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SERVICE

My service is interwoven with my scholarship and teaching whenever possible. In addition to roles in School, College and University-wide committees, I have worked to serve in some of the same communities in which I practice my scholarship and teaching.

For the past three years, I’ve worked closely with high school students in a partnership with RIT and the Rochester Prep High School, by including several students in my sophomore-level course each fall, which has paralleled my filmmaking in local public education. I have contributed my skills as a photojournalist and filmmaker to the Special Olympics International, in a similar way that I have facilitated partnerships with Special Olympics New York and my students. Finally, I continue to serve my profession, both by leading the next generation of photojournalists through the campus chapter of the National Press Photographers Association, and my teaching and judging at the professional level for the NPPA and other organizations.

Rochester Prep High School Capstone Faculty Mentorship

As part of a unique partnership between RIT and Uncommon Schools, a charter program that runs Rochester Prep High School, about a dozen faculty each year in a variety of academic disciplines have served as mentors working closely with several RPHS seniors as they produce their capstone projects.

For the past three years, my mentees have joined one of my college photojournalism classes each fall to participate fully in the college curriculum to not only pursue their capstone projects, but become more intimately familiar with life on a college campus.

As our own college seniors must do, each high school student in the program chooses a capstone topic and must present that work to members of the university and high school faculty and administration. My students have focused on projects of environmental racism, urban development and housing injustice, among others. All of the participants are enrolled in universities upon graduation and several of my mentees have chosen photojournalism as their major at RIT or other institutions.

As part of her capstone project, Rochester Prep High School senior Arianna Rivera photographs the Vacuum Oil plant along the Genesee River in Rochester which is a site of environmental contamination. She focused her capstone project on environmental racism, working in the Plex Neighborhood which is pressing for cleanup. Arianna also made portraits of the neighborhood and community leaders for her project.

Special Olympics International – Golisano Global Health Leadership Award

2017

I co-filmed, edited and produced a video about University of Rochester pediatrician, Stephen Sulkes, winner of one of the seven Golisano Global Health Leadership Awards through the Special Olympics given to physicians who have dedicated their careers to helping people with intellectual disabilities.

The video story was shown at the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Graz, Austria and published by the Special Olympics International.

View more of my video work with Special Olympics International in the Scholarship Section.

Learn more about how I incorporated my service and scholarship work with Special Olympics International to provide experiences in teaching for my students to work with Special Olympics New York in the teaching section.

University and Professional Service

Volunteering at the 2016 National Press Photographers Association teaching multimedia storytelling. Photo by Thomas E. Franklin

Center for Engaged Storycraft Steering Committee

2018-present
Member of steering committee for interdisciplinary center that collaborates on research projects and new pedagogies to increase awareness of storytelling.

RIT Student NPPA Chapter Faculty Advisor

2015-2018
I was the faculty advisor for the RIT student chapter of the NPPA from 2015-2018, a chapter that in the 2015-16 year was named the national chapter of the year. 

Climate Change Curriculum Committee

2016-present
Committee member of university-wide committee planning for a future concentration in climate change

Charles Arnold Lecture Series Committee

Committee Chair 2018-present
Member 2015-present

Committee member
School of Photographic Arts & Sciences committee responsible for bringing 5 professional speakers to campus each year, and an alumni panel every other year.

Holiday Auction Committee member

2015-present
School of Photographic Arts & Sciences committee to coordinate annual holiday auction fundraiser in collaboration with school student group

Honors Show Committee

2015-present
Committee member
School of Photographic Arts & Sciences committee to coordinate selection of images for annual honors show.

One Take Film Festival

Coordinator and curator of VR garden exhibit during at the annual documentary film festival. The garden showcases curated Virtual Reality non-fiction projects.

NPPA Multimedia Immersion Workshop

2016 (and 2008-2010)
Video storytelling workshop volunteer coach at annual National Press Photographers Association training seminar

NPPA Contest Coordinator

2016-present
Coordinator of the National Press Photographers Association’s quarterly picture editing clip contest. Responsible for selecting judges and posting winning images. In 2016 I revamped the categories to reflect online publishing and picture editing in addition to print picture editing entries.

Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Photojournalism Contest Judge

2016
Professional photojournalism judge
in state-wide photojournalism contest.

American Jewish Press Association

2020, 2015-2017
Professional national photojournalism and Design Contest of Jewish-centered publications.

Frameless Symposium

2017
Member of planning committee of annual symposium hosted at RIT.

Volunteer photographer for local Montessori

Made images for annual reports, brochures, website and other needs for a the Montessori School of Rochester

Volunteer in local elementary schools

Parent volunteer for classroom projects, field trips and special events.