Faculty

Dr. Heather Crandall, Director of the Masters Program in Communication and Leadership Studies, earned an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Washington State University. Her areas of concentration are American Studies, Communication, and Rhetoric. She is specifically interested in media representation of socio-economic class. Her dissertation was an examination of the ways in which prime-time television crime dramas portray working poor characters. Heather teaches courses in theorizing communication, visual rhetoric, organizational communication, public speaking, small group communication, and interpersonal communication. crandallm@gonzaga.edu

Dr. John Caputo is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts at Gonzaga University. He is a former Chair of the Department of Communication Arts and Executive Secretary of the Northwest Communication Association. He is married and the father of four children. Dr. Caputo earned his Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate School and University Center. He has been teaching communication courses for more than 30 years and has appeared on radio and television news and discussion programs. His areas of expertise include communication theory, intercultural and interpersonal communication, and media and social values. He is the author of seven books: Effective Communication Handbook; Communicating Effectively: Linking Thought with Expression; Dimensions of Communication; Interpersonal Communication: Competency Through Critical Reasoning, which was co- authored with Bud Hazel and Colleen McMahon; Public Speaking Handbook: A Liberal Arts Perspective with Bud Hazel; McDonaldization Revisited: Critical Essays on Consumer Culture which he co-edited with Mark Alfino and Robin Wynyard for Praeger Press and his newest book, Effective Communication. John Caputo has written more than 20 articles in professional journals, and been honored as a Visiting Scholar In-Residence at the University of Kent at Canterbury, England and taught in Florence, Italy. In addition, Dr. Caputo is on the faculty of Loyola College of Maryland's Cagli Project, Summer Professional Media Experience. He has been honored with Master Teacher Awards by the Western States Communication Association and the University of Texas at Austin. caputo@gonzaga.edu

Dr. Alexa Dare is an assistant professor in the Masters Program in Communication and Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Communication from the University of Denver. She also has a B.A. in Native Studies from the University of Alberta and a M.A. in Communication from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In addition to teaching she worked at the Canadian Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. In a general sense Alexa's research looks at the connections between culture and social change. In her dissertation, Alexa examined collaborations and alliance-building in a transnational interaction within global volunteer programs. Alexa is also working on a project that looks at the intersection of contagion and culture in media coverage in infections disease, including HIV/AIDS, Bird and Swine Flu, and Tuberculosis. She teaches courses in intercultural and International Communication and Theorizing Communication and is looking forward to developing coursework in the area of non-profits and community development. In her free time, she likes to bike - mountain and road - and cook globally-inspired food. She sits on the board of a non-profit organization the provides scholarships for youth to attend wilderness leadership programs, and is passionate about supporting initiatives that cultivate and encourage cross-cultural partnerships and understanding. darea@gonzaga.edu

Dr. Michael Hazel is an assistant professor of communication arts at Gonzaga University, and is married and the father of two children. He earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University after living in Japan for eight years. In addition to teaching in the United States, he taught for six years at Immaculate Heart College in southern Japan. His areas of interest include ethics, organizational communication, communication theory, research methods, communication apprehension, and intercultural and interpersonal communication. hazelm@gonzaga.edu

Nobuya Inagaki is an assistant professor of communication arts at Gonzaga University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His Ph.D. is in the department of Radio-Television-Film with a dissertation title of: Unbundling rural economy: Analysis of uneven spatiality of rural enterprises in the age of information technology. inagaki@gonzaga.edu