Introducing our Contributors
Chapter 1 by Macon Thompson
Macon is an Environmental Communication Manager at Green Fin Studio. She has earned an M.A. in Communication and Advocacy with a concentration in Environmental Communication. Macon has over six years of experience working on environmental justice issues and several years of facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and collective impact-focused work.
Chapter 2 by Ashlyn Johns
Ashlyn Johns received her M.A. in Communication and Advocacy from James Madison University. During graduate school, she was on the environmental track and focused research on the environmental injustice of beauty standards and began getting into posthumanism through tree communication. For a couple of years after graduating, she worked at a local resort as the Sustainability Coordinator where she ran the sustainability and advocacy initiatives. She is now a full-time instructor at James Madison University, teaching the general education communication course and a couple of intercultural communication courses. Outside of work, Ashlyn loves to snowboard, be in nature, travel, and spend time with friends and family.
Chapter 3 by Taylor N. Johnson and Tarang Mishra
Taylor N. Johnson is a lecturer and the Director of Debate at James Madison University. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Utah. Dr. Johnson’s research interests lie at the intersections of Environmental Justice, Native American and Indigenous Studies, and Gender Studies. In her free time, Dr. Johnson enjoys painting, playing video games, and crocheting.
Tarang is a senior undergraduate student at James Madison University pursuing a political science degree with a pre-law preparation program and a minor in entrepreneurship. He is currently the Culture & Finance Coordinator at Issue One, a non-profit that works to educate the public and pass legislation on Capitol Hill to bolster U.S. elections, build a healthier digital information environment for our democracy, strengthen ethics and accountability, increase government transparency, and reduce the corrosive influence of big money in politics. He has previously served as a Policy and Research Intern at the US-ASEAN Business Council, Program Assistant at the US-Asia Institute, Policy Fellow at Engine, Varsity Debater on the James Madison University Debate team, and as a delegate representing Ghana and Zambia in the International Model African Union. Additionally, he is the CEO of Untitled Kingdom Clothing, a motivational apparel startup. In the future, he plans to pursue a career in international diplomacy with a particular focus in South Asian International Politics.”
Chapter 4 by Leanna Smithberger
Leanna Smithberger is the Postdoctoral Affairs Program Administrator at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, FL. She earned her PhD in Communication from the University of South Florida, where her work focused on theorizing and empirically demonstrating the communicative constitution of the environment. Her recent publications in the Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice and Language and Dialogue employ discourse analysis to demonstrate how people, texts, and environmental phenomena co-constitute an environmental reality that enables and constrains particular relationships and actions therein. In her personal time, Leanna enjoys playing piano, crafting, attending live music events, swimming in Florida’s natural springs, and camping.
Chapter 5 by Mariam Da’Mes
Mariam Da’Mes currently lives in Salt Lake City and works at the University of Utah as a staff member for their student success and transformative experiences department. She is passionate about research that centers water rights and indigenous voices. In her free time, she loves crocheting and anything that involves her feet touching the earth!
Chapter 6 by Alex Davenport
Alex Davenport is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Theatre at Northern Virginia Community College. He received his PhD from SIU Carbondale & is a proud double Duke. His research interests include environmental communication/justice, memorialization, materiality, and performance. He enjoys video games and hiking, and if you’re in/around Harrisonburg recommends the High Knob Fire Tower Trail.
Chapter 7 by Katie Shedden
Katie Shedden (she/her/hers) is the Senior Manager of the Learning Systems team at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has earned her Masters degrees in Communication and Advocacy from James Madison University and Adult Learning from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has previously studied environmental advocacy particularly through the lens of intersections with critical and feminist theory. Unsatisfied by the toils of caring for a veritable ecosystem of pets at home, including such creatures as Great Danes, ferrets and ducks, she also spends her free time playing farming and zoo simulators.
