winning full-service marketing, advertising, and graphic design company located in Bethesda, Maryland since 1982. JTGD&A produces work that includes strategic marketing and branding, print and broadcast advertising, e-marketing, public relations, print collateral, direct mail, exhibit design, multimedia, and website design. For several years, the firm has been listed as one of the top graphic design firms in the prestigious Washington Business Journal Book of Lists. Since 2004, DiversityBusiness.com awarded the firm one of the top woman-owned, multi-cultural earners in the state of Maryland. Jill has a Master of Arts in Publications Design from the University of Baltimore. She teaches Branding and Advertising.
Jane Twomey, PhD, is Program Coordinator for the MA in Communication. She received her PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Maryland at College Park. She holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication and a Bachelor's degree in Honors English from California State University at Northridge. Before coming to Hopkins Twomey taught for 10 years in the School of Communication at American University. Twomey began her career in public relations and communication management. While at the University of Maryland she served as assistant editor for the Journal of Communication. Her research areas include race, hegemony and the media; and collective memory and media representation. Her work has appeared in Journal of Communication, Journalism History, Race, Gender & Class, the Baltimore Sun and the Houston Chronicle. Twomey teaches Research and Writing Methods, Media Effects, Persuasion, and Thesis.
Gregory Weiner, M.A.L.S., president of Content Communications, L.L.C., writes speeches, op-eds and other projects for leading corporate executives, major political figures and international communications firms. His clients have included CEO's of Fortune 500 companies, Cabinet secretaries in both the Clinton and Bush administrations, several U.S. senators and cutting-edge high-tech startups. He has written speeches for major business, political and policy forums as well as op-eds and advertisements that have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and other prominent outlets. Weiner -- who has also ghost-written two books -- has been a journalist, statewide campaign manager and aide to three U.S. Senators. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree from Georgetown University, where he is a doctoral candidate in political theory. Weiner teaches Speech Writing and History of American Political Communications.
Paula Weissman, MA, is Program Coordinator for the MA in Communication. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Communication at the University of Maryland at College Park. She earned her Master’s degree in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in 1998. Weissman has extensive experience working with a variety of private and public sector organizations working to improve health. She has conducted research for several national health communication campaigns, including campaigns to encourage physical activity, improve nutrition, and increase cancer prevention behaviors. Her research areas include health and risk communication with an emphasis on mass media messages and effects. Weissman teaches Research and Writing Methods, Developing Health Communication Campaigns, Using Evaluation to Improve Health Communication, and Thesis.
Xu Wu, PhD, is a Professor of Strategic Media and Public Relations at Arizona State University and the author of Chinese Cyber Nationalism: Evolution, Characteristics, and Implications (April 2007). Before his career as a professor, Wu worked as a national correspondent and news editor at the Xinhua (New China) News Agency in Beijing for six years. He was the co-founder of the media consulting agency Unicorn Culture and the director of Beijing's first soccer weekly: 11 Players (1998-2000). He received both his doctoral degree and master degree from University of Florida, with specializations in China media system, crisis management, political communication and international public relations. His work has been published by Journal of Communication, Public Relations Quarterly, Public Relations Review, Asian Journal of Communication, International Communication Gazette, Journal of Public Relations Research, etc. As an expert on Chinese cyber nationalism and international public relations, he was interviewed and quoted by major media outlets such as AP, AFP, Reuters, BBC, Al Jazeera, New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, the Guardian, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, CCTV, Strait Times, etc. He teaches Communication in China.