Cabrini COM Faculty

Meet the Faculty

Cabrini COM students work side-by-side on their media & classroom projects with their COM Department faculty members. Our offices are located right down the hall from the media labs, video studios, newsroom and radio station.

This means we're always available to answer a question, troubleshoot and issue, or chat about life and careers.

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Dr. Dawn Francis

Associate Professor and Chair of Communication

Dr. Francis is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Communication Department. She teaches courses in digital journalism, marketing communication, and media for social justice. She earned her doctorate from Widener University in Higher Education – Academic Leadership, her master’s from Ohio University in Journalism, and her bachelor’s from Cabrini University in English/Communication.

Dr. Francis worked professionally in Ohio and Pennsylvania in various marketing communication, product management and event management roles. She also helped organizations achieve their change management goals in her positions as a performance consultant, instructional designer, and corporate trainer. Dr. Francis has been teaching in higher education settings since 2002. She received Cabrini’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching in Spring 2021, as well as the Rose and Raymond Green Faculty Scholars Award in 2017. These awards mean a great deal to Dr. Francis because she loves to design, develop and teach communication courses that empower students to work in service of the Common Good.

Dr. Francis presents and publishes on methods for teaching communication for social justice, embedding career education into the communication curriculum, and facilitating faculty professional development initiatives. She is best known in the COM Wing for bringing a big basket of candy with her into every class. Dr. Francis and her husband met in 1990 in a Video Production course here at Cabrini. They have two children, one in middle school and one in high school.

Find out more about Dr. Francis by connecting with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Dr. Nune Grigoryan

Assistant Professor of Communication

Dr. Grigoryan teaches the social media courses in the Communication Department. In her courses, she invites students to explore the fascinating world of social and digital media. Students complete hands-on assignments and learn about the professional side of social media content creation and management.

Her research has focused on media ethics, media literacy, political participation, immigration discourse, and digital alternative media. Her current research interests are in the areas of emerging social media, immigration, democracy, and society.

Dr. Grigoryan earned her master’s degree in Public Administration at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, and her doctorate in Mass Communication at the School of Media Arts & Studies at Ohio University.

Prior to pursuing her graduate education in the U.S., Dr. Grigoryan worked in the civil society development sphere in Armenia. She has over a decade of volunteering and professional experience in the non-profit sector.

Find out more about Dr. Grigoryan by connecting with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Prof. John Doyle

Assistant Professor of Communication

Prof. Doyle is an educator, video producer, podcaster, theatre director, and more. In the COM Department, Prof. Doyle teaches courses in Video Production, Multimedia Story Creation, Visual Journalism, Short Narrative Film, Video Documentary, Advanced Video Editing and others.

Prof. Doyle most recently served at the Director of Communication for Norristown Area School District (NASD) where he was responsible for video production for the district and the management of five YouTube Channels, including a full Spanish language channel. He produced approximately 300 programs per year. Prof. Doyle also taught English, Gifted and Talented Enrichment, and Philosophy courses at NASD. He has been a member of the district’s Cultural Proficiency Team, the Panasonic Foundation Leadership Team, and founded the Black Student Union. He also advised the school newspaper, the Gay Straight Alliance and the Anime Club.

Prof. Doyle has been producing video content for more than 40 years. He currently serves as the videographer for the Montgomery County Commissioners, as well as a variety of non-profit organizations in the Montgomery County region, including the Municipality of Norristown and the NAACP. He was the producer of The Hank Cisco Show, a regional cable program for 19 years and was responsible for visual production at Hope Community Church for 15 years.

In addition to his video work, Prof. Doyle has been producing theatre in the Philadelphia region since 1987. He is the Artistic Director of Iron Age Theatre founded in 1992 and has collaborated with Plays and Players, South Camden Theatre, Passage Theatre, Theatre in the X, Revamp, Luna Theatre and Hedgerow, Play, Pie and a Pint, One Minute Play Festival, Flying Quilt Productions, and the Philadelphia Dramatists Center. He directed the internationally touring production of Howard Zinn’s Marx in Soho and shepherded more than 20 new plays to the stage including social justice plays about Fred Hampton, Thomas Paine, Emma Goldman, and The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. He has produced an annual Juneteenth theatrical event since 2010 and has served as a Barrymore Award judge. His work has been featured in The Theatre Journal and Black Renaissance Noire.

Prof. Doyle is the co-host of “The Racking Focus Podcast,” a weekly film review podcast. He is a founding member of Walla Fest, a regional indie music and arts festival, and the Independent Voices Festival theatre event. He has presented a TedX Talk.

Prof. Doyle earned a bachelor's degree in History, and also, English/Communication, from Cabrini University. He received his master's degree in Theatre and Film from Villanova University.

Find out more about Prof. Doyle by connecting with him on LinkedIn or Instagram.

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Prof. Wendy Rosenfield

Professor of Practice, Communication - Journalism

Prof. Rosenfield is an educator, freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in several national and international publications and just about every publication in the Philadelphia area. Most recently, she taught arts journalism at Temple University and was editor-in-chief of Broad Street Review, an online arts, culture, and opinion site.

She wrote features and theater reviews for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 2006-2016 and was the Philadelphia Weekly’s copy editor, online editor and theater critic from 1995 to 2001. She began her career as publications editor for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, a women’s peace and justice NGO founded by Jane Addams.

She served on the Executive Committee of the American Theatre Critics Association, was a participant in the Bennington Writer's Workshop, a 2008 NEA/USC Fellow in Theater and Musical Theater, and is a frequent guest critic and teacher for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival's Region II National Critics Institute.

She was a judge for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and has judged the Simon Rockower Awards for Jewish Journalism. She also served on the committees of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Awards, the Francesca Primus Awards, and the M. Elizabeth Osborn Awards, all awards for new plays.

She received her B.A. in English Literature from Bennington College and her Master’s degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. For fun, she is a very slow marathoner, a wife, a mother of two great humans, a caretaker of many dogs, chickens, and plants, and taunts her fear of heights by climbing a different Colorado 14er every summer.

Find out more about Prof. Rosenfield by connecting with her on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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Jillian Smith

Associate Director of Student Media & Media Center

Jillian Smith is the Associate Director for Student Media & Media Center in the Communication Department. Jill works closely with students in the department’s media courses, including Loquitur Media, to help enhance their storytelling through various other forms such as video, audio and graphics. Jill received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Communication from Cabrini University in 2009, and her Master of Science degree in Leadership from Cabrini University in 2017.

In addition to her main role, Jill is the Chief Operator and General Manager for the student-run radio station, 89.1 WYBF-FM, Cavalier Radio. It is within this space that Jill works with students to produce their own radio shows and podcasts. She also teaches COM 391 and COM 392, both radio production and advanced radio production courses.

Jill serves as the Faculty Director for the Communication Learning Community for new students interested in the field of Communication. Within the LC, Jill is the instructor for COM 101: Introduction to Media Communication.

Outside of Cabrini, Jill enjoys spending time with her baby girl, as well as her friends and family.

Find out more about Jill by connecting with her on LinkedIn.

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Dr. John Cordes

Associate Professor of Communication

Dr. Cordes is an Associate Professor in the Communication (COM) Department, but now semi-retired. He loves listening to and working with students!  He has been in the COM Department for 14 years and currently specializes in the skills courses of research methods, presentation/public speaking, and business writing.

Before coming to Cabrini, Dr. Cordes served as an administrator, research instructor and academic adviser at the University of Maryland for nearly 20 years. Prior to this time he was the Marketing and Research Manager for the Baltimore Sun Company and earlier a project manager and data processing specialist for an international marketing research company, NFO.

At Cabrini, Dr. Cordes is the faculty sponsor for the Communication Department’s Honor Society, the Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ) chapter.  He co-chaired for many years the annual campus-wide Arts, Research and Scholarship Symposium. He also founded the Communication Department’s Learning Community and served for more than 10 years as the co-Faculty Director for the campus’ Academic and Career Exploration Learning Community (the A.C.E. LLC).

Dr. Cordes' PhD is from the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland (College Park); his M.S. is in Radio/Television/Film from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University; and his B.A. is in Communication Arts from the University of Notre Dame.

Find out more about Dr. Cordes by connecting with him on LinkedIn.

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Prof. Dan Francis

Adjunct Professor, Audio Production

Dan Francis teaches Digital Audio for Media in the Communication Department. He brings over 30 years of media production and live event experience from the pharmaceutical, financial, and tech industries. His technical abilities are accompanied by his management skills and ability to bring confidence and success to any production.

Dan is the Director of Digital Services at IMS Technology Services, a systems integration and event staging organization in Garnet Valley, Pa.  In the past, he has held the positions of Director of Webcast Operations, Webcast Producer, and Production Manager. Dan also freelanced his talents for many years as an audio engineer for live and production sound projects. His audio can be heard on countless videos, voice overs, and audio books.

Dan earned his B.A. in English/Communication from Cabrini University with a concentration in video and audio production.

Find out more about Dan by connecting with him on LinkedIn.

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Prof. Elizabeth Fuscaldo

Adjunct Professor, Integrated Marketing Communication

Elizabeth Fuscaldo teaches Integrated Marketing Communication in the Communication Department. She brings over 25 years of multi-faceted marketing and branding experience to Cabrini University as the owner of Goldfish Media, LLC and a Senior Account Executive at Audacy, LLC.

Her main areas of professional focus include integrated marketing campaign strategies, digital media, media planning/buying, social media marketing, management, and business development. Elizabeth began her career in marketing in radio advertising sales and has worked for many of the biggest broadcasters in the industry including Audacy, CBS, ABC/Disney and Viacom. While radio had always been her first love, Elizabeth's time as the Director of Strategic Sponsorship at the Philadelphia Zoo was one of her favorite professional experiences.

Elizabeth resides in Worcester, Pa., with her family and fur-babies Marley, Benny and Toby. She also has two goldfish, Fluffy and Flipper, who are the mascots of her business, Goldfish Media, LLC. Elizabeth was raised in Phoenixville, Pa., and attended Indiana University in Bloomington, In. If she ever asks you to play the "Two Truths and a Lie" icebreaker game in class, it is absolutely true that she has lived in seven different states, including Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey and Maryland!

Find out more about Elizabeth by connecting with her on LinkedIn.
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Prof. Jana Tidwell

Adjunct Professor, Public Relations

Jana is an adjunct professor in the Communication Department, teaching courses focused on public relations. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cabrini University in English/Communication.

Jana has worked professionally for 25 years in the public relations field, focusing on consumer public relations, designing and implementing creative media outreach campaigns, new product launches and event marketing for high-profile companies. Over the course of her professional career, Jana has represented brands such as Neiman Marcus, Philadelphia Phillies, King of Prussia Mall, McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Starbucks Coffee, Krispy Kreme, and more.

Currently, Jana works for AAA Mid-Atlantic as the manager of public and government affairs, a position she’s held for more than 10 years. She is responsible for development, execution and promotion of AAA Mid-Atlantic’s key traffic safety and advocacy issues.  She also coordinates community, media and legislative relations, as well as local and state-wide initiatives to raise awareness for automotive, travel, insurance, mobility, and traffic safety issues, including impaired driving, distracted driving, teen driving, senior mobility, autonomous vehicles, driver behavior and performance, vulnerable road users, automated enforcement, and more.

Jana is a two-time recipient of a Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) Pepperpot Award (2000, 2009), recognizing excellence in communications campaigns and the public relations industry.

Jana and her husband met at Cabrini in 1992. They have two teenage children.

Find out more about Jana by connecting with her on LinkedIn.

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Prof. Lou Tilley

Adjunct Professor, Sports Communication

Lou Tilley is a familiar face to TV viewers in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Charlotte and across the nation. His 30+ year on-air career has garnered 11 Emmy awards for excellence in reporting, programming and production. A nightly face of sports news in Philadelphia from 1985 until 2011, Lou was seen on CBS-3 and then on The Comcast Network.  At its peak, Lou's own hour-long show "Lou Tilley's Sports Connection" was available to over 21 million homes.

In 2011, Lou leveraged that experience by starting his own company partnering with international businessman Marty Judge to form Lou Tilley Media, a creative content development, branding and marketing agency. From concept to delivery, Lou and his team craft engaging multi-platform content designed to serve each client’s vision and goals. It was a natural transition into the private sector after 10 years as the Executive Producer of Sports Programming, live events, and on-air talent at CN8 (The Comcast Network).

Judge, an executive board member of the Maxwell Football Awards Foundation, helped LTM obtain the production and broadcast rights to the club’s annual gala, held each year in Atlantic City. The MFC, now produced for TV by LTM on national networks and hosted by Lou, remains the passionate center of the agency. In fact, football – sports – and great storytelling are at the core of LTM’s impressive list of clients that include: The CAFL China, The Philadelphia Soul, The AFL, Defend Your Head Sports, The Fencers Club of New York, The Cal Ripken Baseball Group, Ron Jaworski Enterprises, The Judge Group, 1406 Financial Group, Oceans Zero LLC, and more.

In 2012, LTM planted its flag in China, establishing offices in Beijing, leading the media and marketing arm of Marty Judge’s dream venture, the China Arena Football League. This was a blank canvas for LTM. The Chinese market was ready for western style sports, especially football. LTM developed engaging content and streaming delivery systems aimed at China’s massive mobile device audience, in-arena visual entertainment packages, and special fan apps reflecting sponsor-driven demographics.

LTM has also produced and delivered regional and national broadcasts for the AFL (Arena Football League) in the U.S. since 2011, together with partners Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil. Lou continues his career on-air as well as the play by play voice of the AFL, as well as regional college football and basketball events produced by LTM and others.

Lou himself has always been an effective storyteller. Now, as an adjunct professor at Cabrini, he employs the "Three E's" in his curriculum design - education, engagement and enterprise - to help his students learn how to be effective sports communicators.

Find out more about Lou by connecting with him on LinkedIn.

About Us

The Communication Department at Cabrini University is the ideal place for socially minded students who want to learn how to tell stories that matter. We offer a hands-on program in digital communication and social media that builds the critical thinking and technical skills necessary to create an impact in today's world.

Address: 610 King of Prussia Rd.,
Radnor, PA 19087

Phone: 610-902-8100

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