2019 MEA Executive Board Election
Instructions
It’s time to choose new members for the Media Ecology Association’s Executive Board. To read statements from the candidates seeking to fill our open positions, see below.
Please read these statements carefully before voting.
A link to the poll appears at the bottom of this page.
All votes will be tallied anonymously. Please submit your votes no later than October 25, 2019.
Questions? Email the MEA’s Executive Secretary Fernando Gutiérrez at secretary@media-ecology.net.
Candidate Statements
For the Position of Vice-President Elect (1-year term)
1. Adriana Braga
I am honored to be nominated to run for the position of Vice-President Elect of the MEA. I have served on the MEA Board of Directors in two opportunities, and welcome the chance to contribute to the association again. A priority of my service would be to continue to broaden the members, activities and visibility of MEA with a particular focus on community building and broadening, continuing to develop ties with a greater geographic and linguistic community.
I am an Associate Professor of Social Communication at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and Researcher of the National Council for Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq/Brazil). I have implemented the first Graduate Seminar on media ecology in Brazil, edited a book in Portuguese on media ecology for scholars, researchers and students (Introduction to Media Ecology, Loyola publishers, 2019, with Lance Strate and Paul Levinson), and translated books, interviews and research papers of media ecology authors in Brazil.
As VP Elect, I will apply my efforts and resources to help the MEA in its administration and international academic development in the following years. Additionally, I intend to host the first MEA convention in the Southern Hemisphere. I believe that a MEA annual meeting in Brazil will be a great opportunity to expand the international scope of Media Ecology, in order to include researchers from South American countries, such as Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, as well as firmly establish the media ecological perspective in Brazilian academic community.
For the position of Recording Secretary (1-year term)
1. Cathy Adams
Greetings MEAers,
I am a professor in the Department of Secondary Education and Vargo Teaching Chair at the University of Alberta in Canada. My research is situated in media ecology; I employ phenomenology and other posthuman methods to investigate the integration of digital technology in educational environments. In 2011, Marco Adria and I co-convened the MEA Convention in Edmonton on the occasion of Marshall McLuhan’s centenary celebrations. After publishing the convention proceedings, I worked with Editor Paul Grosswiler as Pedagogy Editor for Explorations in Media Ecology for a couple of years. For the past two years, I have very much enjoyed serving as MEA’s Recording Secretary. If elected again, I would be honoured to continue on in this role.
For the position of Newsletter Editor (1-year term)
1. Rachel Armamentos
My name is Rachel Armamentos, and I am a graduate student in Fordham University’s Public Media program. I frequently discuss the many advantages of viewing history and society through the lens of media as environment. I was first introduced to media ecology in my undergrad courses, and quickly made it my emphasis of study, enjoying works by McLuhan, Postman, Ellul, and Ong, as well as more recent digital theorists like Turkle and Carr. I wrote an introductory book on the subject for my senior capstone titled, Surviving the Technological Society: The Layman’s Guide to Media Ecology. My paper was accepted for presentation at the 19th Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association in Maine; unfortunately my flight was cancelled last minute and I was unable to attend.
In my current role as Graduate Assistant in the Public Media program, I compile two bi-weekly newsletters: one for the Communication and Media Studies Department and another for the graduate cohort. I am a strong editor and experienced writer, as well as a media ecology enthusiast. In addition to promoting activities and assisting in other matters, I would love to work with the Association to research and write a Communication Strategy to identify our audience and the communicate the association’s aims to them.
2. Paige Lee
The Media Ecology Association has brought me many opportunities for growth in this field and cherished professional relationships. Due to this association, I have been privileged to gain greater insights and delve deeper into studying media as an environment, ultimately expanding my understanding and ability to think deeply about our culture’s interaction with media.
I have had the honor of presenting at the past two MEA Conventions and assisting with the newsletter since 2017. I am trained in the email and newsletter capabilities of Wild Apricot. If accepted to the MEA Board as Newsletter Editor, I will bring an authentic enthusiasm to the MEA.
I have an innovative and professional passion for media ecology that will bring a new, riveting perspective. I will help MEA exceed their goals by disseminating captivating content to a broad and diverse audience. I will increase availability for opportunity and community within our readership.
For the Position of Member-At-Large (3-year term)
1. John Dowd
I am an associate professor in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University. My research draws from media ecology, social theory, and philosophy of communication, and largely deals with discourses of technology and education in everyday life. I’ve been involved with MEA in some capacity for roughly ten years. More recently, I served as the program planner for the MEA affiliate division of the National Communication Association, during which time I coordinated programs and panels for both the 2016 and 2017 NCA Annual Conference. A session of note during my work as program planner was a spotlight panel featuring Douglas Rushkoff, which included commentary by other prominent members of MEA including Lance Strate and Corey Anton. I also recently served as Forum editor for Explorations in Media Ecology (EME), where I’ve had the opportunity to work with top scholars in rhetoric, ICT and ethics, media ecology, and philosophy of education.
The main goals I would pursue as a Member-At-Large are twofold. First, I would contribute to the important work being undertaken by MEA in increasing membership diversity in all of its manifestations. Meaningful change requires ensuring more diversity among membership, but also necessitates greater access to leadership opportunities for traditionally marginalized members of the organization.
Second, my university is home to the Institute for the Study of Culture & Society, whose aims are to support innovative and cross-disciplinary work in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, and to facilitate the sharing of that work and its relevance to the general public. Additionally, my PhD program is housed in The Kuhlin Center, which includes state-of-the-art media facilities and a convergence lab to train students in multiple media forms. Given these resources, my long-term vision is to create another hub for media ecology research, teaching, and community engagement that would help attract and produce future media ecology scholars and practitioners. I would use my time as a Member-At-Large to work toward the realization of these goals. Thank you for your consideration.
2. Austin Hestdalen
I have been a graduate student member of the MEA since the Fall of 2016 and have presented papers in two Annual conventions, as well as the affiliated conventions of the ECA and the NCA. I have been nominated for Top Student paper in Media Ecology at both the NCA and ECA and was recently award Top Student paper at the 2019 MEA Annual Convention. My duties outside of the MEA and in my department at Duquesne University include serving as the Graduate Recruitment Assistant, Graduate Conference Planning Assistant, Course Director, Teaching Assistant, and Course Instructor. My goals include actively promoting the association at other conferences around the country and encouraging dialog with scholars interested in applying the insights of media ecology and media ecological practice as a worldly philosophy for understanding the human experience in complex media environments.
3. Jaqueline McLeod
I’ve attended MEA conventions for over a decade, about as long as I’ve been exploring the ideas and probes of Marshall McLuhan—a foremost MEA figure. Within the organization, I’ve formed many valued friendships and would enjoy joining the Board to support current activities and growth initiatives: I’m interested in our making moves to further grow our membership and raise our profile and visibility. In my home institution (University of Winnipeg), I’ve served as Associate Dean and am currently completing a second term as Chair of the Department of Rhetoric Writing and Communication. I’m a past board member of the Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Writing (a U.S.- based organization) and currently serve on the Board of Canadian Communications Association (which has begun to formalize a connection with MEA). Through these experiences, I’ve developed administrative acumen and as well as respect for the collaborative process.
I am currently completing a six-chapter manuscript about McLuhan and the City (under contract with Lexington). This research is fascinating—and will I hope interest colleagues in our organization—for it places McLuhan as figure in/on some new ground, sounding unexpected resonances and further mapping his relevance.
After you have finished reading the candidates’ statements above, click the button below to vote. You may be prompted to log in. Only MEA members in good standing may vote.