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School of Communication
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States
Dean of the School of Communication
Staff
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Jacob Audouin Media Services Manager SOC | Technology
Jacob is the technology/facilities manager of SOC's Doyle Forman Theater, Media Innovation Lab, and Media Production Center.Jacob's background is in hybrid event production, including video content cr…
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Kacey Berry Academic Program Assistant SOC | Advising
Kacey joined SOC as an Academic Program Assistant in January 2024.
Victoria Black Chief Advancement Officer, SOC ADV | Schools and Colleges
Laura BonDurant Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs SOC | Finance & Personnel Administration
Laura BonDurant joined the SOC in Janauary 2010. Prior to her role in the SOC she served as the Director of the Center for Academic Success at The Catholic University of America. Previously she was th…
Jake Bridges Associate Director of Development, SOC ADV | Schools and Colleges
Jake is a former NYC-based stage actor turned Advancement professional. He came to AU for graduate school in 2019 and never left. He can found around DC supporting the arts or exploring the city's abu…
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Veronica Castro Online Content Manager SOC | Marketing & Communications
Veronica J. Castro is part of the Communications and Outreach team at SOC. She manages SOC's website and social media platforms, producing content, directing campaigns, and collaborating with universi…
David Conrad Research Fellow SOC | Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI)
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Morgan Dreibelbis Senior Administrative Assistant SOC | Finance & Personnel Administration
Morgan Dreibelbis is Assistant to the Dean at the School of Communication, working with the Dean and Senior Assistant Dean. She provides executive administrative support and management of operations i…
Julie Drizin Executive Director, Current SOC | Current Newspaper
Julie Drizin joined SOC in 2015, as the first Executive Director of Current, the trade publication that serves public broadcasting. She has worked in and around public media for over three decades. Sh…
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Karen Everhart Managing Editor, Current SOC | Current Newspaper
Karen is managing editor of Current, the news service covering public media in the United States. Before her promotion into the job in 2011, she covered every major beat at Current — including public …
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Tom Fish Director of Media & Technology SOC | Technology
A member of the AU community since 2006, I currently serve as Director of Media & Technology in the School of Communication. I oversee all classroom technology, computing, and video production and pos…
Tara Flakker Director of Undergraduate Student & Academic Affairs SOC | Advising
Tara Flakker joined the School of Communication in January 2014. Prior to AU, she was an at home parent and community advocate on school food inequity in DC. Before breaking from full time employment …
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Gianmaria Iacopini TV/Film Equipment Specialist SOC | Technology
Grace Ibrahim Video Production Coordinator SOC | Marketing & Communications
Originally Palestinian, Grace Ibrahim grew up all over the Middle East in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain. She is now living in Arlington, VA pursuing everything video and audio production!
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Mike Janssen Digital Editor, Current SOC | Current Newspaper
Mike became Current's first digital editor in 2014 and began writing for Current in 2000, covering primarily public radio and digital initiatives in public media. Mike has also written for a variety o…
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Elizabeth Kan Senior Faculty Affairs Coordinator SOC | Finance & Personnel Administration
Liz Kan is the Faculty Affairs Coordinator in the School of Communication. Some of her main duties include managing SOC faculty appointments, reappointments and promotions, as well as aiding in facult…
Cara Kelly Adjunct Instructor SOC | General Academics & Research
Cara Kelly is the editor-at-large at the Investigative Reporting Workshop andan adjunct journalism professor at American University’s School of Communications. She spent nearly five years on USA Today…
Katerina Kulagina Assistant Dean for Graduate Academic Services SOC | Recruitment & Enrollment Management
Dr. Katerina Kulagina serves as Assistant Dean of Graduate Academic Services at AU's School of Communication. She has over 20 years of experience working in higher education. Katerina joined AU SOC in…
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Jiaqi Ma Administrative Coordinator SOC | Advising
Jiaqi (Vicky) Ma graduated from UMD with a dual degree in Computer Science and Psychology. With a unique blend of technical background and people-centered work experiences, she strives to create meani…
Gerard Maguire Assistant Dean, Finance & Operations SOC | Finance & Personnel Administration
Brendan Manley Digital Enrollment Marketing Manager SOC | Online Partner Programs (OLP)
Brendan Manley is a recent graduate from American University's own Master of Strategic Communications program. Before coming to American University, he received a Bachelor’s degree in English from Ham…
Jean McGee Senior Graduate Academic Advisor SOC | Recruitment & Enrollment Management
Jean McGee serves as the graduate advisor for all graduate students in the School of Communication: full-time, part-time, weekend, and online.Jean advises the graduate students from the time their dep…
Tia Milledge Director, Communication & Outreach SOC | Marketing & Communications
As Director of Communication and Outreach, Tia oversees communication strategy for the School of Communication to better engage current and prospective students, alumni and donors. She coordinates clo…
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Kristi Plahn-Gjersvold Sr. Asst. Dean, Strat. Partnerships & Internal Affairs SOC | Finance & Personnel Administration
As Senior Assistant Dean for Strategic Partnerships & Internal Affairs, Kristi provides leadership for the School of Communication’s external research funding administration, execution of strategic pa…
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Varsha Ramani Director of Operations, CMSI SOC | Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI)
Varsha Ramani is the Director of Operations for the Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI). She is a marketing communications professional with an expertise in building relationships to work with mul…
Julio Reyes Academic Advisor SOC | Advising
Julio joined the School of Communication as an academic advisor in Fall 2022. Julio was born and raised in Maryland. He has a Masters in Academic Advising from Kansas State University. Julio is enthus…
Pamela Roberts Director, IRW Development SOC | Investigative Reporting Workshop (IRW)
Pamela Roberts brings to IRW decades of nonprofit fundraising experience connecting donor interests with the missions of strong organizations. She raised philanthropic support for Imagination Stage, t…
Laura Rogers Business Manager, Current SOC | Current Newspaper
I've been with SOC/Current as manager of business and circulation since 2005. The majority of my career has been accounting and office management positions for non-profit organizations.
Stephanie Rucker Senior Director of Enrollment Management and Analytics SOC | Online Partner Programs (OLP)
Stephanie returned to American University in 2020, after five years at the American Immigration Council, where she led business development of private sector exchange visitor programs for interns and …
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Shaun Schroth Adjunct Instructor SOC | Technology
Shaun oversees the Photography Labs at American. These include the darkroom, film processing, studio, and digital work areas in the Media Production Center.
Aleksandra Shatokhina Graduate Admissions Specialist SOC | Online Partner Programs (OLP)
Aleksandra Shatokhina, an American University alumna with a Master's in Strategic Communications and a Bachelor's in International Relations from Florida International University, has seamlessly trans…
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Khadine Thomas Administrative Assistant, Academic Affairs SOC | General Academics & Research
Khadine Thomas is the Academic Affairs Administrative Assistant at American University in Washington D.C. She graduated Florida International University double majoring in Political Science and Intern…
Meriem Tikue Assistant Director, Finance & Grants SOC | Finance & Personnel Administration
Meriem Tikue joined the SOC in July 2022. She is responsible for financial management and budget administration, including expense approvals, development of processes and procedures for budget forecas…
Hallie Tingstad Recruitment Coordinator SOC | Recruitment & Enrollment Management
Hallie comes to AU's SOC as a recent J.D. graduate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she also served as a graduate recruiter.As a law student, she served as a research assistant …
Geoffrey Turner TV/Film Equipment Specialist SOC | Technology
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Ana Maria Ulloa-Shields Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Academic Services SOC | Advising
Ana Maria joined SOC as Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Student Services in February 2022. Ana Maria has leadership experience at Carnegie Mellon and Columbia Universities, serving in Assistant, Asso…
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Katherine Vera Event Planning Manager SOC | Events
Katherine, who also goes by Kati, is the main point of contact for aspects of McKinley events and facilities usage and related logistics. She is responsible for American University’s booking system (E…
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