Kylene Baker (Ph.D.)
Shelly Blair (Ph.D.)
Jaime Bochantin (Ph.D.)
Madeline Boenker (M.A.)
Donathan Brown (Ph.D.)
Joshua Butcher (Ph.D.)
Georgia Carmichael (Ph.D.)
Jonathan Chacon (M.A.)
Jacquelyn Chinn (M.A.)
Brittany Collins (Ph.D.)
Dorothy Collins Andreas (Ph.D.)
Kevin-Khristian Cosgriff-Hernandez (Ph.D.)
Renee Cowan (Ph.D.)
Bonnie Creel (Ph.D.)
Brady Creel (Ph.D.)
Joelle Cruz (Ph.D.)
Christopher Cudahy (Ph.D.)
Xi Cui (Ph.D.)
Shannon Debord (Ph.D.)
Nina French (Ph.D.)
Adam Gaffey (Ph.D.)

Katherine Hampsten (Ph.D.)
Elizabeth (Beth) Fish Hatfield (Ph.D.)
Rachael Hernandez (M.A.)
Zoe Hess (M.A.)
Holly Hirsch (M.A.)
Jay M Hudkins (Ph.D.)
Zeba Imam (Ph.D.)
Cara Jacocks (Ph.D.)
Jonathan Jones (Ph.D.)
Rachel Jumper (Ph.D.)
Anisah Kasim (Ph.D.)
Kathryn Kelly (Ph.D.)
Lauren Lemley (Ph.D.)
Paul Logan (Ph.D.)
Cheryl Lozano-Whitten (M.A.)
Ryan Malphurs (Ph.D.)
Amanda R Martinez (Ph.D.)
Paul Mbutu (Ph.D.)
Jeremy Miller (Ph.D.)
Alfredo Obregon (M.A.)
Penny Addison Otey (Ph.D.)

Vandhana Ramadurai (Ph.D.)
Rachel Rashe (Ph.D.)
Samaria D. Roberts Perez (Ph.D.)
Andrea Robison Schweikhar (M.A.)
Jeremy Rogerson (Ph.D.)
Zach Schaefer (Ph.D.)
Yogita Sharma (Ph.D.)
Monique L. Snowden (Ph.D.)
Cade Spaulding (Ph.D.)
Ashley Spinozzi (M.A.)
Elizabeth Spradley (Ph.D.)
Ty Spradley (Ph.D.)
Masa (Masha) Sukovic (Ph.D.)
Elizabeth Thorpe (Ph.D.)
Ken Watanabe (Ph.D.)
Bradley S Wesner (Ph.D.)
Christopher Joseph Westgate (Ph.D.)
John Whittle (M.A.)
J'Qualin Williams (M.A.)
Dustin Wood (Ph.D.)
Jill Yamasaki (Ph.D.)

Kylene Baker - Ph.D. student in Health Communication Email: kylene@tamu.edu Kylene earned a B.A. in Biology from the University of Southern Indiana and an M.A. in Applied Communication from Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis (IUPUI). Her current research interest focuses on interactive communication technologies and health care. In her spare time, she enjoys socializing with her fellow grad students, reading, working out, traveling, and cooking. ^top of the page

Shelly Blair - Ph.D. student
E-mail: shelly.blair@tamu.edu

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Jaime Bochantin - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication
Email: JBochantin@tamu.edu

Jaime, a Chicago native, received both her B.A. and her M.A. in organizational and multicultural communication from DePaul University in Chicago (Go Blue Demons!). She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Organizational Communication, here at Texas A & M. Her secondary interests include Interpersonal Communication, Gender Studies and Organizational Psychology.

Her current research interests include the aging female professional and how she experiences her body in the workplace, especially in regard to dealing with menopause. In addition, Jaime also has an interest in motherhood in the workplace, especially mothers who work in traditionally masculine professions (i.e. police officers, fire fighters, line workers, etc.) and how they negotiate and use polices like the FMLA in order to balance their work and life.

When Jaime is not working, she is spending time with her family, including her dog Fendi.

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Madeline Boenker - M.A. student
E-mail: mboenker@tamu.edu

Maddie Boenker graduated from Texas A&M with a B.A. in Speech Communication and is currently pursuing a MA in Health Communication and Media Campaigns.  She is recently engaged to Taylor Short, and they plan to wed in May 2011.  A lover of the outdoors, Maddie grew up in a small Texas town, where she spent many years hunting and fishing.  As an only child, she often befriend animals on her parent's farm and continues to be fascinated by the beauty of nature.  She has been saltwater wade fishing since she was seven and continues to fish off the coast of Surfside, TX any chance she gets.  Also, she has managed a wildlife game ranch with her father in Bracketville, TX where she discovered the importance of enjoying the peacefulness of the great outdoors. Maddie and Taylor have a Boston terrier and a Wiemerriner that they enjoy taking to the dog park and on walks during their free time.

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Donathan Brown - Ph.D. Student
E-mail: d-brown@tamu.edu

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Joshua Butcher - Ph.D. Student Email: pelleas5@tamu.edu Joshua completed a B.A. in Communication (Rhetoric & Public Affairs) from Liberty University in 2004. He recently completed a M.A. in Communication (Rhetoric & Public Affairs) from Texas A&M. He is currently in his second year of the Ph.D. program in the department of Communication here at A&M and is interested in rhetoric & philosophy as well as rhetoric & religion. Special topics under these general headings include the intersection of rhetoric and hermeneutics and the responsibility of rhetoric in theology. ^top of the page

Georgia Carmichael - Ph.D Student
Email: carmg@nhmccd.edu

Georgia earned her B.S. in Biology and M.A. in English from Stephen F. Austin State University. She is currently employed as the dean of visual, applied and performing arts at North Harris College, a community college in Houston. Her areas of interest include organizational democracy and public management.

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Jonathan Chacon - M.A. Student
Email: jchacon@tamu.edu

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Jacquelyn Chinn - M.A. Student
Email: jchinn05@tamu.edu

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Brittany Collins - Ph.D Student
Email: collinbl@tamu.edu

Brittany earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication from the University of Cincinnati. Her Master's Thesis focused on the discursive techniques enacted by African American leaders as they managed their racial identity within the organizational context.  She is currently pursuing a PhD at the Texas A&M University. Her research interests continue to lie at the intersection of racial identity management and dominant ideologies. She currently teaches Public Speaking and has experience teaching an introductory Interpersonal Communication course. Brittany also has a passion for speech writing, which stems from her experience working with Cincinnati Mayor, Mark Mallory. In early 2009, Mayor Mallory delivered the State of the City Address, which she played an integral role in creating.

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Dorothy Collins Andreas - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication
Email: dorothycollins@tamu.edu

Dorothy is currently working on her dissertation about risk communication among technical experts. She takes a discursive approach to examining how experts characterize, coordinate, and legitimize their understandings of a risk. This study fits within her broader interests to explore the social construction of risk at the intersection of risk communication, organizational communication, health communication, public participation, conflict, and environmental issues. Dorothy also works part-time as a communication specialist for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Her research has appeared in Social Science and Medicine and Nuclear Engineering and Technology. As an instructor, Dorothy has taught classes in organizational communication, negotiation, communication for technical professions, small group communication, as well as elementary and intermediate reading in public schools. Additionally, she volunteers as an academic mentor to Company I-1 in the Corps of Cadets. She received a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M (Class of ’99) and an M.A. in Communication from Texas State University-San Marcos.

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Kevin-Khristian Cosgriff-Hernandez - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication Email:cosgriffhernandez@tamu.edu Kevin-Khristián earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago with an emphasis in Public Policy, and his M.A. in Communication Management from John Carroll University. He has conducted research and developed communication strategies in both the non-profit sector and on political campaigns. He has lectured on Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication and Small Group Communication in Ohio and Texas. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Communication. His research interests are primarily concerned with issues of power, control, and identity in organizational and cultural contexts. He has co-authored a forthcoming chapter in Food as Communication/Communication as Food, on how cultural identity and change are negotiated via food and communication entitled “We still had to have tortillas”: Negotiating health, culture and change in the Mexican American diet.Kevin-Khristián is currently lecturing on Negotiation in the School of Business, while conducting a Mentorship with Dr. Rothenbuhler investigating baseball as an expression of culture. ^top of the page

Renee Cowan - Ph.D. student in Organizational Studies Email: renee_cowan1@tamu.edu Renee received her B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and her M.A. from Texas State University-San Marcos. Renee is currently pursuing her PhD in Organization Studies with a focus on dysfunctional organizational communication. Her main research interests include workplace bullying and conceptions of justice, the intersection between work and life (particularly in the case of blue collar employees) and communication technologies (Email, CMDs, and Blogs). In free her time (yeah, right!) she enjoys spending time with her husband D.C. and their three obese cats Simon, Malachi, and Space. ^top of the page

Bonnie Creel - Ph.D. student in Health Communication
Email: bonnie.creel@tccd.edu

Bonnie received both her B.F.A. and M.F.A. from Texas Christian University. Her research interests focus on health narratives. Bonnie, who is in her early 50s, teaches Speech Communication at a junior college and hopes to have her degree before she retires.

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Brady Creel - Ph.D. student in Rhetoric and Public Affairs
Email: bradycreel@tamu.edu

Brady earned a B.S. in journalism and an M.S. in management from Texas A&M University. His research interest is the intersection of presidential rhetoric and speechwriting, political communication, and media.

In addition to being a graduate student, Brady works full time at Texas A&M University at Qatar, where he is communications manager for the University's Middle East campus. He is an avid photographer and likes to travel.

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Joelle Cruz - Ph.D. student
E-mail: joellecruz@tamu.edu

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Christopher Cudahy - Ph.D. student
Email: cudahyc@tamu.edu

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Xi Cui - Ph.D. student in Telecommunication Media Studies Email: xcui@tamu.edu Xi received his B.A. from Beijing Broadcasting Institute in 2002, in the major of News Casting and Hosting Art. Later he got a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics in Communication University of China (CUC). He taught Chinese Mandarin Pronunciation and Broadcasting Phonation, and Public Speaking and Debate at CUC from 2005 to 2007. Currently, he is interested in a cultural  and sociological reading of Chinese media. ^top of the page

Shannon Debord - Ph.D. student
E-mail: shannon.debord@tamu.edu

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Nina French - Ph.D. student in Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Email: ninafrench@tamu.edu

Nina received both her B.A. and M.A. in English from Texas A&M University. Her research interests include the rhetoric of female misogyny in Hip-Hop culture, satire and Hip-Hop, as well as the integration of British and American thought in popular culture. When Nina is not working, she is either supporting the New York Kicks/New York Yankees, performing spoken word poetry, or playing video games.

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Adam Gaffey - Ph.D. student
E-mail: ajgaffey@tamu.edu

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Katherine Hampsten - Ph.D Student in Organizational Studies
Email: khampsten@tamu.edu

Katherine Hampsten is a 3rd year doctoral student studying organizational communication. Katherine's research interests include work/family balance, representations of femininity and motherhood, and interpretive methods. She holds an MA in communication studies from Baylor University.

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Elizabeth (Beth) Fish Hatfield - Ph.D. student in Telecommunications and Media Studies
Email: ehatfield@tamu.edu

Elizabeth received her B.S. from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business with a focus on Marketing and Human Resource Management. Her M.A. in Telecommunications and Media Studies was earned at Fordham University. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Telecommunications and Media Studies with a research focus on mass media, gender, representation and family communication. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her husband/friends/family, reading fiction, and watching TV with her dog Lily.

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Rachael Hernandez - M.A. student in Health Communication E-mail: rachaelagnes@tamu.edu Rachael Hernandez earned a B.S. in Communication Studies from The University of Texas School of Communication,  with a certificate in Sociology. She served as a research assistant at UT, and as a marketing and P.R. associate for The First Tee of Greater Austin, a non-profit. Rachael is currently pursuing a M.A. in Health Communication at Texas A&M, as well as teaching Public Speaking. In her spare time, Rachael enjoys riding her bike around campus, cooking vegetarian food, and watching action movies. ^top of the page

Zoe Hess - M.A. student
E-mail: zoehess@neo.tamu.edu

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Holly Hirsch - M.A. student in Organizational Communication
Email: hollyhirsch@tamu.edu

Holly received a B.A. in Communication from the University of Colorado in 1996. She spent several years working for a variety of organizations, including those with strong cultures (Disney) and strong bureaucracies (public schools), searching for insight into how to better approach organizational studies. As a result, she has no shortage of research interests, including organizational change, cultures, technology implementation, and narratives.

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Jay M. Hudkins - Ph.D. student in Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Email: jay_hudkins@baylor.edu

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Zeba Imam - Ph.D. student
Email: zebaimam@tamu.edu

Zeba got her Master's degree in Social Work from Jamia Millia Islamia, India. She worked with a child rights organization in India before joining the Master's program in Communication at TAMU. She went on to join the Ph.D. program in the department after graduating. Her research interests include intercultural communication and gender studies. More specifically she is studying construction of women's identities in the discourse of religious nationalism in India.

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Cara Jacocks - Ph.D. Student in Organizational Communication
Email: cjacocks@tamu.edu

Cara earned a B.A. in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University in 2001 and an M.A. in Communication from Abilene Christian University in 2003. Currently she splits her time by taking Ph.D. courses in TAMU's Department of Communication and teaching Organizational Communication courses as faculty on TCU's campus (Fort Worth). Her current research interests include conflict management issues, nonprofit organizations and emotion in the workplace. She is excited about being back in Aggieland and in her free time (which isn't much these days), she enjoys watching college sports...especially football and basketball!

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Jonathan Jones - Ph.D. student in Rhetoric and Public Affairs
Email: jonathanjones02@tamu.edu

Jonathan Jones is a fourth year PhD student in Communication, Rhetoric and Public Affairs hoping to graduate in December 2009. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2002 with a degree in political science and from the University of North Carolina in 2004 with a degree in public administration. A full-time employee of the Texas A&M Honors Office, his hobbies are hiking and reading.

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Rachel Jumper - Ph.D. student in Health Communication
Email: rjumper@tamu.edu

Rachel received her BA in Speech Communication from Texas A&M in 2003 (Whoop!) and her MS in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn University in 2005 (War Eagle). Her interests are in health and family communication. Specifically, her research interests include the social and emotional side of Celiac Disease and bully behaviors during adolescence among the gifted. Rachel is very excited to be starting her dissertation!! Rachel is a native Texan and loves being back in the Lone Star State. She enjoys spending time with her family, eating Tex-Mex while drinking margaritas, cooking, quilting, hanging out with Emily (the most precious English Springer Spaniel in the world), reading, jogging, canoeing (as long as she is in the back and gets to steer), riding her horse, fixing up her house, and working in her yard.

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Anisah Kasim - Ph.D . student in Organizational Communication
Email: anisah@tamu.edu

Anisah is a first year PhD student who earned her Bachelor of Education in TESL from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Master in Corporate Communication from Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Her research interest is constantly changing; this week, it is the perception of self in organization through non-verbal communication. Tune-in for what it's going to be next week. She is taking a break to go to school after 10 years of teaching undergraduates (whew!!!). Anisah is currently the envy of her colleagues because she does not have to teach. She likes to explore Bryan/College Station on her bike and her favorite question is, "Is that bikeable?" She doesn't think that she has an accent although people have been calling her accent "oceanic".

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Kathryn Kelly - Ph.D. student
Email: kakelly@tamu.edu

Kathryn Kelly is in her last year of her Masters in Rhetoric and Public Affairs here at A&M. Her current interests include the rhetoric of biotechnology and bioethical questions, as well as conducting rhetorical analysis of political theory. She received her B.S. in Government from Berry College where she also received a Communication minor and competed on the Forensics team there. In her spare time she volunteers with local animal shelters, and trains horses for equine rescue centers.

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Lauren Lemley - Ph.D. student
Email: lauren.lemley@tamu.edu

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Paul Logan - Ph.D. student
Email: lucasvlogan@tamu.edu

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Cheryl Lozano-Whitten - M.A. in Rhetoric and Public Affairs
Email: cheryllw2006@tamu.edu               

Cheryl Lozano-Whitten graduated magna cum laude from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication and a minor in Professional Ethics.  She is currently working on her master’s degree in Rhetoric and Public Affairs.  She has conducted research with Dr. Lisa Troyer at the University of Iowa related to how perceptions of personality influence decision making using Kenneth Lay from Enron as a case study.  Her current research interest is the rhetoric used by the Catholic Church regarding apologies for the sexual abuse scandals involving clergy.  Cheryl is currently a recitation instructor for public speaking courses as well as teaching assistant for Dr. Jolie Fontenot.  Cheryl is married to her husband Glen and has three grown daughters as well as one grandson.

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Ryan Malphurs - Ph.D. student Email: malphurs@tamu.edu Ryan Malphurs earned his bachelor's degree from Regis University in Denver Co, double majoring in English and Philosophy.  He earned his MA from Texas A&M in English where he studied rhetoric and discourse analysis.  Ryan is currently a doctoral candidate in the Communication Studies department, and his research revolves around the intersection of politics and culture.  His dissertation uniquely blends rhetorical criticism, discourse analysis, and ethnography to examine the rhetorical discursive interaction between Supreme Court justices and lawyers in oral arguments.  Ryan's research has appeared in the Journal of American Culture, Management Communication Quarterly, and a forthcoming book on 9/11 and Popular Culture.  ^top of the page

Amanda R. Martinez - Ph.D. student in Mass Media and Health Communication Email: armartinez4@tamu.edu Born in California, but raised in Texas and Colorado, Amanda received her B.A. in Multinational Organization Studies, a concentration in Spanish, and a minor in English Comm. Arts from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX. She then completed her M.A. in Mass Communication, and Women's Studies Certificate at the University of Houston (Main Campus) in Houston, TX and is currently working towards her Ph.D. Her research interests reside in the areas of mass media effects and health issues (body image identity, eating disorders, and depression to name a few) with special emphasis on gender, feminism, race/ethnicity, and culture. Amanda also enjoys teaching comm. classes and researching in both qual. and quant. methods. In her limited free time, Amanda enjoys traveling (determined to visit every place on Earth!), watching movies, reading, and spending time with friends and family. ^top of the page

Paul Mbutu - Ph.D. student
E-mail: kgauss@tamu.edu

Mr. Paul Mutinda Mbutu holds an M.A degree in Print Communication from Wheaton College, USA and a B.A. degree in Print Communication (Major) and Community Development (Minor) from Messiah College, USA.

He is a first year Fulbright PhD. Organizational Communication Student at A&M University and a Senior lecturer (on study leave) from Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya. He teaches in the areas of Communication and Culture, Development Communication, Media Planning and Management, Research Methods, Public Relations Management, among others. He consults on Conflict Transformation and Peace Building, Organizational Communication and Management, and Project Design, Management and Evaluation locally and internationally. His dissertation research interest is in the area of Communication and Ethnic Politics in Conflict Resolution in Kenya.

He  has served in various capacities  with premier  organizations  including The World Bank, Norwegian Church Aid, Lutheran World Federation, Harvest Impact Ministries, Peace Healing and Reconciliation Program, spearheading  programs geared to poverty reduction, build tailored  local  capacity, promote peaceful co-existence, and monitor regional conflict dynamics.
Paul is a husband, a father, a church elder, a peace advocate, and a small-scale farmer.

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Jeremy Miller - Ph.D. student
E-mail: jeremy.miller@tamu.edu

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Alfredo Obregon - M.A. student
E-mail: ao433@tamu.edu

"Hello friend!  I am Freddie Obregón, and I received my Certification in Business Foundations, and my Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin.  It was there that my eyes were open to Media Studies, and since then, I have devoted my research to Gender in the Media, particularly the growing area of academia known as Males and Masculinity in the Media, as well as the long-established subject of Females and Femininity.  Basically, I am looking at what the media says a man is supposed to be, as well as what a woman is supposed to be.  I am all about breaking gender stereotypes for both sexes.  Come with me to the Rec Center on your free time, we'll go run a thirty-mile relay (laughs)."

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Penny Addison Otey - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication
Email: potey@tamu.edu

Penny received her B.A. in Education from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (thus she is a HUGE Tarheel basketball fan) and her M.S. in Speech Communication from Texas Christian University. Her current research interests include emotion in the workplace, "spiritual labor" and conflict. She enjoys spending time with her husband, traveling, a good cup of java, and playing with her dogs Gracie & Sophie.

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Vandhana Ramadurai - Ph.D. student
E-mail: vandhana14@tamu.edu

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Rachel Rashe - Ph.D. student
E-mail: rrashe@tamu.edu

Rachel is a second year doctoral student studying issues of identity and socialization in organizations.  She has taught public speaking and small group communication.  She earned her BA in journalism and English and her MA in organizational communication from the University of Arkansas (Go Hogs!).  In her spare time she enjoys playing with her corgi Teddy and her miniature schnauzer Macy.

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Samaria D. Roberts Perez - Ph.D. student in Health Communication Email: srobertsperez@tamu.edu Born and raised in New Jersey, Sammy earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ where she majored in Communication. After completing her B.A. she lived for two years in San Juan, Puerto Rico where she learned more about her cultural roots and became fluent in Spanish. Her research interests in the field are specifically in Health Communication, Intercultural Communication, and the intersection of the two. Outside of academia she takes pleasure in a multitude of hobbies-- music/song-writing, dance, fashion design, painting, and playing with her cats: Giorgio and Joy. A more recent interest includes her role as leader of a Hula-Hoop Troupe where she both makes hula-hoops and performs with them. ^top of the page

Andrea Robison Schweikhar - M.A. student
E-mail: arobison@tamu.edu

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Jeremy Rogerson - Ph.D. student
E-mail: jeremyrogerson@tamu.edu

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Zach Schaefer - PhD student
Email: zachschaefer@tamu.edu

Zach is currently (Fall 2009) a doctoral candidate studying the discursive practices of communities engaged in conflict resolution. Zach earned his bachelor’s degree and M.A. from Saint Louis University where he used ethnographic methods to study how blue-collar organizational members use workplace humor. Stemming from this project, Zach has since written about the areas of (a) social class as an expression of taken-for-granted meaning systems, (b) the construction of trust within work teams, and (c) the ethical practices of organizations. He is collecting data on his dissertation, which comes from a social constructionist perspective that blends discursive psychology, interpretive, and ethnographic methods. He aims to understand the relationship between the institutional discourse espoused at professional mediator training events and the local discourses enacted during conflict mediations. Zach also practices mediation at a community conflict resolution center several times per month. His research has appeared in Management Communication Quarterly and Organization (forthcoming). Zach looks forward to laughing and dancing with his wife Kizzy, keeping in touch with friends and family, and wrestling with his two boxers: Gizmo and Gonzo.

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Yogita Sharma - Ph.D. student
E-mail: yogitasharma@tamu.edu

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Monique L. Snowden - Ph.D. Student in Organizational Communication
Email: msnowden@northwestern.edu

Monique earned a B.B.A. in Business Analysis and M.S. in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University. She is currently the assistant dean of enrollment management at Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies. Her research interests include organizational communication in higher education, bureaucratic discourse/discursive practices, technology innovation and appropriation, and structuration theory.

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Cade Spaulding - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication
Email: cade.spaulding@tamu.edu

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Ashley Spinozzi - M.A. Student
Email: aspinoz2@tamu.edu

Ashley earned her B.A. in Communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  She is pursuing her M.A. in Health Communication.  Her research focuses on the media's effects on adolescents' attitudes and behaviors in regards to sex, as well as health and media campaigns. In her free time, Ashley loves watching baseball, hockey, and football games (White Sox, Blackhawks, and Bears respectively), traveling, running, going to the movies, and catching up with friends.  Although she will always be an Illini at heart, Ashley is excited to be studying at A&M and enjoys teaching Aggies public speaking.  She is also thrilled that she won't have to walk to class in the snow this December.

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Elizabeth Spradley - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication
Email: espradley@tamu.edu

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Ty Spradley - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication
Email: tspradley@tamu.edu (or) tspradley@sfasu.edu

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Masa (Masha) Sukovic - Ph.D. student in Health Communication Email: trinity3@tamu.edu Masha received her B.A. in English Language and Literature from Belgrade University, Serbia. She worked with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and Finnish Embassy in Belgrade before joining the Master's program in Communication at Texas A&M University. She received her M.A. in Communication from TAMU in August 2007 and started her Ph.D. in the fall of 2007. She is currently working as Graduate Assistant Director at the University Writing Center at TAMU. Masha's thesis research included exploration of narratives, selfhood, and social construction of identity, as well as communication and coping strategies among Serbian women who have undergone hysterectomies. Her current research interests include health communication, gender, and intercultural communication, more specifically health narratives, cultural understandings of illness and health, and the effects of media on health attitudes and social behavior. She believes in limitless creativity, likes controversy and is always on the look-out for inspiration. She does not believe in coincidental encounters. In her free time she enjoys singing jazz, cooking, painting, and writing. ^top of the page

Elizabeth Thorpe - Ph.D. student in Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Email: boyde@tamu.edu

Elizabeth is a native Texan finishing her dissertation and her fifth year in the Texas A&M Comm department.  Her emphasis is rhetoric and public affairs, and her research deals with the rhetorical construction of American identity.

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Ken Watanabe - Ph.D. student
E-mail: ken_w2008@tamu.edu

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Bradley S Wesner - Ph.D. student in Organizational Communication Email: bswesner@tamu.edu Brad received his BA from Ball State University in Muncie , Indiana and then worked in corporate America and law enforcement for a number of years. He received his MA from Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis. His current research interests include conflict management with a focus on the impact of intractable conflict situations. Brad is also working with coauthor Cara Jacocks on development of a group communication theory at this time. Interestingly enough, prior to being accepted to A&M, Brad proposed to Kylene Baker under the Century Oak…talk about proactive! Brad enjoys traveling, and has a special fondness for the Caribbean . When you can't find him working, he loves to fly fish in both fresh and saltwater. Brad loves discussing political issues of the day and Roman Catholicism, but will rarely do so unless cocktails are involved. He has also become somewhat noted for his infamous “Thursday Night Invitation” which he sends to fellow grad students weekly. Brad also once was a front man for a heavy metal band and dreams of returning to the road if this academic thing does not work out. After all, if you can't spend your time buried in a pile of journal articles…you might as well ROCK! ^top of the page

Christopher Joseph Westgate - Ph.D. student Email: westgate@tamu.edu Education: B.S. Cornell University, M.A. Columbia University Research Interests: Critical theories of communication, cultural studies of media & society, Latino journalism & the arts, history of radio and recording technologies, sociology of popular music, photography & collective memory. As a humanist, Westgate studies Latino media institutions, texts, and audiences. He is particularly interested in acts of cultural commerce between Mexico and the U.S. including, but not limited to: reciprocal radio broadcasts, resistant record and music texts, power dynamics between computers and communities, digitized realities of sight and sound contained in typographic or photographic imaginaries, producers of industry, circulators of identity and consumers of policy. Westgate has nearly fifteen years of experience in the radio industry, and has served in various management and on-air capacities at commercial and non-commercial stations. He currently trains new announcers and hosts his own show at KEOS (http://keos.org). Hobbies: Music, Books, Film, Photography, NPR, PBS, Art & Culture, Architecture, Flamenco, Travel, Cooking, Computers, Politics, Science and Technology, Theater, Museums, Web Design, Tennis, Badminton, Running, Golf, Yoga, Meditation, Aerobic & Racquet Sports. Favorite places: Cordoba, Spain; Capri, Italy; Providence, Rhode Island; Outdoors, Greenhouses, Health Food Stores, Libraries, Coffee Shops. ^top of the page

John Whittle - M.A. student
E-mail: claytonwhittle@neo.tamu.edu

Clayton Whittle graduated with a B.A. in Communication from Texas A&M in 2007.  He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts while teaching public speaking in the Comm Department.  His research interests are focused on morality and ethics in modern video games and philosophical connotations of those games.  He has also contributed to the current effort by the Comm Department to create stronger interdepartmental research initiatives in video game studies.

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J'Qualin Williams - M.A. student
E-mail: tamuhopeful@tamu.edu

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Dustin Wood - Ph.D. student in Rhetoric
E-mail: dustin.wood@tamu.edu

Dustin earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and Sociology from Western Kentucky University and a M.A. in Communication from the University of Cincinnati.  His Master's thesis examined the rhetoric of America's Great Awakenings, focusing specifically on the internal dynamics of exemplary sermons delivered by the prominent preachers from each Awakening.  As a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University, his research focuses on the intersection of rhetoric and religion.  He currently teaches Public Speaking and has experience teaching Interpersonal Communication.

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Jill Yamasaki - Ph.D. student in Health Communication
Email: jyamasaki@tamu.edu

Jill earned her M.A. in Speech Communication from the University of Houston and her B.A. in English-Writing from the University of Colorado at Denver. Her primary research interests include the social construction of identity, community, and shared meanings of health, illness, and old age in long-term care residences. Jill and her husband, Mark, enjoy life in Texas but head home to the Colorado mountains as often as possible (though not often enough!).

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