Journalism Instructors

Zach Abolverdi

Zach Abolverdi is UF journalism grad and multimedia journalist with 15 years of experience covering college and high school athletics on various platforms, including print, online and radio. He is currently the Gators Online Senior Writer for On3.com and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida, teaching the Sports Reporting class. His work consists of beat reporting, feature writing, in-depth analysis, longform journalism, directing videos and hosting podcast/radio shows.

Zach won an Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) Award in the Breaking News category in 2021 and graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications in 2014. While in school, he won a William Randolph Hearst Journalism Award in the Sports Writing category. He began teaching at his alma mater in 2021 and enjoys helping students turn their passion for sports into a career.  

Prior to joining On3, Zach spent a total of seven years at the Gainesville Sun (2010-15, 2021) along with stints at Rivals, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Lake City Reporter. He also served as the General Manager and Publisher of Gator Bait Magazine in 2018 and hosted a radio show on ESPN Gainesville from 2016-19.

Briana Aldridge

Briana Aldridge is an experienced journalist with eight years in both news and sports, currently serving as the Weekend Sports Anchor and Reporter at CBS News Texas in Dallas. She covers some of the region’s biggest stories and travels with the Dallas Cowboys during football season. Passionate about education, Briana has taught journalism at both the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and SUNY Erie Community College. Her experience ranges from teaching first graders to college sophomores, reflecting her dedication to developing young minds. Giving back to the next generation of journalists remains one of her greatest passions.

Donesha Aldridge

Donesha Aldridge is an award-winning journalist in Atlanta with more than a decade of experience in various TV news markets. She is currently an Executive Producer of Digital Content in Atlanta at 11Alive, one of Tegna’s leading stations for digital content. Before moving to Atlanta, she worked in two Mississippi markets, developing journalism skills both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Donesha’s expertise in news spans from writing for online audiences, crafting content strategies for growth and other areas of journalism. Doneshahopes to lead and motivate other young journalists interested in learning about the industry.

Eric Althoff

Eric Althoff is a former copy editor on the opinion desk of the Washington Post and an Emmy-winning co-writer of the documentary “The Red River Flood,” “The Town That Disappeared Overnight.” He’s also the producer of the Telly-winning shorts “My Hatton” and “The Long Hair” for Media 523. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Napa Valley Register, Washington Times, Luxe Getaways, DCist, Black Belt, Alchemical Records and elsewhere. Eric has lectured several times at the annual conference of ACES: The Society for Editing, and moderated panels for the inaugural DC/DOX festival, held in Washington, D.C., and for the Fredericksburg Film Festival. Eric lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with his wife, Victoria.

Alex Avelino

Alex is a double Gator and holds a bachelor’s in psychology and master’s in mass communications. She serves as the Smathers Libraries’ Director of Marketing & Communications and teaches Personal Branding and Video Storytelling in the College of Journalism and Communications. Before the Libraries, Alex worked in vetmed student affairs for eight years.

Alex is passionate about mentorship and personal growth and development for her students and colleagues. You can find her consistently recommending things to do in Gainesville to anyone who will listen.

Ethan Bauer

Ethan Bauer is a staff writer for Deseret Magazine based in Provo, Utah, and originally from Miami, Florida, which he misses very much. He’s a 2018 graduate of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, and a 2019 graduate of the Columbia Journalism School. Long ago, he worked for the Alligator’s sports section, covering cross country, women’s basketball, football and baseball while spending three semesters as assistant sports editor and one semester as sports editor back when the paper still printed five days per week. He’s proud to have the Alligator ‘a’ tattooed on his forearm. He’s also written for the Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times, the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times. During his time as a student, he was a Jim Murray Scholar, a Hearst Award winner and an SPJ Mark of Excellence winner for sports columns. He’s since won numerous professional awards in Utah and the intermountain West, including best-in-state from the Utah SPJ for personality profile, sports deadline reporting, sports non-deadline reporting and best magazine story. He writes about politics, restaurants, family history, adventure and — you guessed it — sports.

David Bearman

David Bearman spent 18 years with ESPN in various content roles, the last four overseeing Sports Betting content for ESPN.com and Daily Wager. A graduate of the University of Florida’s School of Journalism and Communications, Bearman also spent 14 years in ESPN’s Stats & Information department and 10 years with the Florida Marlins and their minor league affiliates. From 2023-25, he served as Chief Content Officer of Pro Football Network, overseeing all content, including coverage of Super Bowls 58 and 59. He is also a Sports Betting Consultant for FanDuel Sports Network and the Founder of Betting with Bearman, a 3x a week betting newsletter and weekly podcast on Bleav Podcast Network.

Kelly Bjorklund

During the 2023-2024 academic year, Kelly is delighted to be teaching the UF Journalism course Media, Culture, and Identity, an interdisciplinary course that analyzes how the media represents groups, identities, and issues and how these representations can impact opinions and behaviors. A former speech and debate coach, she enjoys helping students pursue their passions for communicating.

A faculty member at the University of Colorado’s College of Media, Communication and Information, Kelly serves as a Lecturer in Communication.

Kelly is also a PhD researcher at the University of Staffordshire, focusing on how journalists have been targeted by states during conflicts, if and how established codified norms are changing, and what the effects are on freedom of expression and modern warfare.

A working journalist, Kelly is a senior writer and editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which provides news and information to countries without a free press. As a contributor to Foreign Policy Magazine, she investigates and analyzes complex international issues.

Kelly spent seven years writing about human rights, international relations, and security for Radio Free Asia. In addition to academia and journalism, Kelly has been engaged with multiple international human rights NGOs and civil society organizations on communications, policy, and strategic planning.

Her topical expertise is in human rights; press freedom and freedom of expression; disinformation/misinformation; international relations; political and non-profit communication; and media, culture, and identity.

Gregg Birnbaum

Gregg Birnbaum is a longtime reporter and editor, having served most recently as the interim business editor of the Miami Herald. Prior to that, he was the assistant managing editor for politics at NBCNews.com from 2017-2021 and led the site’s coverage of national politics and the 2020 presidential campaign, as well as overseeing digital reporting on the White House, Congress and Supreme Court. Birnbaum also was a senior editor on the CNN.com politics team from 2015-2017, handling breaking news, the 2016 presidential campaign live blog, national security coverage and reporter training. Other positions Birnbaum has held include as managing editor for politics at the New York Daily News, deputy managing editor at Politico and political editor of the New York Post. He has taught journalism as an adjunct professor at Baruch College, in the City University of New York system, since 2014. He lives in Miami.

Justin Brown

Justin S. Brown currently serves in the role of center coordinator at Mercer University in Atlanta where he facilitates student success, provides academic support to faculty and staff and engages in community outreach.   Justin also teaches regularly, including online courses in communications law for the University of Florida, face-to-face course in Internet law for Georgia Tech and a forthcoming digital media & analytics course for Mercer.    Beyond engaging in student learning, Justin has demonstrated expertise in digital technology and policy issues including broadband deployment, network neutrality and data privacy.  Justin served as the 2015-16 MCI Communications Congressional Fellow, working in the office of Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) to help support his role as ranking minority member of the Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet subcommittee. Justin also serves as senior policy advisor to the Center for the Development and Application of the Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT).

Justin has made numerous research presentations at conferences organized by the International Communications Association (ICA), American Educators in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the Telecommunication Policy Research Conference (TPRC).  His policy work in represented in such publications as Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, Communication Research, Communication Law & Policy, Federal Communications Law Journal, Cornell Journal of Law & Public Policy, IDEA: Intellectual Property Law Review, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly and info: The journal of policy, regulation and strategy for telecommunications, information and media. He earned his B.S. (Journalism) from the University of Oregon, and both his M.A. (Telecommunication Studies) and Ph.D. (Mass Communication) from Penn State University.

David Carlson

David Carlson has retired from the CJC, but he continues to teach Rock ‘n’ Roll and American Society online, sharing his passion for the music with everyone he can.

Carlson also is one of the pioneers of digital journalism. He was involved in it as a practitioner and as a self-appointed evangelist beginning in 1988. He started one of the first online newspapers at The Albuquerque Tribune in 1990, and he taught for 25 years at the CJC, where he held the Cox-Palm Beach Post chair in new media journalism until his retirement in 2018. During his tenure he gave more than 100 presentations at conferences and symposia on five continents.

He was national president of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2005-6, the first educator ever to hold that post. His final years at the college were spent as Executive Director of the Center for Media Innovation and Research. In his “spare” time, he developed the online versions of MMC 1702 and MMC 3702.

Desirée Colomina

Desirée Colomina is a five-time Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer, author, and international speaker with over 20 years of experience in media and communication. She has led production for NBC and Telemundo Network and served as a strategic consultant for Univision, Magid, Scripps, Allen Media, and others. Her expertise spans media leadership, storytelling, crisis communication, and brand strategy across multicultural markets. Desirée is passionate about helping emerging professionals lead authentically and strategically in the rapidly changing media industry.

Nathan Crabbe

Nathan Crabbe is editor of The Invading Sea, a website publishing environmental news and commentary that it also distributes to newspapers across Florida. He worked for the Gainesville Sun from 2005 to 2022, serving for most of that time as the paper’s opinion and engagement editor. He also covered the University of Florida and environmental beats as a reporter. Before that, he investigated wrongful convictions for the Innocence Institute of Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and covered the environmental and county beats as a reporter for the Napa Valley Register in Napa, California.

Javier de Diego

Javier de Diego brings nearly 25 years of TV news production and reporting experience at the local and national levels, with most of that time in senior roles at CNN. He served on the frontlines of some of America’s biggest stories in the field and the control room, earning him one of his two Emmy awards. De Diego has led show teams for some of CNN’s top talent including Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper and Chris Wallace, serving as Executive Producer of Wallace’s two popular programs on CNN and HBOMax. De Diego is coming home – having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunication-News from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications in 2000; and he currently serves as a member of the Journalism Advisory Council. He is the son of Cuban exiles, born and raised in South Florida, and proudly calls Virginia home.

Aurora Dominguez

Aurora Lydia Dominguez is a high school teacher, professor, journalist, writer and moderator, as well as a proud cosplayer based in sunny Hollywood, Florida. There, she resides with her husband Sebastian and her tuxedo cat, Luna.

Dominguez currently teaches Newspaper, Journalism 1 and Creative Writing at Boca Raton Community High School. Dominguez has also taught AICE Media Studies, AICE General Paper, AICE Global Perspectives and AP Seminar, and she is a Florida Department of Education certified teacher in Journalism, Spanish and English.

The school’s award-winning student-run newspaper, “The Paw Print,” has won awards for the past three years during her tenure as adviser from the Sun-Sentinel High School Journalism Awards.

Dominguez is also a college professor, currently teaching at University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University. She also has taught at Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University. Her expertise is Mass Communications and Journalism teaching at these institutions, where she has taught groups of 19 up to 65 students at a time. She has also served as a writing coach for Florida International University.

Not only does Dominguez teach, but she currently is a freelance journalist, writing for publications such as ALA’s Booklist, OUTSFL and Boca Raton Magazine as a feature writer. Her expertise is book reviews, author interviews, dining and travel stories.

Dominguez was a full-time journalist for over 15 years, working at The San Juan Star in San Juan, Puerto Rico where she was born and raised, and later at The Miami Herald, Miami.com, Where Magazine and Bauer Xcel Media for publications as J-14 Magazine and Twist Magazine. In these places, she worked as a reporter, editor, social media editor and senior web editor. Her work took her on many experiences, such as covering the Jurassic World press junket in Hawaii in 2015.

Dominguez is also a seasoned moderator for authors and has worked in conjunction with Books and Books hosting authors such as Marie Lu, Tahereh Mafi, Samantha Shannon and many others. She is also a published author, with her first story, “Harry Potter and My Angel,” being published on the compilation “Saved by the Page” on November 13, 2018.

Dominguez holds a master’s degree in mass communications and journalism from Florida International University and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, Journalism with a minor in English Literature and Theater from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Dominguez is certified in Journalism 6-12, English 6-12 and Spanish K-12 in the state of Florida. She was also the recipient of a 2021-2022 scholarship by the English-Speaking Union in Palm Beach County to go study abroad in Oxford, concentrating on English Literature. There, she became certified and graduated from the summer program with a concentration in Shakespeare and Politics as well as the works of Jane Austen, all on a full scholarship. Dominguez also was honored as Teacher of the Year in 2022 at Boca Raton High School, was chosen as one of 50 teachers in the United States to be honored by Walt Disney World during their 50th Anniversary Teacher Celebration.

Karen Dooley

Karen serves as a national media strategist for the University of Florida, focused on strengthening the university’s reputation among a national audience. She began her career as a newspaper journalist and has spent more than 20 years at UF as a communications professional, helping shape messages and inspire audiences through effective storytelling. During her time as director of communications for the UF College of Medicine, Karen’s work was recognized for excellence in print publication, video production and digital publishing. She received the Robert G. Fenley Writing Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. As an adjunct instructor for the College of Journalism and Communications for more than 10 years, she enjoys introducing students to news and public relations writing and helping them improve their skills in reporting and writing basic news stories.

Kristi Dosh

Kristi Dosh is a former practicing attorney turned sports business reporter, analyst and consultant. She is a contributor for Forbes in addition to being the founder of BusinessofCollegeSports.com and the Business of College Sports podcast.

Kristi has written on the business of college sports for more than a decade for outlets such as ESPN, The Washington Post, and Sports Business Journal. Kristi is also a consultant for athletic departments, universities and NIL collectives on matters ranging from strategic planning to conference realignment and navigating the new NIL landscape. In 2023, she launched an NIL-focused podcast called The Players’ Platform with Duke track and field athlete Emily Cole.

Kristi is the author of business of college football book, Saturday Millionaires: How Winning Football Builds Winning Colleges. She holds a B.A. from Oglethorpe University and a J.D. from the University of Florida.

Tim Drachlis

Tim Drachlis worked for 31 years in newspapers as a reporter and an editor. He spent 28 of those years at Newsday, where he held numerous editing positions. Most recently, he served as assistant managing editor and supervised a staff of reporters and editors who produced all the local content for both the paper’s website and its print editions. In that role, he planned the award-winning coverage of countless news events, including three hurricanes, a papal visit to North America, the Boston Marathon and Pulse nightclub attacks, and two fatal train wrecks. His staff won nearly 100 journalism awards and Newsday was named an Associated Press newspaper of distinction three times. He also was a leader in speeding up how stories were posted online and helped develop a production system that allows different versions of an article to be posted simultaneously to the phone, tablet and desktop. Before becoming assistant managing editor, he was a member of the team that won Pulitzer Prizes for breaking news in 1992 and in 1997. He edited three other Pulitzer winners – international reporting in 1992 and 1993, and explanatory reporting in 1996. While news editor, he was a Pulitzer breaking news finalist in 2004 for Newsday’s coverage of the Northeast blackout and a public service finalist in 2008 for the paper’s expose of dangerous Long Island Rail Road platforms. His journalism also has been honored by the Society of Silurians, the Deadline Club, the Long Island Press Club, the Society of News Design and the Associated Press. From 2000 to 2007, he was in charge of the Sunday edition and edited all of the paper’s enterprise and investigative projects. Before coming to Newsday, he was a reporter and then a copy editor for the Omaha World-Herald. Since 1998, he has taught college courses in reporting, writing, editing and news design. A frequent guest speaker, he has given presentations on graphics, online journalism, reporting, editing and story coverage. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a bachelor’s in history, and Northwestern University, where he earned a master’s in journalism.

Karla Moore Dugan

Karla Dugan is an Emmy award winning Sports Broadcaster with over 20 years of experience in Sports Broadcasting. She was one of the first women Television Sportscasters in the Detroit market. Karla has worked on the NFL Sidelines during live broadcasts and conducted MLB playoff LIVE post-game interviews for FOX Sports. She has covered every major sport in the country including but not limited to The Super Bowl, the SEC Football and Basketball Championships, the Stanley Cup, the World Series, and the NBA Finals. Karla has also helped produce, report, and anchor the Atlanta Falcons pre-season live football coverage, an NFL Coaches show, the Atlanta Braves pre-game playoff specials, NASCAR pre-race shows, and the road to the Stanley Cup specials featuring the Detroit Red wings. Karla hopes to prepare her students for what it takes to get to major markets in Sports Broadcasting.

Karla teaches Sports Broadcasting and aides students in a “Sports in 60” segment in UF’s Sports Journalism program.

Arnold Feliciano

Arnold Feliciano, a 1983 University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications graduate, teaches JOU 3101 Reporting and Intro to ESPN Gainesville. Arnold is an award-winning journalist with over 39 years in the newspaper business, the last 22 at the Gainesville Sun. Before his tenure as sports editor at the Sun, Arnold was a longtime sports editor at the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach.

In his first year after retiring from the Sun, Arnold became an assistant baseball coach at P.K. Yonge, a K-12 school affiliated with UF in Gainesville.

Caitlin Gardner

Caitlin Gardner has built a career in journalism and strategic communications across the newsroom, the public relations agency world, as a corporate Fortune 500 leader and former vice president of communications at National Geographic – Lindblad Expeditions part of Disney Signature Experiences. Named one of PR News’ Rising PR Stars (and a proud recipient of the Cruisitude Award for her zest for life), Caitlin blends Fortune 500 corporate savvy with bold, journalistic storytelling. She speaks around the world about high-stakes communications and coaches leaders to show up with calm confidence. If you’re ready to grow, she’s the one to help you bloom.

Glenn Geffner

Glenn Geffner spent more than three decades in Baseball as a senior-level communications executive and broadcaster with the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins. With the Padres, he served as Director of Public Relations before transitioning into the broadcast booth. He served as Vice President of Communications of the Red Sox before making the full-time move to the radio booth and was part of Boston’s World Series championship clubs in 2004 and 2007. In 2008, he returned to his native South Florida and spent 15 seasons as radio voice of the Miami Marlins. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Glenn has taught at Florida Atlantic University since 2021 and at the University of Florida since the fall of 2025.

Stephanie Gorin

Stephanie Gorin is a broadcast journalist with 30 years of on-air experience. She spent much of her on-air career as an Anchor / Reporter in Vermont. She’s been honored with Edward R. Murrow, AP, New York State Broadcasters Association, and other awards. In 2021, she was inducted into the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Stephanie is currently a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner for The E.W. Scripps Company, hiring journalists for nearly 60 stations across the country. She has a Master’s Degree in Administration and Leadership from The State University of New York, and a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is the proud mother of twin daughters and is passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of journalists.

Bridget Grogan

Bridget Grogan is an experienced program manager, content creator, journalist, leadership expert, brand manager and college instructor. Her passion lies in leadership roles that challenge and motivate others and create lasting change.

Bridget has served in many roles within the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communication, including instructor, news manager, academic project manager, and program manager for the CJC’s Professional Master’s Graduate Program.

Bridget is also skilled in preparing professionals for media interviews and developing strategies for short and long-term communications objectives.  Her areas of interest and expertise include branding and identity, identifying and targeting messages for specific audiences, developing strategies to meet short and long-term communications objectives and team building.

Bridget holds a BA in Telecommunication and a MA in Mass Communication from the University of Florida.

Lillian Guevara-Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro is the former features editor at The Gainesville Sun and the Ocala Star-Banner, where she also worked as a staff writer and editor since 1992. Other positions she has held at The Sun include local news editor, business editor, assistant city editor and assistant features editor. She has covered religion, business, homes, real estate and lifestyle.

Prior to The Sun, she covered small municipal governments and demographics at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and education at The Gwinnett Daily News.

Lillian was born in Lima, Peru, and grew up in Chicago and Atlanta. She has a degree in journalism/communications from Georgia State University. She speaks Spanish and is a lifelong French student.

Tom Hudson

Tom Hudson is Senior Economics Editor and Special Correspondent at WLRN Public Media in Miami. Hudson’s extensive reporting on South Florida’s economy has taken him from the waters of Florida Bay to the depths of the PortMiami tunnel (and countless offices and conference rooms). He has interviewed bartenders and bankers, caregivers and CEOs to report on the people behind economic statistics. He hosts the weekly Florida Roundup on most public radio stations across the state.

Sasha Jones

Sasha Jones is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years of experience in broadcast, digital, and streaming news platforms. She began her career reporting for local news stations in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee, where she developed a passion for investigating issues rooted in poverty, social justice, and crime. While working in Memphis, she earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for her coverage of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Currently based in South Florida, Sasha serves as a Consumer Investigative Reporter with NBC Miami. Her recent works include special projects on consumer, environmental, social issues, including a Regional Emmy-winning series on Black burial grounds in Florida. Sasha also produced the Documentary Bittersweet Muck, highlighting the air quality impacts of agricultural burning in Florida.

Renee Martin-Kratzer

Renee Martin-Kratzer earned her doctorate and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri. She taught magazine courses for five years as an assistant professor at the University of Florida. After moving back to Missouri in 2010, she has continued teaching online courses for UF as well as teaching on campus at the University of Missouri. Her professional experience includes working as a design editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, the founding managing editor of Missouri Life magazine and as a web editor to an education site. She has taught a variety of classes ranging from feature writing to magazine design to research methods. In 2009, she was selected as the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications’ Teacher of the Year. Her research focuses on the effects of disturbing images and the use of anonymous sources in various media. She spends a lot of time chasing her 4-year-old twins and shuttling her daughters (ages 8 and 11) to activities.

Kelsi Matwick

My research explores the connections between language, identity, and food in contemporary media and popular culture. My sister and I teach each semester Food, Media, and Culture online for the Journalism and Communications department. In 2019, we published Food Discourse of Celebrity Chefs of Food Network (Palgrave Macmillan). The book defines the language of celebrity chefs on a variety of tv cooking show genres, including instructional, travel, talk, and competition. My current projects are looking at the intersection of humor, cross-cultural communication, and politics of Singapore media.

Keri Matwick

Keri Matwick earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Florida in 2016. Sharing a passion for food and language with her sister, Keri has published on the language, performance, and narrative structure of food media in academic journals such as Discourse, Context, & Media, Journal of Pragmatics, Language and Communication, and Discourse & Communication. Recently, the twins published a book (Food Discourse of Celebrity Chefs of Food Network, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) on cooking shows with topics on recipe-telling, storytelling, evaluations, and humor. Besides research, Keri enjoys teaching JOU 4930: Food, Media, & Culture each semester for the Department of Journalism. She currently lives and teaches in Singapore.

Kathleen McGrory

Kathleen McGrory is an editor at The New York Times. She edits journalists across the country who are participating in the Times’s Local Investigations Fellowship. She was previously a national investigative reporter at ProPublica. Before that, while reporting at The Tampa Bay Times, she and a colleague won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting and were finalists for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. Their work prompted federal investigations, policy changes, millions of dollars in settlements and the passage of a new law. McGrory holds degrees from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and is an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. She sits on the Poynter Institute’s National Advisory Board as well as the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s advisory board. She started her career at the Miami Herald. Her work has also been honored with a Polk award, an IRE award, a Scripps Howard award and the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism.

Ashira Morris

Ashira is a freelance writer based between Tallahassee and Sofia, Bulgaria. She is passionate about local environments and the forces that shape them. Her work has been published by National Geographic, Foreign Policy, and Artforum, including a project on the coal phaseout in Eastern Europe funded by the Pulitzer Center. She has worked on programming for the BBC World Service, 99 Percent Invisible, and PBS NewsHour, and she wrote the Panhandle chapter of A24’s “Florida!” book. She is also a mentor and founding board member of the Florida Student News Watch.

In addition to her reporting, Ashira has worked in environmental nonprofit communications, helped found a magazine focused on college student mental wellness and once organized a festival for an endangered whale.

Ashira earned her bachelor’s degree from UF’s College of Journalism and Communications in 2014 and now teaches Personal Branding after multiple semesters as a lab instructor for Multimedia Reporting.

Sarah Papadelias

Sarah Papadelias is an attorney at Shullman Fugate PLLC in Tampa, Florida. She focuses her practice on defamation, intellectual property, and content-related media litigation. Her prior litigation experience includes personal injury, products liability, construction defect, professional malpractice, consumer finance, and commercial litigation. She began her legal career as a law clerk in Palm Beach County, Florida. Sarah also worked at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC, as a law clerk for Chief Administrative Judge Richard Sippel and for Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn.

Sarah received her J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and her master’s degree in mass communications from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications in 2016. She wrote her master’s thesis on net neutrality and internet policy. During her time at the CJC, Sarah served as the editor of The Brechner Report in the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and as a teaching assistant in Law of Mass Communications and Sports Media.

Kristen Reed

Kristen B. Reed is a journalist with more than a decade of industry experience. She’s trained journalists on emerging technologies and data-driven decision-making, including navigating industry shifts during a time of AI integration and media consolidation. Kristen holds an MBA from Brenau University and a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her most recent role involved driving AI-powered storytelling initiatives that balance innovation with editorial integrity.

Czerne Reid

Dr. Czerne Reid is an instructional associate professor in the University of Florida (UF) College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and affiliate associate professor in the UF College of Journalism and Communications Department of Journalism. She is a lifetime fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), cited for “distinguished contributions to the communication of science, especially through sustained leadership of programs to develop future generations of science writers.”

After completing her PhD in environmental chemistry at Emory University in 2003, she went o to earn a graduate certificate in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her bachelor’s degree in chemistry is from the University of the West Indies, Mona, in her native Jamaica.

Her research and practice interests include scientific workforce preparation and career development, and science journalism. She is principal investigator of The Science to Science Communication Study (The Science to SciCom Study), which — informed by her own experiences as a scientist-turned-science journalist — examines experiences of STEM Ph.D.-level-trained individuals who switch career paths from science research to science communication. She is also founder of The Science Writers Mentor Academy, which received initial funding through a National Association of Science Writers (NASW) Idea Grant.

In the psychiatry department, she is the program director of an online graduate certificate in addiction and recovery and a professional certificate in autism spectrum disorder. In the journalism department, she teaches science journalism at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

She has particular interest in science communication as a career for scientists, mentoring extensively in that area, and creating and facilitating career development opportunities for trainees. She earned a Master Mentor certificate from the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute Mentor Academy. She has given many invited talks on research-related careers, specifically science journalism. She led the Science Writing Career Interest Team of the UF Health Grad Student & Postdoc Career and Professional Development program, and served as chief editor for the graduate student-led ComSciCon-SciWri science communication workshop. She has co-chaired the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) education committee for the last 10 years, coordinating a stable of career development programs, including travel fellowships, mentoring programs and an internship fair. She co-chaired the Regional Committee on Latin America and the Caribbean, of the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017, co-organizing a pre-conference that brought together journalists from across the region. She co-organized the 2019 National Academy of Sciences Colloquium Advancing the Science and Practice of Science Communication: Misinformation about Science in the Public Sphere and served as editor of a related special issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She authored a chapter on misinformation for the forthcoming Palgrave Handbook of Science and Health Journalism.

Also an independent science journalist, Dr. Reid is a contributing editor for Science News, and she has published in National Geographic, Nature Careers and other outlets. She is a board-certified editor in the life sciences (ELS). She has worked as a science writer and reporter at outlets across the U.S., including the (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Salinas Californian, Stanford News Service, Stanford School of Medicine Office of Communication & Public Affairs, and UF Health Communications.

Honors include Exemplary Teacher Awards from the UF College of Medicine, an Educational Innovator Award from UF Health, an Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellowship from the UF Warrington College of Business, a Kaiser Media Fellowship, the Diane McGurgan Service Award from NASW, and news reporting awards from the S.C. Medical Association and the S.C. Press Association.

Dr. Reid is a member of AAAS, NASW, the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), and the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS). She serves on the boards of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW) and the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT). At UF, she is an elected faculty senator from the College of Medicine, and a member of the Research and Scholarship Council, the Library Leadership Board and the University Curriculum Committee.

Camille Respess

Camille Respess is an Emmy-nominated producer at NBC News NOW based in New York City. She produces live segments and taped packages for NBC News and follows breaking news, politics, and culture. Camille is a proud 2020 graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, where she earned a B.S. in journalism.

Glenn Rickard

Glenn Rickard (p/k/a Glenn Richards) is Operations Coordinator and local host for Morning Edition on WUFT-FM, the NPR affiliate at the University of Florida in Gainesville. With over 30 years of experience in professional radio broadcasting, Glenn has held roles such as air personality, promotion director, and morning show producer at former South Florida stations such as 94.9 Zeta (WZTA-FM), 97.3 The Coast (WFLZ-FM), and 103.5 WSHE (She’s Only Rock & Roll).

Glenn holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication with a minor in Political Science from the University of Miami where he was also general manager of the non-commercial college radio station, WVUM (90.5 FM, The Voice).

In 2006, Glenn relocated to Gainesville to pursue a telecommunication master’s degree at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. He began his tenure at UF as an air personality at WRUF-FM, first with Rock104 and later transitioned to Country 103.7 The Gator when the format was changed in 2011.

Glenn played a pivotal role in overseeing Rock104’s transformation to a student-run, online non-commercial college radio station (Rock104.com), served as program director, music director, and mentor to the student staff where he imparted valuable knowledge on programming, production, and performance of radio as part of the UF College of Journalism and Communications Student Immersion Experience until June 2016. As an adjunct instructor at UF, he has taught classes such as Mass Media & You and the popular Rock ‘N’ Roll & American Society, Part 1 (1950-1970) and Part 2 (1970- 1990).

One of Glenn’s passions is local music. Since 1990, he has produced and hosted local music programs in both South Florida and Gainesville, conducting interviews and playing demos and independent releases from a variety of artists, many of whom went on to national prominence including: The Mavericks, Less Than Jake, Saigon Kick, Sister Hazel, For Squirrels, Matchbox 20, Mary Karlzen, Nil Lara, Against Me!, Hundred Waters, Marilyn Manson, and more.

His current local music project is as host of WUFT Amplified!, a 30-minute television program showcasing live performances and interviews with musicians in North Central Florida.

Jim Ross

Jim Ross is executive editor of six Gannett newspapers in Florida: the Ocala Star-Banner, Gainesville Sun, Leesburg Daily Commercial, Panama City News Herald, Northwest Florida Daily News and Destin Log. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs and in 1989 graduated from Northwestern University, where he edited the school paper. His first job was at the St. Petersburg Times, where he spent 18 years as a reporter and bureau chief. He left for the Star-Banner in 2007, serving first as assistant managing editor and then senior editor. Ross also worked for a short time at The Gainesville Sun. He became top editor at the Star-Banner, Sun and Daily Commercial in August 2022 and at the other three papers in February 2023. In addition to his newspaper duties Ross is an essayist whose work has been published in numerous print and online literary journals. Two of his essays have been listed as notable essays in the Best American Essays series. In 2018 the University Press of Florida published In Season: Stories of Discovery, Loss, Home, and Places In Between, a Florida-themed essay anthology that Ross edited and contributed to. It was awarded the Silver Medal for Florida Nonfiction in the Florida Book Awards. He has been an adjunct instructor at UF since fall 2007, teaching Magazine Writing and serving as a Reporting lab instructor. Ross lives in Ocala with his wife, Melanie, (also an adjunct instructor.) They have three adult children. He is an active member of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Ocala.

Melanie Fridl Ross

A nationally recognized medical writer, editor and communications strategist, Melanie Fridl Ross, MSJ, ELS, is chief communications officer for UF Health, where she oversees strategic communications and public affairs, marketing, external communications, crisis and issues management, advancement communications, creative services and web services for the system’s Gainesville, Jacksonville and Central Florida campuses. She has taught a news reporting lab for the college since 2004. Ross also serves as senior producer for the public radio series “Health in a Heartbeat” and “Animal Airwaves,” overseeing operations for both internationally aired award-winning consumer health programs. Ross joined UF in 1992 from The Tampa Tribune, where she was a reporter. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in journalism with a concentration in newspaper administration from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She is a board-certified editor in the life sciences and is president-elect of the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences. She is a past president and fellow of the 5,600-member American Medical Writers Association and past president of the organization’s Florida chapter. In addition, Ross is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Institutional Advancement and the National Association of Science Writers.

Cindy Spence

Cindy Spence is a science writer in the UF Office of Research Communications and spends her time talking to people who know far more chemistry and physics than she does. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the College. As an undergraduate, Spence was editor of The Independent Florida Alligator. Spence’s journalism career ranged from the night cops beat at The Orlando Sentinel to assistant state editor at The Tampa Tribune, with assorted beats and editing gigs in between. She has transitioned from journalism to public relations twice, working as the campus news desk editor for UF in the 1990s and writing about UF research, science and scholarship since 2013. Her work has been recognized by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the University Research Magazines Association.

Michael Stone

Michael Stone is a journalist and photographer focusing primarily on health care, technology and history, especially World War II, but who has covered just about any and every subject area. He has worked for several different print and online publications as a freelancer and as a full-time writer, reporter and editor. Since 2013, he has taught undergraduate courses at the University of Florida, including News Center Practicum, Problems and Ethics in Journalism, Multimedia Reporting, Multimedia Writing, and Writing Mechanics. He holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s in health/science communication from UF.

Austin Vining

Dr. Austin Vining is an attorney specializing in intellectual property, media law, and the First Amendment. He has taught courses in communication law at the University of Florida since 2017.

Dr. Vining’s research includes First Amendment, privacy, and media law issues with a focus on the intersection of speech and new technology. His research has garnered national top-prize awards from AEJMC and the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy. He has published articles in journals affiliated with the law schools at the University of Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, William & Mary, Southern Methodist University, University of Tennessee, and others. He is a reviewer for the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, and he formerly served as an articles editor for the Florida Law Review.

In his prior career, Dr. Vining was a journalist for various newspapers and lifestyle magazines. He also has previous experience with Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Brechner First Amendment Project, the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association, and former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu.

Dr. Vining earned dual bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology from Louisiana Tech University, a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi, a JD with honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and a Ph.D. with an emphasis in communication law from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

In 2021, Dr. Vining finished his term as Chair of the Board of Directors for The Independent Florida Alligator. During his five-year tenure on the board, he helped lead its transition from five to twelve members with a hands-on, problem-solving focus. A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Vining enjoys mentoring students and serving as a resource for students interested in a career in law. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Robbie Woliver

Robbie Woliver is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. Prior to teaching at UF, Woliver taught an array of journalism, communication and advanced writing courses at the State University of New York, College at Farmingdale, for eight years. He was a columnist and reporter for Newsday, senior editor at the Village Voice’s suburban edition, reporter for The New York Times, and editor-in-chief of the alternative newsweekly, Long Island Press, where he was awarded the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for his groundbreaking investigative series about the heroin and opiod epidemic.  His freelance writing has been published by the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Post, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, CBS MarketWatch, MSN, Salon, Psychology Today and other notable publications and media outlets.

Woliver is the author of five books, covering a variety of genres and topics, including Bringing It All Back Home, (Random House), a music history of New York’s Greenwich Village, which has been recently adapted by Woliver as a theatrical musical, winning ten 2018 BroadwayWorld Awards, including “Best Musical.” His autobiography of Amy Fisher, If I knew Then (iUniverse/HarperCollins) was an Oprah library selection and the focus of Oprah!, Dateline and Good Morning America show segments. The New York Times bestseller won the “Outstanding Book of the Year” award from The Independent Book Publishers. Alphabet Kids: A Guide to Developmental, Neurobiological and Psychological Disorders for Parents and Professionals was also the recipient of an Independent Book Publisher’s award. Woliver’s most recent book is the critically acclaimed 688: A Novel-in-Flash.

Before working as a journalist, Woliver owned and ran the legendary New York City music venue, Folk City, and was the founder and director of the New York Music Awards, L.A. Music Awards, Atlanta Music Awards and Boston Music Awards.