Alumni Notes

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2012 Broadcast Journalism

started a new role as a marketing specialist for Excelsior Orthopaedics in Buffalo, New York.

She spent nine years as a television news reporter and anchor before making this career transition. Brecher was nominated for two New York State Emmy Awards in her previous role at WIVB-TV.

Note Posted: August 24, 2021

2010 Mass Communication

Pat Farabaugh

recently published a book titled "Disastrous Floods and the Demise of Steel in Johnstown." The book was released by History Press in October. Farabaugh is a professor of communications at Saint Francis University. Farabaugh earned his Ph.D. in political/cultural communication studies from Penn State in 2010.

Note Posted: August 11, 2021

2009 Journalism

Stacey Federoff

graduated from the concurrent Master of Arts in Media Communication and Master of Business Administration program at Point Park University in May 2021. She accepted a position in June as a senior account executive at public relations agency Red Havas in Pittsburgh.

Note Posted: July 28, 2021

2003 Advertising/Public Relations

Mandy (Unanski) Enright

released her first book, "30-Minute Weight Loss Cookbook: 100+ Quick and Easy Recipes for Sustainable Weight Loss," in May 2021.

Enright's book helps readers create a truly sustainable weight-loss plan with meals that don’t take a ton of time or effort to prepare. From breakfasts to dinners and desserts, the 30-Minute Weight Loss Cookbook helps readers cook up more than 100 satisfying dishes and provides guidance for changing the way you look at food and weight loss.

The book is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

Note Posted: July 20, 2021

2013 Broadcast Journalism

Jeremy Kahn

has been a press officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Media Affairs in Silver Spring, Maryland, since 2017.

In that role, he works closely with major news organizations and is a spokesperson on issues related to public health and federal government regulation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Previously, he was a strategic communicator at the U.S Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.

Note Posted: July 20, 2021

2013 Media Studies

Chenjerai Kumanyika

received the Dallas Smythe Award from the Union for Democratic Communications.

The Dallas Smythe Award “honors a critical media scholar/activist whose work exhibits the spirit of engagement, democracy, teaching, and feistiness to which the UDC is committed.”

Kumanyiki, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University, earned his Ph.D. from Penn State in 2013 and his bachelor's in 1995. He is a researcher, journalist, and artist whose research and teaching focus on the intersections of social justice and emerging media in the cultural and creative industries. He has written about these issues in journals such as Popular Music & Society, Popular Communication, The Routledge Companion to Advertising and Promotional Culture and Technology, Pedagogy and Education.

Kumanyika is the co-executive producer and co-host of Gimlet Media’s new podcast on the Civil War, named “Uncivil.” He has been a contributor to numerous NPR programs.

Note Posted: July 15, 2021

2021 Advertising/Public Relations

Katherine Saylor

was selected as the 2021 Project Yellow Light scholarship competition.

As a result, her public service announcement against distracted driving, "Just Don't," will be airing nationwide. There were more than 2,000 submissions for the contest coordinated by the Project Yellow Light Foundation, the AdCouncil and iHeartMedia.

Saylor is a content creator and social media strategist for Telomere Consulting.

Note Posted: July 15, 2021

2011 Media Studies

Malcolm Egun

was recognized by Forbes Magazine among its Next 100 List for his startup FROGSHOP.

Egun launched the eCommerce start-up in 2017 to let exercise brands, independent gyms, and fitness influencers sell dumbbells, resistance bands, exercise mats and other workout gear online. FrogShop also ffers tools for advertising, inventory management and shipping.

Note Posted: July 15, 2021

2004 Journalism

Nichole Dobo

was one of 11 journalists selected as a Knight-Wallace Reporting Fellow for the 2021-22 academic year at the University of Michigan.

Dobo, the senior editor for audience engagement for The Hechinger Report, based in Wilmington, Delaware, fill focus on a project titled "A Reckoning: Higher Education in Rural America."

Created in 2020 to support ambitious journalism and respond to the remote needs of Covid-19, the Knight-Wallace Reporting Fellowships provide an academic year of support and collaborative learning. Fellows undertake projects examining pressing public challenges including social shifts precipitated by the pandemic, the nation’s deep economic and political divisions, and persistent social justice issues surrounding race, ethnicity and inequality.

Knight-Wallace Reporting Fellows will remain where they live while participating in weekly remote workshops, professional development sessions and seminars with University of Michigan faculty and experts. Two one-week Fellowship Cohort sessions at Wallace House on the University of Michigan campus are planned for the 2021-2022 academic year, subject to public health guidance.

The Reporting Fellowship is designed to benefit both working journalists and U.S. newsrooms. Each Reporting Fellow will pair with a local or national news organization to develop and publish their reporting project. The support of the fellowship allows news organizations to pursue ambitious journalism that they may not have the staff or funding to support independently.

Knight-Wallace Reporting Fellows will receive a stipend of $70,000 for the academic year plus an additional $10,000 in supplemental support to cover extra costs including health insurance, reporting equipment and supplemental travel-related expenses.

This adapted fellowship takes the place of the traditional, residential Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Note Posted: July 15, 2021