CJC - Key Persons

Adela Van Antwerp

Job Titles:

Administrative Support Assistant 1 - Office of the Dean

Andre Sanders

an..@ufl.edu

Job Titles:

Director
Producer

Angela Bradbery

ab..@jou.ufl.edu

Job Titles:

Frank Karel Endowed Chair in Public Interest Communications - Department of Public Relations

Bradbery, a 1986 UFCJC journalism graduate, was named Karel Chair in Public Interest Communications in 2020. Before joining the College, she had worked at Public Citizen, one of the most effective public interest organizations in the country, since 1999 and had been Director of Communications since 2006. Her responsibilities included developing and implementing communication strategies at the national, state and local levels and leading communication planning and implementation for coalitions of allied public interest organizations. In 2003, Bradbery co-founded Smokefree DC, a nonprofit, all-volunteer membership organization that achieved the passage of landmark smoke-free workplace legislation in Washington, D.C., in 2006. As part of that effort, Bradbery mobilized grassroots activists, did educational and media outreach and lobbied elected officials. Prior to joining Public Citizen, she was a reporter with The Palm Beach Post in West Palm Beach, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale and the Chicago Tribune. She covered a wide variety of issues, with a focus on local, regional and state government. In 1997, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work for Thompson Publishing Group. Areas of Expertise Activism, Advocacy, Nonprofits, Public Interest Communications Education B.S. Journalism, University of Florida

Ann Searight Christiano

ac..@jou.ufl.edu

Job Titles:

Angela Bradbery Author First Textbook on Public Interest Communications Strategies ( May 6, 2025 )
Director, Center for Public Interest Communications / Clinical Professor - Department of Public Relations
Founder and Director of the Center for Public Interest Communications

Ann Searight Christiano is the founder and Director of the Center for Public Interest Communications and a clinical professor in the Department of Public Relations at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. Public Interest Communications uses science-driven strategic communications and storytelling to advance positive social change. Searight developed the first-ever curriculum in public interest communications, connecting practitioners and scholars who are already working in the field, and nurturing and sharing research that can advance this newly emerging academic discipline. She completed a 10-year term as the inaugural Frank Karel Chair in Public Interest Communications in May 2020. Before coming to the University of Florida in 2010, Searight was a senior communications officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, directing efforts for programs that address social actors like housing, education and mental health that drive health and wellbeing. As a faculty member, she was named University of Florida Teacher of the Year in 2019 and Junior Faculty International Educator of the Year in 2019. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Barron's, the Stanford Social Innovation Review and The Conversation. Her work through the Center includes partnerships with the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees, the U.S. Department of State, and several agencies who work in this domain. She has worked with several federal and state agencies, the Gates Foundation, the International Labor Organization, and nonprofits and foundations throughout the world. She regularly trains scientists and other leaders to more effectively convey the importance of their work. Areas of Expertise Health Communication, Public Interest Communications, Science Communication, Social Advocacy and Social Change, Strategic Communication Education Masters, Public Affairs and Policy, Rutgers University, 2003 BA, Public Relations, University of Maryland, 1994

Antoine Haywood

Job Titles:

Assistant Professor - Department of Journalism
Serves As a Moderator and Panelist for Public, Educational and Governmental Access Media Conferences ( March 12, 2025 )

Antoine Haywood studies community participation and representation in local media. He is keen on understanding how communities use local communication infrastructure such as community-made video, radio, press, and digital publications to articulate regional identity, build social capital, and fill local news and information gaps. As a community-engaged scholar, Haywood is passionate about developing collaborative research projects that involve community organizations, civic associations, health and human service initiatives, and creative arts groups that use diverse, participatory storytelling methods to foster collective learning, civic engagement, and community care. His scholarly work has been published in Journalism Practice, Javnost - The Public, the Journal of Information Policy and the Journal of Popular Music Studies. He has presented over 20 papers and lectures at academic and professional practitioner conferences and authored several book chapters. Before earning his Ph.D., he spent fifteen years directing public engagement programs, youth media initiatives, and local documentary projects at community media centers in Atlanta and Philadelphia. He has served on numerous governance boards for organizations such as Radio Free Georgia (WRFG), the Alliance for Community Media (ACM), and the Philadelphia-based Independence Public Media Foundation (IPMF). Haywood is also a steward in the News Futures network-an emergent collective of people, ideas, and spaces focused on building a participatory and networked future for local news. For him, creating and using credible local news and information is crucial to building public trust and healthy civic participation. Areas of Expertise Civic Communication, Journalism, Media/Journalism History, Multicultural/Race Communication and Issues, Public Interest Communications, Trust

Austin Hubner

Job Titles:

Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor - Department of Public Relations

Austin has been an assistant professor in the University of Louisville Department of Communication since August 2022, where she developed and taught Communication and Statistics. Her research program focuses on how individuals perceive and evaluate information attributed to female experts, and the social transmission of science-related messages. She has authored or co-authored 16 articles that have been published or accepted for publication in refereed journals, including Science Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Public Opinion Research and Mass Communication and Society. She also has authored or co-authored 22 presentations at academic conferences. In 2020, she received the Walter B Emery Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Research from The Ohio State University. In 2019, she was an award winner at the Ohio State's Invitational Hayes Graduate Research Forum and in 2018, she received the Top Paper Award from the International Communication Association Environmental Communication Division. She will also work with the STEM Translational Communications Center. Education Master's and Ph.D. in Communication from The Ohio State University Bachelor in Science Communication from Washington State University

Barbara Cribbs

Job Titles:

Administrative Assistant - Department of Advertising

Benjamin Johnson

Job Titles:

Director - STEM Translational Communication Center / Associate Professor - Department of Advertising

Benjamin Johnson (PhD, The Ohio State University) is an associate professor of advertising at the University of Florida. His research is focused on why and how people select and share persuasive messages in new media settings, especially as it relates to psychological processes such as impression management, social comparison, and self-regulation. Dr. Johnson is an editor of Media Psychology and is an author of over 45 peer-reviewed publications in high-profile communication journals. Areas of Expertise Consumer Psychology, Data, Numeracy and Coding, Media Psychology and Media Effects, Pop Culture, Social Media Education Ph.D., Ohio State University, 2014 M.A., Michigan State University, 2007 B.S., University of Indianapolis, 2005

Bernie Montas - President

Job Titles:

President

Bobi Ivanov

bo..@ufl.edu

Job Titles:

Join UFCJC As a Professor in Advertising ( July 15, 2025 )
Professor - Department of Advertising

Dr. Ivanov comes to the College from the University of Kentucky, where he served as Professor of Integrated Strategic Communication. Throughout his distinguished career, he has taught a broad array of courses in marketing, communication, research methods, and strategic messaging. His research focuses on strategic communication, persuasion and resistance, and message design, processing, and retention. Dr. Ivanov's theoretical work centers on inoculation theory, along with the structure and function of images and attitudes across a wide range of contexts, including commercial communication, public relations, health, intercultural and instructional communication, politics, and crisis/risk management. His scholarship has appeared in leading journals such as Communication Monographs, Journal of Communication, Health Communication, and Journal of Public Relations Research. In addition to his extensive publication record, Dr. Ivanov has held numerous academic leadership roles, including Associate Dean for Graduate Programs in Communication and Director of multiple graduate certificates at the University of Kentucky. He also brings deep applied experience as a market research and communication strategy consultant, including work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Education Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Oklahoma MBA and a BBA in Marketing from the University of Central Oklahoma

Brian Krieger

bk..@ufl.edu

Job Titles:

Director of Engineering and Facilities - Technology Advancement Group

Caroline Welch

Job Titles:

Finance Manager - Office of the Dean

Caroline has worked at UF since 2011. She brings extensive experience in fiscal oversight, budget management, and an understanding of UF's policies and procedures.

Cecile Feagle

cf..@jou.ufl.edu

Job Titles:

Accountant - Division of Media Properties

Chelsea Moss

Job Titles:

Student Rep )

Christine Bucan

Job Titles:

Professional in Residence - Department of Public Relations

Bucan was previously an executive vice president at Beber Silverstein Group in Miami where she managed the agency's PR and social media divisions. She has served as public relations counsel to some of the world's leading companies, including American Airlines, Mercedes-Benz and McDonald's. Her extensive international experience includes running her own public relations firm in Prague, where she helped real estate developers' market new projects, fashion houses like Hermès and Escada open new stores, and multinational clients like Allied Domecq increase market share for their brands. She also was recruited by the Prime Minister of Croatia to improve the country's image following its civil war. Her experience as a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor has helped her identify media targets and interact with reporters. She has secured client coverage on the "Today Show," "Good Morning America," CNBC, CNN and network affiliates throughout the U.S. She has also placed articles in virtually every top-tier publication including The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and her by-line has appeared in the Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel and many other publications. A native New Yorker, Bucan was vice president at Edelman Public Relations where she developed highly successful programs for consumer clients like Georgia-Pacific and Things Remembered, as well as non-profits like World Vision. She will be teaching PR Writing, leading the Bateman team, and serving as the faculty advisor for Alpha Production. Bucan will continue to stay active in the field, working with a few select clients at Beber Silverstein Group. Areas of Expertise Corporate Social Responsibility, Crisis Communication, Integrated Communication, Public Relations Writing, Strategic Communication Education B.A., Northeastern University Master's, State University of New York College at Buffalo