The The Department of Communication at Bryant University is comprised of seven full-time faculty members, most of whom hold doctoral degrees, and adjunct faculty who bring practical experience to their subject matters. The faculty have a broad range of academic interests including interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, media literacy, family communication, broadcasting, intercultural communication, communication theory, journalism, conflict management, media effects, gendered communication, film theory, and new communication technologies.
We also have current industry professionals who teach some of our specialized courses. (see part-time faculty below)
FULL-TIME FACULTY
Dr. Stanley Baran, Professor
Stanley Baran earned his Ph.D. in communication research at the University of Massachusetts after taking his MA in journalism at the Pennsylvania State University. He taught for four years at Cleveland State University, eventually moving to the University of Texas. He led the Department of Radio-TV-Film’s graduate program for six of his nine years in Austin and won numerous teaching awards there, including the AMOCO Teaching Excellence Award as the best instructor on that 40,000 student campus, the College of Communication’s Teaching Excellence Award as that college’s outstanding professor, and Utmost Magazine’s Student Poll for best instructor. Dr. Baran moved to San Jose State University in 1987 and served nine years as Chair of the Department of Television, Radio, Film & Theatre. At SJSU he was named President’s Scholar as the university’s outstanding researcher. Among his other awards are his designation as among “the top 3% of active researchers in communication” in a 1993 Communication Education study of the field’s journals, the Broadcast Preceptor Award for Excellence in the Literature of Mass Communication from San Francisco State University, an Emmy nomination for a dramatic television series he produced on mentally challenged people, and a Fulbright Fellowship spent at the Institut fur Journalismus und Kommunication at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Hannover, Germany. He currently serves as a peer reviewer for communication and media oriented Fulbright grants. Dr. Baran has published ten books, scores of scholarly articles, and sits or has sat on the editorial boards of five journals. His work has been translated into half a dozen languages. He is a skilled sailor and plays tenor sax in the Wakefield Civic Band. He is married to Susan Baran and has three children, Simmony, Matt, and Jordan.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6398, Email: sbaran@bryant.edu
Susan Baran, Lecturer
Susan Baran spent 15 years as a news and public affairs journalist before embarking on a college teaching career. After receiving a B.A. in Communication from Rhode Island College, she began work as a television producer, reporter and anchor in Boston. She eventually landed at the CBS network in Philadelphia, working in both production and syndication management. Susan also worked in other major markets including New York and Los Angeles, and during her tenure in the industry held positions as writer, producer, anchor, entertainment reporter, and syndication manager. Susan received an M.A. from Norwich University and was the first person in the country to do so in the field of Media Literacy & Media Education. This continues to be her main area of focus at Bryant where she has developed a curriculum around critical thinking about media. Both Susan and her students work in the K-12 sector, informing parents, teachers, and children about the importance of media literacy. Susan is a member of the National Association of Media Literacy Education and is a strong proponent of service learning.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6000, Email: subaran@bryant.edu
Dr. Kristen M. Berkos, Associate Professor
Kristen Berkos joined the Communication Department at Bryant University in 2002. She completed her master’s degree at California State University, Long Beach, and her doctoral degree in Communication Studies at Louisiana State University. Dr. Berkos’ research interests include organizational gossip, imagined interactions, and instructional communication. Her research has been published in Communication Monographs, Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, the Louisiana Journal of Communication, as well as edited books. In addition, she has presented her scholarship at international, national, regional, and local conferences. Dr. Berkos regularly teaches courses in interpersonal, nonverbal and intercultural communication. She currently serves as the faculty advisor to the Bryant Communication Society and the Lamda Pi Eta National Honor. When she isn’t working, Dr. Berkos spends her time socializing, watching HGTV, exercising, and trying to play golf.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6164, Email: kberkos@bryant.edu
Tom Dooley, Lecturer
Tom Dooley earned a BA in Art and Communication (double major) at the University of Notre Dame and an MFA in Screenwriting and Directing at Columbia University’s Graduate School of the Arts - Film Division. He has a wide range of production and teaching experience, encompassing work in both film and television. He teaches production courses at Bryant’s state-of-the-art television studio, with an emphasis on camera and editing technique, writing and producing. Tom also enjoys playing guitar, walking his dog, and boogie boarding with his wife.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6924, Email: tdooley@bryant.edu
Dr. Mary Lyons, Professor
Mary P. Lyons, Ph.D., Professor of English and Communication at Bryant University, received her Bachelor of Science degree from Simmons College in English Education and her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Rhode Island, where her concentration was twentieth century American Literature. She came to Bryant from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she taught both literature and writing courses. She teaches many of the writing courses offered in Communication, including Written Communication, Print Journalism, Writing for Publication, and Writing for New Media. Dr. Lyons also teaches Video-Mediated Communication. She teaches specialty courses in the English Department as well, including Literary Nonfiction and the Image of Business in Literature and Film.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6262, Email: mlyons@bryant.edu
Dr. Christopher Morse, Assistant Professor
Chris Morse joined the Communication Department in August of 2008. He received his Master’s degree from Illinois State University and his Doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University, both with a focus in Interpersonal Communication. Dr. Morse’s research interests involve the impact of affect (mood and emotion) in decision making, as well as examining information seeking in various relational and health contexts. He is currently focusing on how mood influences the way in which people communicate during negotiation and problem solving tasks. Additionally, he has recently started research examining the impact of emotion on information seeking. He has articles published in various journals such as Health Communication, Communication Monographs, and Personal Relationships and has also presented numerous conference papers at the regional, national, and international level. When he is not working, Dr. Morse enjoys spending time with his dog Darbey and watching New England sports.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6582, Email: cmorse2@bryant.edu
Dr. Kevin Pearce, Associate Professor
Kevin Pearce, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Communication at Bryant University. He received his B.A. in Radio/Television/Film from San Jose State University, his M.A. in Telecommunications and Film from San Diego State University, and his Ph.D. from Kent State University where he concentrated in media studies and communication theory. He has published a number of scholarly articles on topics including the Internet, family communication, and written communication. His primary areas of research include family communication, mass communication, and instructional communication. He teaches a number of courses at Bryant University including Media Effects, Mass Communication, Global Communication, Argumentation and Persuasion, and Studies in Film and Video.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6582, Email: kpearce@bryant.edu
Dr. Wendy Samter, Professor and Chair
Wendy Samter joined the Department of Communication at Bryant University in January 2003. She received both her Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Interpersonal Communication from Purdue University. Dr. Samter’s academic interests focus on how communication skill deficiencies relate to various social, emotional, and health outcomes across the lifespan. Recently, she has begun to explore the effects of prayer on coping during times of emotional distress. Dr. Samter’s research has been published in variety of journals including Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Communication Studies, Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Health Communication, Personal Relationships, Western Journal of Communication, the Journal of College Student Admission, and the Journal of Genetic Counseling. She has also published two books and several chapters in various edited volumes. Additionally, Dr. Samter has presented numerous conference papers at the regional, national, and international levels. Dr. Samter teaches classes such as Interpersonal Communication, Communication and Conflict Management, Public Speaking, Small Group Communication, Communication Research Methods, and Advanced Interpersonal Communication. In 2006, she received the Excellence in Teaching Award at Bryant University and was elected Editor of the journal, Communication Research Reports. Dr. Samter lives in Jamestown, RI with her husband, Jeff, and two dogs, Timmy and Mandy. When not working, she enjoys sailing her trimaran.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6944, Email: wsamter@bryant.edu
Tom Zammarelli, Lecturer
Tom Zammarelli has worked in the television industry for over two decades. Starting out in the production department at WPRI in Providence, he also began producing his own work, eventually providing documentary, consulting and production services for clients including Hasbro, GTECH, IMAX, and the American Plastics Council. His work has appeared nationally and internationally. Tom holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and a Master’s degree in English and American Literature from Harvard University.
Office Ph: (401) 232-6000
Email: tzammare@bryant.edu
PART-TIME FACULTY
Leslie P. DiMannaLeslie DiManna is an adjunct faculty member here at Bryant. Prior to teaching, DiManna was the President of the VNA Foundation for Lifespan. With almost fifteen years of fund raising and development experience, she attained the credentials of a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), formerly the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE). Professor DiManna holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Health Administration and a Master’s of Business Administration Degree in Management from Bryant as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication/Public Relations and Management from Rhode Island College.
Mike Montecalvo
Mike Montecalvo is co-anchor of the 6pm and 11pm newscasts on WPRI TV Channel 12 (CBS). As a broadcaster in the Rhode Island and Connecticut markets since 1981, Mike has received over 45 Community Service and Associated Press Awards, and has helped raise millions of dollars for local charities. He spent 23 years in radio, working at various stations including 103.7 WRX, B101, 94 WHJY, WHJJ, WKRI, WWON and WNRI. He also worked at WJAR TV Channel 10 (NBC) and Cox Communications Channel Three. Mike teaches On-Air Broadcasting here at Bryant, and is the technical advisor for the campus radio station WJMF. Mike enjoys playing softball, gardening, making homemade wine and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
Dana Nolfe
Dana Nolfe is the Chief Public Affairs Officer for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). She oversees all aspects of RIDOT’s public relations activities including special events, media relations, media campaigns, news releases, speech writing, and a vast array of other tasks. Dana’s professional experience includes other teaching positions as well as work for local and network television stations, including production work for programs such as ABC News 20/20, World News Tonight, and Good Morning America. In 2007, Nolfe was named AASHTO’s Public Relations Professional of the Year. In addition to many other honors and awards, Nolfe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens College in Flushing, NY, and a Master of Arts degree from New York University in New York, NY.
Mary Lou Palumbo
Known locally for her work in television and radio, and nationally for her work on cable television networks, Mary Lou Palumbo has hosted and produced local news programs, as well as documentaries, live specials and national marketing programs for The Disney Channel, HBO, and Cinemax, to name a few. Currently, Mary Lou is the producer/host of “New England Portrait” which airs on Rhode Island PBS, and a producer/host for CN8 the Comcast Network. Mary Lou has also worked for Cox Communications, New England. As executive producer of Cox sports television, her team was recognized with an Emmy Award for multiple sports coverage, and Mary Lou herself has been nominated for any Emmy seven times in the past four years. She has also been recognized nationally for programming excellence by Cable World Magazine and has received the cable industry’s prestigious Beacon Award.
John Zehring
John Zehring teaches Public Speaking. For more than two decades, he has worked as a senior administrator in higher education. He has authored nine books and more than 200 articles in journals and magazines, and has worked as a consultant to foundations, universities and businesses. He is listed in the publications Who’s Who in the East and Contemporary Authors. John holds an M.A. in Education, an M.A. in Counseling, and a M. Div. in Theology. He is the Senior Pastor of the Kingston Congregational Church in Kingston, RI. His interests include his family (including four grandchildren), travel, kayaking, home remodeling, snow-shoeing, reading by the fireplace, and his cottage on the coast of Maine.