Where Are They Now?
Below is a listing of alumni of the Communication Studies M.A. program at California State University, Los Angeles. Our COMS alumni have pursued careers in both academic and non-academic sectors and have continued their advanced studies in a variety of fields, both in the United States and internationally.
Academic Careers
Kamran Afary (M.A. ’98) – Instructor, CSU Los Angeles
Claudia Zepeda Anguiano (M.A. ’06) – Lecturer, Dartmouth College
Voiza Arnold Greene (M.A. ’02) – Instructor, Rio Hondo College
Allan Axibal (M.A. ’10) – Instructor, CSU Los Angeles and Mt. San Antonio College
Michael Brydges (M.A. ’88) – Forensics, Cypress College
Guillermo Caliendo (M.A. ’94) – Assistant Professor, Hofstra University
Libby Curiel (M.A. ’07) – Forensics, Rio Hondo College and Mt. San Antonio College
Michael DeCarbo (M.A. ’99) – Forensics, Santiago Canyon College
D. Robert DeChaine (M.A. ’96) – Professor, CSU Los Angeles
Nune Dervishian (M.A. ’08) – Instructor, Los Angeles Mission College
Josh Fleming (M.A. ’05) – Forensics, Pasadena City College
Samantha Garagliano (M.A. ’09) – Instructor, CSU Los Angeles and Antelope Valley College
Irene Grau (M.A. ’99) – Associate Professor, Odessa College
Damon Hines (M.A. ’08) – Instructor, Loyola Marymount University
Richie Hao (M.A. ’05) – Assistant Professor, University of Denver
Stephanie Hood Fleming (M.A. ’02) – Forensics, Pasadena City College
Stefka Hristova (M.A. ’04) – Assistant Professor, Michigan Technological University
Jennifer Huss Basquiat (M.A. ’95) – Professor, Community College of Southern Nevada
Javon Johnson (M.A. ’05) – Visions & Voices Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow, USC.
Mike Kalustian (M.A. ’05) – Instructor, Los Angeles City College
Kidogo Kennedy (M.A. ’00) – Instructor, USC Rosser School of Education
Susie Keogh (M.A. ’99) – Instructor, University of La Verne
Michael Leach (M.A. ’96) – Forensics, College of the Canyons
Ken Lee (M.A. ’05) – Instructor, Antelope Valley College
Cora Leighton (M.A. ’05) – Instructor, San Francisco State University
John Matteson (M.A. ’05) – Forensics, Los Angeles City College
Tina McDermott (M.A. ’05) – Instructor, Antelope Valley College
Mary Mercado (M.A. ’10) – Principal, Rosie the Riveter Charter High School
Josh Miller (M.A. ’99) – Forensics, Los Angeles Valley College
Ulises Moreno (M.A. ’11) – Instructor, New Oriental Elite Center, Beijing, China
Kirran Moss (M.A. ’00) – Instructor, CSU Long Beach
Rachael Moss Tiede (M.A. ’04) – Instructor, North Lake College, Texas
Steve Nahabedian (M.A. ’98) – Instructor, Mt. San Antonio College
Heidi Mueller Ochoa (M.A. ’06) – Forensics, Saddleback College
Lucas Ochoa (M.A. ’08) – Forensics, Saddleback College
Mariusz Ozminkowski (M.A. ’92) – Instructor, Cal Poly Pomona
Cindy Phu (M.A. ’09) – Forensics, Chapman University
Larry Radden (M.A. ’94) – Forensics, Saddleback College
Carmen Rodriguez (M.A. ’07) – Instructor, Rio Hondo College and Mt. San Antonio College
Ed Schwartz (M.A. ’68) – Professor, Prairie State College, Illinois
Trisha Silva (M.A. ’11) – Director of Individual Events, CSU Long Beach
Duane Smith (M.A. ’99) – Forensics, Los Angeles Valley College
Maya Staylor (M.A. ’01) – Instructor, Mt. San Antonio College
Grace Stinson (M.A. ’04) – Instructor, Mt. San Antonio College
Jenna Watkinson (M.A. ’07) – Instructor, College of the Canyons
Sara Weintraub – Associate Professor, Regis College, Massachusetts
Mark Whitworth (M.A. ’91) – Instructor, Los Angeles City College
Elaine M. Wittenberg-Lyles (M.A. ’98) – Associate Professor, University of North Texas
David Zuckerman (M.A. ’98) – Associate Professor, CSU Sacramento
Other Careers
Dustin Lee Abraham (M.A. ’96) – Executive Producer and Writer, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Sandy Bo Lin (M.A. ’09) – Editor, China Radio International
Shelly Block (M.A. ’08) – Service Learning Coordinator and General Education Program Chair, Globe University
Thomas C. Burkhart (M.A. ’98) – Senior Counsel, MetLife
Brian Calle (M.A. ’08) – Political Opinion Columnist and Senior Editorial Writer, The Orange County Register; Senior Fellow, Pacific Research Institute
Nur Cogenli (M.A. ’08) – Digital Project Manager, Grey Worldwide
Beville Constantine (M.A. ’10) – Enrollment Counselor, USC
Summer Douglass Williams (M.A. ’07) – Alumnae Coordinator, Alverno High School
Peter Kent (M.A. ’04) – Enterprise Architect and Business Analyst, G&B Solutions, Inc.
Meghan McPartland (M.A. ’06) – Director of Publicity, Piers Morgan Tonight
Hiro Nakayama-Hosseinzadeh (M.A. ’00) – Marketing Communications Specialist
Charles Regan (M.A. ’84) – Senior Corporate Vice President, Nestle
Unalome Techamuanvivit (M.A. ’94) – Knowledge Engineer, Alcatel-Lucent
Ceyla Doral Turhan (M.A. ’07) – Iconisus Visual Communication Systems
Michelle Waiters Martinez (M.A. ’01) – Director, McNair Scholars Program, CSU Dominguez Hills
Jenna Watkinson (M.A. ’07) – Coordinator, Corporate Initiatives, Disney/ABC Television Group
Amber Wright (M.A. ’10) – Meeting and Event Services Coordinator, CSU Los Angeles
Advanced Graduate Studies
Kamran Afary (M.A. ’98) – Ph.D., Northwestern University (completed 2007)
Claudia Zepeda Anguiano (M.A. ’06) – Ph.D., University of New Mexico (completed 2011)
Thomas C. Burkhart (M.A. ’98) – J.D., University of Iowa College of Law (completed 2003)
Guillermo Caliendo (M.A. ’94) – Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh (completed 2003)
D. Robert DeChaine (M.A. ’96) – Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University (completed 2001)
Diana Fisher (M.A. ’97) – Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University (completed 2004)
Josh Fleming (M.A. ’05) – M.A. Theatre Arts, CSU Los Angeles
Heather Gilmore (M.A. ’11) – Ed.D., Walden University
Irene Grau (M.A. ’99) – Ph.D., University of Iowa (completed 2006)
Richie Hao (M.A. ’05) – Ph.D., Southern Illinois University (completed 2009)
Marie Haverfield (M.A. ’08) – Ph.D., Rutgers University
Stefka Hristova (M.A. ’04) – Ph.D., University of California Irvine (completed 2010)
Jennifer Huss Basquiat (M.A. ’95) – Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University (completed 2001)
Javon Johnson (M.A. ’05) – Ph.D., Northwestern University (completed 2010)
Amy Jung (M.A. ’03) – Ph.D., Arizona State University
Kidogo Kennedy (M.A. ’00) – Ed.D., USC (completed 2008)
M. Zakir Khan (M.A. ’11) – J.D., Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law
Cora Leighton (M.A. ’05) – Ph.D., Louisiana State University (completed 2009)
Theresa MacNeil (M.A. ’08) – Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Heidi Mueller Ochoa (M.A. ’06) – M.A. Theatre, CSU Los Angeles
Carmen Navarro (M.A. ’03) – Ph.D., Regent University
Jenny Robinson (M.A. ’07) – Ph.D., Arizona State University
Clariza Ruiz De Castillo (M.A. ’07) – Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
Sara Weintraub – Ph.D., Boston College (completed)
Elaine M. Wittenberg-Lyles (M.A. ’98) – Ph.D., University of Oklahoma (completed 2004)
David Zuckerman (M.A. ’98) – Ph.D., University of Oklahoma (completed 2003)
If you’re an alumnus of the COMS program and you don’t see your name listed here, please contact us. We would love to include you. If you’re currently listed, please contact us if you have updated information.