Chair's Corner: Winter 2022
Note: This is Professor Lynn Schofield Clark’s last contribution to our Chair’s Corner, as she will be stepping back from the position at the end of this quarter. Thank you, Lynn!
The MFJS Department is proud of our exceptionally talented and supportive alumni, many of whom make themselves available to current students for mentoring and support. We welcomed several back to campus via Zoom this quarter.
For the second year in a row, the department hosted the Media Ethics Speaker Series, which took place over Zoom for eight consecutive weeks and included 20 DU alumni, two friends of the university and two current students.
We kicked off the Series with a panel on television news featuring Danielle Nelson (’10), News Producer for WESH in Orlando; Marielle Mohs (’13), news reporter for the CBS affiliate in Minnesota; Todd Unger (’07), Evening Anchor for the ABC station in Waco; Chelsea Hernandez (’19), the Morning Producer for the NBC affiliate in Seattle, and Carly Ann Moore (’14), who was recently hired as a Multimedia Journalism Reporter for the FOX affiliate in Denver.
Other panels featured professionals working in advertising and marketing, including Charlie Claggett (’70), Dan Martin (‘06 and ’13) and, working in the business side of media businesses, including Tom Wolzien (’69) and Joe Hodas (MS ’96). A panel on public broadcasting and positions in government featured Rocky Mountain PBS Chief Content Officer Linda Kotsaftkis (BA) and former U.S. Forest Service Filmmaker and Public Affairs Specialist Dave Steinke (’75).
We also had a lively discussion about the ways that AI has continued to change the tech and health care industries with Sehra Eusufzai (MS) and Cory Lamz (’12), a conversation about the changing journalism environment with Andy Clayton (BA and MS ’96) and Kevin Fixler (’06) and a thoughtful conversation about working in government and women in media with Ellie Schaefer (’90), Amy Niesenson (’90), Megan Williams (’07) and Evan Dreyer (’88). Alumnus Bob Berkowitz provided a consultation on persuasive communication tailored for college students to wind up the Series.
Graduating seniors were asked to hold informational interviews with these graduates or with others they identified through the DU Career Network.
Thanks so much to the alumni and friends who have participated in these informal meet-and-greets! If you haven’t had a chance to be involved, if you would like a repeat invite next year, or if you know someone you’d like us to contact for the future, please be in touch via email or LinkedIn. It’s been wonderful to reconnect alumni and friends to the university, and the students have greatly appreciated the interest that our graduates have shown in them and in their aspirations as professionals.
