Faculty

Jill Ament is an award-winning multimedia journalist and educator. She was born and raised in Central Texas. From 2017 to 2022, Jill was a producer and reporter for the Texas Standard at the University of Texas at Austin and their NPR affiliate, KUT 90.5. Her individual reporting with the Texas Standard...

I have been an educator for 38 years at three different institutions. Experience at two newspapers, a radio station and serving as a public information officer provided the background training prior to entering the educational field.

Terry Bertling has more than four decades of experience as a full-time journalist -- most of which was as an editor, managing editor or assistant managing editor -- in positions that allowed reporting and writing assignments and managing a staff of journalists. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Communications...

Born and raised in Delhi, India, Dr. Nandini Bhalla is a distinguished scholar in mass communication. She earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of South Carolina, where she developed a deep understanding of media dynamics and communication strategies. Before pursuing her Ph.D., Dr....

Dale Blasingame is an associate professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where he received the 2017 Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching and the 2023 Presidential Excellence Award for Service. Blasingame is a part of...

Harry Bowers serves as the Associate Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is also a Professor of Instruction and Mass Communication Program Coordinator. In his role as Associate Director, he handles course scheduling, curriculum management, assessment, enrollment management...

Gene Brenek is a senior-level creative who spent nearly three decades in the business of building high-profile brands for companies such as American Airlines, AT&T, AARP, Chili’s, Lennox, On the Border, Southwest Airlines and Zales. He began his career as an advertising art director at TM in Dallas and...

Jenny Buschhorn has served as Texas State University Advertising Program coordinator since 2015. Academically and professionally, she specializes in Account Planning and Advertising Campaign development. Buschhorn has a BS and MA in Advertising with concentration in marketing from The University of Texas...

Larry Carlson, a senior lecturer, has been teaching at Texas State since 1985. He has been cited several times by the School of Fine Arts and Communication for "Excellence in Teaching," has received the SJMC department's "Outstanding Teacher" award and received a “Mitte Honors Program Distinguished...

Dr. Carter is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he teaches courses in data storytelling, media design and visual communication. Dr. Carter has received the 2024 Presidential Distinction Award for Teaching and the 2021 College Achievement Award for Scholarly/Creative...

Eraldo “Dino” Chiecchi is an associate professor of practice and began teaching at Texas State University in August 2021, teaching feature writing, photography, multimedia journalism, the journalism capstone project among some of his courses.

Chiecchi is a strong believer in experiential teaching....

Mike Devlin is a Professor and Regents' Teacher of Advertising. He holds a PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Alabama, and an MA in Mass Communication and BA in Electronic Media Communications from Texas Tech University. Prior to earning his PhD, Mike worked as media designer and multimedia...

Tim England has been at Texas State University since 1993. In 1994, he received a Ph.D in Communication and Political Science from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. England's dissertation was titled "Decision-Making in Television Newsrooms: The Rationale for Live-on-the-Scene News Reports."

England,...

Kelly Engram is an accomplished media content consultant with over 30 years of experience in graphic design, marketing, and project management. Specializing in web design, Kelly has hands-on expertise in HTML/CSS customization and has developed impactful digital media content for top automotive...

Fuentes has 35 years experience as a journalist, from reporter to publisher. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree from Texas State University.

Experience includes serving as the publisher of two New York Times Company regional newspapers, as a member of the senior management team of the New England Media Group, and as a senior editor at four New York Times Company regional newspapers. Relevant skills and training include leading through change,...

Michel M. Haigh brings a mix of practical and teaching experience to her position at Texas State. She joined the faculty in July of 2017.

Haigh currently serves as the BEA Research Committee Chair, is a member of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications accrediting...

Vanessa de Macedo Higgins Joyce is a Professor and Graduate Advisor focused on the evolution of media, particularly news, in a digital, networked and global environment and how these challenges and opportunities impact society. She researches the emergence of digital-native news, the acceleration of...

Amber Hinsley was a journalist in Los Angeles when she discovered she loved mentoring reporters as much as she loved being a reporter. After guest lecturing in several classes, she decided to go to graduate school to become a professor. She received her master's degree from Kansas State University, and...

Jessica is an associate professor of instruction in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

She is the faculty advisor for the Texas State Student Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the course coordinator for MC1313, Media Writing, the...

Dr. William T. "Kelly" Kaufhold enjoyed a widely diverse career a journalist for 25 years, working in Ohio, Texas and Florida. He has been a reporter, videographer, photographer producer and manager, in radio, TV and at Miami Medicine magazine, and he worked for one of the first online magazines - College...

Charles Kaufman was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He received degrees from Northwestern University (MSJ) and The University of Texas at Austin (BJ, Special Honors in Journalism. After a 16-year career with daily newspapers and as a columnist for various topical magazines, Mr. Kaufman began a successful...

Laura Krantz is a professor of instruction, as well as director and faculty adviser of Texas State's independent student media organization, The University Star.

Krantz worked as a reporter and editor for community newspapers in Oklahoma and Texas. For most of her journalism career, she covered...

Eun Jeong Lee is a faculty member in the Electronic Media program at Texas State University, with a wealth of experience as a TV producer, multimedia producer, and visual journalist. Her work has been featured in globally renowned outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times,...

Dr. Heidi Makady is an Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida and her Master’s from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She has been immersed in the world of communication as a practitioner...

Gilbert D. Martinez is a professor of instruction in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and has taught Media Law at Texas State since fall 2003. Before graduating with a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in New York in 2000, he worked as a newspaper reporter at The Jersey Journal...

Anna Mazurek has a master’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of South Carolina.

She is a freelance photographer and writer. She has worked with a wide variety of publications and clients including The Washington...

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1960. Other than a few vacations with my family, I spent all of my time growing up in that working class town. No one in my family had graduated from college so I had no interest in continuing my education beyond high school.

After graduating I started a full-time...

Education

Ph.D. 2004 Southern Mississippi Mass Comm (Advertising) Dissertation ( Cross-Cultural Research on SMS Advertising)

M.A. 2000 Bournemouth, University U.K. Marketing Communications Thesis (Visualization of Radio Ads)

B.F.A. 1987 Academy of Art University Advertising Creative...

Ngondo’s research interests are in strategic communication and international public relations. Her main focus is bridging the gap between strategic communication research and practice. Her research has been published in the Public Relations Journal, Public Relations Review and Journal of Media and Communication....

Dr. David Nolan is a Regents' Teacher and Professor of Practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in visual communication, media design, user experience and user interface design, media product strategy, photojournalism,...

Professor Judy Oskam has served as Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University since 2012. She is an Honorary Professor of International Studies. Oskam was Associate Professor and Associate Director for Round Rock Programs from 2006-2012. Before joining Texas...

Debra Muller Price is an Assistant Professor of Practice and the Public Relations Program Coordinator in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She also serves as President-Elect of PRSA Austin, the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Price is a skilled communications...

Dr. Cindy Royal is a Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, teaching digital and data-driven media skills and concepts. She has been teaching at Texas State since 2006, dedicating her career to preparing students to be innovative in their media endeavors. Dr. Royal completed Ph.D....

Jennifer Scharlach is an Assistant Professor of Practice for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

With a background of non-profit marketing, public relations, fundraising and event planning experience, Scharlach brings a real-world perspective to the role...

Dan Schumacher is originally from Nebraska, which is where he graduated from Norfolk Senior High School and did his undergraduate work at Wayne State College. He began working in radio in December 1988 while at WSC, and was given a full-time 6-11 p.m. slot in August 1989. Dan began work on his graduate...

Sara Shields is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. Shields is part of the Digital Media Innovation faculty and teaches courses that introduce students to web design, video production, graphic design and...

Sean Smith is an instructor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication where he teaches Web Design and Publishing. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from Sam Houston State University and an M.A. in Digital Media from Texas State, where he graduated as top master's student in 2019.

Smith currently...

Dr. Nicole K. Stewart is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In Canada, she earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Communication from Simon Fraser University, and a B.A. in Professional Communication from Royal Roads University. Her research focuses on the...

Albert Suarez is a digital media specialist currently contributing his expertise to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University. With a rich background in both entrepreneurship and academia, Albert has carved a notable niche for himself in the realm of communication design....

Kristen L. Sussman, Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin), is an advertising scholar and computational social scientist with expertise in social media and online advertising. She leverages her advanced knowledge of native and third-party social media platforms to connect, monitor, and assess consumer...

Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University. With a background of more than 20 years of experience as an Air Force Public Affairs officer, his focus is on the Public Relations sequence with emphasis on the impact social media has had on...

Jon Zmikly is a TSUS Regents' Teacher and professor of instruction in the School of Journalism (SJMC) and Mass Communication at Texas State University. He is also the Assistant Director for the school's Media Innovation Lab in Old Main. He teaches digital fundamentals, web design, advanced coding, virtual...