Tanya Ryan, PhD

Department Chair, Professor
PhD, University of Minnesota; MA, Bethel University; BA, Winona State University
Phelps Hall 125
507.457.2603
TRyan@winona.edu

Kay Hannahan, MFA

Assistant Professor
MFA, Temple University; BA, Concordia University Montreal
Fulbright Research Grant recipient in Filmmaking, Hungary, 2018-19
Phelps Hall 113E
507.457.5098
kathryn.hannahan@winona.edu

Davin Heckman, PhD

Professor
PhD, Bowling Green State University; MA, University of Minnesota-Duluth; BA, University of San Diego
Fulbright scholar, digital culture, University of Bergen, Norway, 2011-12
Phelps Hall 129E
507.457.5638
DHeckman@winona.edu

Stacey Kanihan, PhD

Graduate Program Director, Assistant Professor
PhD, Stanford University; MBA, University of South Florida; BA, Wellesley College
Phelps Hall 113C
507.457.5231
Stacey.Kanihan@winona.edu

Patrick Lichty, MFA

Assistant Professor
MFA, Bowling Green State University; BS, University of Akron
Phelps Hall 129C
507.457.5231
Patrick.Lichty@winona.edu

Jennifer T. Ma, PhD

Associate Professor
PhD, University of Connecticut; MBA, Boston College; BA and BL, LanZhou University
Phelps Hall 113B

507.457.5238

JMa@winona.edu

Talan Memmott, PhD

Associate Professor
PhD, Malmö University; MFA, Brown University
Phelps Hall 129F
507.457.2981

TMemmott@winona.edu

Mike Martin

KQAL Operations Manager
Phelps Hall 130
507.457.5227
MMartin@winona.edu

Sheila Rinn

Office Manager
Phelps Hall 126
507.457.5474
SRinn@winona.edu

Bill Stoneberg

KQAL Program Coordinator
Phelps Hall B-24
507.457.5163

Doug Westerman

KQAL General Manager
Phelps Hall B-9
507.457.2364
DWesterman@winona.edu

Jennifer Bagdade, MA, APR

Principal
PR UNSPUN, LLC

As principal of PR UNSPUN, Jennifer Bagdade advises and counsels organizations navigating change, transition and transformation to communicate at their best when it's needed most. Throughout her career, she has worked with a variety of public, private, and non-profit organizations, from global enterprise and local startups to counseling clients as well as providing communication and change management strategy and execution. In addition to leading her own business, Jennifer has had extensive experience working for and with many organizations and agencies including Cargill, Travelers, Northwest Airlines, and Weber Shandwick.

Jennifer holds a master's degree in International Communication from The American University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor's degree in history and French from Indiana University. She is also a Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner and Accredited in Public Relations (APR). An active member of PRSA, Jennifer served as the President of the Minnesota Chapter (2021) and remains involved with many other non-profit organizations.

Jonathan Locust, PhD

Associate Vice President
Office of Equity & Inclusive Excellence
Winona State University

Dr. Locust is a consultant and strategist in the areas of equity, inclusion, workplace productivity, and statistical/process analysis. He is currently the Associate Vice President for Equity & Inclusive Excellence at Winona State University. In this role, he serves as the University's executive-level strategist responsible for guiding efforts and creating opportunities to define, assess, promote, and measure equity and inclusion on WSU’s campuses. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Locust worked at other educational institutions and worked in various sales roles at Key Bank, PNC Bank, and Western & Southern Life Insurance.

Dr. Locust is a certified six sigma black belt and has a thorough understanding of all aspects of the DMAIC model to improve process efficiency. His PhD is in Theory and Social Foundations, with a focus in Research and Measurement. Dr. Locust was inducted into Euclid High School's Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame, his alma mater. He was also recognized by the University of Cincinnati as one of their 50 “Communication Alumni Champions,” honoring those who have excelled in their profession. Dr. Locust was also the recipient of the “National Role Model” award from Minority Access, a non-profit organization with the mission of assisting institutions to recruit and retain under-served and under-represented populations.

Kristin Pinter, MBA

Senior Client Solutions Designer
Press Ganey

Kristin serves as Senior Client Solutions Designer within Press Ganey’s Commercial Enablement team. She is responsible for providing strategic guidance and creative support to the Growth and Executive teams for all client-facing deliverable needs. With an expertise in Patient Experience survey design and process management, Kristin is committed to providing exceptional service and is an integral part of her team’s improvement initiatives.

Since joining Press Ganey in 2015, Kristin has served in different departments; in the Account Management department, she partnered with healthcare organizations across the nation for patient experience improvement. In 2017, Kristin was awarded the Press Ganey “Power of One” trophy. In 2020, Kristin was promoted to Commercial Enablement, as one of its founding team members. In 2021, Kristin was promoted to her current role, where she is an integral part of the Press Ganey team and consistently demonstrates her expertise through creative strategy with a health care focus.

Kristin received her MBA from Indiana University and her bachelor’s degree from Winona State University. Kristin resides in Southern Michigan with her cat, dog, and partner Chris. In her free time, Kristin enjoys reading, painting, and researching advertising campaigns.

Jennifer Williamson, MA

Adjunct Faculty
Phelps Hall 113A
Jennifer.Williamson@winona.edu

Over the past 20 years, Jennifer Williamson has worked to educate, train, and lead tomorrow's workforce. She holds both a master’s degree in Organizational Communications and Development and a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Rhetorical Studies from Marquette University. Jennifer’s career began as a special projects manager, in which she developed training seminars internally for employees and externally for customers. She started her teaching career at Concordia University in Wisconsin and then came to Winona State University.

In her current role at Winona State, Jennifer is developing online curricula for courses on Gender Communication, Speech Communication and Interpersonal Communication, while also developing and teaching in-person courses in Public Speaking, Principles of Public Relations, and Public Relations Writing. Jennifer has worked as a volunteer for her local education system and has developed courses to enhance learning experiences for many types of students. Jennifer has also owned a small business, and there she trained and supported the team that developed her products and provided her services.

Dan Eastman, MFA

MFA, Bard College; MFA, Wayne State University; BA, Western Washington University
Fulbright scholar 2007 to Barbados in art

Tom Grier, EdD

EdD, University of Minnesota; MA, BA, Winona State University