CMS 2018

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Wendy Bell is a 21-time Emmy Award-winning journalist whose uplifting videos and stories about life and love have been viewed more than 6 million times and have reached more than 10 million people. Her 24 years on local and national television are the foundation of positivelywendybell.com, an online community focused on all that is good in our communities. Her steadily-growing social media following of over 100,000 proves what Wendy believes.

America is hungry for something to smile about. Still, Wendy knows her greatest accomplishment has nothing at all to do with her work. It’s being mom to five sons. Teaching Michael, Jack, Ryan, Christopher and Bobby that we all have the power to make a difference is Wendy’s ultimate joy.

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Mohammed Alajaj '18, also known as Mutaiam BinAbdullah started doing YouTube videos in 2015, but he didn’t get attention until 2016 when he started doing his “Non-Arabs reaction” videos.

His major at IUP was computer science, but that didn't really feed his YouTube success. What did was his goal: to help non-Arabs learn more about the Arabic culture and for Mohammed to learn more about various cultures worldwide. 

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John Beale '79, an award-winning photographer and a distinguished alumnus of IUP, teaches visual journalism at Penn State University. Prior to teaching, Beale worked for more than 20 years as a photographer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His assignments have taken him to photograph six U.S. Presidents, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup playoffs, a World Series, and political conventions.

His freelance work, including assignments for The Associated Press and ESPN.com, has been widely published on websites, and in newspapers, magazines, and books. In 2018 his work has been published on websites of The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The L.A. Times and The Wall Street Journal.

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Samantha Bell '17 graduated from IUP with a bachelor's in Journalism and Public Relations. With a strong understanding and commitment to navigating the ever-changing public relations and social media landscape, Samantha helps her clients succeed by combining a thoughtful approach with unprecedented passion and understanding. Starting in the field in 2016 as part of Gatesman Agency’s competitive “Brandternship Experience,” Samantha served as the Public Relations /Social Media Brandtern assisting the team in various client projects. After joining Gatesman full-time in May of 2017 as an Assistant Account Executive, Samantha had the opportunity to work with a number of clients, such as StarKist, SHOP ‘n SAVE and Northwell Health. The bulk of her experience is in the food/beverage and healthcare industry.

 

 

 

Jennifer Clark '09, graduated from IUP with a bachelor's in Journalism and Public Relations. As a child, she spent much of her time writing short stories and drawing, which prompted her to pursue these passions as a career. Following graduation, she got the opportunity to help a chiropractor start his business. Within its first year, the practice won awards for both best business and chiropractor. This experience developed an interest in business and marketing for Jenn.  Eventually, she started her own marketing and design agency, and in February 2015, she took the plunge to self-employment with a close friend. Through their company, Planful, Jenn brands businesses, works with the media, and implements her passions as a career, all while helping to grow her own small business.

 

 

Patrick Damp '14, is a graduate of IUP's Journalism & Public Relations department. He has worked in digital media in the ECHL (formerly called the East Coast Hockey League) for the Wheeling Nailers and the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. Along with his professional career, Patrick produces and co-hosts “The Pensblog Podcast” for Pensblog and the “Technical Difficulties” podcast for Pensburgh on SB Nation.

Patrick’s advice to aspiring podcasts hosts is to just go for it. There’s no risk to chasing a dream, but a lot of risk to playing it safe. You can follow Patrick on all social media channels @SynonymForWet.

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Michelle Fryling is the executive director of the Media Relations department at IUP. She is responsible for media relations for the university, crisis communications and serves as the public information officer (PIO) for the university. Active in her community, she is the recipient of the 2005 Indiana County Female Civic Leader Award and the 2012 ATHENA Leadership Award. She is a 20-year member of Quota International of Indiana, PA, a community impact organization, and was elected to serve on the organization’s international board from 2011 to 2013. She has been a volunteer with the United Way of Indiana County since 2006 and served as the United Way Campaign Chairperson in 2013, exceeding the campaign’s $735,000 fundraising goal.

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Dave Gershgorn '14, tracks down rogue AI algorithms for Quartz, where he's a tech reporter. He's covered photography for the New York Times; boxing for the Wall Street Journal, and dogs for New York City's NPR affiliate WNYC. He graduated from IUP's Journalism and Public Relations department in 2014 and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in 2015.

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Mike Gosnell '15, was born and raised in Windber , Pa., which is about 10 miles from Johnstown. Upon graduation from Windber Area High School in 2011, he enrolled at IUP. In four years at IUP, he majored in Communications Media but attended countless Journalism classes with esteemed professor Randy Jesick. After graduating in the spring, he accepted a communications manager position with the Johnstown Tomahawks of the North American Hockey League. As part of the Tomahawks communications team, his main responsibility is to promote and nurture the Tomahawks brand through press releases, graphics, social media and other endeavors. He is going into his fourth season with the team and is currently residing in Windber.

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Megan Guza '12, is a criminal justice reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and TribLIVE.com where she has worked for more than six years. She has spent the last three plus years covering spot news and investigations relating to crime, the court system, public safety and the opioid epidemic, and her work has been picked up by outlets such as the Associated Press, Police One and Jezebel. Her recent work has included coverage of the fatal police shooting of Antwon Rose II and the local police practice of criminalizing condoms when found on sex workers. A graduate of IUP (bachelor's) and Point Park University (M '14), she lives in Pittsburgh's Allentown neighborhood.

 

 

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April Hutcheson '95 is an experienced media relations expert in crisis communications, public relations, and helping non-profit organizations. She has served four Pennsylvania governors– as the director of communications at the Department of Health (her current role); as Governors Ridge and Schweiker's deputy press secretary; as Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency press secretary; and as the Department of Environmental Protection deputy press secretary. She has been instrumental in garnering earned media statewide and nationwide for Fortune 500. She also has worked with the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association and the Pennsylvania Conservation Officers Association. The Central Pennsylvania Business Journal named April to its, "Top 40 Under 40" list. From Philadelphia,  Hutcheson holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from IUP, and a master’s in journalism from Temple University.

 

 

Kenn Marshall '80 is media relations manager for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. He maintains a working relationship with local, regional, and national media while responding to inquiries and promoting the State System via news releases and other written and verbal communications. Previously, Marshall was the education reporter for The Patriot-News, where he also served as a Capitol Hill correspondent and established the newspaper’s environment beat. He worked for several other newspapers during a nearly two-decade long journalism career, winning numerous state and national writing awards, and also interned with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marshall earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from IUP and a master’s degree from West Virginia University. He has been an adjunct instructor at Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

 

Ellen Matis '12, an IUP Journalism and Public Relations alumna, combined her love of small businesses and pretty main streets with her expertise in social media marketing in early 2012, when she opened Hello Social Co. Hello Social Co., a social media agency based in Bellefonte, Pa., focuses on small business growth using social media. She’s on a mission to make social media more social, and uses what she calls the "Focus on Local Method of Engagement" to help her clients do just that -- focus their social media efforts on their local communities to bring more customers in the door. When she’s not developing social media strategies, you can usually find her in the woods with her two rescue pups.

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Peter Sirianni '16 is currently the digital editor for the New Castle News, a six-day newspaper in New Castle, Pa., in Lawrence County. Sirianni does a lot of scrolling on Facebook and Twitter, but also gets to take a lot of pictures and write features. They sent him up in a hot air balloon! Before coming to New Castle, he was a sportswriter/head honcho for the sports department for another small, local paper, the Bradford Era in McKean County. He has won some state-wide writing awards, but says he's not conceited or important enough to call himself award-winning (unless you're hiring, then hit him up).

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Susan Snyder '85 is a journalism graduate from IUP and is the higher education reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. She covered the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky scandal and led a five-reporter team working on a seven-part series about violence in the Philadelphia School District that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2012. She has won numerous state and national awards.

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Daniel Sprumont '10, M '11, is a senior digital strategist for Highmark Health with a tenacity to get things done, a constant thirst for knowledge, and the belief in paying it forward. Sprumont’s eight years of MarComm experience includes media production, on air talent, social media, business strategy, mentorship, cross-functional project management, omni-channel marketing campaigns, and digital product management. Sprumont’s career is rooted in the tools, facilities and leadership roles that Communications Media department opportunities afforded him.

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Alysia Steele '97, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is author of the book, “Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom,” a collection of oral history and portraits of women in the Mississippi Delta. In 2016, she won the Preserver of Mississippi Culture award from the Mississippi Humanities Council. Her book has been featured in various national publications including The New York Times, National Public Radio, Southern Living, and others.

In 2006 Steele was part of the photo staff for The Dallas Morning News that won the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News for their Hurricane Katrina coverage. She served as a picture editor. She is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi’s Meek School of Journalism & New Media, and now collecting cotton oral histories for her next book.

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Paula Reed Ward '96 is a reporter with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, having joined the paper in 2003. Since that time, she has covered both federal and state courts, including the criminal trial of Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State football coach charged with sexually abusing children; the death penalty trial of a man accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers and the criminal trials of three sisters – a state senator, Supreme Court justice and her court administrator – accused of fraud and theft; as well as countless state and U.S. Supreme Court cases, including the issue of mandatory life sentences for juveniles.

Ward's first book, "Death by Cyanide: The Murder of Dr. Autumn Klein", was released in October by ForeEdge. Before moving to Pittsburgh, Paula worked in Savannah, Ga., and Pottsville, Pa. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from IUP and a master's degree in criminal justice.

 

 

Jake Williams '14, is the associate publisher & director of strategic initiatives for StateScoop and EdScoop, focusing on technology initiatives and policies in state and local governments. His team won the 2018 Online Publication of the Year award from the American Society of Business Press Editors. At StateScoop, Williams and his team have increased annual website traffic and sponsorship revenue by more than 100 percent. As a reporter, he has covered all 50 state governments, the White House and Congress.

Williams graduated from IUP in May 2014, was president of IUP’s Chapter of the SPJ and editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper. He has been published in The Huffington Post, PoliticsPA.com and several local and regional newspapers in Pennsylvania. Williams is a culinary enthusiast, television fan, coffee fanatic and proud northeast Pennsylvania native.

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Sean Yoder '15 is a writer and editor at Penn State University, specifically for the Office of Communications for Undergraduate Education (UE). He helps each of the more than 20 units in UE show their best side and convey the work they do to the public. He hates the frequent use of ampersands and misuse of the word “utilize.” He loves helping hardworking staff and faculty communicate their passion for higher education and helping students.

Before he worked in higher education, Yoder was a journalist for two newspapers as a general reporter  for The Indiana Gazette and Centre County Gazette and a features writer for the magazine Town&Gown. There was even a stint in news radio where some irresponsible station manager let him in front of a microphone at Renda Broadcasting.

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Bill Zimmerman ‘03, is a lecturer in Penn State University’s (PSU) Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications where he teaches public relations, covering news releases to new media. He worked for nearly a decade as a newspaper reporter at the Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pa.) before working in PSU’s Office of Strategic Communications, where he was social media manager before becoming a full-time faculty member. In January, he launched "Happy Valley Hustle," a podcast celebrating entrepreneurship and education in central Pennsylvania. Zimmerman earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from IUP in 2003 and a master’s degree in higher education from PSU in 2016.

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