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EXPERT ALERTS

• Higher Education Institutions Discover a Primary Recruitment Strategy in Social Media
• China's Energy Footprint in North America: Good or Bad for Oil and Gas?
• Voter ID Law Headed to Washington
• Caution Warranted for New Weight-Loss Pill
• Technology, Law Clash in Twitter Contempt Case
• Court May Affirm Gene Patent
• Surplus Leading to LNG Terminal Conversions

EXPERT ROUNDUP: POLITICAL CONVENTIONS

MEDIA JOBS

• Editor/Producer - NYC
• Staff Writer - Elk, Nev.
• Copy Desk Chief - Birmingham, Ala.
• Sports Reporter/Editor - Crawfordsville, Ind.
• Editorial Assistant - Baltimore

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Seven Business Lessons From Your Cat
• Weekly Roundup: USA Today and Subway, Using Press Releases, Chick-Fil-A
• Freelance Focus: Query Letters
• Should Sportswriters Have Been Tougher on Joe Paterno?

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EXPERT ALERTS

Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts

Higher Education Institutions Discover a Primary Recruitment Strategy in Social Media
Hal Licino
Email Consultant
Benchmark Email
"More than a third of all universities and colleges in the United States have optimized their Web presences to facilitate mobile browsers, and these figures are expected to double by next year, according to a recent Noel-Levitz study. The wholesale rush to providing potential students with easy access to the institution’s information, values and benefits in a way which best suits their preferred manner to access the Internet shows that colleges and universities are clearly aware of the power of social media and the ability to reach their prospects anywhere and at any time. Their efforts do not stop at mobile optimization, as nearly two-thirds of all institutions also use QR codes to attract students to their sites."
Website: www.benchmarkemail.com
News Contact: Jennifer Perez, jennifer.perez@benchmarkemail.com or +1-562-481-4795

China's Energy Footprint in North America: Good or Bad for Oil and Gas?
James J. Cerna
CEO
Armada Oil
"China will have an impact on developing our domestic sources of oil and gas and has the potential to reduce our reliance on imported oil and all of the financial and security headaches to go with it. There’s plenty of oil and gas, but it's difficult to extract with the techniques currently available in places such as China."
Cerna is available to discuss the impact of recent deals such as Cnooc and Nexen and its financial, economic and political impact of Chinese investments in North American energy projects.
News Contact: Jerry Schranz, jschranz@beckermanpr.com or +1-201-465-8020

Voter ID Law Headed to Washington
Chris Gober
Attorney and Political Legal Consultant
Gober Hilgers PLLC in Dallas
"During the trial over its voter identification legislation, which requires citizens to show a valid photo ID to vote, the State of Texas repeatedly undercut the Department of Justice’s claims. However, the state may not have done enough to meet its high burden of proof under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. In one instance, the State of Texas forced Democratic State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer to admit on the witness stand that he had previously made false claims that his mother did not possess a valid photo ID. But even that type of testimony does little to help the state prove its case. This could end in a U.S. Supreme Court showdown that ultimately decides the fate of the Voting Rights Act."
News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534

Caution Warranted for New Weight-Loss Pill
Rick Meadow
Attorney/Head of Lanier's Pharmaceutical Litigation Division
The Lanier Law Firm in Houston
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Vivus Inc.'s highly anticipated diet drug Qsymia. But FDA approval isn't a golden ticket. The FDA is limited in what it can review in new drug approvals and doesn't do its own testing, simply relying instead on the testing and 'good faith' of drug companies. Based on historical problems with weight-loss pills, and the facts we've uncovered about drug companies in other instances, doctors and potential patients should closely monitor aftermarket testing, marketing and adverse event reports for Qsymia, which is a combination of the drugs Phentermine and Topomax, both of which have been linked previously to safety concerns."
News Contact: Alan Bentrup, alan@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534

Technology, Law Clash in Twitter Contempt Case
Jonathan Smaby
Executive Director of Texas Center for Legal Ethics
Author of "On the Merits" blog
"Upset with the plea bargains offered to two teenagers who sexually assaulted her, a Kentucky high-school student was hit with contempt charges after violating a court order by posting the names of her attackers on Twitter. This is yet another example of growing conflicts between technology and the law. Courts that handle cases involving juveniles routinely order that no one discuss the case because of the potential harm to both the victims and defendants. It's a means of trying to protect the young people who become involved in the criminal justice system, and it typically works well. But in this case, we're seeing how the Internet has changed the playing field."
News Contact: Bruce Vincent, bruce@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534

Court May Affirm Gene Patent
Paul Skiermont
Attorney
Skiermont Puckett in in Dallas
"A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., is reviewing its ruling of last year that Utah’s Myriad Genetics, which currently holds patents on two genes that can signal if a woman faces greater risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, can be the exclusive U.S. provider of genetic screenings of these diseases. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Federal Circuit to reconsider the case in light of its ruling in a different case that tightened rules on medical-testing patents. The Myriad case illustrates the enormous role the federal judiciary will play in defining the direction of the life sciences market. This case could resolve the multibillion-dollar question of whether a potential cure for cancer from DNA sequencing and extraction is a patentable invention, or a patent-ineligible discovery of a law of nature."
News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534

Surplus Leading to LNG Terminal Conversions
Doug Pedigo
Attorney
Thompson & Knight in Houston
"Plans are underway to convert at least eight terminals originally proposed to handle the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the U.S. into export facilities. Although each of these proposals will be heavily scrutinized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy, this is a positive development given the surplus of domestic natural gas and plenty of willing buyers of LNG among Asian and European interests seeking long-term supplies. The LNG facilities will chill natural gas to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare the product for overseas transport by ship. Any LNG purchaser would also be interested in making an equity investment in an export terminal to provide a hedge against commercial uncertainty and performance risk. It makes good business sense to have some skin in the liquefaction market overall."
News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534

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EXPERT ROUNDUP: POLITICAL CONVENTIONS (31 experts)

Following is a list of experts who can discuss various aspects of the upcoming Democratic and Republican conventions. Photos of some of the following experts are available on ProfNet Connect. You can view them here: goo.gl/bL1E8

Saladin Ambar
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Lehigh University
Ambar researches American politics and the American presidency and governorship.
"In a word, this is all about the Republican Party's ability to control its 'crazies.' The balance Romney has attempted to strike thus far is one raving-lunatic fringe speech away from doing him serious damage with Independents, who will ultimately decide the election."
Twitter: @dinambar
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Henri Barkey
International Relations Professor
Lehigh University
"The difference between the Republican and Democratic positions on foreign policy is that the party out of power and unencumbered by the reality of managing complex issues has the luxury of retreating behind the myth of American power. Republicans have yet to understand that power does not flow from the barrel of the gun. Truth is, the best person who understood the complexities of power was Bill Clinton."
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Gene Beaupre, Ph.D.

Assistant Director of the Philosophy, Politics and the Public Honors Program, and Director of Government Relations
Xavier University in Cincinnati
For decades, Beaupre has been a resource on politics and political communication locally and nationally. He earned a B.A. in political science from Xavier University and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Cincinnati. He has managed numerous political campaigns. Beaupre can speak without bias about any political party or strategy, though his work has historically been with Democrats. Here are two examples of his interviews: nyti.ms/PF4qI0 and bit.ly/NQ7IaJ
Expert Contact: beaupre@xavier.edu

Jeffrey Berry
Professor of Political Science
Tufts University
Berry specializes in American politics and political behavior. He is one of the nation's top experts on interest groups, citizen participation and policy making. His current research focuses on political talk radio, which he labels "the outrage industry." He is exceptionally knowledgeable on presidential history and has also covered Mitt Romney's tenure as Massachusetts governor.
News Contact: Alexander Reid, alexander.reid@tufts.edu or +1-617-627-4173

Dan Birdsong
Political Science Lecturer
University of Dayton
Birdsong has a background in polling and policy research. He is currently researching how people consume news in an era of multiple sources and new media. He is also tracking presidential candidates' use of Twitter. Birdsong received his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati, where he worked from 2005-2009 at the Institute for Policy Research on the Ohio Poll, the Ohio Health Issues Poll and the Greater Cincinnati Survey.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Chris Borick
Associate Professor of Political Science
Director of the Institute of Public Opinion
Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Penn.
Borick does polling and follows all congressional, senate and presidential races. He is an expert in anything to do with Pennsylvania politics and voting patterns.
News Contact: Mike Bruckner, bruckner@muhlenberg.edu or +1-484-664-3230

Maria de los Angeles Torres
Professor and Director of Latin American and Latino Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago
Torres, a Cuban-born political scientist, has focused her work on Latino politics in the U.S. and Cuba and exiles. She is the author of two books, "The Lost Apple: Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the U.S. and the Promise of a Better Future" (Beacon Press, 2004) and "In the Land of Mirrors: The Politics of Cuban Exiles in the United States" (University of Michigan Press, 1999). Torres is available to discuss Latino voters and the immigration issue in the presidential election, i.e., how President Obama presents his administration's record on immigration, how Mitt Romney deals with the Tea Party's position on increased enforcement, and Sen. Marco Rubio's role at the convention.
News Contact: Brian Flood, bflood@uic.edu or +1-312-996-7681

Mark Ensalaco
Director of Human Rights Studies
University of Dayton
Ensalaco can discuss immigration and human rights (especially human trafficking) and foreign policy as it relates to world dictators and transitions of power (Fidel Castro). Ensalaco's focus is especially on human trafficking, which is a big problem in the Midwest. He was part of a group instrumental in pushing through an Ohio bill to make human trafficking a felony in Ohio. Latin American issues are another part of his expertise, so he's very familiar with border and immigration issues. He is fluent in Spanish.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Stephen J. Farnsworth
Professor of Political Science
University of Mary Washington
Farnsworth co-authored a recent study, “News Coverage of New Presidents in The New York Times, 1981-2009,″ which has received mentions in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He also directs the University of Mary Washington's Center for Leadership and Media Studies, and is the author or co-author of four books: “Spinner in Chief: How Presidents Sell Their Policies and Themselves”; “The Nightly News Nightmare: Media Coverage of U.S. Presidential Elections, 1988-2008”; “The Mediated Presidency: Television News and Presidential Governance”; and “Political Support in a Frustrated America.” He has written extensively about mass media, the presidency, and U.S. and Virginia politics. In a recent interview on WMAL, Farnsworth said Virginia could well decide not only the presidential election but control of the Senate as well. Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen, both former governors, are in a tight race to succeed Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat. Mitt Romney can benefit from what Farnsworth called a “highly organized and relatively cohesive Republican Party in Virginia that is very capable of winning elections.”
Twitter: @drsfarnsworth
Expert Contact: sfarnswo@umw.edu

Sean Foreman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science
Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla.
"Florida is truly up for grabs in this tight presidential election. Being in South Florida provides a view from the battlefield in this historic race that could go down to the wire."
Foreman is co-editor of "The Roads to Congress 2010," and wrote the introduction to the book about the midterm elections, as well as about Marco Rubio's election as Florida's U.S. senator. Foreman has written other book chapters about presidential and congressional elections. He has a chapter about Mitt Romney's 2012 Republican primary campaign in the forthcoming book called "The Race to Beat Obama." His article "Top 10 Reasons Why Barack Obama Won the Presidency in 2008 and What It Means for the 2012 Election" will appear in the fall 2012 edition of the journal Florida Political Chronicle. Foreman is a frequent radio and television commentator on national politics, as well as Florida state and local government issues. He is the current president of the Florida Political Science Association.
Twitter: @DrSeanForeman
Expert Contact: sforeman@mail.barry.edu or +1-305-899-4098

James M. Glaser

Tufts University
Professor
Glaser specializes in electoral politics, public opinion and the politics of race and ethnicity. He can discuss the presidential campaign in general and can also offer a particular perspective on election politics as the candidates' focus turns towards Southern states. His most recent book, "The Hand of the Past in Contemporary Southern Politics," published in 2005 by Yale University Press, received the Southern Political Science Association's V.O. Key Prize awarded to the best book in Southern politics. He is also the co-author of "Changing Minds, if Not Hearts: Political Solutions to Racial Issues," forthcoming from University of Pennsylvania Press.
News Contact: Alexander Reid, alexander.reid@tufts.edu or +1-617-627-4173

William Gorton
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Alma College
Dr. Gorton argues that political discourse has become less rational and scientific despite evidence that Americans are more intelligent, sophisticated and savvier than ever before. He argues that this “dumbing down” of political discourse is a result of social scientists and campaign consultants helping politicians craft messages that appeal to particular demographic groups. A prime example was John McCain’s use of Joe the Plumber in the 2008 presidential debates. Gorton coins this the “Luntz effect,” named after Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who advises his candidates to always use simple words and direct their political positions toward particular individuals. Gorton bases his argument on an analysis of presidential debates over the last 60 years. Since 1992, Gorton and co-author Janie Diels, assistant professor of communication at Alma College, found a significant decline in the abstract language used in debates. They point out this doesn’t mean politicians are less intelligent than they used to be; rather, politicians purposely shy away from talking in abstract terms and instead use language that trigger an “us vs. them” response.
Website: bit.ly/O45Uft
News Contact: Mike Silverthorn, silverthorn@alma.edu or +1-989-463-7290

Christina Greer
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Fordham University
"The conventions this year will likely not look like any of the conventions in previous election years. Since the election cycles seem to start earlier and earlier every term and many seats are either up for grabs or in the process of being claimed/reclaimed -- and because of the growing individuality of elected officials and state-specific needs and wants (in contrast to the larger national party) -- many elected officials are opting to stay in their districts and protect their respective seats. This year's conventions will truly show us that all politics are local. Some elected officials need/want to distance themselves from particular platforms of their national party (e.g., gay marriage, immigration, health care). Some elected officials represent districts that are more conservative or liberal than their national party platforms, and are facing challengers at home. This year's conventions are about affirming Obama for the Dems and reluctantly rallying around Romney for the Republicans. Either way, some elected officials have bigger fish to fry and will choose to stay home and protect themselves, especially since much of the mega super PAC money will not make its way into their coffers."
Greer's research and teaching focuses on American politics, black ethnic politics, urban politics, quantitative methods and public opinion. She is currently conducting research on the history of African-Americans and the executive office in the U.S. Greer's research interests also include crime and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore. She is currently working on a book manuscript: "Shared Visions, Different Dreams: Black Ethnic Identity, Participation, and Policy."  Greer received her B.A. from Tufts University and her M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University.
Twitter: @Dr_CMGreer
Expert Contact: cgreer@fordham.edu

John "Jack" A. Jones
Assistant Professor of Communication
University of Illinois at Chicago
Jones, who is an expert in the areas of persuasive messages, credibility, nonverbal communication, and intercultural presentations; is a veteran coach and advisor to business and government leaders. As a professional speech writer for governors and mayors, he knows the challenges that convention speakers and their speechwriters face. He is available to discuss the persuasiveness of convention speeches.
"Each convention speaker's personal credibility can spark or dampen impact."
News Contact: Brian Flood, bflood@uic.edu or +1-312-996-7681

Nitzan Lebovic
Assistant Professor of History
Lehigh University
Lebovic is a German and German-Jewish historian who can speak to distrust in government and surveillance.
"The recent decade proves an unprecedented correlation between security and digital technology, an unholy covenant that risks centuries of struggle for liberty and human rights. In my work on the biometric technology and other systems of surveillance and identification, I see a great danger of encountering and erasing the private sphere of the individual in favor of 'universal' control and supervision. Contemporary politics is intervening in our private sphere on the one hand, but withdrawing from taking wide social responsibility on the other, which is the reason we needed it there to begin with."
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Jeremy Littau
Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication
Lehigh University
Littau is an expert in social media and new media in journalism.
"This is really the first social media presidential election. Twitter had a fraction of the total users in 2008 that it does now, but a big change is that politicians and party leaders at both the national level and grassroots have invaded Twitter in heavy numbers since they saw Barack Obama use social media successfully in 2008. There is much more potential for getting your message directly to the people, but there also is opportunity for mischief. It will make it interesting to see how much the parties try to control what is being tweeted from the floor, because to a certain degree they can't without some coercion. It also opens up the possibility of a true convention backchannel, which is a phenomenon we see at other types of conventions. The audience has a voice and can turn on speakers quickly. I wonder how Bill Clinton's 1988 speech, which was widely panned for being overly long, would have played on Twitter with a backchannel? So for political junkies, monitoring convention hashtags could be entertaining if a speaker isn't doing well."
Twitter: @JeremyLittau
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Jamie Longazel
Sociology Professor
University of Dayton
Longazel researches the local and national politics of immigration, as well as other issues pertaining to race, law and crime. He is currently investigating the politics surrounding local immigration laws, such as those in Alabama; Arizona; South Carolina; and Hazleton, Pa. Longazel earned his Ph.D. at the University of Delaware and was previously a doctoral fellow at the American Bar Foundation in Chicago. His work has been published in the Chicano/a Latino/a Law Review; Journal of Criminal Justice; Race & Justice; and Taking Local Control, an edited volume about state and local immigration policy published by Stanford University Press.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Mack Mariani, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science and Sociology
Xavier University in Cincinnati
Mariani is a Buffalo, N.Y., native. He earned his B.A. at Canisius College (1991), and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University (1992, 2006). His teaching and research interests include campaigns and elections, Congress and the legislative process, women and politics, and political internships/experiential learning. He is co-author of "Diverging Parties" (Westview Press, 2003) and co-editor of "The Insider's Guide to Political Internships" (Westview Press, 2002). His research has appeared in Legislative Studies Quarterly; Political Science Quarterly; PS: Political Science & Politics; Politics & Gender; Comparative State Politics; and the Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence. Mariani can speak without bias about any political party or strategy, though his work has historically been with Republicans. Here's an example of his writing: cin.ci/OWZCJm
Expert Contact: marianim@xavier.edu

Matthew Melone
Finance and Law Professor
Lehigh University
Melone is an expert in federal income taxation and corporate governance. He has analyzed and written about the recent Affordable Care Act.
"I am curious to see how much play ObamaCare gets on the Democratic side. I believe the Republicans will give significant attention to this issue at their convention -- basically calling for a repeal. The Democrats have been running away from this issue and I am eager to see if they stand up and defend it at their convention. They can't use the Supreme Court as their whipping post now, and that leaves them with the task of defending their legislation on the merits."
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Ted Morgan
Political Science Professor
Lehigh University
Morgan has devoted much of his career to exploring how protest, politics and the media have shaped life in the United States. He is the author of "What Really Happened to the 1960s: How Mass Media Failed American Democracy."
"We all know the presidential conventions are political theatre and almost entirely devoid of real substance, so the question is: can the Occupy movement do what it did before -- force an issue into America's consciousness? Earlier, Occupy got its message of inequality onto the nation's political agenda. All that could happen at the conventions is that Occupy might get its message across that the two-party political system is failing to address the real needs of Americans. That, however, is a tricky proposition, requiring careful and creative planning."
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Grant Neeley
Political Science Professor
University of Dayton
Neeley's research interests include public opinion, voting behavior, public administration and political behavior. He also teaches classes in morality policy and public sector human resources management, and has published research on concealed carry laws and traffic safety. Neeley is a public affairs officer in the Navy Reserve, and has worked for the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati and the Social Science Research Institute at the University of Tennessee.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Zizi Papacharissi
Professor and Head of Communication
University of Illinois at Chicago
Political communication, communication technology, information society and digital democracy are among Papacharissi's areas of expertise. Much of her work focuses on the social and political consequences of online media, and she has been published widely in journals covering media and politics. Her book, "A Private Sphere: Democracy in a Digital Age" (Polity Press, 2009) discusses how online media "redefine our understanding of public and private in late-modern democracies, thus outlining new parameters for civic engagement in a digital age." Papacharissi, who is editor of the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, can comment on convention topics related to the use of social media, but also traditional media for campaigns, and efforts to engage the public.
Twitter: @zizip
News Contact: Brian Flood, bflood@uic.edu or +1-312-996-7681

Michelle Pautz
Political Science Professor
University of Dayton
Pautz's research focuses on environmental policy and regulation, government accountability, film and politics, and the administration of policy. She has a Ph.D. in public administration from Virginia Tech. Pautz has worked with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to develop and implement EPA compliance programs. She has published research on environmental policy compliance in more than six academic journals, with three articles due to be published in 2012.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Brian Pinaire
Associate Professor of Political Science
Lehigh University
Pinaire studies (and comments on) American politics and public law.
"The 2008 conventions may have been watched by the most since 1960, but all that means is that they were the most watched since 1960 -- big deal! They were, for the most part, scripted wastes of time since the 1980s and surely into 2004. The 1960 election was a first-of-its-kind, with JFK as the first Catholic nominee with a plausible chance of winning, and 2008 had the same effect for obvious reasons. You can't be a snooze-fest for four decades and then have one 'up' cycle and claim that that is the way we are cutting now, especially when you go on to concede that energy and enthusiasm are lower this year, negating the purported momentum you claimed to be flowing from the last cycle."
Twitter: @impoliticker
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Kent Portney
Professor of Political Science

Tufts University
Portney specializes in public policy and political behavior and is also an authority on sustainability. He can give general insight on environmental policy and related issues as they emerge in the presidential campaign. Among the courses he teaches: "Politics of Environmental Policy in the U.S." Portney has a current perspective on political trends among college-aged people. He directed a recent national survey to see how engaged students are in politics and pop culture. His current research focuses on analyzing sustainable cities initiatives throughout the United States.
News Contact: Alexander Reid, alexander.reid@tufts.edu or +1-617-627-4173

Timothy Quigley
Assistant Professor of Management
Lehigh University
Quigley is an expert in CEO evolution and succession and managerial discretion.
"In the world of both CEOs and presidential candidates, a consistency of message and actions or perceptions is critical to gaining support of employees or citizens. In short, the candidate has a tougher time than a CEO because of the opposition and often long records of taking (sometimes different) positions on important issues. Candidates must communicate a simple vision that is easy to grasp, that clearly describes some of some future state of affairs and lays out a logical path for getting there. Like CEOs, they need to establish foundational set of beliefs, consistent communication and reinforcement of those ideas, and personal behavior that is also consistent with the message communicated."
Twitter: @tim_quigley
News Contact: Sally Gilotti, sgilotti@lehigh.edu or +1-610-758-3224

Craig R. Smith, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Communication Studies at California State University in Long Beach
Former Speech Writer for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush
An emeritus professor of communication studies and director of the Center for First Amendment Studies at Cal State Long Beach (CSULB), Smith has hands-on experience (as a researcher/writer for network news coverage) with political conventions dating back to 1968, and his knowledge of political conventions dates back to the first ones in 1832. In addition to being a former speech writer for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, Smith also has held a few other positions in the political arena. He was the deputy director of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee; campaign manager for the Re-Election Campaign of Senator Bob Packwood; director of Senate Services for the Republican Conference of the U.S. Senate; and a member of the Official Proceedings Staff of Republican Convention in 1992.
News Contact: Rick Gloady, rick.gloady@csulb.edu or +1-562-985-5454

Randy Sparks
Marketing Professor
University of Dayton
Sparks is less interested in what candidates say than in how they say it. With a background in radio broadcasting and research in the art of persuasion, Sparks is highly attuned to how convincing candidates are in speeches and debates. Sparks analyzed candidate speeches during the 2008 presidential campaign and is available for morning-after comments on speeches and debates. His persuasion research has appeared in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology and The New Scientist.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Richard Stock
Director
University of Dayton Business Research Group
Stock researches and monitors the battered Ohio economy, keeping an eye on trends in jobs, unemployment, housing sales, impact of the foreclosure crisis, industry and signs of recovery.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Bob Taft
Distinguished Research Associate
University of Dayton
Former Ohio Gov. (1999-2007) Bob Taft heads the Center for Education Excellence at the University of Dayton, and he serves on the Ohio Advisory Board of Strong American Schools. As governor, Taft earned a strong reputation for school initiatives and provided significant leadership on education issues, and continues to work to help states raise academic standards and close the "expectations gap" so that all high-school students graduate ready for college and work. He is frequently sought for his education expertise, especially as it intersects with state and national policy.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

Joe Valenzano III
Communications Professor
University of Dayton
Valenzano's research interests include rhetoric and public communication, political communication, religious communication and culture, and communication education. His doctoral dissertation focused on President George W. Bush’s use of the words "freedom" and "terror." His other research articles include: President Obama's understanding of American exceptionalism, religion in the TV show "Supernatural," Pope John Paul II's death as a final homily and Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Turkey. He has a Ph.D. from Georgia State University in public communication.
Website: bit.ly/wFLL6u
News Contact: Cameron Fullam, fullam@udayton.edu or +1-937-229-3256

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Editor/Producer - NYC
• Staff Writer - Elk, Nev.
• Copy Desk Chief - Birmingham, Ala.
• Sports Reporter/Editor - Crawfordsville, Ind.
• Editorial Assistant - Baltimore

See more listings here.

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

• SEVEN BUSINESS LESSONS FROM YOUR CAT: ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne shares business lessons she's learned from her kitties: goo.gl/DMMLN

• WEEKLY ROUNDUP: USA TODAY AND SUBWAY, USING PRESS RELEASES, AND CHICK-FIL-A: ProfNet Editor Jason Hahn reviews 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories from last week: goo.gl/Bzs8F

• FREELANCE FOCUS: QUERY LETTERS: ProfNet Director Maria Perez interviews two reporters about how they write pitches: goo.gl/4CtqA

• SHOULD SPORTSWRITERS HAVE BEEN TOUGHER ON JOE PATERNO? Journalist Tony Rogers raises tough questions regarding the coverage of the Penn State scandal: goo.gl/V7awF