Department of Communication

Alumni News

Deepa Kumar

Dr. Deepa Kumar (PhD Pittsburgh 2001), Assistant Professor of Media Studies at Rutgers, received on 16 November 2007 the annual Young Leader Scholar Award for the Critical and Cultural Studies Division of the National Communication Association. She has also just published a book, from the University of Illinois Press, which is entitled, Outside the Box:
Corporate Media, Globalization and the UPS Strike (2007). She has published numerous important articles in Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies (2006), Marxism and Communication Studies: The Point is to Change It, ed. Artz, Macek and Cloud (2006), Media, Culture and Society (2005), Television and New Media (2005), Feminist Media Studies (2004), Class and News, ed. Heider (2004), and Critical Studies in Media Communication (2001).

For more information link to http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~dkumar/

Kevin Ayotte

Kevin Ayotte and his partner Adam Macy are in the process of adopting a baby boy (Timothy James, a.k.a. “TJ”).  TJ just turned nine months old.

Alessandra Beasley

Alessandra Beasley is Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is engaged to Pitt alumnus Ron Von Burg and will get married next summer in Italy.

Barbara Biesecker

Barbara Bieseckerwas the director of a dissertation that won the 2006 Critical and Cultural Studies Division’s Dissertation of the Year Award, National Communication Association.

She will be teaching an undergraduate/graduate course in Visual Rhetoric at the American University in Paris in July, 2007.

Michael Bruner

Michale Bruner along with Maxwell Schnurer are on the faculty of the Communication Department at Humboldt State University among the redwoodsin far northern California (300 miles north of San Francisco and only 100 miles south ofthe Oregon border).

Pete Bsumek

Pete Bsumek currently is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Studies at James Madison University (JMU), where he is a cofounder of the Center for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue. He recently was named codirector of the newly reorganized Institute for Health and Environmental Communication at JMU. Web sites for each organization will be completed this summer. 

Bsumek is president of the Environmental Communication Division of National Communication Association (NCA).  He will present papers at the 2007 Conference on Communication and the Environment and the 2007 NCA Convention.

Nicholas Burnett

Currently the chair of the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, Sacramento, Nicholas Burnett has 1,400 undergraduate majors; 65 graduate students; 35 full-time, tenure-track faculty; and about 50 adjuncts.  

He and his lovely wife, Debbi Burnett, will celebrate their 20th anniversary this coming July.

Judy Canelos

Judy Canelos is currently a Communications Specialist at the UPMC Montefiore Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. 

She is planning a tour of Europe later in the year.

Rebecca Mahr Cartus

Rebecca Mahr Cartus  earned a Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in May 2006 and is currently a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church.

Her daughter, Abby, is now a freshman at NYU and her daughter, Rachel, is in the 8th grade.

Robert Danisch

Robert Danisch, PhD (2004) published a new book in August 2007.  In the book, entitled "Pragmatism, Democracy, and the Necessity of Rhetoric", he examines the search by America's first generation of pragmatists for a unique set of rhetorics that would serve the needs of a developing democracy. To read more about Robert’s book go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatism-Democracy-Necessity-Rhetoric-Communication/dp/157003690X/ref=sr_1_1/104-7197804-3495136?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188433218&sr=1-1

Rod Dixon

Rod Dixon has written a book called “Open Source Software Law” (Artech House, 2004).

Alice Donnely

Alice Donnely taught for the College of General Studies at the University of Pittsburgh for 28 years and since her retirement has written a play, poetry, articles and books.

She has 4 children, 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Crystal Gabrich

Crystal Gabrich is currently dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Carlow University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Radhika Gajjala 

Radhika Gajjala has been graduate coordinator of the School of Communication Studies at Bowling Green State University since fall 2006.

Her son Pratap will graduate college with degrees in computer science and digital arts in August 2007. Radhika Gajjala co-edited collection on South Asian Technospaces was released in March, 2008. [Radhika Gajjala and Venkataramana Gajjala eds. (2008) South AsianTechnospaces Peter Lang, Digital Formation Series] 2] Radhika Gajjala's son Pratap Gajjala graduated with dual degrees in Computer Science and Digital Arts in August 2007 and he is now gainfully employed at http://logicjunction.com/ in Cleveland, Ohio.

Jean Jones

Jean Jones was named Edinboro University’s “Educator of the Year” (out of 400 faculty) for the 2006-07 year. 

She has updated and re-issued Trevor Melia’s “Lucifer State.”

She has been married since 1997 to Brad Wilson, a former faculty member in the HPS Dept. at Pitt.  This semester Brad is a fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Science and on campus daily—he’d love to hear from old Communication Department friends!

Lisa Keranen

Lisa Keranen serves on the clinical ethics committee at Boulder Community Hospital. In her spare time, she enjoys Emerson’s ideal transactions—reading, walking, and gardening—and is seldom far from a mug of coffee. Lately, she has taken to snowshoeing and soaking up the pleasures of mountain culture.

George C. McLemore

George C. McLemore (Ph.D., 1985) recently published his photo documentary study JESSORE ROAD-JOURNEY TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING: INDIA TO BANGLADESH, a book based on his work for the French NGO GROUPE DEVELOPPEMENT (GP) that is based in Kolkata, India. Dr. McLemore continues his documentary work in Nepal this summer while he completes a Fulbright Senior Scholar posting to Pokhara University. McLemore retired in 2005 from the Communication Department of the University of Texas-Pan American, in Edinburg, Texas.

Kenneth Mihalik

Kenneth Mihalik is the Department Head of Speech, Foreign Languages, and Theatre at Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC.

Sister Charleen Pavlik

Sister Charleen Pavlik  is a founding partner and director of Angelspring Farm Wellness Retreat in Fayette City, PA.  She presents professional wellness workshops regionally and nationally.  She released her first CD in 2004, “A Shelter of Wings”, original music and lyrics for wellness and relaxation.  She has also taught part-time in Duquesne University’s Music Therapy Department since 1989.

Steve Swope

Steve Swope received a Master's degree in Business Administration on 10 June 2007 from The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. He entered Fisher's part-time MBA program in the summer 2005 quarter, completing the required 76 course hours in two years.
Upon graduation, he received one of four "outstanding student" awards given to his class by the MBA program faculty. Fisher's part-time program graduated 106 students in 2007. He also was certified as a Six Sigma green belt.

Steve is employed by Lockheed Martin as a software engineer. He currently lives in Fairborn, OH.

Susan Wieczorek

Susan Wieczorek is the Coordinator of Speaking Enhanced Development for General Education, Public Speaking Coordinator, WUPJ Radio Advisor, and Manager of J. Eric Wieczorek, MD practice.

She was married on June 13, 1981 to J. Eric Wieczorek, MD and has six children: Nicole, Laura, Jude, Alexis, Chloe, and Ian.