Faculty Biographies
Associate Professor, Ph.D., Ohio University
Craig Allen joined the Cronkite faculty after 14 years in broadcast and print journalism and seven years teaching college journalism. He is active in international mass communication and has led delegations to Indonesia and Mexico. He has written extensively on history, political media, presidential communication and the international mass media, and teaches courses in international communication and broadcast journalism. Allen’s books include “News Is People: The Rise of Local TV News.”
Associate Professor, Solheim Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Ph.D., Michigan State University
Marianne Barrett brought her experiences as an ESPN programming executive to the Cronkite School when she joined the faculty in 1994. Barrett, who focuses on media management, economics and policy, was named a Frank Stanton Fellow by the International Radio and Television Society in 2002 for her “outstanding contributions to electronic media education.” She became associate dean in 2005 and the following year was named the Louise Solheim Professor of Journalism.
Associate Professor, Ph.D., Indiana University
Sharon Bramlett-Solomon is a winner of the Barry Bingham Fellowship for advancing diversity in college journalism education. She also is a recipient of the Woman of the Year award from the Arizona Black Women’s Task Force. Prior to joining the Cronkite faculty in 1986, she spent seven years in newspapers, public relations and radio, including reporting for the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Louisville Courier Journal. Her research focuses on media construction and depiction of race images.
Walter Cronkite Professor of Journalism
Aaron Brown is the inaugural Walter Cronkite Professor of Journalism. The former lead anchor for CNN joined the Cronkite School in January 2008 and teaches a seminar course, Turning Points in Television News History. Brown served as news anchor of CNN’s flagship show, “NewsNight,” from 2001 to 2005, covering stories from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to the 2004 presidential elections and the Iraq War. Brown won the coveted Edward R. Murrow Award for his Sept. 11 coverage, broadcasting from a rooftop in lower Manhattan. In addition to teaching in the Cronkite School, Brown serves as anchor of “Wide Angle,” PBS’ weekly global public affairs series.
Professor and Dean, M.P.A., Harvard University
Christopher Callahan became the Cronkite School’s first dean in 2005 after serving as associate dean of the University of Maryland’s journalism school. A former Washington correspondent for The Associated Press and senior editor of American Journalism Review, Callahan’s teaching and research focuses on journalism ethics, news diversity, press-government relations and investigative reporting. He is the author of “A Journalist’s Guide to the Internet.”
Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Michigan State University
Serena Carpenter joined the faculty in 2007 specializing in newer media after finishing her Ph.D. degree at Michigan State University. Her teaching and research interest areas include online journalism, news quality, citizen journalism, blogs, military-press relations, and sociology of news production. Her research has been published in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Mass Communication and Society, and Telecommunications Policy.
Lecturer, M.A., New Mexico State University
Michael Casavantes joined the Cronkite faculty in 1990 and has taught at the university level for 25 years, with professional experience in radio and television. He has been honored with teaching awards at New Mexico State and the Cronkite School. Casavantes is pursuing a doctorate in 20th century American history.
Professor, Ph.D., Ohio University
A national expert in TV media, John E. Craft has taught broadcasting at the Cronkite School since 1973, making him the school’s senior faculty member. Craft’s award-winning documentaries on Route 66 have been distributed internationally and aired on nearly 80 public television stations. He has developed television studios for public school systems, retirement communities and hospitals throughout the country. Craft is a winner of the Silver Circle Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Director, Student Media, Weil Family Professor of Journalism, BA, Duquesne University
James N. Crutchfield joined the Cronkite School in spring 2007 as the inaugural Edith Kinney Gaylord Visiting Professor in Journalism Ethics. He was named Director of Student Media and Weil Family Professor of Journalism in March 2007. As Director of Student Media, Crutchfield oversees the daily operations of Student Media, acts as adviser to the student editorial staffs of The State Press, ASU Web Devil and SDTV-Channel 2. In the Cronkite School, Crutchfield teaches ethics courses and the freshman seminar.
Professor and Knight Chair in Journalism, B.A., Dartmouth College
Steve Doig joined the Cronkite faculty in 1996 as the school’s first Knight Chair in Journalism following a 23-year career in newspaper journalism. An expert in computer-assisted reporting, Doig was part of an investigative team at The Miami Herald that won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for an analysis on how weakened building codes and poor construction contributed to the devastation of Hurricane Andrew. He conducts an annual Knight Foundation study analyzing newsroom diversity.
Director Cronkite News Service, MBA Arizona State University
Steve Elliott is the founding director of Cronkite News Service’s print journalism program. He joined the Cronkite School in September 2006 after a 19-year career with The Associated Press, the world’s largest news organization. With Cronkite News Service, Elliott leads groups of advanced students in coverage of statewide stories for newspapers and news Web sites. Their stories have appeared regularly in more than 20 publications.
Associate Professor, Ed.D., Memphis State University
Mary-Lou Galician is an award-winning mass media researcher, educator and performer with more than 25 years of experience in print journalism, television, public relations and advertising. She has been on the Cronkite School faculty since 1983. A media literacy advocate, she teaches Mass Media & Society for non-majors. Her books include “Sex, Love, and Romance in the Mass Media: Analysis and Criticism of Unrealistic Portrayals and Their Influence.”
Assistant Dean, MA, University of Nebraska
Kristin Gilger is assistant dean in charge of professional programs for the Cronkite School. She directs the school’s 50-plus part-time faculty members, oversees the school’s growing professional programs and serves as a liaison to the news industry. Gilger was director of Student Media at ASU from 2002-2007, directing student publications. Prior to coming to ASU, Gilger spent 21 years in various reporting and editing roles at newspapers across the country, include the Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans, La., the Salem Statesman Journal newspaper in Oregon and The Arizona Republic.
Director, Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, BA, University of Vermont
Dan Gillmor is director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship and Kauffman Professor of Digital Media Entrepreneurship at the Cronkite School. Gillmor also directs the Center for Citizen Media, a project to enhance and expand grassroots media and its reach. A nationally recognized leader in new media, Gillmor is author of “We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People,” a book that explains the rise of citizens’ media and why it matters. He served as a columnist at the San Jose Mercury News and wrote a weblog for SiliconValley.com. He also worked at the Detroit Free Press, the Kansas City Times and several newspapers in Vermont.
Professor, Ph.D., University of Washington
Don Godfrey is editor of The Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, one of the leading scholarly journals in mass communication. He came to ASU in 1988 after 17 years in the television industry as a news and sports anchor, reporter and director. He has served as president of the Broadcast Education Association, was the founding chair of the BEA Festival of Media Arts and has won dozens of awards for his creative and scholarly work. His most recent book is “Methods of Historical Analysis in Electronic Media.”
Broadcast Director, Cronkite News Service, BA, Arizona State University
Susan Green is the broadcast director of the Cronkite News Service in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She came to ASU in August 2006 from KNXV-TV where she served as managing editor at the ABC affiliate. In her 21 years as a broadcast professional, Green held positions at stations in Phoenix, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York City. In her first year at ASU, Green helped launch the Cronkite News Service to provide student-produced news stories to television stations across the state. She and the students work out of ASU’s downtown Phoenix University Center, where they have a newsroom and studio equipped for live broadcasts and satellite feeds to stations in Flagstaff, Yuma, Tucson, Phoenix and the ASU Tempe campus.
Director, New Media Innovation Lab
Retha Hill joined the Cronkite faculty in the summer of 2007 after nearly eight years at BET, where she was vice president for content for BET Interactive, the online unit of Black Entertainment Television and the most visited site specializing in African-American content on the Internet. In that senior role, she was in charge of content strategy and convergence with the television network. Before joining BET, Hill was executive producer for special projects at washingtonpost.com, developing new products for The Washington Post’s Web site. The New Media Innovation Lab, operated under the Cronkite School, serves as a research and development center for media companies exploring new digital media products.
Arizona Republic Editor-in-Residence, B.A. University of Southern California
Aric Johnson is the Cronkite School’s first Arizona Republic Editor-in-Residence, overseeing students in a multimedia reporting class in which they report breaking news for azcentral.com, Arizona’s most viewed news Web site. Johnson joined the Cronkite School in January of 2007 and will be on loan to the school for the remainder of the year. He works out of the Republic’s newsroom, coaching students and editing their work. He also arranges sessions for students with newsmakers and reporters. He came to The Arizona Republic in 2002 to serve as an assistant business editor. He also held posts as education editor and editor of the Tempe Republic before taking his current position as editor of the ASU program.
Clinical Professor and Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Ed.D., Arizona State University
Fritz Leigh served as the Cronkite School’s first associate director from 1987 to 2005 before being appointed an associate dean. He launched ASU’s campus radio station in 1982 and continues to oversee the station. Leigh previously taught broadcasting at the University of Nebraska and developed a fine arts radio station for metropolitan Omaha. He co-authored “Electronic Media” and co-edited “Historical Dictionary of American Radio.”
News Director and Professor of Practice, B.J. University of Missouri
Mark Lodato is the News Director and a Professor of Practice for the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He joined the Cronkite School in August 2006 after working 16 years as television reporter and anchor for television stations in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Phoenix and Ft. Myers, Fla. He also served as News Director at the University of Maryland’s Phillip Merrill College of Journalism. As News Director, Lodato supervises students participating in the Cronkite School’s national award-winning television newscast, Cronkite NewsWatch. The live production airs three times each week across much of Arizona via Cox Cable. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students cover top stories in the Phoenix area and across Arizona.
Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Miami
Fran Matera joined the Cronkite faculty in 1989 with a newspaper and public relations background, including stints as the night copy chief at The Miami News and as an editor of a fine arts magazine. Her research, conducted in English and Spanish, has focused on Hispanic audiences. The Public Relations Student Society of America honored Matera for her work with students.
Professor and Frank Russell Chair of Journalism, J.D., William Mitchell College of Law
Tim McGuire is the former editor and senior vice president of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the nation’s 17 th largest daily newspaper. He was president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and served as a Pulitzer Prize juror six times. He wrote a nationally syndicated column, “More Than Work,” focusing on ethics, spirituality and values in the workplace, before joining the Cronkite School in 2006 as the Frank Russell Chair in the Business of Journalism.
Professor Emeritus, Ph.D., University of Michigan
A nationally recognized pollster, Bruce D. Merrill joined the ASU political science faculty in 1971, but his expertise as a researcher in political behavior and political media communications brought him to the Cronkite School in 1988. He founded a monthly statewide poll with KAET, the ASU-operated public television station, that surveys Arizona voters on a wide range of political and social issues.
Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor
Rick Rodriguez is the Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He is developing a new cross-disciplinary specialization in the coverage of issues related to Latinos and the U.S.-Mexico border. Prior to joining the faculty of the Cronkite School in March 2008, Rodriguez was the top editor at the Sacramento Bee, one of the 10 largest daily newspapers in the West. In 2007 the Bee won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
Lecturer and TV Production Manager, B.S., Arizona State University
An Emmy Award Winner, Jim Rush winner joined the Cronkite School staff in 1999 and the faculty in 2007 after a long broadcast production career in Phoenix. Rush manages the school’s TV broadcast operations, including NewsWatch, which airs on cable throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. He came to the Cronkite School from KAET-TV/PBS8 in Tempe, where he worked as an on-air director/producer. Prior to that, he worked as a director/writer at KTVK-TV/(then)ABC3, in studio and field production and with the nationally syndicated show PM Magazine.
Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Utah
Dennis Russell joined the Cronkite faculty in 1991 after a decade-long career as a print journalist in the Phoenix metropolitan area. He teaches a wide array of classes, including Mass Communication Law, Media Issues in American Pop Culture, News Writing, Reporting, Media and Society and Media Problems. His research focuses on mass-mediated popular culture, critical studies, film, literary and music analysis and First Amendment law.
Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Colorado-Boulder
Joseph Russomanno focuses on broadcast journalism and First Amendment law. He came to the Cronkite School in 1994 with a background in broadcast news and sports in St. Louis and Denver. On-site assignments included coverage of the 1987 Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Washington, D.C., and Super Bowls XXI and XXII. His books include “Speaking Our Minds: Conversations With the People Behind Landmark First Amendment Cases.”
Assistant Professor, M.A., The George Washington University
Carol Schwalbe brings to the Cronkite School more than 30 years of experience with the National Geographic Society, including producing the Traveler online site and editing articles for National Geographic magazine. She joined the faculty in 2002 and teaches magazine writing and online journalism. Schwalbe and her students produce the award-winning Cronkite online magazine. Her research focuses on the role of images in shaping ideas and public opinion during the early years of the Cold War, ethical concerns about publishing violent images and the visual framing of the Iraq War on the Internet.
Assistant Professor, Ph.D., University of Missouri
A two-time Fulbright Scholar, Bill Silcock researches global television news cultures, most recently in the Balkans. A former TV news director, producer and anchor/reporter, Silcock joined the faculty in 2001. He has won national awards for his documentaries “Backstage at a Presidential Debate: The Press, the Pundits and The People,” “Fortress of Faith” and “Woodstock: Back to the Garden,” which won the RTNDA Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.
Professor, M.A., City College of New York
Ed Sylvester teaches science writing and the core news writing, reporting, and editing courses. As a science writer, he has written four books for popular audiences on subjects ranging from the prospects for genetic engineering to the efforts of doctors trying to discover the secrets of the brain in his latest book, “Back From The Brink.” He also has written for national magazines and book reviews for The New York Times. Before joining the Cronkite faculty, Sylvester was a reporter at The Los Angeles Times.
Assistant Professor, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Leslie-Jean Thornton’s research focuses on professional journalism practices, convergence and new media. She is particularly interested in the various “digital divides” that may or may not form as a result of changed distribution and reporting forms for news. She has taught online media and advanced editing at the Cronkite School since 2004 after developing similar classes for the State University of New York at New Paltz. Before accepting a Freedom Forum fellowship for her doctoral work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she was a newspaper editor in New York, Connecticut and Virginia - most recently at The Virginian-Pilot.
Parents Association Professor of Political Science, Ph.D., Duke University
George Watson, who came to ASU in 1969 and the Cronkite School in 1995, teaches research methods and media and politics. He maintains a Web site on the Supreme Court appointment process as a resource for journalists, academics, students and the public. Watson served as president of ASU’s Academic Senate in 2002-2003. He also was president of the International Society for Teaching and Learning Excellence and directs the Arizona Wakonse retreat on higher education.
Assistant Professor, Ph.D., University of Florida
Xu Wu was born in Beijing, traveled extensively throughout China and has specialized in strategic media and public relations at the Cronkite School since 2005. His research focuses on China’s online media, international public relations, crisis management, political communication and mass communication theories. He is completing his first book, “Chinese Cyber Nationalism.”
