Political Media Guide

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State and National Politics

Former Missouri Governor Bob Holden
Founder
Holden Public Policy Forum

Gov. Holden is a faculty member in the School of Business and Technology, where he teaches courses in leadership. He also advises a variety of public and private-sector clients on business development and international trade strategies. Holden served as governor from 2001 to 2005, and prior to that, two terms as state treasurer. He holds a degree in political science from Missouri State University and has attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Economics of Oil and U.S. Foreign Policy
Dan Hellinger, Ph.D.
Professor of History, Politics and International Relations
College of Arts & Sciences

Hellinger is an authority on foreign policy, the economics and politics of oil, Venezuelan and Latin American politics, media and politics and political parties. Hellinger is a Fulbright Scholar who holds a Ph. D. in political science from Rutgers University. He has been quoted in such media as The New York Times, the Financial Times, the Associated Press and the Christian Science Monitor. Hellinger is president of the advisory board for the Center for Democracy in America, an organization that promotes understanding between U.S. and Venezuelan decision makers.

National Politics and Elections
Gwyneth Williams, Ph.D.
Professor of History, Politics and International Relations
College of Arts & Sciences

Williams is an authority on the U.S. Presidency, national elections, Congress, constitutional law, the Supreme Court, and politics and race, religion, gender and the American family. Williams was educated at Knox College and Princeton University and is a member of the American Political Science Association, the Women’s Caucus for Political Science, the Midwest Political Science Association and the American Association of University Professors.

Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia
Don Conway-Long, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Behavioral & Social Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences

Conway-Long researches and lectures on the Islamic world from an anthropological perspective. He is frequently featured in print and broadcast media, providing thorough analysis on breaking news in the Middle East. As a Fulbright scholar in Morocco, Conway-Long studied the views and practices of Muslim men and has published various articles in this area. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington University.

Environmental Policy
Paul Moriarty, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Philosophy
College of Arts & Sciences

Moriarty can discuss climate change and global warming, offshore oil drilling, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), nuclear power, solar and wind energy, fuel efficiency standards, hazardous waste disposal and storage and new clean air standards for lead emmissions. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Colorado and a BA in biology and philosophy from the University of Virginia.

Global Economic Issues and Global Oil Industry
Benjamin Ola. Akande, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Business & Technology

A Nigerian-born U.S. citizen, Akande is an expert on African and global economic issues as well as the global oil industry. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oklahoma and is frequently quoted in both U.S. and international publications. Akande has served as a consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program. He also advises Fortune 500 corporations on issues related to corporate strategy and leadership.

Managed Health Care, Prescription Drug Plans and Local Politics
Jim Brasfield, Ph.D.
Professor of Management
School of Business & Technology

Brasfield’s areas of expertise include a wide range of health care policy topics, including Medicare and Medicaid, campaigns and elections, and local government management. He served as Mayor of the City of Crestwood, Mo., from 1996 to 2002, and was on the Crestwood Board of Aldermen for 18 years. Brasfield joined the Webster faculty in 1976 and currently teaches management and political science. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Case Western Reserve University and an MA in political science from St. Louis University. Brasfield serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

Media Literacy and Media and Culture
Art Silverblatt, Ph.D.
Professor of Communications and Journalism
School of Communications

Silverblatt is a leading national authority on media literacy, a critical thinking skill applicable to sources of information. He calls media literacy  a “survival skill” that’s a necessity when examining and analyzing political advertisements and news coverage. Silverblatt has been interviewed on election coverage and reality television and has written numerous books and articles including Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages, The Dictionary of Media Literacy, Approaches to the Study of Media Literacy, International Communications: A Media Literacy Approach and Approaches to Genre Study.

Debate Techniques and Communication Styles
Scott Jensen
Assistant Professor of Communications and Journalism
School of Communications

Jensen is frequently featured in print and broadcast media, commenting about debate and campaign themes, oral presentation methodology, rhetorical choices, non-verbal dimensions and speech analysis. For the past 23 years, he has directed Webster’s Forensics and Debate program, winning numerous regional and national tournaments. Jensen holds a master’s degree in speech communication from Central Missouri State University.

Political Advertising
Sally Howald
Assistant Professor of Communications and Journalism
School of Communications

Howald heads Webster’s advertising program and is an authority on brand management and building brands on the Internet. In 2006, Howald coached Webster University’s team winning second place nationally in the American Advertising Federation’s student advertising competition. Howald can comment on categories of political advertisements and the timing for using them during the course of a campaign. She also can discuss how and when advertising messages and images are controlled and manipulated. She has worked as creative director at a St. Louis advertising agency and published books on emarketing and Internet branding. She holds an MA in media communications from Webster University and is a board member of the Business and Marketing Association.

Public Relations and Campaign Strategy
Gary Ford
Assistant Professor of Communications and Journalism
School of Communications

Ford heads the school’s undergraduate and graduate public relations programs. He can discuss how well campaign messages are being communicated and their impact on voters. Ford has years of experience in corporate communications; he also worked for many years as a newspaper editor. Ford holds an MA in business management from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.