Tag: 2024

Katie Fletcher

KATIE FLETCHER

Faculty Advisor

Katie (Fletch) Fletcher is a proud native Texan with a BA in political science and English from Texas Tech University. She teaches in a small town and is the sole member of the fine arts department at her school, where she oversees the production of the yearbook and the coordination of photography, teaches all art courses, and is in her 16th year of instructing journalism. Katie advises student council, fostering leadership skills and encouraging meaningful contributions to both the school and the community. She is passionate about the leadership development supported by both student council and WJMC, and she finds fulfillment in watching her students grow and succeed. Katie enjoys spending time with her family, photography, reading, attending concerts and festivals with her sister Emily, following sports, playing spades, and traveling. She is thrilled to return to WJMC!

KATIE FLETCHER

Faculty Advisor

Justin Turner

JUSTIN TURNER

Faculty Advisor

Justin Turner has taught journalism and advised yearbooks, newspapers, and literary magazines for 15 years. In that time he’s found his passion: supporting students, the 1st amendment, and the power of those two things together. Justin’s staffs have won numerous state and national awards including gold medals, first divisions, individual write off awards, Arkansas’s top honor, the All-Arkansas award, and has placed in the top 10 best of show at a JEA/NSPA convention. Justin was named the 2020 Arkansas Adviser of the Year. He’s lost count of how many WJMC sessions he’s been able to attend, but each one has made for an amazing summer!

JUSTIN TURNER

Faculty Advisor

Sue Muraida

SUE MURAIDA

Assistant Director

Sue Muraida is a best-selling author, speaker, and pursuer of abundant life. Over the past 30 years, she has worked as a medical photographer, photojournalist, leadership trainer, writer, and teacher. Sue has published three books, Change For a Penny, The Silent Sound of Darkness, and her memoir Going Back For Me, as well as co-authored the anthology Deserts To Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey To (Re)Claiming Our Voice. She is currently the program director for Humanities North Dakota.

Samantha Shaw

SAMANTHA SHAW

Faculty Advisor

Samantha earned her B.A. in English and comparative literature and M.A. in teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was named Student Teacher of the Year in 2022. Now, she teaches English and has started a journalism program at Carrboro High School. In 2023-24 she was recognized as the runner up Beginning Teacher of the Year for the state of North Carolina. Sam loves inviting students’ passions into a project based and equity focused classroom. It’s true: words have the power to change us — whether that’s a potent literary work or the unique power of the press. Her teaching has been inspired by her experiences at WJMC. She is a WJMC 2016 alumna, worked as an intern and a JFA; she’s ecstatic to be back for her third year as an FA! When she’s not in the classroom, Sam is managing social media or editing books for the author Katie Cross, listening to audiobooks, or going on hikes with her fiancé.

SAMANTHA SHAW

Faculty Advisor

Ali Dodson, MS, MPP

ALI DODSON

Associate Director, Washington Scholars Program

Ali is the Associate Director of the Washington Scholars Program. She has a B.S in conservation biology from George Mason University, and an M.S. in sustainable development and conservation biology and M.P.P. in environmental policy from University of Maryland. Her master’s research focused on student perception of environmental issues. Before coming to Mason, Ali worked with the Environmental Protection Agency, where she was an ORISE fellow researching coastal wetlands. In her free time, she attempts to grow her own vegetables, hangs out in her back yard with her family, and sings karaoke as often as possible.

ALI DODSON

Associate Director, Washington Scholars Program

Rodger Smith

RODGER SMITH

Professor & WGMU Radio/Podcast Faculty Advisor, George Mason University

Professor Rodger Smith is a professor of Communication at George Mason University. He is currently teaching COMM 359 Media Management, COMM 148 Radio Workshop 1, COMM 354 Radio Production, COMM 348 Radio Workshop 2 and COMM 372 Sports and the Media.

He is currently the faculty advisor for WGMU, the campus online radio station. Professor Smith’s interest in Communications came from an interest in the cause and effect of programming and how the media affects culture, daily life and technology. His previous work in radio includes working for WFTR Front Royal, Virginia where he was a news director (1986-1988), sports director and mid-day on-air talent (1988-1989) and a morning drive personality (1990-1992). He also worked as an advertising/production director for WUSQ Winchester.

Professor Smith was honored in Who’s Who in the Media and Communications in 1997-1998. Professor Smith also serves as the public address announcer for football and basketball games at his Alma Mater, Warren County High School in Front Royal, VA.

RODGER SMITH

Instructor, Communication Minor Director and WGMU Faculty Advisor, George Mason University

Tom Jackman

TOM JACKMAN

Reporter, The Washington Post

Tom Jackman is a multimedia journalist who has worked at The Washington Post since 1998. Before that he covered crime and courts for The Kansas City Star, where he also wrote a best-selling book about a serial killer, penned a weekly column and hosted a weekly TV show. At the Post, Tom led the trial coverage of the D.C. sniper case, and he was the lead writer on The Post’s breaking news stories about the Virginia Tech massacre, which won a Pulitzer Prize. More recently he has closely covered the issue of police violence and the ongoing prosecution of those who rioted at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The Post’s coverage of the Capitol riot won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for public service. Tom also writes The Post’s “True Crime” blog covering crime and justice issues nationwide, shooting photos and videos with some stories, and hosts national “Washington Post Live” interviews with top American police officials.

TOM JACKMAN

Reporter, The Washington Post

Kevin McCarthy

KEVIN MCCARTHY

Entertainment Reporter and Film Critic, Fox 5

Kevin McCarthy is a film critic and entertainment reporter in the Washington D.C. area. Kevin reviews films locally for Fox 5, nationally for Fox and Friends and on the local D.C. radio station 106.7FM The Fan with “The Sports Junkies.” Kevin graduated from George Mason University in the spring of 2006 and majored in Communications with a concentration in Media Production and Criticism. While attending George Mason University, Kevin took an internship at CBS RADIO where he jumpstarted his film reviewing career. In the summer of 2007 after dressing up as a Washington Wizards cheerleader (yes, this is how he got the job), Kevin was hired as a freelance movie reviewer for the FOX 5 Morning News where he now also contributes as an entertainment reporter. Kevin’s job involves watching films and interviewing the filmmakers behind each project. He is known for his conversational writing style and unique rating system. If you’re wondering, his favorite films of all-time are “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “True Romance.” Kevin’s favorite filmmakers of all-time include Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan, Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez. Kevin’s dream is to one day be a filmmaker. Kevin also currently co-hosts a film podcast called “ReelBlend” where filmmakers join weekly to talk about their films. Guests on the show have included Joaquin Phoenix, Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and Christopher Nolan.