After 16 years in the advertising industry, I made a career change and now hold a full-time position at Lewis University. I am an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Communication Department and Program Director for the Public Relations and Advertising program. Additionally, I am the manager and faculty advisor for the College of Humanities, Fine Arts, and Communication social media accounts.
Teaching
I believe no qualities are more valuable to students than creativity and mindfulness. Creativity is a skill that can be learned. It is a teachable process, not an innate talent, and should be encouraged in the classroom. Creativity encourages students to question conventional approaches and develop innovative ideas. It is more important than ever that students learn to incorporate mindfulness it into the creative process and the classroom. My goal as an instructor is to help students understand the creative process, the importance of mindfully connecting with target audiences and clients, and the importance of mindfully creating innovative content. When developing my courses, I consider my students as my target audience. I narrow my focus to a single student and shape my lesson plans and instruction around that student. Here are the courses I currently teach.
Introduction to Human Communication
Human Comm introduces basic communication theories and examines communication techniques in three common communication settings: interpersonal relationships, group gatherings, and public gatherings. The public context includes a minimum of three speeches. At least one speech is informative, and one is persuasive.
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Strategic Communication
Strategic Comm introduces students to the fundamentals of strategic communication, including public relations and advertising, with an emphasis on social and persuasive foundations.
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Advertising Copywriting
Ad Copy is a skills course focusing on the creative aspects of advertising. Students work with local non-profit organizations and learn how to research information on both products and consumers and apply this information to develop a campaign.
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Public Relations Writing
PR Writing explores the theory of public relations and teaches different forms and styles of writing. Students engage in an experiential learning community project, creating essential public relations tools for a local non-profit organization. This hands-on experience aims to address local issues, meet community needs, foster civic responsibility, and deepen students' appreciation for public relations.
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Persuasion Theory
In Persuasion, students explore how messages and social situations motivate people and can be used to influence or protect individuals. They also analyze the persuasive effects of messages and create a mock persuasive campaign.
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Interdisciplinary Seminar – Advertising: The Marlboro Man to McDonalds
In IDS Advertising, during the first half of the semester, students learn about advertising and how it impacts our choices as consumers. In the second half of the semester, students study four iconic brands: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, and McDonald’s, and how they influence our daily lives.
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Research Methods
Research Methods provides a practical look at research techniques used in advertising, broadcasting, communication, journalism, and public relations. Revised for career-focused students, the course emphasizes what communication professionals need to know to succeed in real-world settings. Students learn research principles, sampling, data collection, statistics, ethics, and clear writing and reporting.
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Cooking, Communication & Culture
Cooking, Communication, & Culture is an interdisciplinary seminar and experiential travel study course that explores cooking as a vital part of human life through history, science, health, communication, and sociology. The course highlights how cooking fosters cross-cultural understanding and appreciation. At the end of the semester, students travel with instructors to experience a culture’s culinary traditions firsthand, deepening their insights into its people and practices. Cooking is examined as both an academic subject and a universal means of connecting across cultures and sharing the human experience.
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CONTACT
Click the button below to connect with me on LinkedIn for fun chats about teaching, social media, and photography!
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram
Video continues to be the most engaging content, especially for Gen Z. Our content strategy includes developing authentic on-trend videos to connect with our student target audience while still being on brand for CoHFAC.
Our Fall 2023 Meme Campaign saw tremendous results. Accounts Reached was up 578%, and Accounts Engaged was up 45.3%.
Overall, our followers have increased by 424% in 3 years.