CCI Welcomes 12 New Faculty in Fall 2024
Twelve faculty joined the College of Communication and Information this year, ready to add their expertise, scholarship, and instruction to their respective schools, the college, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Here’s a little bit more about them:
School of Communication Studies
Assistant Professor Elizabeth Carlson
Carlson made the move to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to be in a more research-intensive environment. Her area of expertise studies how people learn to work together, and public safety communication, including disaster-preparedness, mobile warning messages, and more. Carlson hopes to broaden her research and use that to keep her teaching fresh.
She’s also excited to learn more about the area.
“I have lived most of my life in the U.S. Midwest, so I am excited to experience everything that makes the East Tennessee region so special. I’m in awe of the natural beauty, and I’m impressed by the Big Orange energy on and around campus,” she said.
Prior to earning her PhD, Carlson held professional positions, including working in market research and knowledge management for State Farm Insurance Companies, and working as a training and development specialist for the University of Illinois’ Office of Business and Financial Services.
Lecturer Ryan Carlson
Carlson brings his skills and fifteen years of experience in public speaking and coaching as a lecturer in the School of Communication Studies. He said that the rigor and intentionality of the curriculum at the school speaks to his strengths as an instructor and he looks forward to serving students.
He said he brings high energy to his work, and that he also has a professional background working in private-sector business along with his years of K-12 and higher education experience in teaching communication.
“I’ve also studied abroad and have traveled a great deal, and I love to help translate these experiences into moments that students can use as jumping off points for their own journeys. There’s nothing like helping someone see their future come alive because you took the time to help them see that it is indeed possible,” he said.
He said the energy on campus from faculty, staff, and students is “second to none” and that he’s excited to be a part of it.
“The energy of the faculty, staff, and students here is second to none. I am still glowing from seeing the energy of students here on the first day of classes and knowing that what we do will help them light the way for so many others, both here in Knoxville and the world over. They light the flame that carries the Volunteer spirit to the world,” he said.
School of Information Sciences
Clinical Assistant Professor Dan Greene
Greene has worked at UT since 2006 in various information technology roles, including at Hodges Library, the School of Information Sciences, and the College of Communication and Information. He’s been a part-time lecturer for SIS since August 2018 and is excited to finally fulfill a long-time goal of teaching full-time.
He is a 2003 graduate of the SIS master’s program and had started CCI’s doctoral program when a car accident interrupted his studies, and he was unable to complete the program. He began working at UT and eventually found his way back to teaching and said this new role feels like he’s come full circle back to his teaching aspirations that started 20 years ago.
“My goal in teaching is to demystify information technology. When someone has that aha moment and grasps the concepts that I’m teaching I’m as excited as they are. Whether I’m teaching about computer hardware or web development I enjoy meeting people at whatever IT skill level they’re at and building from there.”
Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at SIS Scott Sikes
Sikes is a graduate of the CCI PhD program and said that academic journey was a formative experience and he’s honored to return to CCI as faculty.
His area of research focuses on the social and cultural impact of information technologies, systems, and organizations, particularly as they shape social change and community development in rural areas. His dissertation explored the use of social media in the 2018 West Virginia teachers’ strike, and he’s currently working on a study of the suppression of organized labor in the textile industry in the early 20th Century by using a previously inaccessible oral history collection for which he created a digital archive.
“I am a teacher at heart, and I really enjoy being in the classroom. I think the work we do in CCI is especially interdisciplinary, so I look forward to exploring a range of questions and issues with our students,” he said.
As someone who grew up in southwestern Virginia, Sikes said the mountains have always been his home. He shares that home with his wife, who is a public school teacher, and their daughter, who is beginning her senior year at Sarah Lawrence College in New York.
Assistant Professor of Practice Scot Smith
Smith has a wealth of experience as both an instructor and a school librarian, which made him a great fit to become a full-time member of the SIS faculty and take the lead on the school media licensure program. He worked in school libraries for more than twenty-five years and has been lecturing for SIS for more than twenty.
His areas of expertise include literature and programs for children, tweens, and teens, storytelling; comics and graphic novels in libraries; youth services in public libraries; and school librarianship.
Before entering librarianship, Smith taught English as a foreign language as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. He enjoys reading comics, walking in the woods, and attending book and storytelling festivals. Kingsport, Tenn., is his hometown, and he currently lives in Oak Ridge with his wife, who is also a librarian, his daughter, and “two cats of dubious moral compass.”
School of Journalism and Media
Professor and Director Amy Jo Coffey
Coffey, a former broadcast journalist who found her calling in higher education, came on as director of the School of Journalism and Media this summer. She was previously program manager for the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications’ online audience analytics master’s program, and graduate coordinator for one of the college’s residential master’s degree programs in mass communication.
Coffey brings with her not only professional experience from the field, but a robust and expansive research program centering on media management and a secondary interest in new media spaces, such as the 3D virtual environment Second Life. Her media business expertise extends to analytics, audience economics and valuation, audience language and culture, media markets and ownership, market segmentation, and other strategic competition issues.
She also recently co-authored and published a multi-year project book, Media Analytics: Understanding Media, Audiences, and Consumers in the 21st Century, that has earned two national awards in 2024.
She is excited to continue growing the program at the school and continue providing excellent education and hands-on experiences to students.
“With Tennessee’s sports legacy and the school’s proximity to the sports venues, it’s a no-brainer to integrate these hand-on opportunities into the student experience. But I am excited about all of it, whether it’s news, science communication, or any of the other creative outlets, like Land Grant Films. CCI’s media assets can be a living laboratory for students,” she said.
Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater
Tarwater is a six-time Emmy award winner for her work at Knoxville’s WVLT News, including writing, breaking news, documentary, promotion and instructional reporting, as well as the recipient of several regional Edward R. Murrow and Tennessee Associated Press awards. She started in spring 2024 as a lecturer for the School of Journalism and Media, bringing her excellence in journalism and industry experience to the classroom.
A proud graduate of UT, swimming brought Tarwater from her hometown of Tampa, Florida, to Knoxville in 2005. Brittany was a member of the Lady Volunteer swim team, where she was crowned SEC Champion, seven-time NCAA All-American, and named to the Academic All-American team.
She also earned her master’s degree from CCI with a concentration in journalism. Outside of work, Tarwater serves as a YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley Keys of Hope co-chair and a Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame board member. She most enjoys spending time with her husband, Davis, and their two children: Davis Russell and Clara Rose.
Professor of Practice Gene Wojciechowski
Wojciechowski brings with him more than twenty-five years of experience working as a sports journalist for ESPN, and forty-three years total in the field. He worked as a sports reporter at assorted newspapers before transitioning to ESPN, where he worked in magazines, digital and eventually television. Many may recognize him from his time on College Gameday or SportsCenter, and he also worked for ESPN’s features unit and covered golf for the network.
He said it was a “happy accident” that, just as he left ESPN, he was asked to join the faculty at CCI—as a 1979 graduate of the college, playing on his allegiance to UT made it an easy choice for him to accept.
“It was an opportunity and life experience that Cheryl and I felt we couldn’t ignore,” Wojciechowski said, referencing his wife, Cheryl.
He said he’s thrilled to be a part of a college that is so committed to its students, and he looks forward to leveraging his professional experience to the classroom.
“If I have a specialty of sorts, it would likely be storytelling in both the TV and digital/print space. My hope is to help translate those experiences to CCI’s students and, in some small way, provide them with a practical foundation as they move forward in their careers,” he said.
Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations
Assistant Professor Haejung “Katie” Kim
Kim said she had already heard many great things about the Tombras School before even landing the position there, and she is thrilled to make the school and Knoxville her new home.
“The supportive culture and collaborative environment there really make me feel like I would find a strong sense of belonging. With this still-growing group of advertising and public relations faculty, I am genuinely excited to be part of this amazing team and the opportunity to contribute to its growth,” she said.
Her research dives into understanding corporate social responsibility and irresponsibility from an internal communication perspective. She worked as a public relations manager at the headquarters of Hyundai and Kia Motors Group, where she was involved in communications with internal and external stakeholders.
She hopes to combine her professional and academic experiences to make meaningful contributions to CCI through research and teaching.
“Rocky Top is such a vibrant community, and it’s amazing to see it growing! I’m thrilled to be working with exceptional colleagues, graduate students, and undergraduates. I’m looking forward to engaging with all the positive energy here and contributing my own to this wonderful community,” she said.
Assistant Professor Sitan “Stan” Li
Li’s research investigates how consumers respond to the digital transformation of advertising on technology-enabled emerging platforms. His first research stream is social media multisensory brand communication and immersive experiences. His second expertise centers around the impact of streaming services and product placement on the consumer attention economy.
He hopes to continue exploring that research and to elevate UT and CCI’s thought leadership in artificial intelligence and the knowledge economy, seeking to extend his studies to the voice emotionality of virtual influencers. He is particularly interested in leveraging the interdisciplinary nature of research at CCI and UT.
“I want to be part of the faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Communication and Information not only because I share CCI’s vision of inspiring the Volunteer spirit through service and leadership across communication and information disciplines, but also because I am inspired by a group of innovative scholars and like-minded colleagues in CCI. I believe that through close and strong teamwork and collaborations, I can contribute to the coordinated development of CCI’s educational, academic, and social values,” he said.
Outside of work, Li is an avid hiker and excited to take on the many treks in the area. He also labels himself a “newly minted football fan” and is already looking forward to attending many Vols tailgates.
Professor of Practice Dustin Thomas
Thomas has been lecturing at the Tombras School for more than a year and a half and said the Tombras name is part of what beckoned him to the school. He enjoyed his part-time lecturing and the culture of the school and its faculty, students, and staff so much that it made him want to become a full-time lecturer. Now that he’s made the switch, he said there’s only two words to describe everything going on in and around him: the excitement.
“Everyone is just excited to be here. And I am, too. It’s contagious,” he said.
Thomas has more than twenty years of award-winning experience in creative work, including for notable clients such as Apple, Nike, Ford, Coca-Cola, and the U.S. Navy. He’s previously taught at the Savannah College of Art and Design, developing and leading their creative technology track.
“I look forward to bringing my twenty-plus year award-winning career experience directly to the students and making them the best art directors/designers/copywriters the industry has ever seen,” he said.
CCI Welcomes 12 New Faculty in Fall 2024 written by Hillary Tune and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.