Dean’s Advisory Board

Karen Alter is the CEO and Partner at Borshoff, a full-service advertising and public relations agency.

Prior to her work at Borshoff, Alter was the Director of Communications at the Kappa Alpha Theta National Headquarters, the Marketing Manager for White Industries, an Account Manager and Senior Copywriter at Marketing By Design, the Manager of Marketing Communication at Indiana University Health, and the Director of Corporate Communications at Rehabilitative Health Services. She is an Accredited Business Communicator, as conferred by the International Association of Business Communicators. She has also been recognized as one of the Indianapolis Business Journal‘s Women of Influence.

Alter graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Public and Corporate Communications in 1985. She also earned her master’s degree in Journalism from Indiana University in 2004. While at Butler, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She was also a member of Butler’s Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2004–2008. Alter has also worked as an adjunct professor at Butler. She says that the personal and professional relationships she has made at Butler are the most meaningful in her life. She remains impressed by the high-quality education and high-quality students that continue to attend and graduate from Butler.

Alter currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, Richard. She has a son, Matthew, and her family dog is a collie named Maddie. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, baking, and traveling with family and friends.

Jen Christensen is a writer and producer for CNN and CNN.com, where she works in the medical unit and also covers the climate crisis, investigative stories, social justice, and LGBTQ issues. In addition to her work at CNN, she is the immediate past president of the national board for the NLGJA, the Association of LGBTQ Journalists. She currently serves as the Association’s Vice President of Print and Digital.

In previous roles at CNN, Christensen has won a Peabody Award, DuPont Award, and several Emmy’s as a CNN Documentary unit producer and as a producer in the CNN Investigative Unit. Prior to her work at CNN, she ran the investigative unit at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, and WTVQ-TV in Lexington, Kentucky, where she was also a show producer. While still in college, she started her career at WXIN in Indianapolis running the weekend assignment desk and working as a producer.

Christensen graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Radio/TV and Political Science in 1994. She is currently working toward earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction and expects to graduate from Bennington College in early 2023. She was on the Alumni Association board and currently serves on the LGBT Alumni Association committee at Butler. In 2016, she was awarded the Butler University Robert Todd Duncan Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2008 was given the Butler University Jordan College of Fine Arts Outstanding Alumni Award. While at Butler, she was involved with WAJC, WBTU, Demia, and the Butler Collegian. Her favorite thing about Butler is the people she has interacted with over the years.

Christensen currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with her wife, Holly Crenshaw, and her cat, Ringo Starr. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, writing, photography, and hiking.

Hayleigh Colombo is a reporter for Columbus Business First, where she covers workforce development, equity, tourism, and entertainment.

Before joining Columbus Business First, Colombo spent four years as a reporter for the Indianapolis Business Journal. There, she covered government, politics, equity, and education. She has previously covered Indianapolis Public Schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. She also worked for two years as a business and higher education reporter for the Lafayette Journal & Courier.

Colombo graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Political Science in 2012. At Butler, she wrote for the Butler Collegian, where she was the editor-in-chief from 2011–2012. She says that her experience working with a team to bring students, faculty, and staff news from campus at the Collegian is her favorite thing about her time at Butler.

Colombo currently resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Nathan Baird, and her puppy, Toby. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and cooking.

Dan Cooreman retired in 2015 as a staff editor in the financial news department of The New York Times, where he worked for 22 years, almost all of them in the Sunday Business section. His journalism career began while he was a Butler student. He interned at The South Bend Tribune, his hometown newspaper, where he would later work as a reporter, copy editor, theater critic, and assistant managing editor/features. He also held editing positions at The Birmingham (Ala.) Post-Herald and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Cooreman is a 1976 Butler graduate, majoring in journalism. As a student, he was a staff member of The Butler Collegian, serving as editor-in-chief from 1975–1976. He was also president of the Butler student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi. As an alumnus, he has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and established the August & Esther Cooreman Scholarship in Journalism, which he named in honor of his parents, who gave him the opportunity of a Butler education. He also serves on the steering committees of the Butler Greater New York Community and the LGBT Alumni Association.

During his years as a student, he loved Butler’s small class sizes, its caring faculty, its verdant campus, and its proximity to all that Indianapolis has to offer. But his fondest memories of his Butler experience were the late-night adventures of producing The Collegian, which offered a weekly crash course in meeting deadlines—and lasting lessons about the power and responsibility of journalism.

Cooreman resides in New York City with his partner, Steve Turner. In his free time, he loves to travel. He also volunteers at God’s Love We Deliver and at Big Apple Greeter, which helps introduce visitors to the city.

Lindsey Corbitt is a Deputy Prosecutor at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. She joined the office in 2015 and has represented the State of Indiana in jury and bench trials including multiple major felony and homicide cases. In addition to her role as a Deputy Prosecutor, Corbitt also serves as the Director of Recruitment, Development, and Internships at the Marion County Prosecutor’s office. In that role, she is focused on recruiting and training attorneys with a commitment to creating a fair and equitable criminal justice system through data-driven policy reform. She is also the co-chair of the office’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

Prior to starting her legal career as a Deputy Prosecutor, Corbitt clerked at the NCAA in the Office of Legal Affairs and at Ice Miller LLP in the Public and Governmental Affairs Group. She also worked at WRTV6 in Indianapolis as a weekend news writer.

Corbitt graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Journalism in 2011. She received her J.D. from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2014. At Butler, she was named the “Most Outstanding Student” by the Media Arts department in 2009, 2010, and 2011. She was also a member of the women’s track and field team and the “Butler Beat” news show. She currently resides in Indianapolis.

Sharon Everitt is a film and television director. She has directed over 125 episodes of television, including NBC’s “World of Dance”, the NBC late-night show, “A Little Late with Lilly Singh”, and Comedy Central’s cult favorite “The High Court”.

As part of her accomplished career in film and television, Everitt has been nominated for three Emmy awards for her work as Executive Producer of ABC’s long-running Disney Christmas Special. She began her career as a television editor while also running a successful production company. She has produced scripted and commercial projects as well as specials for Taylor Swift, Sarah Silverman, Nick Kroll, and Tig Notaro. Her 2019 award-winning musical comedy “Brentwood” has played dozens of festivals around the US and won Best Short Film at the Independent Filmmaker Showcase in Los Angeles. She was part of NBC’s Alternative Directors Program in 2019 and was named one of the “Future Women of Television” by Blackmagic Collective in 2020.

Everett graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication Arts in 1998. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California. In her free time, she enjoys continuing her over 15 year training in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Brandon Gaudin is a television play-by-play broadcaster for Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network, where he broadcasts NFL, MLB, college football, and college basketball. In addition to his work in television, he is also the voice of Madden NFL for EA Sports and has been featured as the commentator for the iconic video game franchise since 2016.

Previously, he was the play-by-play voice of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football and men’s basketball teams from 2013-2015. He was also the play-by-play voice for the Butler Bulldogs men’s basketball team from 2011-2013, where he was on the call for Butler’s run to the 2011 Final Four. For his work in television, he has been named to the Athletic’s “40 Under 40: Rising Stars in College Basketball.” He has also been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and Sports Illustrated. He has been the recipient of the Hilton Ultimus Brown Alumni Achievement Award at Butler.

Gaudin graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Political Science in 2006. At Butler, he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. His favorite thing about Butler is the family-like atmosphere and the continual effort by both the academic and athletic arms to work together for the greater good of the University.

Gaudin currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. In his free time, he enjoys playing pickup basketball, watching Seinfeld reruns, volunteering at his church, hiking, and entertaining his nieces and nephews.

Kyle Inskeep is the Primary Evening News Anchor for Local 12 WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio. As part of the Local 12 team, he anchors the 5 PM, 6 PM, and 11 PM newscasts.

Prior to working in Cincinnati, Inskeep worked for NBC News in Washington, D.C. He was selected as the 2012 Tim Russert Fellow. As part of the program, Kyle worked as a researcher for the network’s political unit, assisted correspondents and field producers, and worked alongside the “Meet the Press” digital team. After NBC News, Inskeep worked at WTWO in Terre Haute, Indiana as an anchor and reporter, before moving to FOX59 in Indianapolis for three years, where he was a morning reporter and fill-in anchor.

Inskeep graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Journalism in 2012. At Butler, he was a member of the Student Government Association, the Black Student Union, and was a Butler Student Ambassador. His favorite thing about his time at Butler was the relationships that he built during his four years on campus, where he made lifelong friends and found mentors that he still talks to regularly about the trajectory of his career.

Inskeep currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, running, fashion, photography, cooking, and traveling.

Kyle graduated magna cum laude from Butler University with a degree in Electronic Journalism. He was on campus for both of the historic Final Four runs the Bulldogs made in 2010 and 2011.

Stephen Key is the Executive Director and General Counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association, an organization that serves approximately 160 paid-subscription newspapers in Indiana. As part of his role with the HSPA, Key has also represented the organization before the Indiana General Assembly, lobbying for the public’s freedom of information rights and the interests of the Indiana newspaper industry during 26 legislative sessions. In addition to his work with the HSPA, he also serves on the boards of the Friends of Ernie Pyle and the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.

Prior to working for the HSPA, Key enjoyed a career in newspaper writing for over 13 years. He was the Managing Editor at the Noblesville Ledger for two years and the Assistant Editor at the Daily Journal in Franklin, Indiana for three years. He has received awards from the Indiana Judges Association, Ball State University’s journalism department, and the Hoosier State Press Association.

Key graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1977. He also earned a Juris Doctor from the Indiana University School of Law in 1994. While at Butler, he wrote for the Butler Collegian, where he was editor his senior year. His favorite part of his Butler experience was working late into the night putting together the student newspaper with other students who became lifelong friends, and the sense of achievement after seeing other students snapping up copies of the paper from the stacks.

Kimberly Kirk is an adult outpatient therapist with Eskenazi Health. Her current patient population is heavily dominated by neurological-based etiologies for which she provides diagnostic and therapeutic services regarding speech-language-cognitive and swallowing disorders.

Kirk began working as a speech pathologist for Eskenazi Health in 2010. Previously, she completed her clinical fellowship year at Resurrection Health-Saints Mary and Elizabeth Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She has also worked at St. Vincent Seton Specialty Hospital and the Veteran Affairs Hospital in Indianapolis. In 2008, she became one of the youngest presenters at the Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s annual conference where she spoke regarding the role of speech pathologist in intensive care settings with tracheostomy and ventilator-dependent patients. In 2019, she received the Top Acts of Pride award for providing patient care beyond and above expectations. She has been awarded the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Ace Award twice for recognition of continuing professional study.

Kirk graduated cum laude from Butler University with high departmental honors in 2003. She earned her Master’s in Speech Pathology at Indiana University in 2005. She has presented as a guest lecturer in medical speech pathology classes at both Butler University and Indiana University. For several years, she has served as a volunteer supervisor to the students in the Butler Aphasia Community under the direction of Dr. Mary Gospel.

Kirk currently resides in the Indianapolis area. She is married to her college sweetheart and is the proud mother of three very energetic boys. In her free time, she enjoys running, exercising, reading, being outside, and watching her boys play sports. She is an active member of her church and her children’s school.

Kayla Long is the Marketing Manager of Digital Twin Consortium, a global not-for-profit technology consortium.
Previously, Long was the Marketing Manager of Sanctuary Wealth. She aided in the launch of Sanctuary Wealth and over 50 partner firms and corporate entities within three years through strategic marketing development and graphic design creation. She also founded and served as the president of JEM Marketing + Design.

Long graduated cum laude from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Critical Communication and Media Studies and Spanish with high honors in 2019. At Butler, she was a member of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, the Black Student Union, Latinos Unidos, the Voices of Deliverance Multi-Faith Choir, the Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society, and the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society. She also served on the College of Communication Dean Search Committee and the Jordan College of the Arts Student Advisory Board, and the Sexual Assault Prevention Taskforce. Her favorite thing about CCOM is the faculty and staff that had a profound impact on her development as an individual and professional. At Butler, she interacted with powerful individuals that fueled her desire to learn more and actively participated in enhancing the social environment and quality of life for others.
Long currently resides in Carmel, Indiana. In her free time, she has taught and currently dances at the Alexandra Coleman Dance Company with (Latin and afro-fusion focus).

Teresa Mask is the Director of Media Relations for AT&T’s global diversity, equity and inclusion communications/PR team. In this role, she leads planning and strategy for how the company will communicate its priorities through relatable stories in the media. She also leads the earned media outreach for AT&T’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Before starting in her current role at AT&T, Mask was the company’s regional spokesperson in Michigan, handling crisis communication and earning local, proactive coverage through TV appearances and print/online articles about AT&T’s products and services. Prior to AT&T, she was a print and online journalist. She managed teams of reporters as an editor at both the Detroit Free Press and AOL’s Patch.com. She also spent a decade as a reporter at the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago.

Mask graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Spanish in 1993. At Butler, she was editor of the Butler Collegian and named one of the Top 10 Outstanding Students twice. As a student, she was also a resident assistant and a member of both the Black Student Union and the cross-country team. She has served on Butler’s Alumni Board of Directors and as the Communications Chair for Butler’s Detroit Alumni steering committee. She was honored with the Joseph R. Sweeny Alumni Service Award in 2001.

Patricia Mays is the incoming Executive Editor of News at The Hollywood Reporter. She will oversee the digital strategy of the award-winning publication across the brand, including its recently relaunched website.

Prior to starting at The Hollywood Reporter, Mays served as the Senior Director of Content Strategy and Distribution for ESPN’s Original Storytelling. While there, she worked directly with the Senior Vice President of Content on storytelling strategy, budget management, talent development, and synergy initiatives across the country. At ESPN, she was previously the executive editor for ESPN Digital Media, responsible for daily content planning, creation, and programming for all pro leagues, college sports, fantasy, and premium content on ESPN.com and the ESPN App. During this time, both the award-winning website and app consistently ranked as the No. 1 online sports destination based on unique users and broke many other metrics records. Prior to working at ESPN, Mays was the Sports Editor at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California and a reporter for The Associated Press for nearly 10 years.

Mays graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1993. She also earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy (State University of New York at Albany).

William Neher is Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Butler University. He retired in 2012 after teaching at Butler for over 42 years. During his career at Butler, he was the Dean of the University College from 1974-1982, and the first Dean of the College of Communication from 2010-2012. He also served as the Director of the Honors Program, Head of the Department of Communication Studies, and the Chair of the faculty governance.

Neher has authored eight books in a variety of topics such as organizational and professional communication, ethics, and African studies. He has also authored several public speaking and communication textbooks.

Neher graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in History in 1966. He also earned his master’s degree in Public Address from Northwestern University in 1967, and his Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in 1971. While at Butler, he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and participated in the intercollegiate debate team. His favorite things about his time at Butler are the lasting friendships he has made and the sense of community.

Neher currently resides in Greenwood, Indiana with his wife, Linda J. Neher and has nine grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys international travel and writing.

Deborah Paul retired in 2013 after an accomplished career in magazine publishing, editing, and writing. Most recently, she was the Executive VP and Editorial Director at Emmis Publishing, which produces city/regional publications including Indianapolis Monthly.

Over the course of her career, Paul oversaw content for seven city and regional magazines, including Los Angeles magazine, Texas Monthly, Atlanta Magazine, Indianapolis Monthly, Cincinnati Magazine, Orange Coast, and Country Sampler. She was the editor-in-chief at Indianapolis Monthly for 16 years, and a columnist for 33 years. She has been the recipient of numerous national writing and editing awards, and she earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the City and Regional Magazine Association. Her book, From Here to Maturity, was awarded best book in Indiana by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Paul earned a bachelor’s degree (1969) and a master’s degree (1970) from Indiana University. She completed her journalism degree from Butler University in 1979. She has also served as an adjunct professor of magazine journalism for Butler University’s College of Communication. Her favorite thing about Butler is the small class sizes, which allow for personalized attention for students and that the curriculum is current in instructional trends and offerings.

Paul currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with her husband of 52 years, Stephen Paul, a former attorney. She has two sons, one of which is an attorney and administrative law judge, and another who is an interventional cardiologist. She has four grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and cooking.

Amy McConkey Robbins is a speech-language pathologist and the owner of Communication Consulting Services. She is the author of widely-used assessment procedures in the profession, including the MAIS, IT-MAIS, Common Phrases Task, Mr. Potato Head Task, Red Flags Procedure, and the Bilingual Family Interview, or BIFI.

Prior to owning Communication Consulting Services, Robbins has worked for Boys Town Research Hospital, the Indiana University School of Medicine, and 3-M International in Brussels, Belgium. She has over 100 publications in professional literature. For her work, she has been named a Distinguished Alumna of Purdue University and has received the Richard Miyamoto award for service to the profession.

Robbins graduated from Hollins College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1977. In the same year, she earned her diploma in linguistics from Leeds University. She graduated from Purdue University with a master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 1979. Her family has a legacy at Butler University, where her father-in-law played for Tony Hinkle. Her favorite things about Butler are the community spirit and basketball games at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Robbins currently resides in Indianapolis with her husband, Clay. She has three sons and two grandsons and counting. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and traveling. She is also a member of the International Women of Indiana.

JP Schuerman is the Head of PR & Communications, International Expansion for global edtech giant Byju’s.

Prior to working for Byju’s, Schuerman served as the Head of Global Communications for Riot Games. While there, he managed the company’s corporate re-branding as well as the launch of several new game titles and television shows in more than 50 countries. Over an 18 year career, he has helmed regional offices and national practices for public relations agencies including MWWPR, Edelman, and CarryOn Communications. He has also provided counsel and strategic oversight to regional and global brands such as Disney Interactive, Qualcomm, Nestle, Google, Microsoft, University of Southern California, Warner Bros, and ESPN. He was named PR Professional of the Year by PR News in 2014.

Schuerman graduated with honors from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Relations in 1996. While at Butler, he served on the staff of the Butler Collegian. He received the Alumni Achievement Award from Butler in 2002.

Schuerman currently resides in Whitefish, Montana. In his free time, he enjoys exploring nearby mountains by bike, snowshoe, ski, kayak, raft, or any other means of traversing he can devise.

Max Taylor is a senior producer at Squeak E. Clean Studios, a music production house specializing in music for large national advertising campaigns. He has worked with clients such as Netflix, Square, HP, Re/Max, and many more.

Prior to his work at Squeak E. Clean Studios, Taylor has worked at GrouponLive, a partnership between Groupon and Live Nation, as the Manager of VIP Ticketing and Experiences at Warner Music Group, and the Music Production Liaison for the record-breaking FOx Television show Empire. He spent four seasons working with musicians, producers, and directors to help craft the show’s signature sound. The show won countless awards and took its place in television history during its run. Taylor also served on the board of Foundations of Music, which worked to supplement music education for public school children.

Taylor graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in Recording Industry Studies in 2011. At Butler, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He was also the Concerts Board Chair for SGA.

Taylor currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Samantha and his dog, Fela.

Tim Valentine is the owner of Train918, an Indianapolis-based video production company that he formed while a junior at Butler University. In addition to serving clients throughout the United States, Tim has traveled across the globe producing content for clients in Africa, China, Canada, and Vietnam. Since its formation in 2015, Tim has grown the company and its portfolio, working with a list of clients that includes Kroger, Royal Caribbean, Eli Lilly, and Amazon. Tim has also worked with other colleges such as Northwestern University, the University of Virginia, and Indiana University.

Tim graduated from Butler in 2016 with a degree in Digital Media Production and Marketing. While a student at Butler, Tim produced a video announcing Butler’s move to the Big East Conference that was shown on ESPN2. He also worked with the Butler Marketing team on commercial and social media video content to attract prospective students. His favorite thing about his Butler education is the hands-on experience he was given and the community of professors that taught him so much while also letting him learn from real life experiences. Butler provided the guidance and resources to try new ideas and capture compelling stories.

Tim currently resides in Carmel, Indiana with his wife, Hilary Curpier Valentine ’14, and their son, Andre. In his free time, you can find Tim cheering on the Butler Bulldogs and Cincinnati Bengals or playing with his son and french bulldog, Simba.

Mary C. Woolling is the founder and president of Communi-cate LLC, an Indianapolis-based publicity and public relations company that provides writing and editing services and coordination of special events. She is the author of the Here’s to Life! book series, containing collections of her essays and stories.

As president of Communi-cate, LLC, she also provides editing services, prepares newsletters and brochures, and plans special events for clients. She is also a member of The National League of American Pen Women, Indiana Writers Center, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and Philanthropic and Educational Organization International. Before starting Communi-cate LLC, Woolling worked in the field of nursing for more than 20 years.

Woolling graduated from Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in zoology-chemistry in 1976. She earned a B.S. in nursing from DePauw University in 1978. At Butler, she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She is a registered nurse.

Woolling currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, quilting, and coin collecting.