Assistant Professor Brooklyne Gipson

Brooklyne Gipson (she/her) is an assistant professor of Communication at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Gipson is an interdisciplinary scholar whose areas of research include digital and social media environments, Black feminist digital/technology studies, and the intersection of race, gender, social media, and power. Her current research takes an intersectional approach to analyzing how anti-Black discourses manifest themselves in everyday discursive exchanges within Black social media spaces. Gipson earned a doctorate in Communication from the University of Southern California.

Assistant Professor María Celeste Wagner

María Celeste Wagner (Celeste) (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism at the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, where she is also an affiliate faculty of the Center for Latin American Studies.  Wagner studies processes of media reception and influence around political and social issues, particularly intersecting gender inequalities in the Americas. Methodologically, she draws from qualitative interviewing methods, surveys, experiments, and comparative approaches. Fieldwork for her research has been conducted in Argentina and the United States. Wagner earned a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.

Associate Teaching Professor Gina Marcello

Gina Marcello (she/her) Gina Marcello is an interdisciplinary scholar deeply committed to the transformative power of media literacy education. Her scholarship and pedagogy draw from critical media studies, psychology, communication, philosophy, and education. Beyond her current role as a university professor and department chair, Gina also serves as a corporate learning and development consultant. Her experience in academia and industry brings a holistic perspective to her teaching and research. A proud three-time Rutgers alumna, she holds a bachelor’s degree in communication (and English from the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences), a Master of Communication and Media, and a doctorate from SC&I. 

Assistant Teaching Professor Alyse Shorland

Alyse Shorland (she/her) Alyse Shorland is a two-time Emmy and Peabody-winning director and producer and has also taught as an adjunct professor of journalism and documentary film at New York University. Alyse has directed and produced documentaries and series independently and in collaboration with network and streaming clients, including HBO, Netflix, CNN, HULU, NBC Films, and FX.  Her most recent projects include the coming-of-age documentary, The Debutantes, set to premiere this spring, and Empire of Ebony, the first production to tell the story of the Johnson Publishing Company, creators of Ebony and Jet magazine. She was previously a director on The Weekly, a documentary series with the New York Times, Fiasco (FX), and Vice News Tonight for HBO. She’s produced stories for CBS Sunday Morning and the CNN documentary series Black in America with Soledad O’Brien. In 2023, she was named to Doc NYC’s 40 Under 40. Alyse received her master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from New York University. 

More information about the Journalism and Media Studies Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information is on the website.

Photos courtesy of Gipson, Wagner, Marcello, and Shorland.