2025 Public Interest Communications Summer Institute Speakers and Facilitators
Yewande O. Addie
Yewande O. Addie, PhD, MPH is a communications scholar and practitioner with a multidisciplinary background spanning mass media, public health, storytelling, and narrative change. She holds a PhD in Mass Communications, an MPH with a social and behavioral science focus, and a Masters in Liberal Studies History. Her research explores health communication, global and domestic health equity, cultural narratives, and the intersections of race and identity in media. Currently an adjunct communications instructor, Yewande has led and contributed to projects addressing opioid misuse, narrative strategies for violence prevention, and research translation in public health. Her creative work includes documentary film production and she has published widely on topics such as Black consumer intentions, patient-provider communication, and hashtag activism. Yewande’s work is grounded in a commitment to storytelling, culture-keeping, and the exploration of how we embody and narrate our identities and histories.
Stephanie Amichia
Stephanie Amichia is a passionate storyteller, community advocate, and creative leader. At just 29, she is the owner and host of The Blueprint is Black, an evolving platform dedicated to celebrating, educating, and validating the richness of Black experiences. Through in-depth interviews with everyday people, Stephanie amplifies voices across the Black community, sharing stories of triumph, loss, and resilience. She also serves as the General Manager of Fourth House Creatives, a film and production company rooted in storytelling, education, and community-building. Driven by a deep love for people and a purpose to support, Stephanie shows up with one question in mind: What can I do to serve you today?
Jaye L. Atkinson
Jaye L. Atkinson is chair of the Department of Communication at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on the intersection of communication and stereotypes of older adults. Some of her research analyzes how communication perpetuates/negates stereotypes (e.g., the phrase “senior moment”), and in other research, she examines how stereotypes influence how people speak to older adults.
Dr. Atkinson’s most recent publications seek to understand the intersection of communication and age stereotypes by focusing on mediated portrayals. In addition to an article examining the influence of race and age stereotypes on communication and competence, she has examined mediated portrayals of older athletes and older characters in various movies, including blockbuster hit movies and Disney animated films). She has published internationally regarding the portrayals of older adults in advertising. In addition, she is working on a book, “Talking Age: Examining the (Not So) Subtle Language of Ageism across Mediated Contexts” (under contract with Peter Lang). These projects build on past research she has conducted identifying stereotypes of older adults and examining patronizing speech toward older adults.
Gina Baleria
Gina Baleria is assistant professor of Journalism, Media Writing, Radio & Podcasting, and Digital Media at Sonoma State University and the host and producer of the News in Context podcast. Dr. Baleria is also author of The Journalism Behind Journalism: Going Beyond the Basics to Train Effective Journalists in a Shifting Landscape (Routledge 2021), and she co-authored Writing & Reporting News for the 21st Century (Cognella, 2018), winner of the 2020 Textbook Award from the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). Her research and creative interests revolve around news and digital media literacy, podcasting and digital engagement and communication across socially salient differences. Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Baleria was an award-winning broadcast and digital journalist at stations including KCBS Radio, KGO TV, & KGO Radio in San Francisco; KXTV & KFBK in Sacramento; and KCAL in Los Angeles. She also helped create and manage a digital newsroom at the nonpartisan nonprofit governance organization, California Forward.
Sarah Barber
Dr. Sarah Barber is an Associate Professor, and the Co-Director of Graduate Studies, in the Department of Psychology at Georgia State University. She also serves as the Associate Editor at Memory & Cognition. In its broadest sense, Dr. Barber’s research examines how memory performance is affected by age and social context. Within this broad topic, one of her specific lines of research examines how and why ageist stereotypes impact older adults’ memory performance. Her research on age-based stereotype threat has been supported by multiple grants from the NIA.
Elizabeth Calienes
Elizabeth “Lissy” Calienes is an accomplished creative strategist, visual communicator, and educator with a career spanning three decades in advertising, shopper marketing, graphic design, retail design, and film production. She holds a PhD emphasizing authenticity in communications and design, and a Master of Interior Design from the University of Florida, with her research focused on consumer engagement in retail settings.
Lissy’s breadth of skills encompasses multicultural and Hispanic advertising, creative strategy, design thinking, and branding. Her integrated approach to communication is underscored by her achievements in storytelling through film and a deep grasp of consumer and shopper psychology. As the co-founder of sak[relate], a shopper marketing and retail design consultancy, she leverages strategic insights to fuel creative and design initiatives. Understanding people is the driving force behind everything she does and translating insights into actionable solutions that connect on a deep human level is her passion.
Nader Dagher
Dr. Nader Dagher is an Assistant Professor at Austin Peay State University (joining Fall 2025). He holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Florida, specializing in political communication, focusing on activism and social movements. An award-winning educator, he received the 2023-2024 Graduate Student Teaching Award for his exceptional contributions as a Teaching Assistant. Nader’s professional experience includes roles as Director of Communications at notable institutions, covering non-profits, cultural and educational development, and the United Nations refugee agency. Nader actively contributes to the academic community as a member of the Public Interest Communication Academic Network and has organized several events, including the PIC Summer Institute.
Ruth DeFoster
Ruth DeFoster is an Assistant Professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, where she teaches courses about advertising and popular culture. Her research focuses on media coverage of crime, gun violence, fear and terrorism. She is the author of three books: Terrorizing the Masses: Identity, Mass Shootings and the Media Construction of ‘Terror’ (2017), Catholic Horror on Television: Haunting Faith (2024), andThe Fear Knot: How Science, History and Culture Shape Our Fears, and How to Get Unstuck (2025).
Amy Dunham
As chief communications officer, Amy Dunham leads a global team of nearly 90 tasked with stewarding Habitat for Humanity’s brand across multiple channels and coordinating Habitat’s story among local Habitat organizations in all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 other countries. Amy also serves as a member of the organization’s senior management group, which advises the CEO and sets strategy and policy for the ministry.
Before joining Habitat for Humanity International, Amy was senior vice president, marketing and communications at Strada Education Foundation, a nonprofit social impact organization working to build clearer and more purposeful pathways between education and employment. In that role, she directed integrated strategic communications efforts to advance Strada’s brand identity, broaden awareness of its programs and priorities, and advance its position with key constituents.
She also spent eight years at the NCAA as managing director of strategic communications, responsible for how the association articulated and presented its core values, shaped and managed its brand, communicated with members and employees, interacted with charities, and mapped these efforts back to the association’s strategic communications plan.
Her background also includes serving as deputy assistant secretary of public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for four years. In that role, she managed all aspects of communications for the department and its 22 component agencies; she also established and managed the national “If You See Something, Say Something” public awareness campaign.
Earlier in her career, Amy served in media relations roles for the Transportation Security Administration and US Airways. Amy is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has served as a member of the Wake Forest College Board of Visitors.
Desiree S. Evans
Desiree S. Evans is the Communications Coordinator at Project South. She comes to Project South with more than 25 years of experience in social justice organizing, advocacy work, media relations, and communications. Over the years, Desiree has worked as a journalist, oral historian, independent scholar, and creative writer, and she believes in the transformative power of storytelling to reimagine worlds and fuel our movements for social change. Desiree graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin.
Kera Felton
Kera Felton is an experienced public relations account manager, specializing in tech PR and strategic communications. With a strong academic background, including a BA in Public Relations from the University of Georgia and an MA in Mass Communications from the University of Florida, Kera has researched AI in PR and has significant expertise in media relations, public interest communications, digital strategy, advanced and emerging technology. Kera is also an adjunct professor in the College of Journalism at the University of Florida. Based in Atlanta, Ga., Kera is passionate about blending technology and communication strategies to make an impact.
Rachel Grant
Rachel Grant’s academic research looks at media studies of race, gender and class and she has conducted extensive research with social movements, social justice, and Black feminism. She has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Human Communication Research, Journalism Mass Communication Quarterly, Celebrity Studies, Visual Communication Quarterly, American Journalism and Howard Journal of Communication. Grant has worked professionally as a news reporter for local daily newspapers and statewide magazines and has worked in corporate advertising as a digital copywriter. Grant previously served as an assistant professor in Xavier University of Louisiana’s Mass Communication Department teaching classes in strategic communication, social media management and media law.
Kathryn Hamoudah
Kathryn Hamoudah is the Communications Director for the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR).
She originally joined SCHR in January 2010 and led work across the communications and policy units of the organization, from lobbying on a broad range of criminal legal issues at the Georgia General Assembly to leading statewide legislative and media campaigns that secured the Governor’s 2014 veto of legislation designed to expand for-profit probation and reduce transparency. Additionally, she successfully advocated for the passage of criminal legal reform legislation that extends parole eligibility to people incarcerated for drug offenses who are serving disproportionately long sentences.
From 2010 to 2016, Kathryn also served as the Chairperson for Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, a statewide anti-death penalty coalition. Her work with the coalition included fundraising, organizing statewide meetings, public education events, and training for members. Additionally, she was a central member of the organizing team for Troy Davis, leading organizing efforts to collect signatures demanding a new trial.
In 2017, she left the Southern Center to attend law school at Georgia State University College of Law, where she focused on indigent defense and client-centered work. She participated in the capital defender clinic and during the summers interned in Washington, D.C., at the Federal Defender Program in Atlanta and Public Defender Service before serving as an Assistant Public Defender in Dekalb County.
Kathryn graduated from Georgia State University College of Law in 2020.
Kevin Hardges
Kevin Shawn Hardges is a Ph.D. Candidate at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Kevin is a life-long Detroiter, born and raised on the northeast side of the city. He is a proud graduate of Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School in the Detroit Public School system. As a Ph.D. candidate, Kevin’s research interest includes public relations, organizational communication, social justice, and qualitative, rhetorical, and critical approaches to research. Kevin is a teaching assistant in the Department of Communication, where he teaches courses on public speaking and business and professional communication. He has served in various capacities in the Communication Graduate Student Association (CGSA) at Wayne State University and served as a member of NCA’s Public Relations Division Ad-Hoc Programming Committee. He is a member of National Communication Association and AEJMC ( Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication). He has served as a peer mentor for the Communication PhD Pipeline Program organized by past NCA president Dr. Ronald L. Jackson II. Kevin Hardges received his BA in Speech Communication and a MA in public relations and organizational communication, both from Wayne State University. Kevin has applied his scholarly experience working as an intern for Van Dyke Horn Public Relations, as a community liaison and social media coordinator for Detroit Future City, and a Communications Fellow/Social Media Content Creator for a political nonprofit called For Our Future Michigan. Currently, he is working as a manager at 98Forward, a minority, woman-owned public relations agency in the City of Detroit.
Erin B. Hart
Erin (she/her) started Hart Strategies to put strategic communication to work in service of racial, social and environmental justice. She is a storyteller, strategist and educator who’s helped build social movements, safeguard fragile habitats, grow and diversify the healthcare workforce, reduce the number of US smokers, and get more philanthropic dollars into communities to spend on what they know matters most. She’s built learning experiences that resulted in more effective science communicators, stronger LGBTQIA+ storytellers, changing narratives on gun violence prevention, everyday behaviors protecting natural environments and better-prepared advocates advancing health policy.
Erin partners with social justice organizations to craft communications strategies, put them into action and share insights learned along the way. And she collaborates with universities introducing students to public interest communications and further connecting researchers’ insights to practice. She is a first-generation college graduate who appreciates what education and mentoring opportunities have made possible in her life. She’s received honors including the PRSA Silver Anvil, Women in Social Responsibility, and University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Hall of Fame. Learn more at HartStratComm.com.
Janet Haynes
Dr. Janet Haynes is an educational consultant who mentors doctoral students using her experience as a student and mentoring faculty member at Fielding Graduate University, where she spent five years. As an educational consultant, she mentors college students and people struggling with mental health/sobriety concerns and is a federal grant reviewer providing multiple social services funding resources due to background as a licensed masters addiction counselor, award-winning program implementation, and curriculum developer. She also has been an adjunct faculty member at Haskell Indian Nations University, a historical Native American university in Kansas.
Her academic research examined the relationships and lived experiences of women in corporate America, specifically Black and Brown people. This research culminated in an auto ethnographic dissertation heralded as reportedly being among the first in the U.S. This work would later become evidence in a nationwide, class-action lawsuit successfully litigated in the 9th District Federal Court. Dr. Haynes is a founding board member of the Anchorage YWCA, served as an Anchorage City Commissioner and organized the city’s MLK Holiday celebration.
Antoine Haywood
Antoine Haywood studies community participation and representation in local media. He is keen on understanding how communities use local communication infrastructure such as community-made video, radio, press, and digital publications to articulate regional identity, build social capital, and fill local news and information gaps.
As a community-engaged scholar, Haywood is passionate about developing collaborative research projects that involve community organizations, civic associations, health and human service initiatives, and creative arts groups that use diverse, participatory storytelling methods to foster collective learning, civic engagement, and community care.
His scholarly work has been published in Journalism Practice, Javnost – The Public, the Journal of Information Policy and the Journal of Popular Music Studies. He has presented over 20 papers and lectures at academic and professional practitioner conferences and authored several book chapters.
Piper Hendricks
Piper Hendricks supports hearts and minds that need to reach hearts and minds. As CEO of Stories Change Power, she equips people who want to make a difference in their neighborhoods, communities, and country to be effective, empathetic, and trusted advocates for a world where everyone can thrive – no exceptions. Piper chose a nontraditional path after law school, moving from Big Law to human rights litigation, then to documentary film and advocacy communications. Two themes span her career: justice and storytelling. Whether in the courtroom, on the silver screen, or on Capitol Hill, she’s employed storytelling to shape policy and inspire action. For many years, Piper has been passionate about the brain science of storytelling and the importance of making “policy speak” accessible to grassroots advocates. Today, much of her work focuses on pro-democracy efforts, promoting civility, bridging divides, and building trust in a way that respects differing viewpoints and shared humanity.
Lauri Hennessey
Lauri Hennessey is on faculty at Seattle U, the University of Washington and University of Florida. She has 30 years of experience in advocacy, policy, media relations, strategic communications, public affairs, nonprofit leadership, community and government relations, public speaking, and strategic positioning. She has worked as a Seattle radio reporter, a Congressional press secretary, a federal public affairs manager, a CEO of her own public relations firm, and as head of Public Affairs for Edelman in the Northwest. With a lifelong interest in teaching, Lauri went back to school and completed her BA in 2020 from University of Washington and received her Master of Mass Communications from University of Florida in December, 2022, focused on Public Interest Communications, her passion. She is developing the Public Interest Communications offering at University of Washington and has been an active member of this community and the Public Interest Communications Summer Institutes.
Jennifer Jiles
Jennifer Jiles, MA, APR, CSM is a longtime strategic communications leader and educator. She is the founder and principal consultant of 44 Consulting Group, a 14-year-old strategic communications company that serves clients in the nonprofit sector, academic institutions, and private industry companies.
Jennifer has been on faculty at Georgia State University, a major public research institution, for more than 25 years, where she teaches several graduate and undergraduate courses in the Department of Communication. For one course in particular, she has intentionally recruited more than 70 organizations with a social mission and a public interest purpose. Students work in an applied learning setting with these organizations.
Jennifer has an extensive track record in the nonprofit sector that spans more than 20 years working for and as an executive consultant to organizations with a social justice or social change mission. Since 2017, Jennifer’s company has had an affiliate relationship with Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, a New York-based fundraising, philanthropy, and strategic communications firm. The two companies have a shared commitment to serving organizations with a social mission, including environmental justice, educational equity, reducing gun violence, and health equity.
Jennifer has advised business leaders, college presidents, and C-suite executives on a range of communications strategies, including critical issues, crises, marketing, product launches, media relations, and media coaching to prepare for media interviews.
Jennifer is a board member of the Giving USA Foundation, the public service initiative of the 90-year-old Giving Institute, the largest member-based organization for the nation’s leading fundraising firms. She is the inaugural chair of Giving USA’s Public Relations Committee.
She is a graduate of Avila University (Kansas City, Missouri) and Webster University (St. Louis).
She holds the distinction of Accreditation in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America, making her one of only 5,000 professionals in the United States with the APR.
Charity Johnson
Charity Johnson is the Director of Strategic Communications for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit affordable homes developer dedicated to transforming generations of families through the power of homeownership. She also is a strategic communications maven, storyteller and empowered women’s speaker.
From her small South Georgia town to the big city of Atlanta, Charity Johnson has leveraged her natural talents as a singer, dancer and baton twirler to positively impact the communities she serves. She earned degrees in public relations and speech communications at the University of Georgia (UGA) then moved to metro Atlanta eager to put her skills into practice.
Throughout her 25-year career, Charity has delivered a dynamic mix of leadership and communications skills for a variety of corporate, consumer and community-based brands like Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Eaton Lighting, Manheim North America, Measures for Justice and Westside Future Fund. From reputation management and executive visibility to storytelling, media relations and cross-functional team management, Charity has garnered this impressive suite of clients working with global firms like Edelman, MS&L, Matlock Advertising and Weber Shandwick in addition to serving as a consultant for small businesses and fempreneurs.
Along the way, Charity has also coached the dance teams at Georgia Tech and Georgia State University, combining her passion for performing arts with her love for mentoring young women.
These days, Charity embraces her gifts as a change agent and a brand builder to deliver value for individuals and organizations that align with her personal passions as a Black woman, a mother, a corporate professional and a performing arts connoisseur.
When she isn’t working in PR or teaching dance, Charity is a recording artist who can be found on stage or in the studio. Billing herself as “Charity Jai” (pronounced “jay”), her R&B and Southern Soul songs are available on major digital platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Kristi Kendall
Kristi Kendall, president at Kristi Kendall and Co, is an expert in content production, messaging and storytelling with a 20+ year career in journalism, media and film. Kristi began her career as a producer at the ABC News magazine, 20/20. In 2009 she became John Stossel’s executive producer at Fox News and Fox Business, where she launched his highly-rated weekly show and oversaw more than a dozen documentary hours for Stossel and others. In 2014 she became the EVP at New Balloon, using moving picture content as a means of encouraging connectivity, compassion, and conversation. Notable projects there included: Kasi Lemmon’s, Harriet, and Cary Fukunaga’s, Beasts of No Nation. In 2019 she started her own company with the mission of “Connecting Hearts and Minds to Ideas that Matter.” As part of that mission, she has worked with dozens of non-profit leaders across the country to sharpen and hone their messages to improve their effectiveness and impact the world. Her company has also produced and directed dozens of video projects and her most recent project, UNDIVIDE US, is a feature documentary tackling toxic polarization and demonstrating how each of us, through our communities and individual actions, can stop it. Kristi serves on the boards of the Moving Picture Institute (MPI) and the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, two teenagers, dog and cat—all in the same apartment.
Kannette King
Kannette King joined SCHR’s Public Policy Unity as the Movement Policy Associate in October 2023. Native to Southeast Georgia, Kannette is dedicated to uplifting and amplifying the voices and stories of Black Southern folk.
Before joining SCHR, Kannette was the 2020 Ruby Hurley Legal at the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Firm, and she also interned with the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Public Defenders office. Being a member of the JUSTGeorgia Coalition, Kannette has served as the organization’s field organizer, impacted families solidarity committee leader, and as a Garrison Fellowship Coordinator.
Kannette graduated from Spelman College in May 2023 and received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in film and cultural studies. Her research centered on the media’s representation of Black folks in the South and the racial and prejudicial framing of their experiences. During her undergraduate years, Kannette was an active student organizer, advocating alongside families of people impacted by police violence and the movement against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. Throughout the summer of 2023, Kannette was an fellow with the Movement, Memory, and Justice Initiative through the Mellon Foundation, conducting research and documenting oral histories of the Gullah Geechee people in the low country. She was able to support communities, learn, and advocate for Black land ownership and cultural exposure.
Gisele McAuliffe
Gisele McAuliffe is a public interest communications expert, strategist, and educator. She has led initiatives in the U.S. and internationally that advance public health, climate solutions, disaster response, and economic development. Gisele believes strategic communications is essential to mission success. It’s not just a channel for promotion—it’s a discipline that drives progress on goals set in program and operational plans. Like finance or program design, it requires leadership and expertise. It belongs at the decision-making table.
As principal of her former consultancy, Bigger Impact, Gisele partnered with leading changemakers. For example, she developed an advocacy framework for the Gates Foundation that shaped $265 million in grants to expand public access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Africa and Asia. She also built a U.S.–Nigeria communications strategy that engaged Niger Delta communities, attracted international investors, and helped secure $92 million in new funding.
Before consulting, Gisele led communications for the American Red Cross Disaster Services, the World Wildlife Fund’s Global Climate Change Campaign, and The Wilderness Society. Earlier in her career, she reported and produced breaking news for CNN in New York and London. At age 25, she became a freelance foreign correspondent for United Press International Radio, Radio France Internationale, and Deutsche Welle.
Gisele graduated from New York University with a B.F.A. in Communications and is currently an adjunct educator & research insights writer at the University of Florida, College of Journalism and Communications.
Her starting point is always the same: How can strategic communications help you achieve—or exceed—your objectives? Learn more at giselemcauliffe.com.
BriGette McCoy
BriGette McCoy is a PhD student in educational/instructional technology at Georgia State University, focusing on gerontology and technology use among aging populations. She is passionate about creating innovative educational products that empower middle-aged nontraditional students and foster authentic connections. BriGette advocates for leadership in AI and contextual language use within underrepresented communities, leveraging experiential learning to drive social change. As a Public Interest Technology Fellow and alum of The PhD Project, WomenLead, and CREATEX, BriGette serves on the Executive Board of Protect Our Defenders, influencing public policy to combat military sexual assault. A veteran of the US Army’s telecommunications sector, she has spoken at the Senate and been featured on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NPR, and more. Her work has earned her prestigious awards, including the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Citizens Medal and the Lifetime Service Award from the Biden Administration.
Jasmine McNealy
Jasmine McNealy is an attorney, critical public interest technologist, social scientist and internationally recognized scholar who studies emerging media and technology with a view toward influencing law and policy. Her research is interdisciplinary, centered at the intersection of media, technology, policy, and law. Of particular focus are the areas of privacy, surveillance, and data governance and emphasizing technological and the impacts on marginalized and vulnerable communities. She is a professor at the University of Florida, where she directs the Infrastructure for Communities, Ecology for Data Hub (ICED Hub). She is also faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
Yana Manyuk
Yana Manyuk is a professional with 13+ years of experience in social marketing and social & behavioral change communication (SBCC). Yana has specialized in applying behavioral science principles to strengthen the design, delivery, and communication components of public health and nutrition programs. She has worked in over 15 countries, including in protracted crises and sudden-on-set emergencies across Africa and Asia, supporting organizations such as the UN World Food Programme, World Health Organization, UNICEF, The Rockefeller Foundation, the Sight and Life Think Tank, and others.
Yana holds a Master’s degree with distinction in Health and Social Marketing from Middlesex University, UK, and a BA in Cultural and Media Studies from Maastricht University, NL. Her work also involves teaching, editing, and co-authoring publications and guides on applying behavioral science to tackle malnutrition-related issues. Yana’s commitment to making a difference in global humanitarian efforts is reflected in her career.
Soroya Julian McFarlane
Soroya Julian McFarlane (Ph.D., University of Miami) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on designing and evaluating communication interventions that address health disparities at the community level. Dr. McFarlane’s research agenda is driven by understanding how culture influences health, and how communication interventions that translate science for diverse populations might be effective in reducing health disparities. Her recent research has been on women’s sexual and reproductive health, with the aim of (1) expanding theoretical understanding of culturally targeted messaging and interventions, and (2) understanding the impact of media, innovation and participatory approaches. She also leads and collaborates with US-based researchers in the area of clinical trial communication, with a special focus on vulnerable and minority populations.
Dr. McFarlane is the PI of the COmmunicatioN for Community Health and (shared) Understanding of Science (CONCHUS) lab, which facilitates dialogue with underserved communities to design and evaluate interventions that promote health. Her research has been published in major communication and public health journals including: Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research; Culture, Sexuality and Health; and Journal of Medical Internet Research: Public Health and Surveillance.
Before joining as faculty at UGA, Dr. McFarlane was a practitioner in health communication and worked for government, NGOs and international organizations such as the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). She speaks Spanish as a second language.
Marrianne McMullen
Marrianne McMullen is a professional communicator and author of Persuasive: 40 Lessons in Communicating for the Common Good(Georgetown University Press, 2024). Marrianne is a former journalist and labor union public affairs officer who served six years in the Obama Administration overseeing external affairs related to human services. She is currently the communication director for Chapin Hall, a research and policy center founded at the University of Chicago and centered on child and family well-being. With her husband, she was a foster parent to six girls, has two grown step-children and has one grown son. A native of Pittsburgh, she now lives on Chicago’s south side. For more information, visit her website at persuasive4good.com.
Arielle Mizrahi
Arielle Mizrahi is the senior partnerships manager with Unify America. She first got involved in community and campus organizing in 2014 as a campaign coordinator with the Student PIRGs. Since then, she’s gone on to organize and train students and community members across eight states to run nonpartisan issue-based campaigns. Prior to joining Unify, Arielle was the Florida state coordinator with the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project, where she worked to institutionalize voting reforms on 30+ college and university campuses in collaboration with faculty, administrators, election officials, and student leaders.
Glen Nowak
Glen Nowak has been the associate dean of research and graduate studies at the University of Georgia since August 2021. He is a professor of advertising and public relations and director of the Grady College’s Center for Health and Risk Communication. Prior to joining the Grady faculty in January 2013, he worked 14 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He spent six years as director of media relations at CDC and six years as communications director for CDC’s National Immunization Program. He has experience in managing and implementing health and risk communications programs, media relations, health information campaigns and social marketing. Prior to joining CDC in January 1999, Dr. Nowak was an associate professor of advertising and communication at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. At Georgia, Dr. Nowak taught undergraduate and graduate courses in principles of advertising, communication and advertising research, communication and advertising management, social marketing, and health communications. In the course of his career, Dr. Nowak has authored or co-authored a number of peer-reviewed journal articles on communications practices, social marketing, and health communications, and conducted numerous workshops and trainings on health communication, social marketing, risk communication and media relations. Dr. Nowak received his B.S. in 1982 from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with majors in both economics and communications. He continued his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he subsequently earned an M.A. degree in journalism (1987) and a Ph.D. in the field of mass communications (1990).
Chris Omni
Dr. Chris Omni is a two-time TEDx speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and Black Joy scholar, artist, and activist. She is affectionately known as the Health Hippie in some circles and the Green Goddess of Black Joy in other circles. No matter the term, Dr. Omni is the go-to-source for creative and compassionate conversations that lead to community change.
Dr. Omni’s research explores nature’s influence on the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being of Black people. Her dissertation was even recognized as the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year by the International Association of Autoethnography and Narrative Inquiry. By blending her 25-year background in public health with her foreground in art education, Dr. Omni’s presentations provide a counter narrative to the typical deficit lens generally applied to the Black experience.
Dr. Omni’s international and national honors include the 2024 Rising Professional presented by Kansas State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, 2022 semi-finalist, 3-Minute Thesis winner presented by the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, the 2021 First place, 3-Minute Thesis winner presented by Florida State University, the 2019 International Community Ambassador presented by iChange Nations, the 2018 American Small Business Champion presented by SCORE, the 2018 Black People who Rock presented by New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, the 2015 Minority-owned business of the Year presented by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and the 2015 Woman of Achievement and Outstanding Entrepreneur presented by Topeka Chamber of Commerce.
Outside of teaching, mentoring, and winning awards, Dr. Omni can be found tending to her 80+ potted plants, walking her two dogs, or passing out hugs to people who need and/or want an emotional release. A single encounter with Dr. Omni will leave you feeling heard, seen, and valued.
Celeste Philip
Celeste Philip, MD, MPH, is a physician leader with two decades of public health experience. She was recently appointed Associate Dean, Applied Learning Practice and Professor of Public Health Practice at Meharry School of Global Health in Nashville, TN. Dr. Philip is double board-certified in Public Health & General Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine and trained as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) focused on maternal and child nutrition. She has served as a local health official in Florida and California, State Surgeon General of Florida, and as Deputy Director of Non-Infectious Diseases at CDC.
Quiana Pinckney
Quiana Pinckney is a dynamic communications leader serving as the Vice President, Communications at Comcast’s Central Division Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. In this pivotal role, Quiana oversees strategic communications for Comcast’s largest division, ensuring that the company’s messages are clear, consistent, and impactful. As a key member of the senior leadership team, she drives the development and transformation of communication strategies that enhance employee engagement and organizational effectiveness.
With more than 25 years of experience in corporate communications, Quiana has demonstrated exceptional crisis management and storytelling skills. She has successfully implemented initiatives that resonate with both internal and external audiences. Quiana’s impressive career includes roles such as Vice President of Strategic Communications at EmployBridge, where she led a diverse team responsible for executive communications, employee engagement, change management, public relations, and community affairs and 13-year career at HD Supply, where she held several leadership roles.
Quiana is an active board member of 21st Century Leaders, Inc., PRSA Foundation, and a past Georgia Chapter of PRSA board member, in addition to a dedicated leader in various community and charitable organizations. She is married to Michael of 18 years, and they have 3 children, a son Blake (14) and twin daughters Sage and Skye (9).
Ann Searight Christiano
Ann Searight Christiano is the founder and director of the Center for Public Interest Communications and a clinical professor in the Department of Public Relations at the University of Florida College of Journalism. She received her Bachelor’s in Public Relations from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in Public Affairs and Policy from Rutgers University. She developed the first ever curriculum in public interest communications, connecting practitioners and scholars who are already working in the field, and nurturing and sharing research that can advance this newly emerging academic discipline. In May 2020, she completed a 10-year term as the inaugural Frank Karel Chair in Public Interest Communications. Prior to the University of Florida, she was a senior communications officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, overseeing programs that addressed housing, education, mental health and other issues. Her writing has been published in Barron’s, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and The Conversation.
Amy Lynn Smith
Amy Lynn Smith uses strategic communication and storytelling to catalyze action for the greater good. A writer and content specialist focused on issue advocacy, Amy works with nonprofits, foundations and public interest communication firms to create imaginative, persuasive messaging for every medium.
An award-winning advocate for healthcare reform, Amy often uses storytelling to demystify complex concepts and empower communities. She has helped organizations such as Consumer Reports and the American Foundation for the Blind create public-facing documents that simplify healthcare guidance and research reports, respectively. She also provides writing coaching – often geared toward making writing clearer and more concise – and leads workshops in both storytelling and writing skills.
Amy has a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Interest Communication from the University of Florida.
Learn more about Amy’s clients and experience: www.alswrite.com/about/my-clients/
Emily Staub
Emily Staub is Associate Director of the Carter Center Communications Office. For 25 years, Staub has focused on overseeing communications for seven of the Carter Center’s health programs. In this role, she has been responsible for informing the public about the Center’s work to combat five neglected diseases and malaria and about the International Task Force for Disease Eradication. Staub has worked with members of the media; lead documentation trips for journalists and documentarians; collected and curated artifacts and exhibitions; and gathered health-related content for the Center’s website, print publications, and press releases. She has visited more than 15 countries in support of the Center’s health activities and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Nearly all of her travel has been spent working with country teams and communities in some of the most hard-to-reach locations where the Center assists. Staub was honored with Emory’s peer-nominated 2023 Award of Distinction, the university’s highest staff recognition.
Felicia Stewart
Felicia R. Stewart is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Morehouse College. As a seasoned professional, Dr. Stewart has years of experience in educating and training students, faculty, executives, trial attorneys, business teams and more in the art of effective communication. Dr. Stewart has several publications including articles on public speaking, nonverbal communication and mock trial and is an author in books on African American rhetoric, organizational culture, and political oratory. Dr. Stewart received her B.A. in Legal Communication and Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Intercultural Communication from Howard University in Washington, D.C. A licensed attorney, Dr. Stewart received her J.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Keisha E. Tassie
Dr. Keisha E. Tassie is an Associate Professor of Communication at Morehouse College. Dr. Tassie earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Communication Studies with emphases in interracial communication and media studies from The University of Georgia. For over two decades, Dr. Tassie has explored the intersectionality of communication, race, gender, and mass media – presenting her scholarship through dissertation studies on intraracial skin tone bias within the Black race, mediated images, and perceptions of communicator competence; through numerous professional presentations in the fields of communication and sociology; and through publications focusing on mediated images of Black culture, and Black women in leadership. In recent years, an organic transition into focused-exploration and scholarship regarding the experiences of women of color living within multiple tensions of race, class, gender, and sexuality has positively transformed her evolving research agenda. Appointed to collaborate with global entities such as PwC, Microsoft, and Coca-Cola, Dr. Tassie has engaged global business and government leaders in supporting inclusion and access, identification of implicit bias, transformational learning, communication strategy and innovation, and academic and professional mentorship. Most-proudly, Dr. Tassie is a loving wife, and adoring mother to three magnificent sons.
Natalie Tindall
Dr. Natalie Tindall is the Isabella Cunningham Chair of Advertising, the Director of the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Texas, and is the managing editor for Case Studies in Strategic Communication. She has previously served as an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication and Media at Lamar University, and as a graduate director and associate professor in the Department of Communication at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on diversity in organizations, specifically of the public relations function, and the situational theory of publics and intersectionality. She has authored multiple book chapters, online publications, and peer-reviewed journal articles published in the journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, Public Relations Journal, Howard Journal of Communications, PRism, and the International Journal of Strategic Communication.
Abbigail Tumpey, MPH
Abbigail Tumpey, MPH, is the vice president for Institute Communications at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this role, she provides leadership, oversight, and strategic direction for marketing and communications at Georgia Tech. Serving as the Institute’s Chief Communications Officer, Abbigail has responsibility for the brand and reputation across a diverse portfolio, including media relations, events, research communications, marketing communications, internal communications, executive communications, creative services, and digital strategy.
Before joining Georgia Tech, Abbigail had a 25-year career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with 21 years in communication leadership positions. Notably, she served as the head of communications for CDC from March 2021 to March 2022, overseeing communication efforts for the COVID-19 emergency response. While in this role, Tumpey reimagined CDC’s communication function and implemented the largest communication reorganization that agency had undertaken in more than a decade.
During her time at CDC, Abbigail expanded clinical outreach capacity and was instrumental in developing public-private partnerships and coalitions that advanced patient safety and public health initiatives. She spearheaded numerous national and international public health campaigns, including serving as one of the founders of the World Rabies Day initiative in 2007 and overseeing CDC’s antibiotic resistance communications efforts from 2009–2016. Abbigail served in a lead communication role during numerous outbreak responses, such as the 2012 multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis, the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 MPX pandemic.
In 2016, Abbigail was named one of 36 Champions of PR by PR Week magazine for their inaugural Hall of Femme. In 2021, she was honored as one of PRWeek’s Health Influencers, celebrating the most prominent players influencing health communication and shaping the agenda around the battle against coronavirus, the race to distribute vaccines and booster shots, and narrowing disparities in health outcomes.
Abbigail received a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University and a Master of Public Health from the University of South Florida.
Kara Fenner Walker
Born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in the small rural town of Scotland Neck, NC, Kara Fenner Walker has always been driven by a passion for storytelling and impact. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from North Carolina Central University and a Master of Science in Information Design and Communication from Kennesaw State University.
With over two decades of experience in digital marketing, Kara leveraged her expertise to launch the Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival in 2019 with a vision to create a powerful platform where filmmakers can showcase their work, engage in transformative discussions, and connect with students, faculty, and local and visiting guests. The festival serves as a catalyst for dialogue—bringing human stories to the forefront, raising awareness of critical human rights and social justice issues, and inspiring action that leads to real change.
Dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, Kara remains committed to producing and supporting high-quality creative projects from the BIPOC community. She currently resides in Decatur, Georgia, where she continues to champion stories that matter.
Kamille D. Whittaker
Kamille D. Whittaker is an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Digital Media at Clark Atlanta University. In 2020, she co-founded the award-winning community journalism nonprofit Canopy Atlanta and oversees its Documenters program. She most recently served as managing editor of Atlanta Magazine. Her tenure in journalism is rooted in the Black Press—from Black Voice News newspaper in her hometown of Riverside, California, to Liberator Magazine, Atlanta Tribune, and Atlanta Daily World. She’s currently researching the Caribbean presence in the South through a narrative and digital humanities storytelling project entitled Perhaps, to Bloom.
Holley Wilkin
Holley Wilkin (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is an Associate Professor of Communication and Public Health at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga. Her applied health communication research program aims to reduce health inequities in diverse urban environments. Using a community-engaged approach, Dr. Wilkin forms interdisciplinary research teams and collaborates with community members and partner organizations on projects aimed at increasing access to and use of health resources. This work uses an ecological framework—exploring individual, community, and societal level factors influencing health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. In 2018, she was awarded the K. Everett M. Rogers Award, Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section, American Public Health Association, for advancing health communication theory and practice.
Mary Kate Wilson
Mary Kate Wilson has served as CARE’s Executive Director of Content & Creative for 12 years. Her team is responsible for CARE’s storytelling through video, narrative, design, trademark protection, and brand expression. In her time at CARE, Mary Kate has arranged or led nearly 40 content trips on six continents.
So far this year, her team has won the Engage For Good Halo Award for Best Advocacy Initiative for CARE’s She Heals the World initiative and the Association of National Advertisers SeeHer GEM Award for CARE’s She Leads the World campaign for International Women’s Day in March 2025.
Prior to joining CARE, Mary Kate spent 14 years in public health, boosting awareness of critical issues like cancer screenings, Alzheimer’s services, and a host of other brand campaigns in the agency world. She hails from Connecticut where she spent her youth as a competitive downhill skier and later an instructor and coach.
Elaine Xu
Dr. Elaine Xu is a faculty member of the University of Newcastle (Australia) and a professional member of Communication and Public Relations Australia. Her keen interest in the role of framing and messaging in shaping how lived experiences are conveyed and interpreted stems from her PhD research into the fundraising campaigns of international water charities. She is passionate about the third sector and the social economy and regularly engages with social, environmental, and development issues through her research and teaching. Her research has been funded by competitive national and institutional grants, providing opportunities for her to extend the impact of her research beyond academia and into the community and the public sector. She is currently leading research projects focused on the engagement of Japanese and Australian urban residents in environmental behaviors, public communication campaigns about food security in Singapore, and parental illness blogging and fundraising. Learn more about Elaine and her research here.