Alumni C O N N E C T I O N SC O N N E C T I O N S Alumni Department of Communication l The...

C O N N E C T I O N SAlumniDepartment of Communication l The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Fall 2012

Communication skills help land alum on Titans Cheerleading Squad

Couple’s passion for communication transfers to new careers in the oil industry

Alumni bring strengths to the world of online journalism

Alumnus leaves screenwriting for tech-savvy career

www.utc.edu/communication

Connections l 2 l Fall 2012

DearAlumni,We are pleased to co-chair the Communication Department Alumni Association (CDAA) for the 2012-13 school year. CDAA’s goals include helping students and alumni.

Both of us have enjoyed successful careers over the last ten years or so – mostly in areas that we thought had little to do with com-munication. But we’ve found that we use the skills we learned in the Communication Department every day in the positions we’ve held.

Now it’s time for us to give back to UTC and the department. We want to partner with fellow alumni who share diverse work experiences and help current students use their degrees to build successful careers.

The department needs your support -- whether it’s sponsoring activities, mentoring current students, hiring an intern or mak-ing a donation. Please update your contact information at UTC’s Alumni Affairs web site and “like” the Communication Depart-ment and CDAA pages on FaceBook. Planning efforts are under way for two activities this year. Please stay tuned! Ambria S. Moore, B.A., PMPInformation Analyst, BlueCross BlueShield of TN Traci Payne, B.A.Financial Consultant, Tennessee Valley Authority

Traci Payne (‘04) and Ambria Moore (‘03)Co-chairs, COAA 2012-2013



Contents

4 West Coast Success Robby Robinson finds many job

opportunities in California

5 A Leap of FaithThe Phillips move to Texas

in search of rewarding careers

6-7 Staying ConnectedGet updated on fellow alumni

11 Breaking NewsAlumni cover the latest stories

on Nooga.com

12 Active AlumsCDAA encourages graduates

to get involved in the department

10

Connections is produced by the UTC Communication Department. This publication was written, created, and designed by Kelley N. Vaught, communication major. Publication number E041050-001-13. Full-time faculty: Betsy Alderman, Mike Andrews, Rebekah Bromley, Elizabeth Gailey, Felicia McGee-Hilt, David Sachsman and Charlene Simmons.The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, handicap, or veteran status in provision of educational opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits, pursuant to the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employ-ment Act of 1967, and other applicable statutes. Inquiries and charges of violation of this policy should be directed to the Office of the Director for Affirmative Action, 104 Founders Hall, 423-425-4124.

9 Got Spirit?Whitney Ward is living the life she

always dreamed

8



From screen writing to Web marketing, Robby Robinson (‘01) has enjoyed a variety of experiences in his professional career.

Now the director of marketing at Tree.com, the parent company of Lending Tree, a mortgage and loan website, Robinson credits his communication degree with opening many doors for him.

“Communication studies taught me how to think about the media,” Robinson said. But making movies is why the Chattanooga native moved to California.

“I originally wanted to pursue my dream of becoming a screenwriter,” Robinson said. He and his writing partner were able to get a movie produced.

“Although I had some really great experiences, the whole thing was pretty seductive and I fell out of love pretty quickly,” he said.

So Robinson did some research to find a career path that had a stable future and was creative but also analytical. His first job in the field was with a small start-up lead generation company, Vantage Media.

“I was fortunate to work there for about four years and learn the ins and outs,” Robinson said. During his time there, Vantage Media grew from a small com-pany to one with offices around the globe. By that time, Robinson was responsible for about $3 million a month in advertising spending.

“I left Vantage Media to do consulting and eHarmony became a client about a year into my consult-ing career,” Robinson said. The dating and relationship website hired him to move their pay per click (PPC) advertising in-house from an outside agency. Robinson implemented a PPC management platform and market-ing team. “It was a great experience, and working for a big brand opened a lot of doors for me,” Robinson said.

After working for eHarmony, Robinson believes the move to Tree.com was good for career growth and gave him flexibility to work remotely. The company’s home office is located in Charlotte, N.C., and he current-ly splits his time between Los Angeles and Chattanooga.

Robinson puts the skills he learned at the previ-ous companies to work for Tree.com. He is responsible for one of Tree’s lead generation websites. He works daily with his marketing team to ensure that they are generating revenue and profits.

Robinson said he faces the ups and downs of the ever-changing world of online marketing and advertis-ing. “It is always a challenge to remain one step ahead of the competition,” he said.

“It’s a global economy and the Internet is the door to independence. You just need to figure out how to open it,” Robinson said.

GURURobinson moved to California to make movies, but found his passion in online promotions

Marketing



A Taking their communication degrees into the oil and natural gas industries have paid off for Stepha-nie Smith Phillips (‘08) and her husband Brett (‘10).

The two moved to Houston, Texas, following graduation to look for jobs.

Stephanie Phillips is a marketing communica-tions specialist for CGGVeritas, a French company that collects data in order to interpret the likelihood of hit-ting oil on land and offshore.

Stephanie said she was drawn to the company’s global reach and the variety of multi-cultural influences.

“There are differences in the way the French do business that presents challenges at times,” Stephanie said. One of the biggest challenges is the seven-hour time difference between her and many of the people she works with.

“Learning to communicate thoughtfully has helped in my role tremendously, particularly due to language barriers,” she said.

Some of her daily tasks include placing ads, re-viewing editorial opportunities and coordinating client events.

Brett Phillips works in the operations depart-ment for Magellan Midstream Partners, LP, the longest refined petroleum products pipeline system in the coun-try. The company transports gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil through the second largest shipping channel in the nation.

“I’m getting experience that I can’t get anywhere else, making me much more applicable to a number of (ship-ping) terminals around the country,” Brett said.

Brett is responsible for maintaining the integ-rity of the petroleum products while ensuring they are distributed efficiently and within environmental health and safety regulations.

“Following protocol is especially important in my job,” he said. “Missing a step can lead to major mistakes and therefore loss of assets or even physical danger.”

Both Phillips credit their educations with pre-paring them for their demanding positions in the highly competitive oil and gas field.

“The research and development that was re-quired in communication has helped me a great deal by making it easier for me to absorb the materials, proce-dures and responsibilities of my job and get to work,” Brett said.

Stephanie said she appreciated learning from good professors while she was at UTC. “I feel like they had a vested interest in my future and challenged me to work harder,” Stephanie said.

“Being 14 hours from our families has been tough, but has taught us a lot about ourselves,” Stepha-nie said.

The Phillipses find success in competitive industries

BIGMovePays Off



StayingConnected

Cammi Vodilla Stanko (‘05) Gwen Croft, (‘88) Rob Hopwood (‘99)

Cammi Vodilla Stanko (’05)southeast regional director of sales, MediTract, Charleston, S.C.Stanko said her favorite part of communi-cation is meeting new people and finding the commonalities. In her free time, Stanko coaches rowing for the College of Charles-ton.

Jenny Adkins (’09)publications specialist, Regional Organized Crime Information Center, Nashville, Tenn.Adkins’ job is to help law enforcement communicate by collecting, evaluating and analyzing information.

Gwen Croft (’88) real estate broker, Asheville, N.C.Croft said networking, creating strategic advertisements and marketing plans always keeps her job exciting. After graduating, she ventured to New York City to expand her career and communication abilities and she still maintains websites for two real estate companies in Manhattan.

Rob Hopwood (’99)media specialist, The San Diego Union-TribuneHopwood said part of his job includes updating profiles and accounts and training colleagues to do the same. He also helped as a content producer for the San Diego Union-Tribune website.

Tiffany Cobb (’98)director of development, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater ChattanoogaCobb’s duties include speaking with various groups, planning special events and reach-ing out to audiences that support RMHC.

Tiffany Cobb (‘98)

Lindsay Goble-Jordan (’08) development coordinator, Alzheimer’s Association: Oklahoma & Arkansas Chapter, Tulsa, Okla.Lindsay is responsible for managing fundraising events and keeping track of donor dollars. She hopes to use her PR and communication background paired with non-profit experience to go into business for herself.

Sheryl Montle Rhoads (’00)health writer and editor Palladian Partners, Silver Spring, Md.Rhoads writes and edits health communica-tion materials and website content for the federal government and nonprofit organi-zations.

Gladys Gutierrez (’85)international channel marketing manager, Western Digital, Miami, Fla.Gutierrez manages a variety of marketing projects in Latin America and other parts of the world. She started her career in sales and then moved to marketing and advertis-ing.

Sheryl Montle Rhoads (‘00)Gladys Gutierrez (‘85) Gina Brown (‘99)



Molly Cate (‘00)

Jamia Wiley Stokes (’05)associate director of undergraduate advis-ing, UT Knoxville College of Education, Health and Human SciencesStokes said some of her daily tasks include meeting with students for advisement with schedules and faculty regarding curriculum changes, updates and policies.

Jess Plank (’04)community resource coordinator, Edmarc Hospice for Children, Norfolk, Va.Plank said one of the good things about working for a non-profit is that she gets to wear a variety of different hats. She said her education fine tuned her writing skills.

Amber Adams (‘07)freelance journalist, Memphis, Tenn.Adams is currently working on a documen-tary called “77” that provides a glimpse into Generation Y and how their attitudes on the workplace are changing. She also spends her time writing her own blog called “The Fab Life Project.”

Amy Maxwell (‘93)public information officer, Hamilton County Emergency ServicesMaxwell is the spokesperson for special events and involved heavily in other areas, from shooting and editing the video for fire-fighter’s training and graduation, to hosting a yearly conference for Emergency Medical Services directors association.

Michelle Adams (’89)digital asset manager, Triad Retail Media, Tampa, Fla.Adams said her position requires careful management of all visual media used in advertising for clients.

Annie Green (‘11)production assistant, Bonanza Productions, Burbank, Calif.Green recently worked on the season three production of a hit television series, “The Vampire Diaries”, in Atlanta, Ga.

ZsaZsa Perryman Heathcock (’05) service representative, Citizens and Farmers Bank, Hampton, Va.Heathcock is the social media strategist for the company and writes press releases, de-velops talking points for a client’s magazine interview and makes posts on Facebook and Twitter. She also owns her own business, Zprint Incorporated, a website used to tell a company’s story visually, literally and socially.

Andrew Holt (’10)logistics coordinator,Access America Transport, Chattanooga, Tenn.Holt’s responsibility is to search for new companies and pitch to them the idea of his company handling all of their transporta-tion and shipping needs from pickup to delivery. Holt recently married Abbie Gates, the office manager for Local Fare magazine in Chattanooga.

Deborah Dwyer (’95)public relations supervisor, EPB, Chattanooga, Tenn.Dwyer is responsible for media relations, website management, e-mail campaigns, marketing, internal communications by newsletter and social media management.

Communication students Matthew Cates, Elisa Anderson-Cardoso, Eleanor Angel, Rachel Scott, Serlena Martin, Ronald Farrell, Sarah Kiefer, Morgan Oler, Cole Mokry, Lou Jay, Courtney Shirkey, Jake Bacon, Adara Joiner, Charnele Box, Gloria DeWeese, Josh Morales and Teddy Jones contributed to this story.

Andrew Holt (‘10)Amber Adams (‘07)

Haley Graham (‘09)manager, Yoga Studio, Nashville, Tenn.Graham uses her communication skills to promote her studio. She makes updates to the website to promote her business through social media, as well as editing content for ads and newsletters. Graham has extensive experience as an actress and bluegrass songstress. She has also been in a number of plays and musicals including “Dark of the Moon” and “RENT.”

Gina Brown (‘99)project manager,Department of Economic and Community Development, Nashville, Tenn.Brown works to recruit companies from various business sectors to set up shop and grow in one of Tennessee’s 95 counties. On a daily basis, she talks to businesses, consul-tants, employees and organizations that support the state in recruitment.

Jamia Wiley Stokes (‘05) Haley Graham (‘09) Annie Green (‘11) ZsaZsa Heathcock (‘05)

Molly Cate (‘00)partner, Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Nashville, Tenn.Cate’s firm was recently ranked as one of the top 15 healthcare public relations firms in the nation, as well as one of the fastest growing. Cates said her role is always chang-ing. Her management role is becoming more important and is the most difficult part for her. She is also involved with quality control and strategy for her company.



Chattanooga native B.J. Coleman (’12) played in a pre-season game in August in the NFL, realizing a dream.

The Green Bay Packers selected Coleman in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft, 243 overall. He said his communication degree helped him throughout the entire process.

“My degree in communication really taught me how to work with the media,” Coleman said. “In all my classes I learned what it was like on the other side.”

“I know what the media wants and I learned how to help them out through my interviews,” he said. “The media is the way people learn about what is hap-pening the in world of sports and I am glad that I can help them deliver the message.”

The regular season begins Sept. 9 against the San Francisco 49ers. Coleman went through training camp at the end of July. He said he is excited to see what else this experience will have in store for him.

“I’m really pumped,” he said. “Mini-camp is over and I am ready to see what else is to come. I look up to the more ex-perienced players and they have taught me a lot. I can’t wait to see what else I can learn.”

In his three seasons, Coleman left the Chat-tanooga Mocs with 6,871 career passing yards, which makes him second-all time passer at UTC. He was the fourth Moc to throw for 6,000 yards and sixth to reach 5,000 passing yards. He also holds the school record of 52 career touchdown passes.

From

Coleman says his degree serves him well in the NFL

Shawna O’Neal, sports editor for The University Echo, contributed to this story.

TouchDowns



Whitney Ward (‘12) has lots of things to cheer about.

Ward was selected as one of seven new women cheering for the Tennessee Titans this fall. Ward had been a Mocs Cheerleader throughout her college days.

“After my last game at UTC, I knew I wasn’t ready to be done,” Ward said. “This has always been a dream of mine and I didn’t want to wake up 20 years from now thinking why didn’t I just try?”

Tryouts were a three-week process and con-testants were judged on dance ability, physique and interview question answers. “Those weeks were insane,” Ward said. Out of 250 hopefuls, Ward was one of the seven chosen to be on the 2012-2013 Titans cheerlead-ing team.

“A large part of our overall score (during try-outs) was the interview portion where we were quizzed on current events and Titans trivia,” Ward said. “And we were also graded on our communication skills.”

Ward said she believes the Communication Department helped her prepare for tryouts. She said she learned interviewing skills and the value of knowing current events.

Titans cheerleaders are public figures, and Ward is confident that communication courses taught her to be comfortable with on-air interviews and speaking in front of people. “Communication is one of the best tools you can have in any kind of business in order to be successful, and I’m thankful that I have these tools,” she said.

As a Titans cheerleader, Ward will have a full schedule with more than 200 appointments from birthday parties to charity events. Along with that, her most important job will be as a role model. “When I was a little girl and I saw a cheerleader, I would think to myself, I want to be just like her,” Ward said.

Ward attended a training camp in July, as well as working on a new exercise regimen and a healthy diet plan. She is also memorizing everything there is to know about the Titans organization and Nashville trivia.

Ward said it has always been her dream to be an NFL cheerleader. She said she is extremely grateful for her parents and her fiancé, Thomas Green, who have been her number one fans and supported her through the process.

Ward is very appreciative of her professors at UTC. “They made an impact throughout my years, always pushing me to be great, and I want them to know how much I learned from them and enjoyed their classes.”

...ToToeTouches

Titans cheerleader living her dream



VisionFrom handmade soaps to ice cold sodas,

Rogers’ River Street Makery is full of treats

UniqueA From soaps to soda, Matt Rogers (’01) always knew he wanted to own his own business. And now the alum has opened The River Street Makery, a trendy shop in Chattanooga’s bustling North Shore district, offering products from two of his ventures.

“I have always had a passion for entrepreneur-ship and being my own boss,” Rogers said. He realized there was a real opportunity to pursue this full-time when he opened his most recent business, Pure Soda-works, May 1, 2012.

The shop, which makes up half of the Makery, uses natural ingredients to blend 20 unique flavors like Hibiscus Lemon, Honey Lime, Strawberry Jalapeno, Apple Pie and Root Beer #4, named because it was Rog-ers’ fourth attempt at recreating a recipe from a list of ingredients from the 1800s.

Rogers started his first business, Everyday Eclectic, in 2007, with his wife Tiffany. The candle, soap-making and body balms venture uses natural and renewable ingredients to give the products an old-fashioned, homemade feel. The Rogers first marketed those products online, at the Chattanooga Market and in a space in the New Business Development Center in North Chattanooga. Now the products are offered in the Makery, along with the custom sodas.

Rogers is in charge of many of the administra-tive tasks with the business. He is responsible for the accounting and bookkeeping and acts as the director of marketing and product developer.

“It’s always a difficult balance to be your own boss,” Rogers said. Prioritizing and ensuring that important things don’t get missed is always a challenge for him, he said.

Tiffany Rogers runs the Everyday Eclectic pro-duction. A business partner, Shawn Clouse, does day-to-day operations of the Makery and handles weekly events such as the Sunday Market. The trio are now expanding their collection of home-crafted goods to include flower arrangements and greeting cards.

“My communication degree gave me a firm grasp of the principles of marketing and communication,” Rogers said. He also said it gave him the basis for un-derstanding public relations, writing and copyright law. Most of all, Rogers said, “I appreciate that my education gave me an opportunity to mess up in a safe environ-ment.”

Rogers plans to continue building his business, start creating new jobs and begin pushing the brands locally and regionally.



Four communication alumni are writing and editing for Nooga.com, an online news website that focuses on business, government and lifestyles in the Chattanooga area.

Managing editor Adam G. Green (‘07) said, “The primary motivator for joining Nooga.com was the unique opportunity it provided me.” The company al-lowed him to be a part of an online startup from concept to execution, while gaining invaluable knowledge and skills along the way.

Green is responsible for everything from man-aging a small staff of full-time reporters, interns and contributors, to working with a Web development team and handling day-to-day business items.

“I appreciate my education for helping build a diverse skill set,” Green said. His minor in communica-tion provided a perfect mix and level of familiarity with the journalism and public relations fields.

Ashley Hopkins (’06) serves as content edi-tor for Nooga.com. “But really I’m more of the grammar guru,” Hopkins said. She edits stories for organization, style, punctuation and word choice.

“I was drawn here because I knew I’d enjoy the work,” Hopkins said. Hopkins had been teaching Eng-lish at Chattanooga State prior to coming on board with Nooga.com.

“There’s nothing about my college degree that I don’t appreciate,” Hopkins said. She said she knows that everything she learned from the classes she took in communication work together in her job.

Hopkins is creating a style guide for the site that will be used in addition to Associated Press Style. “I en-joy my responsibilities and my co-workers,” she said.

Sports reporter Michael Murphy (’10) is the newest addition to the Nooga.com staff.

Murphy covers UTC athletics and prep sports. He is out in the field for hours each day collecting in-formation and taking photos in order to create original copy for the website.

“We are a very small staff, and it is difficult to cover everything out there,” Murphy said. Right now, he is busy gearing up for the UTC football season to start.

Murphy appreciates all of the elective classes that are offered in the communication department. He took a variety of classes and learned things in every one that are applicable to the real world. Most importantly, his degree prepared him by teaching and emphasizing the importance of writing.

Chloé Morrison (’05) is a business reporter for Nooga.com. While working at her hometown newspaper in Clarksville, Tenn., Morrison said she thought about moving back to Chattanooga if she could find a job she was passionate about, and that opportunity came with Nooga.com.

She believes that Nooga.com is the future in online journalism and she enjoys working on something that evolves with technology.

Morrison said her time at UTC helped her build her career. She believes the encouragement she received from professors to join the student newspaper made her realize she wanted to be a reporter. She is now the adviser to The Echo.

Morrison said she has a deep commitment to journalism and the city. “Considering other aspects of my life, such as my family and friends and my love for the city of Chattanooga, I am currently at my dream job.”

Nooga.comAlumni keep Chattanoogans updated with online news



Department of Communication 3003University of Tennessee at Chattanooga615 McCallie Ave.Chattanooga, TN 37403

Alums can make connections at November events

Please “like” the CDAA Facebook page to stay updated with meetings and activities.

Get Involved The Communication Department Alumni Association has two events in November.

Communication alums will gather Friday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. for a mixer at the Terminal Brew House in Chattanooga. Networking and door prizes will be featured.

Alums and their families are invited to a campus tour and a reunion at the Aquatic & Recreation Center (ARC) on campus Saturday, Nov. 3. The campus tour will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by a reunion in the ARC at 11:30 a.m. where alums will hear a special speaker, swim, climb rocks on the indoor tower and enjoy all the fun the center has to offer.

A spring CDAA event for students will feature a theme of diver-sity. Dates, times and exact programming details of this event will be sent to alumni via email and on Facebook.

For more information on CDAA, contact Ambria Moore (‘03) at [email protected], or Traci Payne (‘O4) [email protected].

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