Meet the CMJ Faculty

Sally Abdul Wahab earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in Communication and Information from Rutgers University. Her areas of specialization are organizational and mediated communication. Her research interests focus on the processes through which people construct the meaning of change, with a special emphasis on contexts of work and technology use. Prior to joining Kean, Dr. Abdul Wahab taught many graduate and undergraduate courses in topics pertaining to communication, management, and organizational studies. She also worked as a freelance financial correspondent from the New York Stock Exchange for New York Financial Press and France 24. At Kean, Dr. Abdul Wahab teaches sections of Communication as Critical Citizenship, Communication and Media Theory, and Communication Research Senior Seminar. She speaks Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.

Courtney Kindred Atkins received her master's degree in organizational communication from Kean University. She earned a bachelor's degree in communication, journalism and related programs from Monmouth University. At Kean, Atkins serves as the bridge professor between the university's Ocean and Union campuses. In this role, she coordinates the majors between both locations while teaching courses ranging from public speaking to interpersonal and intercultural communication. At Kean Ocean, Atkins also serves as the Communication Club's advisor. To date, her career has spanned journalism, public relations and event planning. An active volunteer for environmental and social non-profits, when she is not teaching Atkins can be found cooking, traveling the world or captaining her sailboat up-and-down the Jersey Shore.

Allison Edgley received both her master's degree in organizational communication and her bachelor's degree in public relations, as well as her professional certificate in training and development, from Kean University. With over 12 years of experience, Edgley's diversified course load - which has been taught at both the university's Union and Wenzhou, China campuses - has included Business and Technical Writing; Communication as Critical Citizenship; Conflict Resolution; Developmental and Intermediate Reading and Writing, Family Communication; Intercultural Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Language, Culture and Communication in the U.S. and Persuasive Communication. At Kean's Union campus, she serves as the Director of Internships for communication students and can often be found helping her small group communication classes promote social responsibility throughout the community by raising donations for local charities and the school pantry. Outside of the classroom, Edgley finished an additional master's degree in leadership in spring 2018 and is currently working toward her Ed.D. in leadership in higher education.

Fred Fitch earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. He also has graduate degrees from the Trinity International University and Asbury Theological Seminary. With extensive experience teaching in Spain and several countries in Latin America, Fitch focuses on the areas of instructional and intercultural communication. He is particularly interested in the application of narrative theory in the multicultural classroom. Some of his research has been published in the journal Communication Education. At Kean, he serves as the Director of the Basic Course (Communication as Critical Citizenship), teaching sections in this class as well as multiple sections of Communication and Media Theory.

Gina Gili earned her master’s degree in communication from Kean University and her bachelor’s degree in television and radio from William Paterson University. She has worked promotions for a series of radio stations along the Jersey Shore as well as for the NBA. Gili has also previously worked as a video editor for Fox News. At Kean, Gili teaches communication as critical citizenship, social media and a variety of television production courses. She also serves as the adviser for KeanTV and is a recipient of the Presidential Excellence Award.

Joshua Guitar earned his MA and PhD in Communication from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Joshua currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Communication and teaches classes in rhetoric, critical media studies, and political communication. Joshua employs both classical and critical methods of rhetorical inquiry to examine mediated political discourse, oftentimes to interrogate the rhetorical manifestations of ideology that inhibit democratic processes, civil liberties, and political equity. Joshua’s research has been featured in communication journals like Critical Studies in Media Communication, First Amendment Studies, and Western Journal of Communication. Joshua's most recent work is his book Dissent, Discourse, and Democracy:  Whistleblowers as Sites of Political Contestation, published by Lexington Books in 2021.

Bill Kolbenschlag earned his master's degree in corporate and public communication and his bachelor's degree in communication from Monmouth University. He has more than 15 years of experience in the field and has worked as a journalist, editor, public relations consultant and social media strategist. Kolbenschlag currently teaches a variety of courses in journalism and public relations. 

Pat Winters Lauro earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Fordham University. In 2003, she was one of ten journalists in the country awarded a Knight Bagehot Fellowship by Columbia. Prof. Lauro is the director of journalism for the School of Communication, Media & Journalism and the resident faculty adviser for The Tower, which in 2020 was ranked New Jersey’s best college newspaper. Under her guidance, The Tower has also won awards for its video and website as well as for news writing, feature writing, op-ed, criticism, and photography. Concerned about the escalating war on facts in the post-truth era, Prof. Lauro developed a course in News Literacy that has received national attention. Prior to joining Kean, she spent about 20 years as a journalist that included serving as staff writer and columnist at the New York Daily News and working as a regular contributor for The New York Times. She spent three years at a public relations agency and also taught as a lecturer and adjunct professor at several colleges, including Rutgers University and New York University. She is currently working on a textbook about journalism.

Scott McHugh earned his Ph.D. from Penn State University in Communication masters from Colorado State University in Public Relations. McHugh has been at Kean University since 1997. He worked in radio as producer, reporter, and engineer for Sports Radio WIP in Philadelphia from 1986-1991. McHugh is General Manager of the campus radio station, WKNJ 90.3 FM. He primarily teaches digital media production, media advertising, and media management. He has presented at many national conferences, most recently in Chicago on how college radio stations can use new technology to improve educational programs and offerings. McHugh co-hosts The Search for Intelligent Life on WKNJ.

“Estelle” Ranran Z. Mi earned her Ph.D. from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her B.A. in Journalism from Zhejiang University in China and her M.A. in Communication Studies from Washington State University. Dr. Mi's research lies at the intersection of media technology and health, with a strong emphasis on behavioral change and intervention. She examines how individuals from vulnerable populations use digital technology and its implications for health and well-being. Dr. Mi collaborates widely with interdisciplinary experts in communication, medicine, and social psychology. Her work has been presented at top conferences and published in both communication and medicine journals. At Kean, she teaches advanced communication courses and mentors students in health communication research, fostering their academic growth and research interests.

Brian Oakes received his MFA in Animation and Digital Arts from the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts.  His award-winning animated films have screened in festivals, galleries, and museums around the world. He has published  and presented on animation history and animation pedagogy.  He holds K-12 Fine Arts Teaching Certification from the states of Michigan, New York, and Rhode Island. He has taught art, photography, and film in schools across the country, including Rhode Island School of Design.  His film Country Things was recently included in the Personal Landscapes exhibition at the Montclair Museum of Art in Montclair, New Jersey.

Kathleen Rugh received her MFA in Film & Photography from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Her work has been exhibited in screenings and galleries throughout the US and internationally, including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Chicago Underground Film Festival, and the Images Festival in Toronto. Research interests that inform her filmmaking include urban development, climate change, experimental approaches to filmmaking, and analog technology. Rugh has received funding for her films through the New York State Council on the Arts'. She teaches Media and Film courses including Digital Video Production, Film Production I, and Film Editing. In her courses, she guides students to bring their personal voices and experiences in their filmmaking. Before joining Kean she taught film production courses at The New School in New York, Adelphi University, and Emerson College.

Jack Sargent received his Ph.D. from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an emphasis in interpersonal communication. He also has a secondary specialty in organizational communication and quantitative research methods. Sargent received his master's in communication from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University and his bachelor's degree in Journalism from Drake University. Before teaching, Sargent worked as a communication consultant and analyst, designing studies and examining the decision making of juries. Sargent has published in a number of journals and books. His research program focuses on nonverbal communication, privacy and disclosure, and family relationships. Sargent teaches courses in interpersonal and organizational communication and theory, quantitative research methods, consulting and assessment, and nonverbal and family communication. He also serves as the Coordinator of the graduate program in Communication Studies.

Suzanne Schwab earned her master’s degree in corporate and public communication from Seton Hall University and her Master’s in Business Administration from Monmouth University. She has more than 30 years of experience in the communication industry. Schwab’s experience includes sports public relations, including her position as the Senior Coordinator for Broadcasting and Public Relations at the National Basketball Association Entertainment Division. She was selected to lead the Inaugural Committee for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Schwab served as the Director of Communications and Marketing for Lieutenant Governor, Kim Guadagno. She led all marketing initiatives for the Division of Travel and Tourism, the Division of Elections, the Film Commission and the State Museum. Schwab then went on to be Guadagno’s Press Secretary during the gubernatorial run, responsible for all media relations and initiatives for the campaign. Prof. Schwab teaches a variety of communication classes including, public relations courses. When Schwab is not teaching she consults businesses with public relations and marketing strategies. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.   

Wenli Yuan received her Ph.D. in Communication from University of Kentucky. She earned her master's degree in Communication from Western Kentucky University and her bachelor's in Advertising from Beijing Institute of Business. Prior to her graduate studies, Yuan worked as an account executive in advertising companies. Her research interests include organizational communication, cross-cultural adaptation, negotiation and conflict management.  Her current research project looks at work-life balance for working moms.  She has presented at many national conferences and published in scholarly journals. Yuan teaches courses in organizational communication, communication and media theory, intercultural communication, negotiation, international business communication, and research seminar.  She also serves as the Assistant Chair for the School of Communication, Media and Journalism.

Adjunct Faculty: Adam Kertis, Alexandria Ward, Alyssa Edgar, Annalise Knudson, Anthony Nicoletti, Antonio Amorim, Brianna McCabe, Bruce A Waltuck, Carl Stoffers, Christopher Lynch, Claudette M Charles, Cyd Morales, Daniel Carlson, Daniel Yates, David Murphy, Dianna Bailey, Eric E. English, Erica Osmond, Erin Anello, George Falkowski, Gerard Carino, Jaclyn Ewing, Jason Molloy, Joanne Steglitz, John D Lin, Julie Narain-Peca, Justin M Ernst, Kaitlyn Lavender, Karen McNamara, Kelly Nemeth, Kelsey Burrell, Kevin McKenna, Kisha Dasent, Kristin M Wellin, Laura A Farrell, Lee Clark, LeGina A Adams, Lois Rosstedt, Marie Dye, Mary McGinley, Michael Cuozzo, Michael D. Altmann, Michael E. Delicio, Michael Rizzo, Mohamad A El Sankari, Patrick Brooks, Raymond Viggiano, Rose Cusumano, Ryan Palmer, Salvatore Terrezza, Sametta Thompson, Sandra Bodin-Lerner, Sanyya Gardez, Sondra Burke, Steve Baltin, Susan McManimon and Victoria Ramirez- Monaghan