PRA main page

Janell Shearer, Professor, APR
Program Head
PRSSA Faculty Advisor
shearer@chapman.edu, 714-997-6647, Office: Marion Knott Studios 343
Accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America, Shearer heads the PRA degree program in the Dodge College.  Over the 20-plus years she been teaching at Chapman, she designed the public relations curriculum.  Her areas of specialization are strategic campaign development and the use of technology as a communications tool.  

As advisor to the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), she coaches student teams in the annual Bateman Case Study Competition.  In 1995, the Chapman team took first place in the nation with a winning campaign for Girls Inc.  Bateman teams under her advisement have placed nationally in seven out of ten years. 

In addition to teaching, Shearer has served the university as its Director of Public Relations as well as working for a wide variety of corporate and non-profit clients as a public relations consultant.  She produces, writes and directs video productions as a partner in Bassett/Shearer Productions and has served on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Chapter of PRSA and as chair of its Public Service Committee. 

Her work has been honored by awards from PRSA, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Association of Audiovisual Communicators, the Orange County Ad Awards, and the Admissions Marketing Report, among others.   At Chapman she has received the Valerie Scudder Distinguished Teacher/Scholar and the Bill Womack “Most Inspirational” Faculty Member awards.

Shearer has a masters degree in journalism from UCLA as well as more than a decade’s experience working as an editor for city, business and trade magazines.

Cory O’Connor, Assistant Professor
Ad Club Faculty Advisor
oconnor@chapman.edu, 714- 628-7357, Office: Marion Knott Studios 355
O'Connor is a seasoned television executive with experience in marketing, public relations, advertising, and programming. After starting his career in sales and strategic planning with a Fortune 50 oil company, he spent nine years at The Disney Channel as Senior Vice President of Synergy, Programming and Communications where he managed public relations, corporate synergistic activities, and on-air marketing and branding.  Along the way, he launched Disney’s American Teacher Awards, set up a national literacy promotion for The Disney Channel’s 10th anniversary, and oversaw a national program to foster appreciation of classical music among children. His department was responsible for producing 17,000 on-air spots every year, as well as the network's signature programming events.

A graduate of USC with a degree in American Studies and of the Harvard Business School where he studied marketing, O’Connor has also worked for HBO, the American Film Institute, and several Internet start-ups. Over the years he has served as director on the boards of the Young Musicians Foundation, where he was Chairman from 1996-1998; the Alliance for Children's Rights; and St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank. He was raised in Newport Beach and lives there currently.

Kevin Mardesich, Instructor
mardesich@chapman.edu , (714) 744-7841, Office: Marion Knott Studios 344
Mardesich is the new full-time PR instructor in the Dodge College, effective Fall of 2005. Previously, Mardesich served as an adjunct professor at the 2nd highest ranked U.S. public university, the University of Texas at Austin. At the University of Texas at Austin, he lectured on "Public Relations for the Entertainment Industry." His course enrollment spiked from 12 to 114 students in one semester. Previously, Mardesich has been a guest lecturer and panelist at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and the University of Southern California.

Mardesich also runs East West Communications, a PR consulting practice which specializes in the entertainment industry. Mardesich has consulted with the National Geographic Channel, drafting press kits and coaching in media training. Currently, he works with one of the leading television branding agencies, Troika Design Group. Publicizing the Sports Emmy-winning Troika, Mardesich has announced campaigns for ESPN, HGTV, VH1, E! and other networks. Prior to East West, Mardesich's PR experience includes the Cable Ace Awards, Unit Publicity and Fox where he was promoted in corporate PR. With thirteen years total in the entertainment industry, he began his career in Hollywood running Oliver Stone’s story department at Ixtlan where he developed feature films. Mardesich provided script notes or oversaw coverage for Nixon with Anthony Hopkins, Robert Olen Butler's Pulitzer Prize-winning Good Scent..., Robert Redford's George Washington and dozens more scripts.

Mardesich graduated Cum Laude and with Honors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a double major in Film and Acting. He co-won both the highest filmmaking award at the NYU Film Festival (Haig Manoogian Award) and his acting studio's highest award (Lee Strasberg Award). He is also a showcased graduate of the British-American Drama Academy at Oxford University.

Adjunct faculty

Ray Roschmann, former Executive Vice President of Saatchi & Saatchi/CCL is a veteran marketing professional with over thirty years of experience in business development, strategic marketing, market research, and communications.

In addition to his work with Saatchi & Saatchi/CCL, Roschmann established and built the advertising group of Fisher Business Communications, a company that had previously focused on public relations.   At Saatchi and Fisher, he worked with local, regional, national, and international clients, which included retail, consumer products, high-tech, and medical products and services.  For the last 17 years he has managed Roschmann & Associates.

Roschmann also worked in marketing management with General Foods Corporation and Hunt-Wesson Foods, where he directed marketing and new product launch programs for major consumer brands.

In addition to teaching at Chapman, he has taught marketing, advertising, public relations, and marketing research at USC, UCI, Cal State University, Fullerton, Concordia University, and University of Redlands for the last eight years.

Jennifer Starnes has been teaching Desktop Publishing at Chapman since 2000; she is also an alumna (class of 1997) and worked in Chapman’s Publications Department. She has worked at a national real estate marketing firm and with the in-house creative team at an international home appliances manufacturer. She is currently the marketing manager for a national real estate marketing and training company, and has also owned a freelance graphic design studio, Dalzell Graphics. She lives in Irvine with her husband and their puppy.

Veston Rowe has served as director of publications at Chapman University since 1991. Under his leadership, the publications office has won more than 60 national awards from CASE, Admissions Marketing Report and the National School Public Relations Association. Previously, he served as director of public relations and publications for Phillips University in Oklahoma for eight years, where the publications office also won numerous national awards.

With a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma, Veston has taught classes in journalism and public relations since 1989. His freelance clients include Habitat for Humanity; Lindora Medical Clinic; Being Alive, Los Angeles; Stop AIDS Orange County, and the National Benevolent Association (NBA).

Keri Gee Barnett is the owner of PRIDEA, a public relations and public speaking firm.  Among her clients are Boeing, New Century Title, Unisource Worldwide, Inc., the YMCA, Chapman University, Re/MAX Real Estate Services/Ilona & Company, LoLo (toy) Company, JDP Photography, and many others.  She has received national recognition for various PR campaigns, including, recently, the “America’s FUNNEST Kid” award. Previously, she served 17 years as community relations manager for the Orange County Department of Education/Regional Occupational Program (ROP).  In 2005, she was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor given by the Orange County Chapter of PRSA.

She is an active longtime board member of Orange County’s PRSA and currently heads up the Public Service Committee. In addition to doing pro bono PR for the two PRSA/OC public service causes (foster care/adoption and brain injury), her commitment to public service includes pro bono PR for the Parkinson's & Movement Disorder Foundation (PMDF), Camp Fire Boys & Girls, and Humor Helping Humanity, among others.  She has served in a volunteer capacity as the public relations chairman for numerous organizations and causes, including the American Cancer Society, Orange County On Track, Toastmasters, the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, the Bureau of Jewish Education, and the Volunteer Center of Orange County.  She has chaired a variety of special events, among them the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life and the Volunteer Center’s Youth Service Conference.  She also serves on Chapman University’s PR Advisory Council.

Doug Aiken is in his seventh year as Sports Information Director at Chapman University. At 21, he was one of the youngest SIDs in the nation when he was hired in 1999. Doug's responsibilities include the public and media relations for Chapman's 18 intercollegiate athletic teams and three club sports. In his eight years in sports PR, he has also worked for the Anaheim Bullfrogs (roller hockey), the High Desert Mavericks (minor league baseball) and the NBA's Summer Pro League in Long Beach. Doug earned his bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Chapman in 1999 and is currently working on his master's in organizational leadership, also at Chapman.

PRA main page