Spring 2008 - College of Communication & Information - The ...

class notesKey: ADVPR—Advertising & Public Relations CCI—College of Communication & InformationCS—Communication Studies JEM—Journalism & Electronic Media SIS—School of Information SciencesReceived by January 1, 20081960GEORGE NELSON (BS/JEM) is enjoying both hisretirement from the army in 1981 and his retirementfrom the Texas A&M University System in 2006.1962KEN BOMAR (BS/JEM) is the editor of Net News, thebimonthly magazine of the 80,000-member AtlantaLawn Tennis Association.1964LINDA JENNINGS HIGGINS (BS/JEM) was recentlyelected Madison County Historian by the MadisonCounty (Tennessee) Commission. Higgins, who isretired from freelance work and grant writing, isonly the third Madison County resident to hold thishonorary position.1965FRED JONES (BS/JEM) is currently serving asadvertising director for DisciplesWorld magazine, theofficial journal of news, opinion, and mission for theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ).1976R.A. “Tony” Stephens (BS/CCI) is president andgeneral manager of Professional CommunicationsSystems, a broadcast and audiovisual systemsintegration firm based in Tampa. He and his wife,Nicki Piot Stephens (BS/CCI ’76), reside in Tampa.1978KAREN WEYHER GAVIGAN (MS/SIS) is thedirector of the Teaching Resources Center at theUniversity of North Carolina—Greensboro. She isworking toward a PhD in curriculum and instructionwith a literacy concentration.JANET CALONGE LAMB (BS/JEM) is a staffattorney for the Tennessee Commission on Aging andDisability.1981MARK BANKS (PhD/CCI) serves as professor andassistant chair of the Communication Departmentat Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.In 2006 he completed a sabbatical as a visitingprofessor at Victoria University in Australia and hassince presented research coauthored with his VUcolleagues, both in Australia and the United States.MICHAEL CAMPBEL (BS/ADVPR) is the searchbusiness lead for Scripps Networks Interactive, wherehe leads a team in the development of innovativesearch functionality for the organization’s websites(HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living,HGTV Pro, and GACTV).MARTHA WHITE (MS/SIS) is the assistant directorof the Lexington Public Library in Lexington,Kentucky. White also earned a master’s degree insocial science education from UT Knoxville in 1979.1983ED COOK (MS/CCI) is the director of fieldcommunications at Medco Health Solutions, apharmacy-benefit management firm. As partof the company’s public affairs and corporatecommunications team, he is responsible for allcommunications to Medco’s account managementand sales organizations.CAROL RAY WETMORE (BS/JEM) is the owner ofFinicky Kitty Care pet-sitting services, which servesthe Washington-state cities of Kingston, Hansville,Indianola, Poulsbo, and Port Gamble.1985HOLLY PLANELLS MCKENNA (BS/JEM) recentlyjoined the faculty of the University at Albany in NewYork as an adjunct journalism professor. She continuesto do freelance writing for Reuters and other mediaoutlets.VEON SUSSEWELL (BS/JEM) is the director ofresearch for WTBS/Atlanta, where he reports tothe senior vice-president of Turner EntertainmentResearch. WTBS is the local Atlanta broadcastplatform for TBS.LYNN YOFFEE (BS/JEM) is the owner of EditorialMatters LLC, a full-service communications firm thatspecializes in developing custom content for a varietyof clients.1988STEVEN B. MORRELL (BS/JEM) is the graphicsdirector for Grace Baptist Church in Knoxville,Tennessee. He also holds a master’s degree from OhioUniversity.DAVID W. RICHARDS SR. (BS/ADVPR) is themanager of retail marketing at Memphis–basedFedEx.JOE YOUNGS (BS/ADVPR) is vice-president ofstrategic branding for Equifax Inc. in Atlanta.SHA LI ZHANG (MS/SIS) is the assistant director forcollections and technical services at the University ofNorth Carolina—Greensboro Libraries.1990JILL BREWER STERLING (BS/JEM) is the directorof scholarship programs for the Ronald McDonaldHouse Charities of Chicagoland and northwestIndiana.DEBBIE DERDA WILLIAMS (BS/JEM) has workedfor Federated Media, an independent radio grouplocated in northern Indiana, including SouthBend and Ft. Wayne, since 1996. Her latest project,Federated Media Engaged, helps charities byproviding air time to tell compelling success stories.1991ZOE HOYLE (MS/SIS) is an editor and sciencewriter for the U.S. Forest Service Southern ResearchStation in Asheville, North Carolina. Hoyleedits and writes articles for the station’s researchmagazine, Compass.RACHEL TIGHE SHORTT (BA/CS) is an associateprofessor of communication studies at the Universityof Virginia’s College at Wise. She is the chair ofthe college’s new Department of CommunicationStudies.1993CHRIS WILMORE (BS/JEM) has joined the corporatepublic relations team at CarMax after spending 8years in public relations at CNN in Atlanta. Wilmoreis involved in the development and implementation ofCarMax’s social media strategy.1994JANET RICKS MCCONNELL (BS/JEM) is strategicbrand manager at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennesseein Chattanooga.ALLISON MILLER (BS/JEM) is the assistant directorof public relations for the Fee/Hedrick FamilyEntertainment Group in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.MARY LYNNE “MOLLY” PROCTOR (BS/JEM) is aproduction accountant for Country Music Television(CMT) in Nashville. She married UT alumnus JonZirkle (Engineering, ’95) in August 2007.ELIZABETH SCOTT (MS/CCI) has been appointedthe associate vice-president of marketing andeBusiness for Norton Healthcare, where she isresponsible for team and strategic management ofmarketing initiatives, the marketing contact center,and eBusiness programs.1995JEANIE COSTA TORCHIO (BS/JEM) plans eventsthroughout several states and Washington, D.C., as asenior regional event specialist for the Washington,D.C., regional staff of ALSAC/St. Jude.ED SULLIVAN (MS/SIS) has published his thirdbook, The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop theAtomic Bomb (Holiday House, 2007), a history of theManhattan Project aimed at middle- and high-schoolreaders.1996STEPHANI BROOKS (BA/CS) is a corporate travelconsultant with World Travel Services in Knoxville,Tennessee. She has been with the company since 2003.JOHN PALMER (MS/SIS) is a senior referencelibrarian at the Bryan+College Station Public LibrarySystem in Texas. He married Cynthia Alford inAugust 2004.KEVIN RYAN (BS/JEM) is the managing editor atRivals.com, a website known for team-specific college22 UT College of Communication and Information Full circle Spring 2008