Faculty and Staff
Laurel Hellerstein, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Communication, received a B.A. and M.A. in Broadcast Communication Arts from San Francisco State University and went on to earn her Doctorate in Communication from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her dissertation and ground-breaking research undertaken while at UMass more than twenty years ago relate to how people use computers to talk to each other and build community online. Dr. Hellerstein now provides oversight to one of the first Internet Studies majors in the United States. In addition to teaching about “life online,” Dr. Hellerstein has brought to Endicott impressive skills in research methods. One of her primary roles is providing academic over-sight to Seniors as they move from their full-semester internship to their final Thesis research effort.
Amy M. Damico is a Professor in the School of Communication and is Faculty Advisor to the Endicott Honors Program. She holds a B.S. in Television Production and Writing from Emerson College, an Ed.M. with a concentration in Technology in Education from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D in Communication from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her interests include media literacy, popular culture, and children's media. Professor Damico has published a number of articles on media literacy, health, and teaching and learning and is co-editor of September 11 in Popular Culture: A guide.
Sara Johnson Allen, Assistant Professor in the School of Communication, received her B.A. in Integrated Studies in Communication from Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston, MA. Prior to joining the faculty at Endicott College, Professor Allen worked with a variety of non-profit and for-profit organizations as a marketing writer and consultant. She also taught at Newbury College and Salem State University. Her academic interests include the evolution of marketing communication and also how digital and mobile technology are changing our society.
Dennis Lanson, Professor, has taught film and video production since 1977. At the same time he has pursued a career in the industry for more than three decades, as a screenwriter, director, editor, and documentarian. His award-winning nonfiction films have screened on PBS, at Washington's Kennedy Center, New York's MOMA, and Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. He has also produced and directed a wide range of educational and promotional projects; worked in motion picture advertising, writing and producing trailers and spots for major studio releases; and freelanced as a documentary cameraman and editor. He is a graduate of Haverford College (BA) and Columbia University's School of the Arts (MFA), and was a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute.
Eleanor Pye received her B.S. and M.A. in Mass Communications with a concentration in television and video from Emerson College in Boston, and she is currently enrolled in the Doctorate of Education program at Northeastern University. Most of her professional life has been working within community access media, including overseeing the start-up of the community access television station in North Andover, MA and a major facility and technology expansion project in Lowell, MA. Working with so many diverse groups has given her a deep appreciation for the significance of Freedom of Speech as well as the equal importance of content and presentation.
Todd Wemmer received his B.A. in English from Atlantic Union College, and M.A. in English Literature from La Sierra University, and currently is working on a Ph.D in Communication from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research interests portable media, documentary, and citizen journalism. Professor Wemmer most recent project is an interactive DVD that incorporates oral history and amateur photography.
Mong-Shan (Melissa) Yang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Melissa received her B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literature from National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan), and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication from the Ohio State University. Her teaching and research focus on the content, uses and effects of mass media. Specifically, she is interested in research and theories of how youth cognitively, psychologically, and behaviorally interact with television, advertising, and new technology. Her research publications can be found in the Human Communication Research and the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media.
For Further Information Contact
Laurel Hellerstein
Dean of the School of Communication
lhellers@endicott.edu
Academic Center
978-232-2153