Faculty and Staff

Education:

• B.A., University of California-Irvine
• M.A., Bowling Green State University
• Ph.D., Bowling Green State University

Jennifer Willis-Rivera is a professor of communication studies. She has taught at UW-River Falls for over 15 years and currently serves as chair of the Communication and Media Studies Department. Jennifer’s research and teaching interests include Intercultural Communication, Communication and Popular Culture and Communication Theory. She has published two books, including “The Essential Intercultural Communication,” and a variety of articles. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and volunteering for Random Acts.

Education:

• Ph.D., Communication, Wayne State University, 2018
• M.A., Communication Studies, Illinois State University, 2014
• B.S., Communication Studies, Illinois State University, 2012

Scott is an assistant professor in the Communication Studies Department. His areas of expertise are rhetorical theory, participatory digital cultures and democratic engagement. At UWRF, he regularly teaches Introduction to Communication Studies, Communication and Technology, Rhetorical Criticism, Freedom to Speak, and Argumentation and Decision-Making.

Scott’s scholarly trajectory approaches two lines of inquiry. First, he examines the intersection of critical rhetoric and memory studies, primarily in the context of urban space, identity, and temporality. In addition, Scott explores the relationship between emerging communication technologies and our social practices. He regularly presents on these topics at annual conventions such as the Rhetoric Society of America, National Communication Association, and Central States Communication Association and was recently published in NCA’s Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies journal.

Education:

• MBA, Marketing Concentration, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
• BA, Economics, Business Management, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.

Dave has been at UW-River Falls for 22 years. He has taught a wide array of courses, beginning in the College of Business and Economics before moving to the Marketing Communications program in 2009. All his courses feature a significant amount of experiential learning activities with the objective being to provide students with components for their professional portfolio.

In addition as a practitioner within the marketing communications field, Dave works with The Selby Ave JazzFest (an arts-based community development project that traditionally draws 10,000 people and serves St. Paul’s Selby Avenue corridor) in the areas of grant writing, branding, social media, public relations and advertising. He also works with Hmong College Prep Academy, a St. Paul-based K-12 charter school and provides marketing research, public relations and advertising services as well as contributes to the school’s grant campaigns.

When he is not teaching, Dave enjoys fishing, Clark Griswold-inspired family road trips and coaching football.

Education:

• M.A., Communication Studies, Illinois State University
• B.S., Communication Studies and Public relations, minor in Social Work and Global Studies, Marist College

Mitchell is an assistant professor of marketing communications in the Communication and Media Studies Department. She teaches public relations, social media and digital marketing courses.

In addition to teaching, Mitchell is a marketing and communications consultant at EntryPoint. Past projects include the Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA) Annual Awards Dinner, Accelerate Michigan Innovation Pitch Competition and Detroit Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Reports.

Prior to her role at UWRF, Mitchell was the marketing and communications manager at MVCA, where she was responsible for the development and execution of its strategic state and national communication plan. In addition to the nonprofit sector, Mitchell worked at BOCA Communications, a San Francisco-based digital PR agency that represents technology startups. Throughout her career, she has secured media coverage in leading publications, including Axios, Forbes, Business Insider, TechCrunch, TechCrunch T.V., Crain’s Detroit Business, Detroit Free Press and more.