Meet the J-School’s Fall 2024 Adjunct Instructors and Lecturers

We have 11 new adjunct instructors and lecturers stepping into Vilas Hall this fall. These individuals are looking to foster a strong learning experience for students by having them learn from their experiences as industry professionals in a wide range of fields.

Get to know our adjunct instructors and lecturers who will be returning home to Vilas Hall this semester.

Adjunct Instructors

Tom Beckman

Tom Beckman is the owner of 28 Power Communications, a full service communications agency. Beckman uses creativity and experience to produce communication strategies for companies to effectively communicate with stakeholders, customers and more. Beckman will use his knowledge and experience to teach a course he created, the Anatomy of Marketing and Message Strategies (J475).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

Teaching at the SJMC is a meaningful and rewarding way to give back, creating a full-circle experience that blends nostalgia with purpose in my life. It allows me to contribute to the same community that shaped my journey, enriching the next generation of leaders with real-world experiences. By guiding current students, I hope that I can honor the legacy of those who taught me while helping to cultivate the next generation of leaders. I am forever grateful for the chance to inspire, mentor, and leave a lasting impact on a place that will always be close to my heart.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

I’ve been blessed with some incredible experiences throughout my career so I appreciate creating and teaching a class that is focused on applying real-world knowledge. I believe this connects theoretical concepts to practical applications, helping students understand how to solve real problems. This approach enhances critical thinking, prepares students for their careers, and equips them with the skills needed to succeed outside academia as they transition to the next chapter in their lives.

Arvind Gopalratnam

Arvind Gopalratnam is the Senior VIce President of Corporate Social Responsibility for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Executive Director of the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation. In his role with the Bucks, Gopalratnam leads the organization’s strategy to create a positive impact through philanthropy, advocacy work and programming. With his experience in the sports world, it’s fitting that Gopalratnam is joining the SJMC to teach Sports Reporting and Writing (J450).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

What I find most rewarding is the opportunity to take what I have experienced in my years since UW and translate it back to students in a form that challenges them to learn in a new way.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

There is no singular path to a career in sports. The global industry is diverse and welcoming when we open minds to what is available.

Kayla Huynh

Kayla Huynh joined the team at the Capital Times in 2021 to report on K-12 education. Her work has been featured in the Associated Press, the Chicago Reader, Chalkbeat Chicago and various other publications in Wisconsin. In addition to her degree from the SJMC, Huynh earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. With a great deal of reporting experience, Huynh will bring her own insights to the classroom as she teaches Principles and Practices of Reporting (J335).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

J335 was among my favorite journalism classes in college — and it was also one of the scariest. I came into the class with a lot of self-doubt. I was terrified of even speaking to people. But diving headfirst into reporting helped me face those fears. It’s an honor to now be teaching the same class that inspired me to become a journalist, and I’m excited to empower students in whichever career they choose, whether or not it’s journalism.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

Journalism is a tough industry. As a full-time working journalist, I want to be honest with students about that reality and teach them how to navigate journalism’s current obstacles. At the same time, this career is exciting. And really fun! I hope to show students it doesn’t have to be so scary.

Natalie Yahr

Natalie Yahr is also a reporter for the Capital Times with a focus on the local economy. She writes about challenges and opportunities facing workers, entrepreneurs and job seekers. Yahr’s work has been showcased in a multitude of publications including the New York Times, Wisconsin Watch, WWNO-FM, the Center for Journalism Ethics, Scalawag and Columbia Journalism Review. Yahr will be teaching students the skills necessary to become a strong reporter in the course Principles and Practices of Reporting (J335).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

I love helping people develop and hone the skills they’ll be using all the time in their future jobs. As a full-time reporter myself, I try to prepare students for the sorts of situations and challenges my colleagues and I encounter daily. And I especially love when a student tells me that what I taught them has helped them grow, whether that’s that they freelanced their first story or took on a reporting challenge they wouldn’t have otherwise.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

I hope to encourage students to take charge of their own development as journalists, and to develop what education experts call a “growth mindset,” a belief that they will build their skills by trying new and difficult things. I try to show students that I too am still honing my skills as a journalist. I still encounter assignments and situations where I have to ask for help. And I urge students to be enthusiastic about having their work edited, because, in an ideal world, the editor is just this sort of invisible partner helping you make your work better. Oh, and clear writing: I really want to help students become allergic to jargon and vagueness, so they can make their writing as simple and understandable as possible.

Lecturers

Lynne Cotter

Lynne Cotter is a Ph.D. candidate in the SJMC whose research focuses on health technology communication and visual and interactive health messaging. Cotter uses a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods of research to study health technology and public health from the perspective of media studies and health communication theory. Cotter will bring her research skills to the classroom as she teaches Concepts and Tools for Data Analysis and Visualization (J677).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at the SJMC and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

I love supporting students as they make connections between class concepts and passion projects they have!

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

Data is never objective, and we need to ethically wield our analyses and visualizations as tools that help us understand and improve the world.

Linjie Dai

Linjie Dai is a Ph.D. candidate in the SJMC whose interests include global communication, gender and sexuality, affect theory, and theories of (counter)publics. Through their research Dai explores the mediated affective publics and counterpublics in China and the Chinese diaspora in the U.S. from a transnational and historical perspective with a focus on power dynamics such as gender and race involved in these processes. Their interests have led them to teach the course Mass Media in Multicultural America (J162).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at the SJMC and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

Seeing the students’ willingness to engage with social issues through the perspective of communication.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

I’d like to help the students think through how historical and transnational perspectives can help us better understand the topic of mass media and race/ethnicity in the U.S.

Justin Doherty

Justin Doherty has spent the last 35 years working in college athletics, the last 30 being with UW–Madison. He is currently the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations at UW Athletics and oversees brand communications, facilities branding, the UW spirit squad and is liaison to the Big Ten Network. With great expertise in sports communication, Doherty will be teaching Introduction to Sports Communication (J150).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

I really enjoy connecting with the students who are interested in pursuing the various avenues into the communications field.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

I have 35 years of experience in college athletics communications and I hope to use what I have learned to help students find their own paths into the communications field.

Wil Dubree

Wil Dubree is a Ph.D. student in the SJMC where he previously earned a master’s degree. Dubree’s research combines natural language processing and time series analysis to study the agenda-setting effect of non-traditional outlets. The course Dubree is teaching, Concepts and Tools for Data Analysis and Visualization (J677) combines his experience and training as a computational social scientist as well as a journalist.

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at the SJMC and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

I find it most rewarding to be able to push students in new directions that might not be an obvious part of a traditional journalism or communication degree. Focusing on computational skills, I hope to be able to prepare future journalists and communicators with a set of useful and unique abilities and experiences.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

As someone with a more data-oriented background, I hope to open students up to the world of data journalism and statistical analysis. These fields are in high demand and are an important part of this incredible undergraduate program.

Xiaoya Jiang

Xiaoya Jiang is a Ph.D. candidate in the SJMC, with a Ph.D. minor in Electrical & Computer Engineering and a Master of Science in Statistics. Jiang does public opinion research with a variety of focuses. Additionally, Jiang researches the application of statistical tools to public opinion studies in the digital media environment. The course Jiang will be teaching, The Impact of Emerging Media (J622) aligns with her research and interests greatly.

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

The students usually come up with very interesting perspectives. While they learn from me, I am also learning from them!

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

Think about how to apply what you learn in class to answer your own question, either theory-driven or practice-oriented.

Gaofei Li

Gaofei Li is a Ph.D. candidate in the SJMC whose research is focused on the role of multimodal media in shaping public opinion with an emphasis on the context of intergroup relations and health communication. Li will bring her experience in research methods and analysis techniques to Vilas Hall as she teaches the course the Effects of Mass Communication (J565).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching at my alma mater is the constant learning experience I gain from my students. Their fresh perspectives often lead to insightful discussions and new understandings of media and its effects. I find it incredibly valuable to be able to learn alongside them and to incorporate their insights into my teaching.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

I aim to demonstrate and explain the interconnectedness of media and the real world. By fostering a culture of critical thinking and empathy, I aim to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to become informed, ethical, and impactful journalists, communicators, and citizens.

Stefan Peterson

Stefan Peterson is a current SJMC professional master’s degree student, the global creative director of the housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity International and the leader of a freelance graphic design firm specializing in visual communication and branding services. Peterson will teach students to visually communicate, relay creative messages and show the effects of such messages in the course Multimedia Design (J411).

What do you find most rewarding about teaching at your alma mater and working with the next generation of journalists and communicators?

The creativity and commitment of our amazing students, and being surrounded by so many fascinating conversations about our world and its future University-wide.

What perspective do you hope to bring to the students you teach?

A better understanding of the professional side of working with visuals to communicate, grounded in the fundamental elements and principles of design. And that we’re all visual communicators—consumers and creators—and can apply simple rules to better educate, inform and inspire those around us.