Where you are currently getting your Ph.D.?
Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland (UMD)

What brought you into grad school?
I’ve always wanted to get my Ph.D. in journalism. I seriously considered getting it immediately after I completed my master’s degree at Michigan State University, but I was offered a job at a local TV station and decided to pursue a career instead. I spent 20 amazing years working in TV news, and when it was time to move on, I didn’t think twice about applying to UMD. I want to teach and conduct research, and my professional experiences have taught me some valuable lessons that I can share with others. 

Why journalism history?
When I was a working journalist, I was always asked to produce historical pieces. I had a knack for finding historical footage, still images, and producing pieces that had a number of elements. I loved filling the void and sharing information about people and places that had received little, if any, attention. I loved those complicated, obscure stories. While in graduate school, I read pieces on the silences that occur during the production of history and was hooked! 

What’s your current research project?
I am writing my dissertation. It is about FCC Docket No. 80-90 an FCC rule that created 689 new FM stations and aimed to diversify the FM band in the 1980s and 1990s. I am utilizing archival and oral history methods and have already looked at 5,000 pages of unprocessed documents housed at the National Archives in College Park, Md., viewed video of six FCC meetings from the early 1980s, and interviewed an array of minority radio station owners, attorneys, media brokers, engineers, and public servants who have wonderful and heartbreaking memories of this time, this rule, and the radio stations created. I love my topic.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?
I play soprano and alto saxophone! I started in 5th grade and continue playing to this day.