Faculty Experts Helping news media find the right expert source
Our faculty at Point Park University are eager to share their knowledge, offering a unique perspective and added value to stories. Their areas of expertise, including the courses they teach and their research interests, are outlined below.
If you would like to contact a faculty member, or if you need assistance finding the right person for your story, please contact Lou Corsaro, managing director of University marketing and communications, at lcorsaro@pointpark.edu or 412-392-6190.
Center for Media Innovation
- Andrew Conte, Director of the Center for Media Innovation. An award-winning investigative journalist and author of several books, including “The Color of Sundays,” which details the building of the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty. The Center for Media Innovation is an integrated, 4,000-square-foot New York-style media facility with TV and broadcast studios, a multimedia newsroom and photo studio.
Department of Community Engagement
- Heather Starr Fiedler, Chair of the Department of Community Engagement and Professor of Multimedia. Specializes in new and emerging media technology and online journalism, and is an expert in social media. The Department of Community Engagement is home University outreach initiatives, the Ph.D. in Community Engagement and the Pioneer Pantry, a food pantry for Point Park students.
Rowland School of Business
- Paige Beal, Assistant Professor and Chair of Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management. Has expertise in entertainment media technology, and has had a long career in media marketing and management in radio, TV and online, including with ESPN, CNN, MTV and many others.
- Robert Derda, Assistant Professor of Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management. Has more than 25 years of experience in professional sports, including full-time work and consultant roles with the Pittsburgh Pirates, NBA, WNBA, Comcast Spotlight, Clear Channel Communications and others.
- Teresa Gregory, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Assessment & Accreditation for the Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management Program. Has expertise in arts management and fundraising, and all aspects of development and nonprofit management.
- Helena Knorr, Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership. Areas of expertise include organizational systems, ethical leadership, women in leadership, leading in diverse communities, and gender and power.
- Elaine Luther, Professor of Business Management. Spent 14 years working at three Fortune 500 companies – PepsiCo, Allied-Signal (now part of Honeywell) and Schering-Plough. Her expertise in business issues is varied, and includes consumer-related issues, human resources management, tax accounting, business communications, strategic planning and marketing.
- Archish Maharaja, Professor of Business and Director of the Master of Science in Health Care Administration and Management Program. He is a certified financial planner, certified public accountant and personal finance specialist who has worked as a health care administrator and physician practice manager. His research is concentrated in health care administration and management, and information technology as it applies to health care.
- Sandra Mervosh, Assistant Professor of Human Resources. Previously served as president, CEO and owner of Venture Graphics, a project management company specializing in the printing industry. In 2015, she founded a networking organization, Pittsburgh Women Succeeding Together.
- Patrick Mulvihill, Assistant Professor of Management. Has expertise in organizational behavior, management and leadership, as they relate to the intricacies of running a successful business. He also is a commercially rated pilot who monitors the aviation industry.
- Robert Skertich, Associate Professor of Public Administration. Has extensive background in public and nonprofit administration, with a focus on public safety and emergency management. He has worked for the American Red Cross and the Department of Homeland Security, and currently serves as a deputy commander with the Disaster Medical Assistance team based in Pittsburgh – part of the Department of Health and Human Services National Disaster Medical System, which coordinates federal medical response during disasters such as the recent hurricanes.
- Ed Traversari, Associate Professor, Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management. Has nearly 40 years of live entertainment expertise, having worked for legendary Pittsburgh concert promotion company DiCesare Engler Productions as production manager, talent booker, director of marketing and general manager of the Chevrolet Amphitheatre at Station Square.
School of Communication
- Camille Downing, Lecturer of Communication. Has expertise in public relations and integrated marketing communications, and continues to act as president of Downing Communications, an independent consultancy that specializes in working with nonprofits.
- April Friges, Professor of Photography and Coordinator of the Photography Program. Maintains experience as an exhibition artist with an interdisciplinary approach involving various photographic, video, installation and performance techniques.
- Steven Hallock, Associate Professor of Journalism and Director of School of Communication Graduate Programs. A journalist for 25 years, he has expertise in the economic and ethical issues of journalism.
- Bob O’Gara, Professor of Public Relations and Advertising. Has professional experience in public relations and advertising with Pittsburgh Corning Corp., Koppers Co. Inc. and PNC Financial Corp.
- Tim Hudson, Professor of Communication. He is an expert in journalism ethics and multimedia research methods, and worked professionally in television journalism, documentary production, multimedia design and international media education.
- Bill Moushey, Professor of Journalism. Spent 36 years as a professional journalist, documenting a wide range of abuses in the criminal justice system and elsewhere. He can discuss – among other issues in this area -- prosecutorial misconduct and topics related to wrongful convictions.
School of Arts and Sciences
- Jessica McCort, Assistant Professor of Composition. Her areas of expertise include American women authors, children’s literature, horror and the Gothic in children’s literature, fairy tales, and composition and rhetoric.
- Robert McInerney, Associate Professor of Psychology. Holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology. He also is lead analyst, supervisor of research and community practicum coordinator with Operation Safety Net, a Pittsburgh-based street medicine program.
- Andrew Richards, Lecturer of Criminal Justice and Intelligence Studies. He spent 25 years as a federal agent, including as a national fraud subject matter expert for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He is an expert in fraud and white collar crime, and is listed nationally with Experts.com.
- Brent Robbins, Associate Professor of Psychology. His published research includes mixed method investigations of emotion, embodiment and the medicalization of the body in contemporary Western culture, with a focus on the implications of these findings for the treatment of mental illness.
- Robert Ross, Associate Professor of Global Cultural Studies. He has expertise in the Palestinian BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement. His teaching and research interests center on the geographies of capitalism. Another area of interest is 19th century baseball – he is the author of “The Great Baseball Revolt: The Rise and Fall of the 1890 Players League.”
- Mark Wintz, Assistant Professor of Intelligence and National Security. Expertise in American foreign policy, international relations, international terrorism, Middle East politics, military history, national security and weapons of mass destruction.
School of Education
- Janice Glunk, Associate Professor of Education. The former superintendent of Steel Valley School District and developed the first school-wide Title I programs in Western Pennsylvania as the coordinator of literacy and federal programs at Steel Valley. She can speak to reading methods for elementary school students.
- Richard Gutkind, Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Program, Education. He spent 35 years working in Pittsburgh Public Schools, including serving as a principal and executive director for curriculum and instruction.
- Arleen Wheat, Professor of Special Education. Expertise in special education and educational disabilities, bullying prevention, and safety and training for the prevention of school shootings and violence.
Conservatory of Performing Arts
- Colleen Hooper, Assistant Professor of Dance History. She is a 20th century dance historian with a Ph.D. in dance from Temple University.
- Kiesha Lalama, Associate Professor of Dance. She is a choreographer and editor with more than 40 works to date. She has created works for companies all around the United States, and has taught master classes and workshops for Cirque Du Soleil, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and many others.
- Garfield Lemonius, Associate Professor of Dance. Relevant experience/areas of expertise: Choreographic theory and practice, dance curriculum development, and instructional theory and practice.
- Kim Martin, Producing Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Has been associated with the Playhouse since her start as a student in 1983. She has a long career as an artistic director, director and production stage manager and producing director, and is an expert on the history of the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
- Matt Pelfrey, Graduate Program Director of Cinema Arts. A film, theatre and television writer who most notably worked as a staff writer on the MTV drama “Skins.” His writing and expertise has deep roots in the genre of horror, and he will be teaching a Zombie Cinema class in the spring semester.