November 2015 COMMConnection Newsletter

Welcome to the fourth edition of the communication alumni society newsletter.

In this edition, we feature alumni news and recaps of recent department events!

Don't forget to join the society and keep in touch!


Featured Alumni

James "Jim" Slakie, BA '98
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Communication Alumn, former Lambda Pi Eta (LPE) President, Sigma Chapter, Mason Comm department and also former National LPE President, James R. Slakie.

Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this time.

To view his full obituary, please visit http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?pid=175833280

 

Diana Russini, BA '05
NBC Washington sports anchor Dianna Russini is leaving the DC market to take a position with ESPN, becoming the latest local anchor to leave town for Bristol, Conn.

To view the whole story, please visit: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/05/18/dianna-russini-will-leave-nbc-washington-join-espn/

 

Two George Mason University communication department graduates have opened a new hip kabob restaurant in DC called SKWR - a play on the word skewer. Tamim Shoja and Masoud Shoja are the creators of the new food brand, which is gaining foodie and press attention, as seen in The Washington Post and the City Paper. The dynamic restaurant owners are both former communication majors and they are reaching out to current communication majors to help them brand SKWR, offering students internship opportunities this fall and spring. Read more about Team Shoja in the Post.

 

News about SKWR:

 

 

 

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Megan Rummler

 

Megan Rummler, BA '96

 

Upon graduation, Megan Rummler, a former president of Lambda Pi Eta, secured her first role at a top-rated Washington, DC area boutique PR firm that specialized in the newly coined phrase, "Strategic Communications."  The onset of information technology and the World Wide Web dramatically impacted the way information and messages were being delivered to the press and public.  Megan spent the next few years "cutting her teeth" on exciting accounts that included Fortune 500 companies such as Texaco, the Washington Post, and AT&T Sprint.

 

Megan was transferred to Silicon Valley by global powerhouse, Weber Shandwick, where she began to work on emerging and prestigious high-tech accounts and participating in preparing several companies for initial public offerings (IPOs).  She resumed her public relations career for several years, transitioning out of agency work and into corporate in-house work. Her last executive position was Director of Corporate Communications for an internationally recognized electronic enclosure manufacturer, with revenues totaling over for $400 million.

 

Megan's passion for professional voice narration culminated when she realized that her entire executive career was essentially "telling someone else's story" and that her extensive background in corporate communications of strategic, active listening skills provided the perfect springboard to ask clients, "What is your story?"

 

Megan received her voice narration training in Manhattan, New York with Edge Studios and completed intensive training with renowned voice coach, David Goldberg. As a result of living on both West and East Coasts, Megan's voice narration style is often West Coast based-- steeped in flexibility and open mindedness--resulting in thoughtful client collaboration. Her training, persistence, and diligence, however, are decidedly rooted on the East Coast.

 

Megan now resides in the Washington, DC area, with her husband, David, and two vivacious children.

 

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Randall Gafner

 

Randall "Randy" Gafner, MA '14

Six months after completion and graduation from the program in spring 2014, Randall began writing a book. The book, “Zen and the Art of Making a Morris Chair,” published by Difference Press, was released as an ebook in January 2015 and as a print book in May 2015.

The book is not about the chair!

It's about rebuilding a life. The author's journey of making a museum-worthy chair from a stack of oak lumber becomes an allegory for self-exploration and restoration, paving a path from brokenness to wholeness. Mindful consideration of change, fear, acceptance, choice-making and belief through the process of making the chair encourages you to embark upon your own personal creative efforts. Randy feels that creative process and action breeds self-reliance and self-expression, which leads to more fulfillment and higher quality of life. He thinks that in this modern era everyone would benefit by making more of their own stuff using their ideas, skills, and abilities drawn from across the creative spectrum. Randy has worked for over 25 years as a national and international video-journalist and communications professional. He is a skilled jazz musician, a proficient craftsman and an eager world traveller. Ever the inveterate life long learner, he recently completed a MA degree in health communication from Mason.

 

Janet Rodriguez, BA 1990's

This year, Janet Rodriguez has been the recipient of the Clarion Award for being the Producer of a Television Talk Show – National  Latina Entrepreneurs  CCTV-America  Global Business America. We couldn't be more proud!


Alumni News & Notes

Cummings, Sean, BA '15, is the Institute Associate at the American Repertory Theater in charge of marketing and development.

Pizzingrilli, Kelly, BA '15, is the Market Research Analyst for the Nielsen Company.

Willett, Kristen, PhD '15, is an adjuct faculty member in the communication department at Mason.

Sanders, Brittany, BA ’14, is the Graduate Programs Coordinator and Assistant Office Manager in the Communication Department at George Mason University.

Sutton, Roxanne, BA, ‘11 is a Senior Marketing and Communication Specialist at National Recreation and Park Association.

Anderson, LaKesha, PhD, ’10, is the Assistant Director for Academic and Professional Affairs at Johns Hopkins University; graduate faculty of the Kreiger School of Arts and Sciences in the Advanced Academic Program at Johns Hopkins University.

Harriston, Marisa, BA ’10, is a Communications Projects Specialist at Goodwill Industries International.

Carabelli, Maria, BA ’09, is the Budget Coordinator and HR Liason for the Department of Communication at George Mason University. She is married to Giuseppe, with one son, Giacomo, who is 11 months old.

DeGorgi, Erin, BA '09, is a Corporate Marketing Communications Associate for comScore, Inc.

Sanders, Christina, BA ’09, is a TelePresence Specialist for Collaborative Video Technologies, Enterprise Infrastructure at George Mason University.

Tucker, Meg, MA ’09, works at the National Communication Association office in DC. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the communication department at Mason.

Shackelford, Lydia Fair, BA ’07, is the Director of Policy Communications at Well+Association.

Delaney, Patrick, BA ’07, is a TDM Communication Specialist at American Soybean Association. He married on October 3, 2014. He is married to Katie and they have a 3 year old daughter, Lucy.

Randolph (Winans), Jill, BA ’05, is a Broadcast and Print Journalist at Miami Media.

Russini, Dianna, BA '05, was previously an NBC Washington sports anchor who now has a position with ESPN.

Coates, Tanika, BA '04, is the Director for STEM Educational Initiatives. In 2011, she graduated with a Masters in Organizational Management from Trinity Washington University located in DC. She started a new job in July 2014 at AFCEA Educational Foundation as Director of STEM Educational Initiatives and was previously a Manager of Professional Development at the American Institute of Architects.

Mocharko, George, BA ’00, is a Marketing Communications Consultant at GeoTech Consulting, LLC.

Rummler, Megan, BA '96, is currently working on a documentary that promotes awareness of dyslexia, soon to be released this fall 2015! Find her on Facebook for more updates: meganrummlervoice.com

Ward, Patricia A., BA ’87, is an Account Manager at Washington Post Media.

Lemmon, Catherine, BA '86, is an IT Systems Architect for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works & Environmental Services.

 


Event Recaps

Graduate Welcome Back Reception

September 1, 2015

Graduate Student Welcome Back

The semester started off with our annual Graduate Welcome Back Party. New and returning students were treated to the traditional pizza and desserts, otherwise known as the graduate student diet. After mingling, Dr. Hopson, the PhD director, took over the mic and began the introductory part of the evening.  Students were showered with advice from faculty. Dr. Clarke told students to explore the outdoors when it gets to be too much, Dr. Rowan gave strategies for helping others who are struggling, others gave helpful tips for studying, but most encouraged students to enjoy where they are and find ways to de-stress. Students then introduced themselves: new students talked about where they came from and what they planned to study while the returning students talked about what they wish had been told when they were new. All in all, it was another successful event and a great way for faculty and students to get to know each other outside of the classroom. 

 

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Undergraduate Welcome Back Reception

September 8, 2015

 Sign In Table

The second week of the semester, we held our annual Student Welcome Back Reception. While students noshed on light refreshments such as artisan cheeses, mixed fruit, spinach and artichoke dip, juice and coffee, they were able to browse the activity tables in Dewberry Hall. We had tables for undergraduate and graduate program information, Society of Professional Journalists, Lambda Pi Eta, Student Media, Public Relations Student Society of America, Forensics team, Debate team, WGMU Radio, LEAD office, Writing Center, and WAVES. We had over 130 students attend the event and even converted a few students to the communication major! We hope to have not only more students attend next year, but also get a much larger conglomeration of student centers from around campus involved, as well.

 

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FBI Talk: Internship for Creative Types

October 6, 2015

FBI Talk 2

The Department of Communication, Society of Professional Journalists, Office of Student Media, and the Office of Career Services hosted a special evening with the FBI specifically geared toward our communication students.

The house was packed! Communication students discovered their storytelling, writing and reporting skills are needed by the FBI.

FBI Talk

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5th Annual Insight Committee of the Department of Communication Industry Career Forum "Content Marketing: the Art of Storytelling Across Media Platforms"

October 20, 2015, 9:30am-12:45pm
The Johnson Center Dewberry Hall, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia

career symposium

Relevant Content--Emotional Storytelling-- Brand Connection

"Content marketing is so broad that it eludes definition even by its most ardent practitioners, but the term includes essentially any form of content (a Facebook post, a celebrity Q&A, a feature-length documentary) created by or on behalf of a brand with the hope that it will attract an audience on it's own merits - as opposed to traditional advertising, which has the far smaller ambition of gaining notice from a captive audience before the ad break ends, or the page gets flipped, and the real content begins." Michael Meye, Columbia Journalism Review

This hot trend was the focus of the fifth annual industry symposium hosted by the Department of Communication and Insight Committee. Students enaged with thought leaders and senior communication professionals to explore the power of storytelling, its implications for influencing behavior, and the broad opportunities and ethical challenges it poses for today's graduates.

Schedule of Events

9:30am-9:45am, Introductions & Defining Content Marketing
Michael Meyer, senior writer, Columbia Journalism Review

9:45am-10:30am Keynote address.
Kathryn McCarthy, chairman and CEO, ThinkGeek and GeekNet

10:35am-11:25am, Panel discussion with:
Bill Aydelott, director-producer-cameraman, Waverly Motion Pictures, LLC;
Gary Goldhammer, storytelling and ditigal communications strategist, H&K Strategies; and
Linda Smith, digital marketing strategist, Sage Communication.

11:30am-12:45pm, Speed mentoring Q&A session with students

The Insight Committee is a volunteer advisory board to the Department of Communication comprised of experience leaders in professional communication. The group annual sponsors an on-campus event to provide students access to and advice by leading professionals.


Want to be featured in our newsletter?

Please email your information to commalum@gmu.edu. Please save your photo as “Last name, First name.”

  • What is your graduating year? (Ex. John Smith, BA '01)
  • First and last name
  • Preferred email address
  • Year you graduated
  • Degree earned (BA, MA, PhD)
  • Current employment (name of company or what you're doing now)
  • Any personal or professional accomplishments or other news you would like to share.
  • You can also update any information here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MasonCommunicationAlumni

Want to be featured on the CHSS communication alumni profiles page?

Please fill out the survey found here and send a professional portrait photo to commalum@gmu.edu.

Once we have your materials, we'll turn them into a profile page, send the page back to you for your final approval, and, once approved, post it on our department website.

If you have any questions, please let us know at commalum@gmu.edu. We hope we can let the Mason community and the wider world know of the great use to which you've put your talents and degree.

 

Don’t forget to:


Keep in Touch

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Make a Gift

To give to the Department of Communication, please mail a check payable to:

GMU Department of Communication
George Mason University,
4400 University Drive MSN 3D6,
Fairfax, VA 22030


Or to give online, click here and type “Department of Communication” in the writable box of the Gift Options section.