FSU Health<\/a>.<\/p>\nAmong the council members is journalist Stephen Langel, who believes this opportunity has been a long time coming. As a journalist of over 25 years, Langel began reaching out to the College of Communication and Information (CCI) as early as 2000 while covering Congress in Washington, D.C., hoping to guide students interested in journalism.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really appreciative of Dr. Merle for doing this. I think it\u2019s a well-thought-out plan,\u201d Langel said. \u201cI think it\u2019s really forward thinking, and I\u2019m so glad he\u2019s doing it. I think it\u2019s going to really benefit the students, which is the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Langel sees the council as a tool to help the school adapt to the constantly evolving media landscape. He hopes to use his experience in journalism to give students who want to work in his industry a direct mentor who can guide them on their paths.<\/p>\n
Another member, Drew Piers, President at Sachs Media, echoed the same sentiment about giving back to the FSU community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FSU School of Communication gave so much to me as a student and was truly a launchpad for my career,\u201d Piers said. \u201cBeing invited back to help advise the school feels both meaningful and full circle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piers emphasized how today\u2019s communication industry is more research-driven, data-centric, and shaped by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. He views the council as a long-term bridge between the classroom and the industry, as it will allow for feedback about industry needs and shifts in the professional world.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we make sure students are fluent in research and measurement, not just messaging?\u201d Piers said. \u201cHow do we introduce AI thoughtfully so they understand both its potential and its responsibility?\u201d<\/p>\n
Entrepreneur and advertising professional Victoria V. Carlton also described her involvement in the council as a full-circle moment. As part of the inaugural communication cohort at FSU Florence, led by Merle, Carlton said serving on the advisory council allows her to give back to the same institution that provided her with a global perspective and professional foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my experience as an entrepreneur, I\u2019ve found that many students are eager to understand the real-world application of their studies,\u201d Carlton said. \u201cMy goal is to help identify those practical \u2018knowledge gaps\u2019 and share my experiences as a business owner so students can see a clear path for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlton also hopes to advocate for programs outside of the traditional four-year degree path, including master\u2019s programs and international opportunities, highlighting the long-term return on investment that those experiences can offer.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the first meeting, members described the atmosphere as positive and forward-thinking. Piers called it \u201cenergizing and fun,\u201d while Langel said the session helped set expectations and lay the foundation for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s particularly important to have alumni representing all areas and several generations to make sure we have a variety of perspectives,\u201d Merle concluded.<\/p>\n
Full List of Members<\/p>\n
Victoria V. Carlton \u2013 Founder and Communication & Marketing Account Executive at Carlton Creative Co.
\nDara Cohen \u2013 Senior Director and Strategic Communications & Media Relations for the American Gaming Association
\nOlivia K. Fajardo \u2013 Director of Research at the Institute for Public Relations
\nRitesh Gupta \u2013 Video Director
\nWeesam A. Khoury \u2013 Associate Vice President and Communications & External Affairs with the Health Care District of Palm Beach County
\nStephen Langel \u2013 Freelance reporter, editor, and producer, focusing on community engagement and marginalized populations
\nAnne Marie Lindemann \u2013 Communications Designer for Small Brands, Principal Designer with amlindemann as Freelance
\nDrew Piers \u2013 President at Sachs Media
\nJane Rayburn \u2013 Co-founder and Head of Polling & Qualitative at Workbench Strategy
\nNannette M. Schimpf \u2013 Vice President at Moore
\nAbigail Sigal \u2013 Founder and Principal at Merit Communications
\nJennifer Vasbinder \u2013 Public Relations & Influencer Communications at Universal Orlando Resort
\nLauren Wanthal \u2013 Account Director and Brand Communications at Acceleration Community of Companies
\nZoe Zirlin \u2013 Senior Advertising Research Manager at Roku<\/p>\n
Alumni and professionals interested in joining the School of Communication Advisory Council may reach out to Patrick Merle, Professor and Director of the School of Communication at pmerle@fsu.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The School of Communication (SCOM) held the first meeting of its inaugural advisory council on Jan. 27, marking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":186862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-186861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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