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Dr. Amy May
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Dr. May's current scholarship focuses on understanding gender and power disparities in the #MeToo movement along with how power may be used in digital media to silence marginalized and disenfranchised populations, excluding them from conversations regarding climate change and environmental science. Dr. May’s research has been published in Journal of Communication Pedagogy, Teaching in Higher Education, and Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. Dr. May also presents at regional, national, and international conferences, including the National Communication Association (NCA) and International Communication Association (ICA). She served as editor for Supporting the Military-Affiliated Learner: Communication Approaches to Military Pedagogy and Education(Lexington, 2020) and Women of the Wild: Challenging Gender Disparities in Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (Lexington, 2022). Dr. May also serves as the current Director of the Public Speaking Center and Graduate Student Coordinator for the MA in Professional Communication.  

How do I feel about the upcoming semester? As we continue to navigate this pandemic, I am inspired by our students who continue to prioritize their education. I feel honored to be part of their academic journey! Together we can get through this and come out stronger on the other side.

Victoria (Tori) McDermott (Ph.D. University of Maryland) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication. She specializes in public relations and strategic communication. Her research explores how power is communicated in traditionally masculine environments, specifically within the military, higher education, and social media (e.g., TikTok). Tori is the first editor of four edited volumes (2020), (2022), On the Front Lines: Women Educators’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2023), and True Crime and Communication: Exploring Necropolitics in the Rise of True Crime Media (Forthcoming). Her research can be read in the Journal of Communication Pedagogy, Public Relations Review, and Communication Education. Tori has presented research at a variety of conferences including but not limited to the National Communication Association Conference, International Communication Association Conference, and the Organization of Biological Field Stations. I am always happy to chat about research and collaborate on projects so please reach out!

I joined the Department of Communication Faculty in 2010. I have a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Washington, a M.S. Ed. in Counseling and Counselor Education from Indiana University, and a B.S. in Psychology and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

My academic interests include statistics, quantitative research methods, organizational communication, interpersonal communication, and small group communication. My current research focuses on superior-subordinate communication.

My name is Nike Jacob and I am the Director of the UAF Communication Center, the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Communications, as well as a Term Instructor for the Department of Communication where I teach foundational communication classes, undergraduate and upper division courses.

Originally from Germany, I came to Alaska in 2016 to complete my M.A in Professional Communication here at UAF. It's evident how much I love this institution because I still teach here even after moving to the Lower48. With a background in public relations, organizational communication and mass media, I am well versed in a multitude of disciplines and always excited to connect with students about it!

Eric, a United States Air Force veteran, has spent over twenty years in distinguished leadership roles in human capital management, learning and development, training, and security operations within high-stakes environments. His dedication to advancing educational and learning initiatives is further demonstrated as he pursues a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Liberty University, aiming to enrich his ability to drive transformative change.

Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, Eric is the son of Eric Bergery Sr., an Afro-Cuban immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1967, and Emma Flores, of Puerto Rican and Irish descent, who was raised in Manhattan's Hell’s Kitchen. After 20 years of dedicated service, Eric retired from the United States Air Force in May 2024. Throughout his military career, he was stationed in South Korea, Italy, New Jersey, California, Maryland, and Washington D.C., with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM.

Matt Jardin is an Emmy®-nominated filmmaker and writer based in Anchorage, Alaska. Matt received his undergraduate degree in marketing and management from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2010 before jumping into the marketing and communication career field. Additionally, he is passionate about community organizing, having produced and hosted dozens of filmmaking workshops and live performances. As a University of Alaska Fairbanks professional communication graduate student, Matt seeks to examine the intersection of mass communication, cultural identity, and social justice. After his first year in graduate school, he was invited to the 2024 National Communication Association Conference to present his paper, "Taking the Words Out of Our Mouths: An Examination of Non-Asian Actors Voicing Animated Asian Characters in Studio Ghibli Films."

As an adjunct professor, I've taught courses for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks since 2016, both on campus and online. I hold a master's degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California. Outside of teaching, I've worked in the field of corporate wellness for over 10 years. My roles have included managing content creation; creating corporate wellness programming used in worksite wellness programs around the world; and working with on-site staff to plan, deliver, and analyze corporate wellness programs. I've also been a regular article contributor for HR.com and Corporate Wellness Magazine.

I have bachelor’s degrees in Public Health and Health Education from Oregon State University.

Professor Arundale joined the Department of Communication in 1979. He retired in 2011, and continues to publish in his areas of specialization: Communication Theory, Language and Social Interaction, and Interpersonal Communication. He taught both at Michigan State University and the University of Washington before joining the faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His research focuses particularly on understanding how interpersonal relationships emerge in everyday conversation. His volume, Communicating & Relating: Constituting Face in Everyday Interacting, was published in 2020 by Oxford University Press. Part 1 offers the Conjoint Co-constituting Model of Communicating as a new theoretical model of human communicating in everyday interacting, and as an alternative to widely accepted encoding/decoding models. Part 2 offers Face Constituting Theory as a new understanding of human relating and of what is known cross-culturally as “face.”

My name is JaVeon Brigham, my pronouns are he/him/his, and my nickname is Jay or J. Brig. As an African American male, I love to participate, observe, and actively contribute to the upliftment of Hip Hop culture by infusing my own cultural knowledge into the rhythms and rhymes that manifest into songs. I refer to myself as J. Brig when I am on the stage and the constant interactions with the audience through the music has made me aware of the importance of community in building a safe space to be creative. I am the 2023-2024 recipient of the Rasmuson Individual Artist Award from the Rasmuson Foundation and this award has helped me to create a beautiful Hip Hop album called "Stories From The Other Side" that is on all streaming platforms under my name J. Brig. In addition, this award is the reason that I applied and got into the Professional Communication program so I can strengthen my academic and artistic selves and use the transferable skills to help others in both creative worlds! I am also a proud Husband and supporter of my wife who is in Vet School through UAF and we are both proud patrons and lifelong learners of this prestigious three crown international research institution of Land, Sea and Space (hopefully Sun research as well). Between us both, when we will have finally finished school, we will both have collectively acquired 5-6 shared degrees at UAF alone. Lastly, I am proud to be a TA for the Professional Communication program, newly admitted, but confident that I will be a resourceful, collaborative, and open minded recipient of useful information that helps to grow and maintain a respectful academic atmosphere that is challenging, innovating, and joyful here at UAF. Thank you for reading my bio and if you have any questions reach out to me at jbrigham3@alaska.edu.

Ayleen is a senior editor and communication specialist supporting the work of researchers at ETS, an education and talent solutions company. She earned undergraduate degrees in journalism and French language from Shippensburg University and is currently working toward a master arts in professional communication at UAF. Ayleen has a wide variety of experience in publications, working with book and magazine publishers in the hobby market and writing for local magazines and newspapers. She enjoys hiking the trails in and around the Appalachian Mountains near her home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and is always on the lookout for a good crèpe.

Born in the Midwest but living in Juneau, Alaska, Charles "Cheffy" Thomas has cultivated a deep love for all things natural in Alaska. Through the MA Communications program, he plans to help conserve the wildness that is still left in the world.