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Media Experts

Meredith faculty are available to share their expertise, analysis and commentary on a wide range of topics. The faculty profiles below contain detailed information to help members of the media find the most relevant expert for their needs

Need assistance? Email News Director Melyssa Allen at allenme@meredith.edu or call (919) 760-8455 for help connecting with Meredith experts.

College Research

Status of Women in Politics

The Status of Women in North Carolina Politics, a report released by Meredith College, uses data about women as voters and elected leaders throughout the state to offer recommendations for improving women’s underrepresentation in politics.

Status of Girls in NC

The Status of Girls in North Carolina documents factors that impact girls’ lives within the state. The report highlights areas in which girls in N.C. are making strides, areas in need of improvement, and areas of disparity among girls.

faculty member

Women’s Topics Experts

As a women’s college, Meredith College places special emphasis on topics relating to women. Meredith faculty have expertise in a variety of subject areas including business, communication, culture, politics, and more.

Business

 Bing Yu

Professor of Finance

Expertise in:

His research interests include the international dividend policy and capital structure decisions; assets pricing in emerging markets; women’s role in corporate governance; law, culture, and corporate finance.
 Jeff Langenderfer

Professor of Marketing & Law

Expertise in:

Negotiation, Marketing and public policy issues, with a particular emphasis intellectual property matters, privacy, scams and swindles, and consumer interactions with lottery products
 Lisa Delise

Department Head, Associate Professor of Management

Expertise in:

Industrial/organizational psychology, research on teams, specifically how teams share information, communicate, and collaborate to develop shared cognition, and how teams can be trained to enhance communication and performance.

Child Development

 Pamela Norcross

Associate Professor, Human & Environmental Sciences & Child Development Coordinator

Expertise in:

Child Development, Expert in postpartum depression and maternal depression, parenting, and Child Life: children and families in healthcare

Communication

 Teresa Holder

Head, Department of Communication; Professor of Communication

Expertise in:

Communication theory, public relations, presentation, personal branding, research on women in nontraditional careers.

Economics

 Anne York

Program Director and Professor, Economics

Expertise in:

Economic issues, gender issues related to the economy, gender wage gap, women’s role in corporate governance

Education

 Heather Bower

Associate Professor, Education; Department Head, Education

Expertise in:

Curriculum and Instruction, Family Involvement, Student Engagement, School Leadership, School Culture
 Jennifer Olson

Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in Education, Licensure Officer

Expertise in:

Children’s Literature, Content Literacy, Elementary Education, Field Experiences in Teacher Education
 Julie Schrock

Professor, Education

Expertise in:

Educational Psychology (teaching and learning), classroom management, behavior management, faculty development

English

 Alisa Johnson

Associate Professor of English; Assistant Dean, Arts & Humanities

Expertise in:

American and African American literature, film study, women’s literature and horror fiction
 Jennifer Burgess posing in front of brick wall

Assistant Professor of English

Expertise in:

Women in business, technical writing in the 20th century
 Kelly Roberts in white suite and pink scarf

Professor of English / Program Coordinator for 6-9 and 9-12 English licensure for prospective teachers

Expertise in:

The scholarship of teaching and learning English, social justice education, experiential education, academic and intellectually gifted education, feminist epistemology and praxis in both education and English (particularly young adult literature), autobiographical reflection, and reflective practice.
 Laura Fine

Professor of English; Norma Rose Chair in English

Expertise in:

Contemporary American female writers. Women’s historic or contemporary work in art, music, dance, theatre, or literature.

Higher Education

 Ann Gleason wearing a blue shirt

Dean of Students; Deputy Title IX Coordinator

Expertise in:

Higher education, Title IX
 Jean Jackson

Vice President for College Programs; Professor of English

Expertise in:

higher education, student life
 Kristi Eaves-Mclennan

Vice President for Marketing and Communications

Expertise in:

Higher Education, marketing, branding, recruitment communication
 Matthew Poslusny

Professor of Chemistry

Expertise in:

Higher Education, academic programs, enrollment/retention

History

 Angela Robbins wearing a black shirt

Chair, Department of History, Political Science, and International Studies; Associate Professor of History

Expertise in:

Modern U.S. history, southern U.S. history, immigration history, and women’s voting, legal, and social movements history.
 Daniel Fountain

Professor of History

Expertise in:

U.S. History, early American history, Southern history, Public history
 David McLennan

Professor of Political Science; Director of the Meredith Poll

Expertise in:

Political campaigns (presidential, US Senate, gubernatorial. etc.), Political debates, Polling, Media coverage of politics, Women in politics, Political advertising. Primary author of Meredith’s report on the Status of Women in Politics, Meredith Poll Director.
 Greg Vitarbo

Professor of History

Expertise in:

Western Civilization and modern World History, Russian/Soviet history, Modern European history, the history of warfare, and the history of technology
 Jeffrey Martinson

Associate Professor of Political Science

Expertise in:

American Political System, International Politics, Modern Political Systems
 Whitney Manzo

Associate Professor of Political Science; Pre-Law Advisor; Accelerated Law Degree Program Coordinator

Expertise in:

Women in government, women in North Carolina government, women in higher education, election laws, and issues related to representation of women and racial/ethnic minorities.

Hospitality

 male wearing grey suit and lavender shirt

Assistant Professor of Practice, Program Director Hospitality and Tourism

Expertise in:

hospitality, tourism development, brand strategy, communications, marketing, service and experience design, leadership, entrepreneurship

Political Science

 David McLennan

Professor of Political Science; Director of the Meredith Poll

Expertise in:

Political campaigns (presidential, US Senate, gubernatorial. etc.), Political debates, Polling, Media coverage of politics, Women in politics, Political advertising. Primary author of Meredith’s report on the Status of Women in Politics, Meredith Poll Director.
 Jeffrey Martinson

Associate Professor of Political Science

Expertise in:

American Political System, International Politics, Modern Political Systems
 Whitney Manzo

Associate Professor of Political Science; Pre-Law Advisor; Accelerated Law Degree Program Coordinator

Expertise in:

Women in government, women in North Carolina government, women in higher education, election laws, and issues related to representation of women and racial/ethnic minorities.

Psychology

 Betty Shannon-Prevatt wearing a black shirt with maroon blazer.

Associate Professor, Psychology

Expertise in:

Clinical psychology, women’s health, and women’s mental health, including perinatal and reproductive mental health
 Gwynn Morris

Professor of Psychology; Department Chair for Psychology & Social Work

Expertise in:

Developmental psychology, child development, and parenting
 Joseph Mazzola.

Associate Professor and Program Director, I-O Psychology MA

Expertise in:

Industrial/organizational psychology, workplace stress measurement and management, occupational health promotion particularly related to barriers and facilitators to nutrition and exercise behaviors, and qualitative/mixed methodology.

Religion & Ethics

 Shannon Grimes

Professor of Religion, Department of History and Political Science

Expertise in:

Religion, environmental ethics, philosophy

Social Work

Sociology & Criminology

 Amie Hess

Professor of Sociology and Department Head Sociology & Criminology

Expertise in:

Sociology. Lead researcher on Meredith’s Status of Girls in North Carolina Report. Her research focus is the relationship between gender, sexuality, and education
 Bianca Harris wearing glasses and blue shirt

Director, Criminal Justice Program

Expertise in:

Criminal Justice topics including re-entry issues, continuity of care issues, staffing issues in criminal justice, Substance use and criminal justice, incarcerated women, children of incarcerated people, pregnant inmates, aging, and juvenile justice.
 Kris Macomber

Adjunct, Sociology & Criminology

Expertise in:

Sociology, criminology. Her research is focused on issues of women and gender.
 Lori Brown

Professor of Sociology & Criminology | Faculty Advisor, Criminal Justice MA Program

Expertise in:

Criminology, Sociology, Teaches gender courses in sociology, Women and Crime, Human Sexuality, Population Dynamics, recent research in the public perceptions of women as police officers and police chiefs

STEM

Chair of Biological Sciences

Expertise in:

Public health, epidemiology, population health, infectious disease, undergraduate research.
 Janey Sturtz McMillen

Director of Sponsored Programs - School of Natural & Mathematical Sciences

Expertise in:

Obtaining and managing Federal funding, particularly research and product development; Implementation science, particularly web-based technologies supporting evidence-based programs; Ethical involvement of human participants in research.
 Karthik Agorham

Professor of Biological Sciences; Director, Pre-Health Post Baccalaureate Program

Expertise in:

Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology with an emphasis on plants, Science communication, sustainable food production, GMOs.
 Maria Pickering

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Expertise in:

Biology, STEM, women in STEM