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Service

Professional
My professional service is largely performed via the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication. Since August 2020, I have been the social media chair for the Newspapers and Online News Division. During that time, I've developed editorial calendars for the division's social media posts and worked to strategically increase the division's engagement with its members. I write a column for each division newsletter, and I have served as a discussant and moderator for division-sponsored panels at conferences. I also have reviewed conference papers and judged entries for its annual teaching ideas competition.

For 10 years, I also was a member of the executive committee for the Media Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship Division. My primary responsibilities for the MMEE Division were to propose, organize and moderate panels for the annual conferences, as well as to serve as a discussant and review conference paper submissions. In addition, I have written columns for the division newsletter and blog. Positions I held include Midwinter Conference chair, Professional Freedom & Responsibility chair, Teaching chair and Secretary.


In 2013, then-AEJMC President Paula Poindexter invited me to participate in an initiative she founded to promote news engagement. Since that time, the Future of News Audience Engagement Committee has organized an international News Engagement Day each year in October. Poindexter selected me in 2016 to join the editorial board of the Center for News Excellence and Engagement, which is facilitated by AEJMC.

I also am a member of AEJMC’s Commission on the Status of Women and have organized a conference panel for the group.

My other professional service includes serving as reviewer for AEJMC's Tankard Book Award, and reviewing research articles for different journals as well as book proposals for academic publishers.

University
While at Saint Louis University, I was on the advisory board for the student newspaper, the University News. As board member, we met regularly with the editor and advisor to review the paper's coverage and financial standing. In addition, I was invited to the newsroom to lead sessions on social media reporting for the staff.

In the 2019-2020 school year, I was part of a panel of experts who gave talks for SLU's Honor College. My talk focused on the psychology of fake news.

I also helped conduct interviews of Presidential Scholarship applicants, who receive full tuition scholarships during their time at Saint Louis University. The university hosts public service days throughout the year, which I participated in by painting at a local elementary school and clearing space at a community garden.

College
My service to the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Louis University included my 2018 election to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, which met monthly to review and approve all new permanent course offerings. I also helped revitalize the Faculty Mentoring & Professional Development Committee with other new members by polling faculty about their needs and interests and developing events that focused on engaging students during mentoring. We identified potential panelists for the events and coordinated resources to promote and host the sessions.

Department
As a tenured faculty member, I performed a great deal of service in my department at SLU. Among my commitments are serving as the faculty director of our Advisory Board, which is a group of alumni and community members who offer insight into the essential skills needed in changing communication industries. The board hosts two networking events each year to support our students--some of those interactions have led to internships and jobs! The board's structure and activities have been used as an exemplar across campus, and I consulted with other departments as they established their own boards.

The Advisory Board also supports the Professional Mentoring Program, which I implemented by pairing students with professionals in a wide range of fields to receive career advice, resume feedback and when available, job shadowing.

I also coordinated CommWeek at SLU, which started in 2018 to celebrate the variety of opportunities in communication fields and raise awareness of our program across campus. The week in early October includes almost a dozen activities, including guest speakers, local media & agency tours, student work showcase, film screenings, and a resume-creation workshop. My role involved organizing most of the activities and creating promotional materials, including flyers and daily newsletters sent to students and faculty.

At SLU, we had several committees within the department, and I chaired the Technology Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the purchase and implementation of equipment and software used in our classes. I also was a member of the Undergraduate and Graduate committees, as well as chairing and serving on several job search committees. I also was a member of two scholarship committees that grant funds for communication students and I coordinated the political journalism minor.

Community
Because of my research expertise, I am often asked to speak at community events and participate in interviews with local journalists. Most recently, I have been interviewed about the use of social media during crises and ways to identify misinformation (aka fake news). While at SLU, I gave invited talks at branches of St. Louis public libraries that focused on how to combat mis- and disinformation. 

I also served on the Leadership Council of the Young Friends of St. Louis Public Radio (now Generation Listen), helping to plan multiple events, recruit and mentor new council members, and raise funds for the station during my five-year term on the council.

In addition, I taught summer journalism workshops for middle and high school students at SLU and at a charter school. Finally, I run the social media for a Little Free Library started by a Girl Scout troop.

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