Full-Time Faculty

Eight full-time faculty members teach in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. Students in the department have access, as well, to faculty members in Tampa and the other USF campuses and may work with faculty at The Poynter Institute.

Deni Elliott, Chair, Professor and Eleanor Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics and Press Policy

Deni Elliott specializes in practical ethics. In addition to her writings in media ethics, she has published work relating to ethical issues and animals, government, higher education, philanthropy, research and teaching. Her recent books include Ethical Challenges: Building Your Ethics Toolkit, published through Authorhouse, The Kindness of Strangers, Philanthropy in Higher Education and Ethics in the First Person, A Guide to Teaching and Learning Practical Ethics, both published by Rowman & Littlefield. Dr. Elliott also works as the Ethics Officer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. She received an undergraduate degree in communication with a minor in journalism from the University of Maryland, a M.A. in philosophy from Wayne State University and an interdisciplinary doctoral degree from Harvard University with a focus in teaching ethics.

Phone: 727-873-4857. E-mail: Elliott@mail.usf.edu

Monica Ancu, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Dr. Monica Ancu studies the role of online technologies, especially online social media, in political campaigns. Within this framework, she investigates how political candidates and voters use social network Web sites, blogs, podcasts, online advertising, etc. and how these online technologies affect political communication and political behavior. She also is interested in political advertising and media framing of political events. Her research appeared in Journalism Studies, American Behavioral Scientist, Journal of Broadcast and Electronic Media, as well as in several books. Ancu teaches visual communication, Web design, online journalism and new media classes. She received her Ph.D. degree in mass communication from the University of Florida in 2006.

Phone: 727-873-4736. E-mail: ancu@mail.usf.edu

Loretha Cleveland, Lecturer

After extensive corporate experience, Loretha Cleveland launched L R Cleveland & Associates in 2001, a consulting firm specializing in student insurance for colleges, universities and associations. Her journalism background includes practice in marketing and advertising for Florida Trend and Tampa Bay Magazine, and as General Manager/Advertising Director of The Weekly Challenger Newspaper in St. Petersburg. Much of her research has focused on ethnic print media involving audience response and participation. For us, she heads our Neighborhood News Bureau and teaches beginning news classes. Cleveland received an undergraduate degree in journalism and communication with a minor in speech from the University of Florida, and a Master of Arts from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at USF St. Petersburg.

Phone: 727-873-4741. E-mail: lclevela@mail.usf.edu

Robert Dardenne, Associate Professor

Dr. Dardenne assumed the role of department director in January 2009. A veteran reporter and editor in Louisiana, New York, Washington, D.C., and Mexico City, Dr. Dardenne teaches media theory and narrative journalism. He is co-author of The Conversation of Journalism and author of numerous articles and book chapters in journalism history and media effects. In 1999-2000, he taught and lectured in China on a Fulbright Fellowship. Active in community-building journalism, he helped launch several initiatives and grant programs in the region to encourage civic dialogue and participation and serves on the board of Speak Up Tampa Bay, which oversees public access TV in Tampa and Hillsborough counties. His Ph.D. is from the University of Iowa.

Phone: 727-873-4613. E-mail: dardenne@mail.usf.edu

Casey Frechette, Visiting Assistant Professor, Director, Online Research & Development

Dr. Frechette is a visiting assistant professor in the journalism and media studies department and the director of online research and development. He teaches digital media and researches the role of technology in learning. Before joining the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Dr. Frechette was an interactive learning producer with Poynter’s News University, one of the world’s most innovative online journalism and media training programs. At Poynter, Dr. Frechette worked with faculty and industry leaders to design and build custom training experiences for a community of 200,000 learners. Dr. Frechette has over a decade of Web development and e-learning experience, specializing in PHP, MySQL and jQuery. He produced multimedia lessons for Navajo students at the University of New Mexico’s Technology and Education Center and DJed at KSEL in Portales, New Mexico. Dr. Frechette has a master’s in media arts and computer science and a doctorate in organizational learning and instructional technologies. His dissertation looks at the effects of animated characters in Web-based learning environments, and his research has appeared in the Journal of Media Psychology and other peer-reviewed publications.

Phone: 727-873-4174. E-mail: frechette@mail.usf.edu

Tony Silvia, Professor

Dr. Silvia joined USFSP's Department of Journalism and Media Studies as Director in January 2006 from the University of Rhode Island, where he had been a faculty member since 1988. In his various roles at URI, he had served as chair of the department of journalism, director of the public relations studies program, and coordinator of internships. Dr. Silvia's professional background is in television news, having worked as a consumer reporter and news anchor at various television stations in local markets. He also produced a series of media issues programs for PBS and worked as a correspondent for CNN, based in Atlanta, while completing a faculty fellowship with the network. His work for CNN's science-technology features unit was recognized nationally by an award from the Broadcast Education Association. Dr. Silvia has also garnered three Emmy Awards, an Associated Press Award for best documentary, has authored more than two dozen published articles in both academic and industry journals, and published three books: Student Television in America: Channels of Change (1998), Global News: Perspectives on the Information Age (2001), and his most recent, Baseball Over the air: The National Pastime on the Radio and in the Imagination (McFarland, 2007). A fourth book, Baseball's Father and Son Broadcasters, will be published in spring, 2009, and a fifth, titled Power Performance: Effective Multi-Media Communication, was published by Blackwell of Oxford, England in 2010. He regularly teaches "Senior Seminar" and special topics courses, including "Sports Journalism" (Spring 2009).

Phone: 727-873-4047. E-mail: tonys@mail.usf.edu

Mark Jerome Walters, Associate Professor

Dr. Walters, a professional journalist and veterinarian, teaches narrative journalism and reporting, with a focus on science and medicine. He has a special interest in alternative story forms such as audio and video. Dr. Walters is director of Digital Initiatives and founded and directs VideoWorks, the department’s digital productions studios. He is the author of five books. His writing has been praised by the New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Nature and numerous other scholarly and popular publications. Prior to joining USFSP in 2003, Dr. Walters was a visiting lecturer at Harvard Medical School. He speaks frequently on the subject of communication. Dr. Walters’ work has taken him to Africa, Asia, throughout South America and Europe and to all fifty states. He received an undergraduate degree in English literature from McGill University; a master’s from the Columbia University School of Journalism; and a D.V.M. from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Walters is a bluegrass music enthusiast and plays the 5-string banjo.

Phone: 727-873-4544. E-mail: mjw@mail.usf.edu

Paul Wang, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director

Paul (Xiaopeng) Wang received his doctoral degree in journalism and mass communication from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University. Before joining the department of Journalism and Media Studies, he taught Graphics of Communication and graphic design labs at Ohio University. His research interests include visual communication, new media and international communication. He worked as the editor-in-chief, editor at the news departments at Tom.com and NetEase.com, two leading news websites in China. He also has experience working for several newspapers and the China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing, China. In our department, he teaches "Intro to Visual Communications," "Web Publishing," and "Newspaper and News Publication Design.

Phone: 727-873-4856. E-mail: wang@mail.usf.edu

Adjunct Faculty

Joseph Gamble, Adjunct Professor

Joseph C. Gamble is a professional photographer, videographer and writer based in Tampa, Florida specializing in higher education, portraiture, travel and archaeology. His photography has been recognized by the Council For Advancement and Support of Education, the Educational Advertising Awards, the University Photographers’ Association of America and the Telly Awards and has appeared in numerous corporate annual reports, newspapers, magazines, and websites, including CNN, ESPN, Fortune, Garden & Gun, MSNBC and USA Today with recent clients including UPS and Wal-Mart. He holds an MFA from the Savannah College of Art Design and has been an adjunct professor of photography at the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa. Prior to his work as a full-time photographer, he worked as a journalist with Dow Jones Local Media Group and Rodale Press. Joseph is an active member of the American Society of Media Photographers, the National Press Photographers Association and the University Photographers' Association of America. The National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society funded his recent archaeological photography of Olmec and Mayan sites in Central America.

E-mail: jc@jcgamble.com

Rob Hooker, Adjunct Professor

Rob Hooker spent more than 40 years as a reporter and editor at the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times). As a reporter, he and a colleague wrote a series of stories in the 1970s that helped send three Pinellas County commissioners to jail. As an editor, he helped supervise two reporters whose work on the Pasco County sheriff's office won a Pulitzer in 1985. He edited a series on drug smuggling and public corruption that was a Pulitzer finalist, an examination of guardianship that led to statewide reform, and an investigation of the University of Florida football program that helped topple the head coach. For a decade, he was also the newspaper's principal recruiter. In 1984, he researched and wrote a history of the Times on its 100th anniversary, and on its 125th anniversary he co-edited a book about the paper and Tampa Bay. He grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C., and earned a bachelor's degree in history from Davidson College, where he was Phi Beta Kappa and editor of the campus newspaper. He received a master's in history from Vanderbilt, with a thesis on race relations and the Mississippi news media in the early 1960s.

E-mail: robhooker47@gmail.com

Janet K. Keeler, Adjunct Professor

Janet K. Keeler is the Food and Travel Editor for the Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg, where she has worked for 20 years. She had more than 30 years newspaper experience, including news reporting, and news and features editing. She is the author of Cookielicious: 150 Fabulous Recipes to Bake & Share, which was published in 2010 by Seaside Publishing. Her newspaper work has been recognized by the Association of Food Journalists, Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, the Society of American Travel Writers, the Society of Newspaper Design, the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors. Janet’s story, “The Crock-Pot That Saved Dinner Time,” appears in an anthology of work by American writers, Best Food Writing 2001. She earned a B.S. in journalism from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and holds a master's degree in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

E-mail: jkeeler@mail.usf.edu

David M. Snyder, Adjunct Professor

David M. Snyder graduated from Northeast High School, St. Petersburg Junior College and the University of South Florida, where he was awarded a B.A. in English.  At USF, he was managing editor of The Oracle and won a Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Mass Communications.  He received a J.D., summa cum laude, and graduated first in his class from Stetson University, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. Snyder was a staff writer for the Clearwater Sun and St. Petersburg Times. He also served 34 years in the Naval Reserve as a military journalist NCO and public affairs officer, retiring in 2001 at the rank of Captain (O-6).  Among assignments around the world, he served as U.S. Navy spokesman for Peacekeeping Forces in Beirut, Lebanon, in the months following the terrorist attacks on U.S. forces there.  He was a law clerk in The New York Times Co. legal department, an associate of the New York City firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel, and a partner in Tampa law firms before starting his solo practice in 1995, through which he helps consumers, taxpayers, and the media access information and protects their right to publish it. He is First Amendment counsel to the Creative Loafing group of alternative newspapers in Chicago, D.C., Atlanta, Charlotte and Tampa, and Tampa/Hillsborough County’s public access television provider, The Tampa Bay Community Network. Snyder teaches/has taught Appellate Research and Writing at Stetson Law School and Communications Law at the University of Tampa and Florida Southern College and USF-St. Petersburg. He organized the Florida Bar’s first Reporter’s workshop in 1990, has served many terms on the Florida Bar Media & Communications Law Committee as a member, past chair and, currently, vice-chair. He also currently chairs the Bar’s Statewide Advertising Grievance Committee, which functions as a grand jury determining whether lawyers should be charged with ethical violations for their advertising practices.  He is a certified arbitrator and mediator with federal and state courts and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

E-mail: dmsnyder@dms-law.com

Debbie Wolfe, Adjunct Professor

Debbie Wolfe is the Assistant Director of Strategic Communications for Pinellas County Schools. For nearly 20 years, she was the technology training editor at the St. Petersburg Times (now, The Tampa Bay Times). Her background is as a reporter, managing editor, photojournalist, stringer for the Associate Press, college-level journalism educator/administrator and news researcher. Her 1978 B.A. degree in journalism is from Michigan State University and her 1989 M.A. degree in mass communications is from the University of South Florida, Tampa, summa cum laude. She served as a founding member of the international newsroom training editors group and was active from 1990 to 2009 with the Investigative Reporters and Editors. She is currently a member of the National Press Photographers Association. She teaches various courses in our department, including "Writing for the Mass Media," "Photojournalism," "Video Storytelling," "Web Publishing," "Beginning Reporting," "Advanced Reporting," and "Research Methods." When she is not teaching, Deb enjoys adventure vacations, kayaking with her cameras and gardening.

You can access Debbie's Web page: DebbieWolfe.com for FREE tip sheets and training videos for journalists along with consulting information.

Phone: 727-871-6658. E-mail: dpwolfeusfsp@gmail.com

Staff

Casey Peterson, Director of Operations

Casey Peterson is a staff member in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at USF St. Petersburg, where he assists with administrative duties for both the physical and online degree programs. He also helps develop courses for the Digital Journalism and Design master’s degree program. Casey previously worked as office manager for the Florida Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit organization of student journalists from middle and high schools from across the state. Casey received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Florida, and a Master of Arts degree from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at USFSP.

Phone: 727-873-4881. E-mail: capeterson@mail.usf.edu

Emeritus Faculty

Jay Black, Emeritus Professor

G. Michael Killenberg, Emeritus Professor

Dr. Killenberg, the founding director of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, taught media law and editing and reporting classes. He was named emeritus professor in 2006.

His professional experience includes reporting and editing positions at the Alton (Ill.) Telegraph, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and the Los Angeles Times. He is author of Public Affairs Reporting Now: News of, By and For the People (2008) and Public Affairs Reporting: Covering the News in the Information Age (1992). He is co-author of Before the Story: Interviewing and Communication Skills for Journalists (1989); The Conversation of Journalism: Community, Communication and News (1994); and Interviewing: Speaking, Listening and Learning for Professional Life (1999, second ed. 2009). In 1998, he received USF Professorial Excellence award. His Ph.D. is from Southern Illinois University.

E-mail: killenbe@mail.usf.edu