
Department of Communication
Administrative Faculty and Staff

Kerry Neville, Ph.D.
Education
Ph.D, Creative Writing, University of Houston
Biography
Dr. Kerry B. Neville is Associate Professor of Fiction and Nonfiction Writing. She is the author of two collections of stories, Necessary Lies, which received the G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize in Fiction and was named a ForeWord Magazine Short Story Book of the Year, and Remember to Forget Me. Her memoir, Momma May Be Mad, is forthcoming in 2025. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Gettysburg Review, Epoch, Triquarterly, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and elsewhere. Her fiction and nonfiction have been named Notables in Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays. She is a nonfiction editor for Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place, and Nature. In 2018, she was a Fulbright Fellow at University of Limerick in Ireland, where she was Visiting Faculty in the MA in Creative Writing Program.


Evelina Galova-Iossifov
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, Georgia College & State University
Bachelor of Sciences, Physical Education, NSA (University), Sofia, Bulgaria
Mass Communication Faculty

Christina Smith, Ph.D.
Education
Ph.D., Mass Communication, The University of Iowa
Research
Community Journalism, Sociology of News, Identity and Qualitative Research Methods
Teaching
Race, Class, Gender in Media, Investigative Journalism, Community Journalism, Advocacy Journalism, Feature Writing, Sports Reporting, Professional Media Writing, Media Literacy, Enterprise Journalism, Media Management, GC1Y Critical Thinking: We the People, Interviewing & Listening

Mikkel Christensen, Ph.D.
Education
Ph.D., University of Missouri
Research
Crisis communication, news consumption and political knowledge, political communication.
Teaching
Mass Communication Theory and Research, Advanced Strategic Writing.

Michael Crews, M.F.A.
Education
University of Georgia, Narrative Media Writing, M.F.A.
Teaching
Film & TV Production, Media Literacy, Film Feature Writing

Education
University of Georgia, M.F.A. Narrative Media Writing
Teaching
Media Literacy, Film & TV Production, and Multi-Camera Production.

Chad Whittle, Ph.D.
Education
Ph.D., University of Southern Mississippi
Biography
Chad Whittle, Ph.D., earned his Doctorate in Philosophy in Mass Communication from the University of Southern Mississippi (2018). He holds a Master of Arts in Communication and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mass Media, with an emphasis in Broadcast/Journalism, from Valdosta State University, and graduated Cum Laude with Honors.
Dr. Whittle's research has been published in the Journal of Radio & Audio Media, Electronic News, the Journal of Media Education, Carolinas Communication Annual, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, American Communication Journal, Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, and the Journal of Social Sciences Research. He was invited to write the foreward for the book, "Radio in the Movies: A History and Filmography," 2nd edition, and contributed to the textbook, Scripting Media, first edition.
He has presented at numerous regional and national conferences, including the Broadcast Educators Association (BEA), Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Southeast Colloquium, Southern States Communication Association (SSCA), Popular Culture Association (PCA), the Georgia Communication Association (GCA), and the Mississippi Communication Association (MCA).
Dr. Whittle's research, "Why America is Downloading the News: A Study on Daily News Podcasts and Why U.S. Audiences Listen," was the most downloaded article in Electronic News for 2024.
He won the first-place prize for the debut paper category in the Curriculum, Assessment & Administration division at the 2023 BEA Convention for his paper "From Professor to Podcaster: A Step-By-Step Guide to Producing Podcasts to Help Expand Student Learning."
At the 2023 AEJMC Southeast Colloquium, his GIFTS (Great Ideas for Teaching) presentation, "Around the World in One Semester: Assignments for Use in an International Media Course," was a competition winner for the 2023 AEJMC GIFTS competition.
At BEA 2024, he won second place in the Open Paper category in the Curriculum, Assessment & Administration division at the BEA 2024 Convention for his research "Exploratory Study on Using Podcast Lectures for an Online Course to Increase Student Engagement and Learning."
Dr. Whittle is the faculty advisor for the Georgia College Podcasting Club.
Teaching
Media Literacy, Professional Media Writing, Radio Operations, Media Management

Education
Ph.D., Missouri School of Journalism
Teaching
Principles of PR & Advertising, Public Relations Planning, Campaign Principles

Education
M.A., Mass Communication (Global Strategic Communication), University of Florida
B.A., Liberal Studies (Global Studies); Mass Communication (Film, Television, Audio Production); World Languages and Cultures (Spanish), Georgia College & State University
Research
Intercultural and Cross-cultural Communication, Social Problems in Mass Media, Modern Entertainment, Film Studies, and Creative Writing
Teaching
Professional Media Writing, Branding in Digital Media, Multimedia Broadcast Journalism, Media Design, Advanced Writing and Reporting.

Education
Ph.D., University of Georgia
Teaching
Writing for Advertising & PR, Current Issues in Advertising

Angela Criscoe, M.F.A.
Education
MFA, Film & Television, Savannah College of Art & Design
M.Ed Instructional Technology, Georgia College '06
Research
New technologies and innovative film and television production processes in storytelling for the purposes of informing, persuading, and entertaining audiences across multiple platforms. Specific work includes aesthetic approach of color theory in films; development and training of episodic programming for local chambers of commerce (Chamber TV); and healthcare communication.
Rhetoric Faculty

Jamie Downing, Ph.D.
Education
Ph.D., Communication Studies, University of Nebraska
Biography
Dr. Jamie Downing teaches the fundamentals of public speaking and small group communication.

Education
Ph.D., Speech Communication, University of Washington
Biography
Janet Hoffmann, (B.A. Florida State University, M.A. San Jose State University, Ph.D University of Washington) teaches Public Deliberation, Public Speaking, Public Achievement, Persuasion, Parliamentary Debate, Classical Communication Theory, Small Group Communication, Interpersonal Communication, and Instructional Communication. Selected as a Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellow, serves as Coordinator of Georgia College’s American Democracy Project, hosts the campus Times Talk weekly current events discussion series, and is a National Issues Forum Institute Network Partner. Awards include the 2014 Georgia College Irene Rose Community Service Award, inaugural Georgia College ENGAGE Fellow, and the 2018 University Distinguished Service Award.

Education
Ph.D., Speech Communication, Louisiana State University
Teaching
Teaching Rhetoric and Mass Communication courses - Theory and Research, Comm Theory, Small Group, Media Literacy, Critical Analysis of the Mass Media. In previous semesters, he had also taught Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Disaster Rhetoric, Interpersonal Communication, and the Rhetoric Capstone.
Biography
Dr. Michael Dreher (B.A., North Central College; M.A., University of Iowa; Ph.D., Louisiana State University) has taught courses in media, rhetoric, research methods, and public speaking. His research interests center on the role rhetoric plays in a variety of disciplines such as mathematics, religious and political discourse, and in disaster communication. He is also interested in the practical and rhetorical aspects of web accessibility. His most recent publication was a chapter in the book Arguing with Numbers: Intersections of Rhetoric and Mathematics, published by Penn State University Press.

Nathan Bedsole, Ph.D.
Education
Ph.D., Communication, University of Colorado Boulder
Biography
Dr. Nathan Bedsole (B.A., M.A. Wake Forest University; Ph.D. University of Colorado Boulder) is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Director of Forensics at Georgia College. Find his work published in Argumentation & Advocacy, Intermezzo & Parlor Press, Journal of Communication, and in the Quarterly Journal of Speech. He specializes in rhetoric, studying the art's intersections with cultural studies and psychoanalysis.

Colin Whitworth, Ph.D.
Education
PhD, Communication Studies, Southern Illinois University
Biography
Dr. Colin Whitworth (they/them) received their Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Southern Illinois University—Carbondale, an M.A. in Communication Studies, and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from The University of Alabama. Dr. Whitworth’s work uses performance to investigate diverse LGBTQIA+ experiences in the U.S. South through performative, relational, and critical cultural lenses. Their written work can be seen in Text & Performance Quarterly, The Journal of Autoethnography, Art/Research International, and more. They frequently represent their research through performances in various venues across the nation and have taught a wide range of classes including performance, tourism, and horror film.
Emeritus Faculty
